St Helena Records 1727-1731

Introduction: This is the nineteenth 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/EAP1364-1-1-20.

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.

To mitigate these difficulties, a strict protocol was applied to each image, requiring the AI to rely solely on clearly visible ink strokes and to flag any uncertain reading, thereby reducing the risk of inferred or invented text. Two conventions are used. [...] marks text that could not be read with confidence; this may represent a single unreadable word, a full sentence, or occasionally an entire paragraph. Square brackets around letters or words indicate a conjectural reading supplied by the transcriber: brackets around a whole word, for example [Bazett], mean the entire word was unclear and a probable reading has been supplied, while brackets around individual letters within an otherwise readable word, for example B[a]z[e]tt, mean only those specific letters were unclear in the source and the unbracketed letters were legibly present.

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: Pages are numbered in the top left corner on verso sides and in the top right corner on recto sides. The sequence begins with Film No. 24 and continues consecutively until 213/190. Film No. 214 carries no number and is assumed to be page 191. Film No. 215 is also marked as page 191, creating a duplication. The sequence therefore runs 212/189, 213/190, 214/191, 215/191, 216/192, and so on.

The numbering then proceeds sequentially until 393/369, where the same problem occurs again. Film No. 394 carries no number and is assumed to be page 370, while Film No. 395 is also marked as page 370, creating a second duplication. At this point the sequence runs 392/368, 393/369, 394/370, 395/370, 396/371, and then continues in order through to the end of the volume.

Dates: During the period of this volume, England and its colonies followed the Old-Style Julian calendar, in which the legal new year began on 25 March (Lady Day). This volume records consultations at St Helena between 26 February 1726/7 (1727 in the modern calendar) and 3 August 1731.

The Council meetings were held during the administration of Edward Byfield (1727-1731).

AI Generated Summary

Introduction

Edward Byfield governed St Helena from 26 February 1727, when the Princess Anne brought the Company's packet naming him Governor Smith's successor, through to July 1731, the furthest point reached by the consultations drawn on here [Film No. 24]. Across these 4 years and 5 months the council, consisting throughout of Byfield and John Goodwin, joined from 1727 by John Alexander and from 1728 by David Crisp, produced a continuous run of consultations, storekeeper's accounts, livestock returns, gunner's stores and court proceedings that the Company kept chiefly to satisfy its directors in London [Film No. 128, 158, 276]. That purpose shapes everything the record can be made to say. It renders administrative process, trade and property with real precision, and it renders the inner life of settlers, and above all of the island's enslaved majority, only where that life happened to touch the Company's own ledgers [Film No. 76, 93-94, 107-108].

Several threads run the whole distance from Film No. 24 to Film No. 465. Byfield pursued a sustained programme of retrenchment, cutting the island's gross yearly charge from a first recovered figure of £4,846 13s 7.75d for the year to 30 September 1728 to £3,144 6s 0d the year after, before it rose again to £4,444 16s 2.5d in the year to 30 September 1730 [Film No. 230, 326, 416-418]. A European war scare, arising from the Emperor's support for the Ostend Company's challenge to English and Dutch trade, put the island on a defensive footing from May 1727 that persisted, in weakened form, even after the Treaty of Seville brought peace in 1729 and 1730 [Film No. 61-62, 368, 390]. A crisis over the island's dwindling wood supply ran unresolved from the first survey of March 1727 to the extraordinary vote of 20 January 1730 to destroy every goat and sheep on St Helena, a cull still working through the record's final months [Film No. 33-37, 340-341, 465]. And throughout, the island's economy rested on the labour of several hundred enslaved men, women and children, whose births, deaths, sales and punishments the council recorded with the same bureaucratic care it gave its cattle, and whose own voices survive nowhere in these pages except by accident.

Governance and Administration

Byfield's arrival ended what the inhabitants themselves called the arbitrary rule of Governor Smith, and they told him so directly in a formal address of thanks on 26 July 1727, praising the change and complaining that earlier restrictions had left their produce unsaleable while denying them liberty to trade for necessaries [Film No. 84-85]. Byfield answered by promising to make them an easy and happy people, and much of his subsequent government reads as an attempt to make that promise good through paperwork: monthly accounting from 18 July 1727, a shift that August to a March-to-March reporting year in place of the looser September reckoning, and an annual audit each autumn in which the council checked journal against ledger against the actual contents of the warehouse, sitting in some years from 6 in the morning until 8 at night, before sending fair copies to London [Film No. 82, 86, 129-131, 326-327].

The results of that discipline are traceable in a single figure. The gross charge of the island fell from a first recovered total of £4,846 13s 7.75d for the year to 30 September 1728 to only £3,144 6s 0d the following year, a reduction of more than a third in twelve months, before rising again to £4,444 16s 2.5d in the year to 30 September 1730, still comfortably below the earliest figure [Film No. 230, 326, 416-418]. Byfield's own emphasis, the word only entered beside the 1729 figure, shows a governor keen to have his economy noticed in London [Film No. 326]. Real relief for the tenantry followed only in March 1731, when the Company, after years of petitioning by the Governor on the inhabitants' behalf, halved the leasehold rent from 5 shillings to 2 shillings and sixpence an acre for 5 years and abolished for the same term the 10-shilling head charge on privately owned slaves, a measure that pointedly excluded garrison landholders and so was aimed precisely at the settled planting community [Film No. 438].

Parish government ran alongside Company rule on a fixed annual cycle. The inhabitants nominated candidates each autumn, and the council chose churchwardens, among them Richard Beale and Isaac Wood in 1728 and Robert Girling and John Worrall in 1730, and overseers of the highways from among them, swearing the new officers in on the same day the old ones rendered their final accounts [Film No. 107-108, 208, 307, 403]. An orphans' court, sitting annually from 1727, obliged guardians to render sworn, itemised inventories of estates held for fatherless children, among them Henry Francis's, Robinson's and Draper's orphans, and just once caught a straightforward overcharge in a year-on-year comparison [Film No. 107, 109-110, 117, 209-210]. Its sitting of 6 October 1730 covered the estates of Henry Francis's orphans, Richard Girling, Jane Fletcher, Elizabeth Robinson and Mary Redwood, Girling's estate balancing at £766 11s 10d made up chiefly of debts owed to it rather than coin, a pattern typical of an island economy that moved value by bond and book entry far more than by cash; the same month the inhabitants agreed that the orphans of the deceased Richard Swallow, fearing they would otherwise fall on the parish as a charge, should have their whole estate of £155 2s 2d sold and the proceeds and the children handed to Richard Beale, who undertook their maintenance until they came of age or married [Film No. 404-405]. Far more strikingly, the same jurisdiction uncovered in February 1730 a twenty-year concealment: Gabriel Powell, the island's own chief surveyor, had married the widow of George Hodgkinson in the 1710s and never rendered a single account of the inheritance due her 4 children, so that when Powell himself died his estate of £1,200 was found inseparable from theirs [Film No. 347-354]. A jury of twelve propertied islanders, 2 of the 4 complainants themselves councillors sitting in judgement on their own family's claim, divided the combined estates by rough equity rather than untangle 2 decades of unrecorded profit, a settlement that reads less as strict law than as the island's own propertied circle agreeing terms none of its members could afford to see set as a harsher precedent [Film No. 351, 353].

Quarterly courts of the peace were adjourned for want of business again and again through these years, in December 1727, March and June 1728, March and September 1729, and June 1730, the council recording contentment among the inhabitants each time [Film No. 136, 161, 187, 306, 335, 359, 384]. That claim describes only the free, propertied population the court existed to serve. The same quiet years produced a serious medical scandal, a rescued apprentice, the drowning of twelve slaves in 2 separate incidents, and the Hodgkinson concealment, none of which ever reached the peace court's calendar [Film No. 100-103, 153-154, 160, 194, 217, 347-354]. News of national events reached the island only after months of delay: King George the First died in England on 11 June 1727, but St Helena learned of it, and of his son's accession, only when the Anne and Mary arrived on 8 March 1728, some 9 months later, and Byfield proclaimed the new King the following morning at the head of the garrison under arms [Film No. 158, 164, 175]. Chubb's Spring, examined in 1729 after complaints that ships were overcharged for water at the Cape, produced a report that first recorded every spring running dry or nearly so, reduced to a fraction of its former flow, then concluded, in the same document, that the springs would always supply a ship in any season, a contradiction the report itself explains: a true finding would have driven shipping to the Cape for good, and with it the island's whole trade [Film No. 258-259, 277, 316].

Land, Settlement and Agriculture

On 14 March 1727, 4 planters surveyed every tenant's holding for wood, furze and fencing, and the council fined nineteen defaulters in April, scaling fines to means and history as an offender [Film No. 33-37, 44, 52-53]. The same concern for the island's only fuel and building material recurred every year that follows: a further survey and fines in October and November 1727, mostly under 12s 6d and excused for poverty, age or bad soil, with only Grace Coulson refused leniency after declaring she cared nothing for her exhausted leasehold since she was old and near the end of her life [Film No. 108, 119-122]; a Company-directed escalation on 16 March 1728 tying any lease renewal to a heavy fine for past neglect [Film No. 159, 181]; and a fourth survey in October 1729, whose commissioners now sought to establish how wood had been destroyed and by whom, finding young trees eaten by cattle through defective fencing as often as any wilful neglect, and warning that without better compliance no timber would stand on the island within 7 or 8 years [Film No. 316-317, 322-323].

That warning went unheeded until the inhabitants themselves acted. On 20 January 1730 about fifty of them met at the country church and voted, forty to eleven, to destroy every goat and sheep on St Helena and keep none for ten years, with 2 years allowed from 1 September 1730 to complete the killing; councillors Alexander and Goodwin, who between them held large flocks, offered their own animals first, and the council resolved to destroy the Company's stock alongside the inhabitants' [Film No. 340-341]. The vote succeeded where 4 years of fines had failed because it identified the true cause of loss, animals breaking through poor fencing, though it was also strikingly self-defeating for an island that depended on the same animals to feed itself and victual passing ships [Film No. 325, 340-341]. The cull, once begun, proved sustained rather than symbolic: the goat herd fell from six hundred and forty-six in early 1730 to two hundred and ninety-one by December, two hundred and fifty in January 1731, two hundred and seven in February, and finally one hundred and twenty-seven by July 1731, less than a fifth of its starting size, and feral goats survived on the island long after the Company's own effort was abandoned [Film No. 426, 429, 435, 442, 447, 461, 465].

One tenant answered the wood policy with more than a promise. John Thwaites petitioned in November 1729 for 5 acres of waste solely to raise timber, arguing that fencing was costly and the ground would yield nothing for years, and again in 1730 for ground in Deep Valley he was too poor to clear without a slave to work it; the council let him have both parcels at a nominal rent, hoping others would follow the example, and in July 1731 held him to the second bargain even when he tried to surrender it, unable to pay [Film No. 325-326, 411, 463]. John Durling took up similarly barren ground on the same terms weeks later, at 18 pence an acre, undertaking to plant part of it with wood [Film No. 462].

Leasehold changed hands constantly among a fairly narrow circle of planters, each transfer needing the council's consent since the Company remained landlord of all leasehold ground. Francis Wrangham and Gabriel Powell, the council's own regular surveyors and valuers, assigned the same 6 acres between themselves within 3 weeks in 1728, a closeness of interest the record never remarks upon [Film No. 169, 172]. The council valued land by situation as much as by extent, its clearest instance the sale of 2.5 acres called Carnes Gutt to Richard Goodwin for £25, a price justified purely by the parcel's command of fresh water no other Company ground could reach [Film No. 118]. Tenants undone by poverty or the want of slave labour to clear their ground surrendered their holdings outright rather than be pursued for a debt the council had no hope of recovering: Sarah French's sixteen acres in October 1728, John Bradley's 3 acres weeks later, and Daniel Griffith's land in September 1729, verified by 2 councillors before the loss of rent was accepted [Film No. 209-210, 221, 233, 304-305, 309].

Water disputes recurred throughout the record. The council refused Simon and John Whaley's petition for a spring head that country slaves depended on to water cattle in the dry season, refused Caleb Davis's petition for 6 acres called the Marshes and, later, John Long's petition for scattered waste, both on the ground that letting would harm the wider neighbourhood, and in 1731 resolved Francis Funge's grievance against Richard Mason by granting Funge an independent half-acre spring rather than adjudicate the shared right [Film No. 416, 428, 432, 457-458]. A dispute between the brothers Isaac and Eben Leech over inherited land was settled by a third brother's testimony that their mother had already given the ground to Eben during her lifetime in return for maintenance, a completed gift rather than an estate to descend [Film No. 437]. The council also found occasion, in October 1727, to protect several newly arrived wading birds, forbidding anyone to kill them or destroy their eggs, a rare instance of deliberate conservation on an island whose wildlife was otherwise easily driven off [Film No. 118].

Company property could also be eroded by informal encroachment rather than outright dispute. In July 1728 the Governor reported that goats grazing in the Company's exclusive range at Chapel Valley had fallen off in their usual increase, and enquiry found several neighbours privately keeping their own animals there without any right to the ground. Alice Marsh, summoned for ignoring an earlier order to remove her goats, pleaded ignorance and was excused, but the council closed off that defence for the future by serving written notice on her and on 3 named neighbours, John Long, Francis Wrangham and Joseph Defountaine, with a fourteen-day deadline after which any goat found there was to be killed. Long alone sought relief, pleading that several of his does were too heavy with kid to move without loss, and the council granted him 6 weeks on his promise not to drive the animals to any neighbouring range; the Company's own goat stock, which had fallen for 2 consecutive months, began recovering only once Long's extended term had run its course [Film No. 193-194, 196, 211].

Slavery and Coerced Labour

Slavery pervades this record as an ordinary condition of the island's economy rather than a topic set apart from the rest. The council mustered every Company slave individually each year: two hundred and fifteen in March 1727, two hundred and nineteen in March 1728 (one hundred and seventeen men, forty-six women, twenty-nine boys and thirty-two girls), two hundred and thirteen in March 1729 and two hundred and twelve in March 1730, each person entered by name, age and employment and rated for fitness in language identical to that used for livestock, from very good down to good for nothing [Film No. 37-39, 161-163, 266, 360-361]. On 1 March 1727 Byfield replaced the slaves' meat ration with fish, a change that hardened within a few years into a permanent establishment of about eleven men constantly employed in the boats, fed and clothed at a cost the council weighed obsessively against the price of imported meat [Film No. 132-133, 141, 156, 162, 265].

Individual people were bought, sold and exchanged as valued property throughout. The council sold a woman named Mary for £20 and swapped a man named George for a stronger eighteen-year-old, reasoning the exchange frankly in terms of comparative labour value; it later sold Lamea Batt to Mr Bazett for £20 and Rebecca to Mr Vandeston for £18, traded an indifferent woman named Bess Boyer, about thirty-three, for a younger woman named Maria in what the council itself called a very beneficial exchange, and swapped a girl of about 6, valued at £6, for an older girl thought more useful [Film No. 76, 179, 218, 287, 305]. When the Governor's own fishing slave drowned, the council compensated him with 2 replacement slaves, judging an island-born hand worth more than an imported one and adding a second to make up the difference [Film No. 304]. In 1731 a 6-year-old Company boy named Jack was exchanged for an older boy of about ten belonging to Mr Perkins, the difference in value settled to the Company's advantage [Film No. 446].

Two mass drownings mark the human cost beneath this bookkeeping most starkly. On 5 March 1728, 7 slaves belonging to Ryder, Powell and Umpston put to sea in a boat and were presumed drowned, in what the council itself connects only by proximity of date to a report, 6 days earlier, that several slaves had tried to get aboard the Caernarvon; its only recorded response was a rule making boat owners liable in damages for insecure sails and oars [Film No. 153-154]. On 29 October 1728 the Company's own long boat overset returning from Sandy Bay with lime aboard, and 5 more slaves drowned, the coxswain Caleb Davis reporting that they had chosen to trust the waves rather than the rocks and that he had tried in vain to persuade them to swim for shore; the journal's list of 6 names does not agree with its own count of 5 dead, an inconsistency never resolved [Film No. 194, 217]. That the fishing and lime-carrying establishments built to provision the island more cheaply became, twice, the setting for fatal loss is an irony the record itself never remarks upon.

Company slave children were regularly apprenticed to inhabitants under registered bonds, a practice that began with Betty Green in 1727 and continued through the record: a girl of 6.5 years bound to James Ryder for twelve years in November 1727, and 8 girls placed with named inhabitants by 1729, examined at year's end about their treatment and reported well used [Film No. 43, 52, 127, 265-266, 359-361]. Boys were trained young into skilled trades, a cooper as young as eleven, a butcher of 9 or ten, and a carpenter of twelve among them, manufacturing value from stock the Company already owned [Film No. 265, 359-361]. The Company met its obligation to clothe the people it held through an annual issue drawn from its own warehouse, four hundred and four yards of kersey, gingham and long cloth with seventy-nine sailors' blankets in September 1728 alone, timed to the same winter chill that also brought an extra ration of arrack and sugar against exposure for slaves kept at outdoor labour [Film No. 174, 186, 215]. A single annual medicine charge of £26 in September 1728 reads, against the surgeon's own history of neglect, as a plain reckoning restored to order rather than any real measure of the care available to the sick, and 2 superannuated slaves, Toney and Nurse, appear in the same months kept on the books until death rather than released once too old to labour [Film No. 179, 188, 194, 215].

Births and deaths were entered in the journal in the same terms used for calves or lambs throughout the whole run, from a boy called Mingo born in 1728 and a boy called John born the same year to 3 children born in a single week in June 1731, and from a 5-year-old boy's death in 1727 to 2 girls, both named Betty, who died in July 1731 [Film No. 76, 93-94, 100, 107-108, 169, 172, 339, 369, 427, 431, 436, 440, 456, 465]. The record shows the council extending its supervisory reach over free black people as well as the enslaved. Agnes, a free black woman, saw her 2 children bound to Frances Coen until the youngest turned twenty-one, on the justification of protecting the parish from a future charge, and the council ruled that no such binding could happen again without its own written leave; Agnes herself was afterwards bound to Coen and then, within weeks, to Francis Funge, her own labour pledged and repledged among the inhabitants under that new rule [Film No. 422, 427]. In January 1729 the island's churchwardens petitioned against Richard Swallow and John Bowers for fathering children on slave women, warning that a growing population born of such unions might one day claim its freedom by right of blood; the council had already fined Bowers £10 for the poor [Film No. 239-240]. In March 1731 a girl of about fourteen, Margaret Isballen, was found pregnant by a Company slave man named Davis, and since a slave owned no property against which a maintenance order could run, the council's only step was to place her with her grandmother until the birth [Film No. 436].

A slave named Peter was whipped and imprisoned for 6 weeks in 1729 for mocking other slaves with the names of the island's leading men, a mockery the council read as an assault on the whole social order, though it spared his owner Charles Steward a fine once it learned his family was destitute [Film No. 264, 287-288]. A separate inquiry in 1730 examined Mercy, a Company slave woman who had secretly buried a dead infant; English law presumed a mother who concealed a bastard's birth had murdered it unless she could show it was born dead, and Mercy met that burden by explaining she had called for help when her labour began and that no marks of violence were found on the body [Film No. 397]. In April 1731 the Eaton galley, an armed South Sea Company vessel bound for Buenos Aires under a licence signed by the director Sir John Eyles, put in for water with one of her own slaves ill, a rare direct link in this record between St Helena and the Atlantic Asiento trade usually associated with the Company's Indian Ocean traffic alone, a link first suggested in 1727 when the brigantine St Michael called under a tripartite indenture between the East India Company, the South Sea Company and her own commander before sailing on for Buenos Aires with a cargo of enslaved people drawn from Madagascar [Film No. 74, 76, 446]. Nowhere in the whole surviving run do the enslaved speak for themselves; every fact recorded here passed through the council's own accounting interest, a limitation that should temper any reading of these entries as more than a partial, proprietorial view of the people concerned.

Supply and Provisioning

Every month the storekeeper drew a reckoning of Company goods sold to the inhabitants and charged to the garrison, the plantations, the Great Wood and the general table, while a parallel account tracked cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses through birth, purchase, slaughter, sale and death [Film No. 124-126, 129, 132-133, 139-142, 147, 149-151, 155-157, 165-168]. Both existed to serve a single purpose, victualling the East India fleet, the reason St Helena functioned as a mid-ocean refreshment station at all. Livestock sales depended entirely on which ships happened to call rather than any settled programme, rising in clusters, twenty-three bullocks sold in a single month when the fleet crowded the road in May 1728, fourteen in March 1729, 9 and then sixteen in successive months of 1731, and falling to nothing for stretches of 5 to 9 months when the road stood empty [Film No. 196, 212, 251, 263, 271, 326, 336, 442, 447, 455, 461].

The island's own yam crop and imported Bengal rice moved in constant counterpoint. Yam issues collapsed to a few thousand pounds in the depth of each southern winter, July 1728's nineteen thousand lb and February 1731's twenty thousand eight hundred lb among the lowest points recorded, before recovering to some three hundred and forty thousand lb across the whole of 1729 and holding around thirty thousand lb a month through 1730 and 1731; potatoes credited to the Great Wood's own account, eighty-nine bushels in January 1728 rising to eight hundred and ninety-six bushels across the Company year to September 1730, and rice bought in from Bengal, bridged the gap every time [Film No. 147, 165, 196, 199, 205, 211-212, 223, 282, 297, 314, 407-408, 435, 455]. This dependence on root crops to feed a garrison and slave population of over two hundred set the island apart from England, where the potato remained a marginal food confined to the north and west through the whole period covered here.

Byfield's programme of economy touched supply directly. He closed the Company's limekiln on 21 March 1727 as a saving, then reversed himself in November 1728, rebuilding it and using slaves under close supervision to draw six hundred and fifty-five bushels of lime in eighteen days, a task he told the council would have taken a hired man 3 months, a claim the record cannot independently verify [Film No. 225-226]. He had earlier rebuilt the Plantation House garden from a barren, wind-exposed plot into a walled and irrigated ground at what he called little charge, work done chiefly by slaves spared from the plantations in deliberate contrast with an earlier attempt that had cost the Company a large sum in wages for 2 white men, a comparison candid about the economics involved: the saving Byfield claimed credit for was in substantial part a saving of wages he no longer had to pay [Film No. 144-145].

When a visiting schooner's master undercut the settled price of beef in 1729, several inhabitants sold to him below rate, and the council answered not by punishing the sellers but by fixing a floor of 25 shillings the hundredweight, 5 shillings above the Company's own contracted price, protecting what it called the most considerable advantage poorer families drew from any provision they raised [Film No. 333]. Theft from the open ranges grew markedly through 1730, 5 sheep stolen in August rising to twenty-one sheep and twenty-one goats carried off in a single month by November, a scale suggesting organised predation rather than casual pilfering, on top of smaller losses of sows and goats recorded as a recognised, if regrettable, feature of the settlement's economy in earlier years [Film No. 77, 114, 401, 415, 421]. The general table and diet expenses tracked the shipping calendar as precisely as the gunner's powder throughout the record, from £58 8s 4.5d in the crowded May of 1728 down to £20 10s 1d in the shipless July that followed, and swelling past £190 in April 1731 and to a peak of £271 in May as a crowd of Bombay and Bengal ships lay in the road [Film No. 186, 195, 215, 449, 454].

Trade, Shipping and Finance

St Helena's economy turned on ships it did not control. A single vessel, the Ashburnham, called in the whole of April 1729, while 7 Indiamen, the Hertford and the George from Bengal, the Harrison from China, the Craven from Bengal, and the Sunderland, the Streatham and the James and Mary, reached the road within 3 weeks that May; a similar rhythm recurred in 1730, when the Houghton, the Lyon and the Compton opened the season in April and May before the Lyell, the Grantham, the Marlborough and the Greenwich arrived together from Bengal and Madras in the middle of June, the Marlborough and the Greenwich having taken eighteen weeks from Madras, a passage long enough to explain why the island's water, fresh provisions and safe road mattered so much to a homeward fleet [Film No. 274, 276-280, 375-376, 382-383, 385].

Cargoes from India arrived costed in rupees, annas and pies, from Canton in taels, mace and candareens, with an allowance called batta added to convert between currencies before the council fixed a sterling price for the store; near-identical invoices across successive ships from the same region, the Mountague, the Bridgewater and the Leathwaiter in May 1728 among them, show the Company's regional agents loading a standard consignment rather than leaving proportion to individual masters [Film No. 171, 178-179, 276, 279-280, 342, 382-383]. Coin remained scarce throughout, and settlers remitted money to England by paying cash notes or Spanish dollars, valued at 6 or 8 shillings apiece, into the Governor's hands in exchange for bills of exchange drawn on the Company, the Governor entered as debtor for each sum so the bills could later be checked against them [Film No. 75, 109, 129, 143, 171, 180].

The council's authority over shipping met its sharpest test in June 1729, when 6 commanders, advised to wait for a seventh ship, the Heathcote, still expected, answered the council's letter and then sailed the next morning regardless, without waiting for a reply, having already hurried their baggage aboard; the council could not detain a Company vessel by force and could only enter the exchange in the general letter for the Court of Directors to judge, leaving the Craven to make the passage home alone exactly as the captains had been warned she would have to [Film No. 285-286]. The same confrontation recurred twice more that winter. Captain Peacham of the Prince Frederick gave notice in December 1729 that he meant to sail alone, and the council answered with a formal protest tracing its authority back through the Committee of Shipping's own letters, holding him answerable for the Company's cargo should harm come to it; Captain Wilson of the Morice went further still, asking the council to show him in writing the clause empowering it to detain rather than merely instruct a ship, and sailed on 25 December 1729 once the council declined to answer, his closing letter accepting the orders as given while pointedly confining himself to nothing beyond them [Film No. 331-332, 334-335]. Each exchange exposed the same limit on the council's authority: it could argue, warn and record, but never compel. Not every arrival came so plainly identified. The Highland reached the island from Bombay by way of Fillisburg in June 1730 with neither letter nor goods, an irregularity the council simply noted, while the Marlborough came ashore the same summer with no letter, bill of lading or invoice at all, leaving the council unable to verify her cargo until the true particulars could be confirmed [Film No. 383-384].

A serious and sustained financial fraud ran through 1729, when the council spent much of March unwinding the accounts of George Gibson, the island's former surgeon, who had billed islanders for treatment many had never received and drawn a bill of exchange for £30 4s 0d on the strength of it. Examined under oath in the public hall, almost every named debtor denied Gibson's charge and named John Hodgkinson, his own mate, as the man who had actually treated them, and the council sent the sworn depositions to London rather than settle a bill already drawn on the Company [Film No. 253-255]. His successor Benjamin Alsop, checked by the same process, was found to have made only honest errors, several of them undercharges he corrected the moment they were shown [Film No. 267-268]. Not every cargo arrived complete or even attested: the Prince William lost twelve bags of sugar and twenty-eight bags of rice to negligence and a further twenty bags fell short in 1728, the Marlborough reached the island in 1730 with neither letter, bill of lading nor invoice at all, and a ship named the Mary did the same twice in 1731, the council coping each time by weighing and counting the cargo ashore and formally endorsing the bill of lading so any loss could be charged against the carrier rather than the Company [Film No. 172, 180, 383, 451-452]. The most consequential financial event of the whole record came in March 1731, when the Company, after years of the Governor's advocacy, halved the leasehold rent and abolished the head tax on privately owned slaves for 5 years, direct relief to a tenantry that had told the council for years it had nothing to sell and could not pay [Film No. 438].

Military Affairs and Defence

A Company warning of 27 January 1727, renewed and repeated for years afterward, put St Helena on a defensive footing over a European dispute rooted in the Emperor's support for the Ostend Company's challenge to English and Dutch trade with the East [Film No. 61-62, 137, 333]. Every arriving commander received the same standing orders, to warp his ship to the crane or landing rock on any alarm, and not to sail for home except in company with 2 or 3 other Company vessels, enforced from a scattered ring of batteries at Munden's Point, Banks's, Deep Valley, Lemon Valley, Prosperous Bay and Two Gun Hill [Film No. 105-106, 136, 143, 146, 246-247, 333, 337-338]. The gunner's monthly powder expenditure traced the shipping calendar with real precision throughout, from a single salute of two hundred and ninety-nine lb for 7 ships departing together in June 1727, through two hundred and sixteen lb in the crowded May of 1728, four hundred and nineteen lb in the equally busy May of 1729, two hundred and seventy-eight lb in June 1730 and a peak of four hundred and thirty-nine lb in April 1731, down to figures as low as eleven, fifteen or eighteen lb in months when no vessel called at all [Film No. 81, 181, 199, 210, 281, 302, 389, 449].

Real neglect underlay this show of readiness. A survey ordered in September 1727 found seventy-two of one hundred and eighty-eight barrels of powder entirely spoiled by damp and fourteen barrels more in store than the gunner's own books recorded; the council concluded the powder had never once been aired in years of charge and dismissed the officer responsible, recommending a Mr Slaughter as his replacement [Film No. 101, 104-107]. The gunner John French nonetheless continued signing the island's monthly returns from 1728 onward, and the record grows harder to reconcile from here. French is recorded buried on 20 September 1728, yet the gunner's accounts continued under his name afterward; a John French later petitioned successfully for reinstatement in March 1729 after a fresh scandal over seventy-two barrels of spoiled powder, pleading a ruined plantation and a family with no other support; and a French signed every monthly account without apparent interruption through 1730 and into 1731 [Film No. 210, 216, 226, 252, 262, 400, 405, 420]. Whether one man or 2 are described here, the file does not resolve, and no single reading fits every entry.

News that England, France and Spain had made peace, the Treaty of Seville, reached the island by 14 April 1730 and released the convoy requirement that had governed shipping for more than a year [Film No. 368, 390]. The change altered wording rather than practice. Commanders were still required to warp in and stand ready on any alarm, pirates now named as the danger rather than a national enemy, and alarms continued to be fired for unidentified sail years after the peace, including a single ship sighted 8 leagues to windward in August 1728, 6 ships thought Dutch in July 1730, a further double alarm for 6 ships eventually judged Dutch in February 1731, and a Danish East Indiaman examined for her passes before being admitted that same spring; the French Bristol and the Danish Strasburg, both passing within a single fortnight in 1730, were treated with the same watchful caution shown a suspect Madagascar slaving vessel in 1727 [Film No. 170-171, 200, 204, 368, 383-384, 432, 434, 444]. An annual ordnance inventory found the island's one hundred and twenty-eight guns unchanged year after year, and stores of two hundred and thirteen muskets and seventeen thousand flints standing almost untouched across whole twelve-month periods, the clearest sign that the garrison's long vigilance never once met a real attack in the entire period covered here [Film No. 216, 315, 330, 342, 406]. Salutes for royal anniversaries, the King's birthday, the Queen's birthday, the anniversary of the King's accession and, in 1728, the proclamation of a new King, regularly drew the heaviest single discharges of powder recorded in any given year, ceremony consuming more than any genuine threat [Film No. 158, 164, 225, 244, 259, 365, 389, 414, 443, 462].

Judiciary, Crime and Punishment

A quarterly court of the peace, sitting with the Governor as judge, councillors as assistants and a jury of principal planters, handled civil disputes in recognisably English form throughout the record, when it had business at all [Film No. 83, 306]. Its most striking early case turned on land held by Giles Colgrave, who admitted before the court he had never believed his own claim and that the former Governor Smith had stirred him to press it, letting the court vest the ground in Captain Alexander for good [Film No. 84]. A parallel case pitted Richard Swallow against his stepfather John Meyer over land Swallow's father had left him by will; the court weighed a widow's customary dower right against the island's own settled rules of descent, fixed as early as 1723, and divided the property between the parties rather than uphold the father's will unreservedly [Film No. 84]. A claim over the decades-old estate of John Goodwin, dead since 1720, produced no verdict at all, the jury withdrawing unable to establish what remained of the property after 2 wills and a widow's remarriage, while a separate claim by the widow Nan Ford failed outright when the jury found her husband's estate too deep in debt to support it [Film No. 207].

The council's preferred instruments for free inhabitants were the fine and the bond rather than corporal punishment. Wood-cutting and fencing offenders, among them Robert Wellington, Sergeant Whaley and Thomas Watts in 1727, paid fines scaled openly to the timber found in their possession, with dismissal from Company service held as a further threat rather than used outright, and Margaret Simpson was bound over rather than fined at all in 1727 for calling the officer Slaughter a villain, tyrant, blockhead and fool, the council recording explicitly that this leniency rested on her being a woman rather than on any doubt of her guilt [Film No. 118-119, 121-122, 127-128]. A more constructive remedy followed John Clew's admitted beating of Simpson about the head with a stone in October 1727: the council ordered him to pay compensation, meet the medical costs, and provide a substitute fisherman so the victim's family would not starve while he recovered, answering the real economic dependency of a subsistence household rather than punishing the assailant's body alone [Film No. 118-119]. The same legal toolkit, turned to the drowning of 7 slaves in 1728, produced only a civil liability on boat owners for insecure equipment, a difference in outcome that reflects whose harm the law was built to recognise rather than any difference in the council's procedural care [Film No. 154].

A protracted medical scandal ran through 1727 and 1728. The surgeon George Gibson and his mate John Hodgkinson were shown by sworn deposition to have sold Company medicines to passing ships and drunk the cordial waters meant for the sick; a wider petition, backed by direct testimony from a former slave and a detailed letter from the planter Samuel Jephry, accused Gibson of incompetence in treating the flux and named 4 deaths attributed to his methods, Stephen Andrews of the garrison among the settlers Bassett, Orton and William Lee [Film No. 100-103]. Gibson finally asked leave to return to England, granted in February 1728 after more than 5 months, and his replacement Benjamin Alsop was chosen chiefly because the ship that carried him was reluctant to release him, itself treated as strong evidence of his worth [Film No. 152]. Gibson's own frauds resurfaced in 1729, discussed above, and by 1731 a fresh dispute over the surgeon's mate John Hodgkinson's fee claims against Richard Mason was resolved simply by setting the 2 debts against each other rather than press either party to swear to an exact figure that risked perjury [Film No. 422-423].

The gravest political case in the whole record concerned William Slaughter, already dismissed from Company service for abandoning his wife and children to live with a sergeant's wife, and indicted soon afterward for forging and threatening to publish an accusation that Byfield had called the dead King George the First a Scotch tailor. Slaughter pleaded guilty, and the jury's written recommendation, whipping, the pillory on the next muster day and close imprisonment until it was carried out, devoted as much attention to vindicating the Governor's own loyalty as to punishing the defendant, Captain Alexander sending a letter from his sickbed recalling Byfield's zeal at the recent proclamation of King George the Second [Film No. 219-220]. Slaughter remained in prison for nearly 5 months without the sentence being carried out before Byfield released him on security out of pity for his wife and children, and the council then took 2 further written confessions from him, the second read aloud and sworn to by eleven inhabitants, building a file intended to close the question in London rather than to punish the man further [Film No. 230, 257, 268-269]. By 1731 Slaughter appears only as a labourer fetching flag material for the garrison, a quiet end to a case that had once consumed months of testimony [Film No. 433].

A more troubling case in March 1728 saw the orphan apprentice Mary Edwards rescued from a disorderly household where sailors lodging there had repeatedly beaten her; finding her account true and the household run as an inn contrary to her indenture, the council cancelled it and placed her with her brother, though only once he guaranteed the parish against any charge on her account [Film No. 160]. John Long, the record's most persistent minor offender, was accused across several years of poaching the Company's goats, assaulting his neighbour James Ryder, and stealing a silver tankard and an apple tree from the estate of the late Gabriel Powell, escaping serious punishment each time because the only witnesses against him were slaves, whose testimony the island's courts would not admit; by 1731 he reappears, rehabilitated, as an ordinary petitioner for land, judged on exactly the same terms as any other inhabitant [Film No. 299, 314, 369, 402, 418, 457-458]. In December 1729 the council settled, without troubling a jury, the claim of an infant, Elizabeth Taylor, to £28 owed her by the estate of the former purser George Wrangham, rejecting a receipt once it saw the underlying promissory notes had themselves been returned dishonoured [Film No. 332].

Personalities

Edward Byfield dominates the whole record as a governor of deliberate, self-conscious economy, closing the limekiln and cutting the slaves' meat ration within his first month, then reversing the first of those decisions in 1728 to save further cost; refusing to settle public business without his full council; pursuing the rent abatement of 1731 as the capstone of years of advocacy; and taking care, always, to have his own service entered in the record he knew London would read [Film No. 26-27, 40-41, 144-145, 225-226, 277-278, 438]. John Alexander and John Goodwin served alongside him for the whole period covered here, Alexander absent through illness for stretches as long as 5 months at a time, David Crisp joining as a full fourth member from 1728 [Film No. 128, 158, 232, 235, 246, 276].

George Gibson and his mate John Hodgkinson supply the record's most sustained personal drama in its early years, accuser and accused by turns, their mutual recriminations exposing both the scarcity of medical skill on the island and the difficulty of enforcing honesty in a small establishment [Film No. 100-101, 118, 253-255]. Samuel Jephry recurs as an articulate, propertied planter willing to set his own clinical judgement against a trained surgeon's, a literate voice unusual among the generally anonymous inhabitants [Film No. 102-103]. Gabriel Powell and Francis Wrangham recur throughout as the island's leading planters and its regular surveyors and valuers, a closeness of interest with the land they were assessing that the record never questions, until Powell's own death in 1730 exposed the twenty-year concealment of his wife's first family's inheritance [Film No. 33-37, 66-68, 169, 172, 322-323, 347-354]. John Thwaites stands out as the one tenant who answered the council's wood policy with a genuine proposal rather than a promise, and Captain Wilson of the Morice as the one commander who put the council's authority to a direct written test it chose not to answer [Film No. 325-326, 334, 411, 463].

John Long persisted as the record's most frequent named offender across several years, accused of poaching, assault and theft without ever losing his place on the island, and reappears, rehabilitated, in its final chapter [Film No. 299, 314, 369, 402, 418, 457-458]. William Slaughter's arc runs from a trusted officer recommended for responsibility in 1727 to a disgraced ensign convicted of slandering the Governor in 1728, a prisoner released on pity in 1729, and finally a menial labourer in 1731 [Film No. 106-107, 219, 257, 433]. Caleb Davis, coxswain of the long boat that overset in 1728, gave an account of the disaster his own captain judged honest and sober, a rare portrait of individual conduct in a record otherwise given to institutional business [Film No. 217]. Henry Cottrell, a gardener pardoned for drunkenness in 1729, left the island in 1731 at the end of his term thanking Byfield for having made a dangerous post exceptionally profitable to him, a benevolence that sits oddly beside the poverty recorded among the planters through the same years [Film No. 452-453].

Conclusion

Read as a single span, more than 4 years of St Helena's history under Edward Byfield show an island governed by a small and consistent circle of men, Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp, who closed their books every September, elected their parish officers every October, and produced, in the process, one of the most detailed surviving pictures of a small East India Company station anywhere in the Atlantic or Indian Ocean world. Byfield's programme of economy is traceable in hard figures, a falling gross charge, a halved rent, a shrunken powder bill in quiet months; his government's limits are traceable just as clearly, in commanders who sailed when they pleased regardless of the council's orders, in a war scare that outlasted the war it feared by some 2 years, and in a wood crisis that 4 years of fines could not solve until the inhabitants themselves voted to destroy the animals responsible.

Beneath both the achievements and the limits lies the labour of several hundred enslaved men, women and children, mustered, rated, clothed, apprenticed, exchanged and, on at least 2 occasions, drowned in numbers the record states almost in passing. Their births and deaths fill the same ledgers as the island's cattle and goats, in the same language, and their own testimony survives only where an investigation happened to require it, as with Mercy's dead infant or Margaret Isballen's pregnancy. The Chubb's Spring report that reversed its own findings to protect the island's trade, and the Hodgkinson concealment that a chief surveyor's own death alone brought to light, stand as the clearest warnings in the whole record that an official account can be shaped by interest even while it appears to state fact. Read with that caution, the consultations of St Helena between 1727 and 1731 remain a coherent and richly detailed record of Company government at the edge of its world, one that repays close attention precisely because its silences are, in the end, as informative as everything it troubled to set down [Film No. 24-465].

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 1727-1731

Photographer Peter

Date photographed 15 Nov 2021

Additional comments

2

 

Book cover

3

 

Blank page

4

 

Blank page

5

 

Blank page

6

 

Accomptant Van Ooster Reprimanded . 2

Seventh Monthly of Governr Storekeeper Gunner & Steward Examined & passed . 4

Acct Genl of the Compy: Live Stock of Cattle from 25 Sept 1726 to 26th February

following .. 22

Monthly accts for March Examd & passed . 30

Advertismt to prohibit Clandestine sale of Liquors .. 31

Ditto to prohibit carrying fire to ye Outguards .. 32

Acct Gunnr & Genl both Monthly Exd & passed . 33

Acct Monthly of Govr Stock Gunr & Steward Exd & passed . 39

Advertismt to Warn Inhabts to be upon their Guard a War being Expected . 43

Alexander Capt desires to purchase Certain .. 43

Advertismt to Warn Inhabts to plant Ground .. 45

Acct Monthly for May Exd & approved .. 50

Advertismt appointing a Session . 53

Edward Stephenths Will proved . 54

Acct Monthly for Juny 1727 Exd & passed . 59

Advertismt to Pay Garrison Monthly . 60

Arrack on Seagar lost . 60

Alexander Capt Confirmed in his Rights to the Land Claimed by John Costgrove .. 61

Address of the Inhabitants to Dissentd Governr .. 61

Acct Monthly for July 1727 Exd & passed . 63

Advertismt for Inhabitants to give an acct of their families (Lands Cattle &c) .. 63

Acct Monthly .. 71

Act of Meding . 73

Affidavit of Mrs Heighington . 77

Alexander Capt appd to Survey Gunr Stores . 78

Dee receives Instructions .. 81

Advertismt appg Orphans Court to be held .. 84

Acct of Court Officers .. 85

Recd Genl & Monthly . 87

Advertismt prohibiting the bringing of Strange Negroes . 96

Acct Monthly for October delivered . 99

Advertismt Ordering Blacks to go to the Woods by way of the South End & no other 105

Abstract of the Charges of the Island ordered to be prepared .. 106

Abstract Compleated . 107

Acct Monthly for Novr delivered . 109

Answer to Capt Marchant’s Letter .. 115

Acct Monthly for Decr 99 . 115

Affidavit of Joseph Brokes . 119

Acct Monthly for Jany 1727/8 delivered . 123

Ditto for Febry .. 131

Advertismt abt Planting Woods &ca . 136

Acct Monthly for March deld .. 141

Administration Granted to the two Hayes . 147

Acct Monthly for April .. 149

Advertismt abt Planting Woods &ca . 158

Acct Monthly for May 1728 .. 158

Ditto for June 1728 . 165

Advertismt to Remove Lounge & Draper Goakes .. 170

Acct Monthly for July . 172

Alarm for a single ship .. 177

Advertismt about Choosing Parish Officers .. 178

Acct Monthly for Augt 1728 . 179

Advertismt appointing Orphans Court . 186

Acct Genl & Monthly for Sepr . 187

Ditto for Octobr .. 197

Ditto for Novr . 203

Ditto for Decr . 210

Ditto for Jany . 217

Ditto for Febry .. 224

Ellyson on his Death .. 232

Ditto more concerning him 233. 235. 240 &c .. 236

Acct Monthly for March 1728/9 . 236

Affidavit of Inhabitants about Slaughter . 244

Acct Monthly for April 1729 . 249

Arrack Sunbrook on board the Canneer . 266

Acct Monthly for May . 267

Ditto for June .. 264

Ditto for July .. 270

Ditto for August .. 276

Ditto for Sept .. 286

Ditto for Octobr .. 294

Alexander Capt presents Bill of Sale to be Reg . 281

Alexander Capt against Cha: Stewart . 282

Advertismt fixing Price of Beef . 308

Ditto to plant Woods . 366

Ditto since the Informers returned from Engld . 418

7

 

Blacks 1 Boy dead . 217

Ditto 1 ditto .. 223

Ditto 1 Born Girl . 226

Blacks List of them .. 211

Ditto 1 Wench Summ Dead .. 215

Bill of Sale to be Registerd . 284

Black Exchangd Betty Mingo for Maria . 226

Blacks 1 Boy Born .. 274

Ditto 1 Woman given to the Governour . 280

Ditto 1 Girl Named Margaret Exchangd for Sarah .. 280

Bagley Jno agt Collo Henry Spence do . 289

Blacks their Value Stated . 286

Ditto 1 Male died Named Benjamin .. 292

Ditto 1 Girl Born Agnes . 300

Ditto 1 Man called Blackheath dead .. 308

Ditto 1 Woman called Lucie dead . 315

Ditto List of them . 316

Ditto 2 ditto W. are born . 314

Ditto 1 Girl born Piss .. 316

Ditto 1 Girl born Dina .. 316

Ditto 1 Girl born Dinah . 319

Books Ballanced . 309

Prosp Dec fixed . 308

Blacks List of them .. 336

Black 1 Wench privately ded . 376

Ditto 1 dead . 369

Ditto 1 born . 377

Ditto 5 dead .. 378

Ditto valued .. 378

Beale A his proposals about Swallow Chilsom . 380

Blacks born Isles . 387

Books Ballanced ye Nov 1730 .. 391

Blacks 1 born .. 396

Blacks Fee bound out . 396

Black 1 of Bosques ded to Capt Goodwin .. 398

Ditto 2 dead .. 402

Ditto born .. 406

Ditto . 411

Ditto familiar with Mary Swallow .. 411

Ditto dead & born . 415

Ditto exchanged . 421

Ditto born .. 431

Byfeld Edwd Esqr appd Governour

Blacks dismist from the North . 1

Beefe & Pork great Expence Horses saved ye Compy . 2

Blacks List of them . 3

Do Born one Girl . 14

Do putt to Service . 19

Bill of Sale from Jalong to George & Smith . 20

Blacks putt to Service . 29

Bill of Sale del Burling for the South Plantation .. 30

Blacks put to Service . 31

Blacks to attend upon double Alarme Gd .. 39

Bill of Sale from Jessey to Bates .. 40

Blacks Born one Boy . 43

Barringtons arrivall . 50

Do Killed .. 52

Blacks Born one Boy . 53

Do one Wench Sold .. 53

Do Exchanged . 53

Bates Bond Cancellled . 53

Blacks born . 70

Do Die .. 71

Blacks Children put about .. 80

Do .. 85

Do Born .. 85

Birds a new Species arrives . 96

Blacks One Girl put out . 104

Books of Beef & Mutton served to be Examined . 106

Bates Compt & Affidavits about Gibson . 119

Blacks Run away . 130

Do putt to Sea in an open Boat . 131

Blacks List of them . 139

Blacks one boy born . 146

Do one Girl born . 146

Bills drawn .. 148

Blacks Born one Boy . 149

Bridgewater Arrives . 155

Blacks one dead Girl . 156

Bills drawn .. 156

Blacks one Wench Sold . 157

Bridgewater Sails . 166

Bosque Andrews Complaint . 167

Blacks one Male died Named Tony Superior . 164

Bradley Jno bound over . 165

Blacks one Male died . 171

Books Secured by a bond of the Guard lying in them .. 171

Blacks born . 171

Blacks one Boy Sold Named James . 178

Blacks born Q .. 177

Bradley Indicted & Convicted . 183

Black Children their additional Value .. 183

Blacks & Brank left . 185

Ditto one Wench Sold & 1 Boy Born . 193

Books for the Year 1728 Ballanced .. 194

Ditto Examined . 206

Blacks dead 1 Boy .. 207

Do Exchanged . 247

Bradley Jno Surrender his Lease .. 209

Bates Jno accepted Tent for Land . 209

Bowers Jno Fined .. 215

8

 

Crispe’s Letter to Wigwell ...21

Conago arrive ... . 44

Ditto Sailes .. 52

Costgrove Junr ord to attend the Sessions ... 60

Ditto Title to Land declared Null & Void .. . 61

Driver Capt. Alexander aliened Release ..78

Colson Capt. appd to Survey Gunnrs Stores ...81

Do Receives Instructions ... . 84

Court of Orphans appointed ..86

Do held ...95

Clues Tho Complained of .... 99

Compton Isaac his Great neglect of her lands ... . 108

Do Will Crowder & Inventory delivered .. . 121

Cown Mr tenders a Paper to the Govr rejected reason why .. . .122

Councills opinion of the Wall Bed at the Garden House ..123

Carnarvon arrives from Bencoolen ... . 135

Ditto Sailes .. . 186

Cown Mr’s Action of Goodwin & Greentree agst her ... 216

Church Wardens agst Swallow & Bowers ...246

Cottriel Henry the Gardener his Petition .. 308

Cattle Price thereof fixed ... . 311

Church Wardens agst Margaret Swallow .. 327

Cottriel Henry the Gardener his Petn to go off .. 346

9

 

Derby arrives ... 380

Doveton Orphan Cattle to be Appraised ... 29

Derby Sails ... 113

Devonshire arrives ... 141

Dawson arrives ... 50

Do Sails ... 52

Devonshire Sailor ... 85

Debts to spend ... 122

Doveton Sam accepted Tenant for the Lease Land ... 122

Cate Addis ...

Doveton Jno Register Bill of Sale ... 240

Exchange three sets Bills drawn upon the Company ... 17

Eaters at Genl Table List of them ... 18

Exchange one Set drawn on the Compy ... 41

Ofer arrives from India ... 41

Exchange two Setts drawn ... 42

Ofer Sails for Engl ... 43

Exchange one Set drawn ... 52

Ditto ... 86

Ditto one Sett for Ligr 10 to Capt Goodwin ... 106

Ditto one Sett for L137.7.6 to Mr Powell ... 120

Exchange Bills drawn ... 148

Do ... 157

Edwards Mary her Complaint ... 137

Eaters at the Table List of them ... 141

10

 

Fish appointed for the Blacks in lieu of Salt Beef & Pork ... 3

Time out of Scales ... 29

Do. one recd of Baker ... 53

Free Tho. his Will proved ... 69

Fowle Wills a New Species arrives ... 95

Fines Acct thereof ... 99

Dido ... 105

Fruit Apple Trees planted in lieu of Wild Fig Trees ... 121

Garnett John Gunner, his Petition ... 228

Dito Explained ... 228

Fines Sundry Persons Fined ... 306

Forgery complained of by Mary Powell ... 377

George Sam: secures a ffem Wench Apprentice ... 399

George agst Mason ... 403

Grantham arrives ... 1

Gibson Geo: his Letter to Govr & Councill ... 4

Grantham Sails for England 20th Mar: 1726/7 ... 17

Garrison paid for the Quarter Ending 25th Mar: 1727 ... 19

Gibson Geo: his Complaint agst Wigwell ... 20

Do. his desyre for English Diet ... 31

Garrison paid for Quarter Ending 25th Jun: 1727 ... 53

Do. to be paid Monthly ... 69

Do. paid for the Month July ... 63

Gibson Geo: Complains agst J. Hodgkinson ... 70

Garrison paid for the Month of Augt ... 71

Gibson Geo: Complaint agst him ... 77

Do. Receives a copy of Hodgkinsons Oath ... 77

Gunners Stores to be Surveyed ... 78

Gibson Geo: Petitioned agst Roy. Inhabts ... 78

Gunners Stores Accot thereof ... 81

Gibson Geo: acquainted that the Inhabts had Pet. agst him ... 81

Gunner probably conceales 20 Barrels of Powder ... 83

Dito judged unworthy to serve the Compy ... 84

Gibson Geo: Petitions to return ... 84

Garrison & Inhabts yearly Reckoning with ‘im ... 86

Goodwin Brent desyres to purchase Carmoes Gutt ... 95

Gibson Geo: troubled for refusing a just Debt ... 95

Goodwin John assigns Five Acres Leap Land ... 95

Goodwin B. purchases Carmoes Gutt ... 95

Garrison paid for Octobr ... 97

Do. for Novr ... 108

Gibson George threatens the Compy ... 112

Do. attends Salary to cease from 31st Decr ... 112

Gibson Geo. Contract between him & Hopson doubtfull ... 112

Dito ordered to pay Bakers Bill ... 113

Gibson George Method proposed to him by Govr & Councill to get his Debts ... 113

Garrison paid for Decr ... 120

Gibson Geo. tenders a Capon to the Govr by Mr Oram, rejected, the Reason why, the Method again proposed for him to get his Debts ... 121

Garden & House in the Country Enclosed with a Wall the lowest part 10 ½ ft. high & the Water brought into it from Narra Spring ... 121

Garrison paid for Jany 1727/8 ... 123

Do. for Febry ... 130

Do. for March ... 146

Goods recd from India ... 148

Garrison paid for Aprile ... 149

Goods Short deld from E. & Augustus ... 149

Goods recd from India ... 155

Goods Short deld from Lethuellier ... 167

Garrison paid for May ... 167

Do. for June ... 165

Goods Lodged ad Masthous to be Removed ... 170

Garrison paid for July ... 172

Dito for Augst ... 178

Goodwin Ed. & Tho. Greentree agst Mrs Carm ... 183

Goodwin Capt his Report about goods not received ... 186

11

 

Garrison paid for Septr ... 186

Ditto for Octobr ... 201

Ditto for Novr ... 209

Gurling Bank of Simper ... 211

Garrison paid for Decr ... 214

Mother Lieut & Wards with Dogs & Guns ... 216

Ditto ... 223

Gibson Geo. Inhabitants Summond to inform their minds ... 228

Agreed Report about the leading of the Garrison in the fort Valley & making a new one in Sandy Bay Valley ... 263

Gurling Richd, his Will proved ... 263

Garrison paid for June 1729 ... 268

ditto July ... 272

ditto Augt ... 278

ditto Sept ... 283

ditto Octobr ... 289

ditto ... 293

Gurling Richd, his Execrs to pay Steward £184,16 ... 303

Negroes to be hired by Mr Toby 1731 ... 315

Dean Wm accepted Tenant for Ground ... 318

Goodwin John acquitted Thro’ for Land ... 318

Gurling Rd Acct of the Sale of his Goods ... 335

Goods of Capt. Lisle Reg ... 366

Goodwin Wm, his Report about Land Acted for by W. Haley ... 391

ditto against Bourque ... 398

Hutto Plantation Sold ... 20

Harding John his Will proved ... 53

Hodgkinson John Reprimanded ... 70

Ditto’s Misbehaviour ... 77

Advised by Govr to attend them ... 79

Harding John his Inventory etc ... 108

Councils Garden in the Country inclosed with a Wall ... 121

Harding James accepted Tenant for the ... 122

Seeke Mills late his Sister M. Harding ... 122

Harding James Complaints against him ... 136

Hodgkinson John quit his Servt a Runaway ... 216

Harding Jon. junr desires to have Sissing ... 270

Hodgkinson agst Mason ... 397

12

 

Invoice Grantham ... 1

Ditto & Townshend ... 18

Fidilpatch arrives from England ... 38

Invoice & Derby ... 38

Do & King George ... 38

Do & Lydes ... 40

Do & Speer ... 41

Middlesex ... 41

Mary ... 43

India Yatch Sailes ... 43

Justice & Craggs ... 44

Do & Devonshire ... 44

Do & Barrington ... 50

Do & Dawson ... 51

Inhabitants their Address to the Governr ... 61

Ditto Petition agst Geo Gibson Surgeon ... 78

Jersey Saml his Letter to the Governr ... 80

Inhabts yearly Reckoning with them ... 85

Do Several Fined ... 99

Island Charge thereof £6218.5.6 more less than formerly ... 106

Inventory of Stores remg 30th Sept 1727 delivd ... 106

Do of the Stock of Agnus Coulson decd ... 108

Do of John Harding ... 108

Invoice & Princess of Wales ... 113

James & Mary arrive from England ... 136

Inhabitants Warned to Plant Wood Comp Order about it ... 136

James & Mary unloaded ... 137

Ditto Sailes ... 138

Inhabitants Reckoning with them ... 138

Invoice of Goods recd from India ... 148

Invoice of ditto ... 155

Inhabitants Warned to Plant Wood &c ... 158

Inventory of Stores remg delivd & Examined 1728 ... 206

Jersey Saml Surrender of the Lease to Jos: Baker ... 215

Inhabitants Summd to Answer Gibsons Complaint ... 231

Ditto Reckond with for their Arrears ... 232

Inhabts appointed the Survey Chain & Swing ... 233

Ditto their Accot with Mr Gibson ... 243

Ditto their Letter to the Govr abt Wm McLoughlin ... 244

Ditto their Affidavitt about ditto ... 245

Ditto ordered to Plant Woods ... 263

Inventory of Goods 1729 finished ... 302

John Crofts Accot ... 308

Instructions to Captains of Ships ... 310

Ditto ... 311

Inventory Compleated ... 391

Inhabitants Advertismt about Rum ... 413

13

 

King George arrive...38

Do Sailes...43

King George the 2d proclaimed...135

Letters Govr & Counc to Wignell...14

List of Blacks...17

Letter from Wignell to Govr & Councill...17

Limekiln Expence thereof saved...18

List of Eaters at Genl Table...18

License Granted to sell Strong Liquor...30

Letter Agreemnt to be deld. Capt. Holmes's Agt...39

Doggs...40

Lyell arrives...40

Do Sailes...43

Lees William his Will proved...52

Letter Jessey to the Govr...80

Lease granted to Capt Goodwin...108

Letter from Capt Machet to Surry...113

Letter from Do...114

Letter in Answer thereto...116

Letter of the Govr to Capt English...130

London Arrives...147

Do Sailes...149

Leech Francis Complaint agt...155

Lethuilier arrives...155

Ditto Sails...157

Leech Benjm Complaint agt him...164

Long John Complaint agt him...170

Ditto Ordered to remove his Goates...170

Ditto allowed longer time...171

Lime 1966 Bushells made...201

Land Lease Granted to Jno Burling...209

Long John Suspected to Steale Compy Goates...215

Long John ditto Six Dogs Killed & Goats taken away...216

Leech Richd Suspected Six Dogs Killed & Goats taken away...215

Letter to Capt Braam de...222

Letter from ditto about Registring Coffee...222

Letter to Capt Sambled...228

Letter to Capt Mabbot and other Commdrs...230

Letter of Wm Slaughter to Govr...234

Ditto his 2d Ditto...244

Letter to Captains to Stay...262

Ditto their Answer...262

Long John Complt agt him...275

Lesse Executed to Reyden...286

Long John his Dogs killed a 2d time...300

Lynd Measured...303

Letter to & from Capt Wilson...310

Land Measured...316

Lease Executed to Jon Higham Junr...316

Long John Anger with Punch...377

Lyle Capt Register Goods...366

Land Resurveyed...366

Long John Complt agt him...391

Lyle's Deed Executed...393

Ditto...403

Leech Isaac agt Allen...407

...419

14

 

Middlesex...41

Mary arrive...41

Mary...43

Middlesex Sail...43

Myers John Deft at Suit of Swallow...61

Medicines authoresd...78

Magazine Book...81

Machet Capt his Letter to Govr & Councill...114

Mountague Arrives...155

Ditto Sails...167

Marsh Eliz Ordered to remove her Goates...170

Marsh Eliz Suspected to Steale Compy Goates...215

Ditto his Dogs Killed & Game taken away...216

Mason Sued by Hodgkinson...397

Ditto Confined...397

Mason's Complt agt him...403

Marsh Eliz Register Writings...391

15

 

Order relating to Unlading Stores ... 1

Do to get India Stores ready ... 2

To the Storekeeper to delr Sundrys to Doctors ... 11

To transmit Survey of Plantation to Compy ... 19

To Vide the 4 Cutts Plantation ... 19

To Measure Land Petn for by Conner Wrangham & Nichols ... 20

To Register Bill Sale from Long to Gurney & Smith ... 20

To Crispe to Write to Wignell ... 21

To Summon Servts for Neglect of Planting ... 21

To Register all Accts for Compy Blacks ... 29

To prepare Bill of Sale of the Cutto ... 29

To Register a rect for Money at the Desire of Richard Beale ... 29

To Sergt Wood to appraise Doveton Cattle ... 29

To Register John Curlings Bill of Sale ... 31

To Measure Land Petn for by Jos. Hayes ... 31

To Storekeeper to delr 15 Gale Wards Doctors ... 31

To Register Bill of Sale from Jepsey to Drake ... 41

To Register one Do from B. Goodwin to Mutton ... 42

To Measure the Pasture at Bankin ... 43

To View the Land Petnd for by Ed Mason ... 60

Orphans Court appd to be yearly held ... 84

Do held ... 86

Orphans Effects Acct thereof ... 86

Do Continued ... 86

Officers Parrish Appointed ... 94

Orders dd Capt Machet to carry ... 113

Do to heave in upon Alarmd ... 113

Orders dd Capt Pith to carry ... 120

Do to heave in ... 120

Oars of Boates to be Secured ... 131

Orders given upon arrival of the James & Mary ... 135

Orders to Captains new oath form thereof ... 147

Officers Parrish Chose ... 186

Orphans Court Appointed ... 186

Ditto ... 284

ditto ... 379

Orphans of Adsun allowd placed to Beale ... 380

16

 

Petition of O Bagley Senr to Assign Land...269

Ditto of Dan Griffith to Surrender Land...280

Ditto of John Cotgrove to Assign Land...281

Ditto by E Ryall to his Land...283

Ditto by Ed of Hen Frances to Sell Land...293

Petition of Tenants for Land...301

Ditto of W Elephant junr for ditto...308

Petition against Capt Grantham...308

Petition of Benje junr for Land...308

Ditto of Archer Estate...308

of J Bagley junr to go off...316

of Nicholls to have sale Master destroyed...316

of Bonner & Whaley plan to Assign Land...318

of Cary & Godfrey agt Ed & W Powell...319

of Griffin to go off...328

of Cary & Godfrey agt Ed & W Powell...333

of W Seale to Register ditto...338

of ditto to Transfer Ground...339

of Simpson & Crofts to go to England...314

of Waugham & Bonner & Beale...361

Powell Mary and Beale agt G Powell to prove their right to Assigne in the Valley but contested...362

Powell Mary as Orphan Cooper for keeping her Black Girl...367

Petn of O Bagley Senr to Set the Land late of William Vaugham...368

of Ed Wrangham to Register Land...372

Powell Mary Complaint Colony...377

Petition of Wrangham to Register Land...372

ditto of Jepsey & Pledger for Land...378

ditto of Anne Vaughn...378

ditto of John Burling Capt Goodwin & G Smith...386

ditto of James Harding Wm D & Defountain...387

ditto of Simon Whaley...387

ditto of Alex Marsh & Jno King junr...387

Powells agt Long...393

Petition of Isaac Seush...394

ditto of Sam Singer...397

ditto of Sam Wrangham...398

ditto of Sam Singer...403

of Caleb Davis...107

of Ash Chapman to Stay...425

of Henry Cottrell to go off...427

of Jos Whaley...432

of John Bagett to Register Writings...438

of John Long...439

of John Burling...439

of Sam Wrangham for Ground & Passage...437

Princess Anne arrives...13

Conk & Wesse Charge thereof Saved the Compy...14

Petition of J Clapham junr Rejected...19

Princess Ann dispatched...17

Do Sailed for India...19

Govr set upon Cargo of Princes Ann...19

Petition of Eustace to Purchase the Hutte...20

Curling John Purchases the Hutte...20

Petition of Conwell Wrangham & Nicholls...20

Person Summoned for Neglect of Planting...21

Petition of Jno Curling to deliv Dovetons Cattle...29

Person Fined...29

Curling Jno receives Bill of Sale of the Hutte...31

Petition of Joseph Hayes for 10 Acres Land...31

Do of Wm Brazett...33

Do of John Johnson...41

Do of Capt Alexander to purchase Perkins...43

Powell & Wrangham appd to Value Perkins...43

Pettina Perkins Valued...44

Petition of Ed Mason for 2 acres Land...60

Do of J Goodwin to dispose of Leased Land...70

Do of Jno French junr...71

Do of Inhabitants agt Geo Gibson...78

Pettins 72 Barils entirely useless...81

Petition of Geo Gibson to go off...84

Ezrich Officers Appointed...84

Petn of Orlando Bagley Senr...85

Plantations appd to be Surveyed...86

Petition of Jno Goodwin to Purchas Carnes Gutt...95

Do of Jno Goodwin to Assign Six Acres Land...95

Plantacon called Carnes Gutt Sold...95

Petition of Wm Addis & Mary Harding...108

Princes of Wales Arrives...113

Ditto Sails...121

Petn of G Powell for a Deeds...123

Ditto of Daniel Griffith to go off...129

Do of Margaret Tovey...131

Do of Jno Jepsey...135

Penalty upon Inhabit for not Planting Wood &c...136

Petition of Long French Gunners...146

Ditto from Wrangham...146

Ditto of Giles & Joseph Hayes...147

Ditto off Clowell...147

Prince Augustow Arrives...147

Ditto Sails...149

Prince William Arrives...149

Ditto Sails...149

Petition of Capt Goodwin to Assign Land...149

Ditto of Richd Swallow junr to go to England...166

Petition of Daniel Griffith to Set his Land...181

Ditto of Bradley to Surrender his Lease...187

Ditto of Jno Curling for a Deed...197

Ditto of R Swallow to Set his Lease...197

Cleaver Stephen Fined...209

Information laid at the Court new one made in Shobey Valley...253

Petition of Jno French Gunr...228

Petition by Jerry Cotterill...246

Petition of John William Worgle...261

Petition of Charles Steward...263

17

 

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18

 

Report of Govr & Councl to the Disposition

of all Blacks from the Works... 2

of Do concerning Extraa Expence of Beef & Pork... 3

of Capt Goodwin relg to Acct of Cargo of Grantham... 11

of Do self to relt of Cargo of Princes Anne... 9

of Governr concerning Wm Wignell... 9

of the Surveyors of Inhabts Plantations... 10

of Govr concerning Charge of the Smiths... 17

of Do about the Birth of a Black Girl... 19

of Do about putting Black Children to Service... 20

Receipt for Blacks at Service from thence... 20

Rept of Capt Goodwin relg to Measurement of ye Hutt... 29

of Shelvon about Lycence to Sell Liquors... 30

of Do abt putting Blacks to Service... 29

of Do relg to the Officers head Neglect at Mundens... 31

of Do about putting out more Black Children... 31

of Do to prevent attempts of an Enemy... 40

of Capt Goodwin about recd of Goods pr Jos. Wills... 49

of Govr relg to the Birth of a Black Child... 43

of Capt Goodwin abt Measuremt of Berkine... 44

of Do about Rest of Goods pr Dawson... 52

of Do abt Rest of Cargo of three Ships... 51

of Govr about the Birth of a Black Child... 53

Fine for the Compy Use Charged at Prim Cost... 54

Rept of Capt Goodwin abt Sale of Sugar & arrack... 60

of Do abt Measurement of Land Petd for by Hayes... 60

of Do abt Land Petitiond for by Mason... 63

Ryder Sam accepted Tenrs for 2 Acres Lease Land... 70

of Govr of Do abt Birth of a Black Child... 70

of Do about the Death of a Boy... 71

of Do about Mr Gibsons Extravagancy... 79

of Do about putting out Black Children... 80

of Do abt Instructions given Capt Alexander & Capn Lafon... 81

by Capt Alexander & Capt Lafon... 81

of Govr about putting out Black Children... 85

of Do about the Birth of a Black Boy... 85

of Do about the Sale of Plantation... 96

of Surveyors of the Inhabts Plantations... 96

of Do of Govr about a Black Girles put out... 104

Ryder James takes a Black Girl... 104

Report of Govr about Trees felled in Great Wood... 104

of Do ditto about Wall House & Garden in Country... 121

Rept of Capt Goodwin about Goods not received... 186

Ryder Sam his complt againt Jos. Long... 275

Report of Messrs Goodwin & Crispe abt Island... 281

Reck of Inquisiton Inhabts... 335

19

 

Smith late Governr dismiss’d...192.3

his Act to Examine...9

Survey of Inhabt’s Plantations...10

Ship seen in the Offing...31

Sessions appointed...50

St Michael arrives...60

Session adjourned...52

St Michael Sails...53

Sessions held & Proceedings there...60

Swallow Br. against Myers...61

Survey of Gunners Stores appointed...81

Surgeon Geo. Gibson desir’d to be removed...78

Session adjourned...81

Survey of Inhabt’s Plantations appr...85

Slaughter Wm recommended for Gunner...81

Simpson Wm Complaint agt Tho Clew...96

Surveyors Report...96

Slaughter Wm Comp. of Mary & Simpson...105

Sessions Adjourned...113

Stanhop arrives...120

Do Sails...121

Surgeon Mr Alston Entertained...129

Sailes of Boates to be Secured...481

Sessions Adjourned...138

Swann arrives...147

Do Sails...149

Sessions Adjourned...161

Ship Allom for One...177

Sessions held & Proceedings there...183

Slaughter William dismiss’d...193

Ditto turn Butcher...194

Ditto Forgave & Satisfied...195

Scale William Fined...209

Swallows Birth & Complaints against him...216

Ship Danish Arrives...217

Do Princess Anne...221

Do Cumberland...222

Do Calagan...223

Ditto Caffon...230

Ditto Crauchfield...232

Sessions Adjourned...232

Slaughter Released...233

Ditto his Letter to the Govr & Recogn...234

Ditto his 2d Letter to the Govr...234

Ship Cotham arrives...244

Do Stanford George...246

Do Johnson...262

Do Fadrice...263

Summons upon acts of Anash...254

Ship Sunderland Arrives...255

Do Walpole & James & Mary...256

Do Tilable...256

Swallow Richd his Will proved...261

Steward Charles his Assignm...263

Simpson Mary to live with Higham junr...270

Snelling Mr Ric Inventory &c...275

Sessions held...282

Steward agt Alexander...282

Surveyors Report abt Wood...297

Shepard a Debt Allowed him...300

Surveyors Report...301

Ship Dealcock arrives...318

Mountague...318

French Ship &c...338

Enfield & Monmouth...343

20

 

Townshend arrives...18

Ditto Sailed...19

Transfers...19

Foulk between Swallow & Myres...61

Thine Misbeh about it Arckfield...141

Foyel between Capt Alexander & Colgram...61

Swallow & Myres...61

of John Bradley...183

Between Alexander Goodwin & Gardner move Com...184

of Wm Hughlen...195

Between Capt Alexander & Steward...232

Between Eam Ger & Est of G Powne...336

Between Watte & Wood & G Powne...183

Van Voorten Reprimanded...2

Van Aestens Complaint agt Jno Long...170

21

 

Weather during Store Ship was Unloading...9

Wignell orderd to go off the Island...9

Do. Letter to Govr & Councill...17

Do. Committee to Stay till an other Ship come...17

Wignell orderd to Castle...21

Wood orderd to Appraise Doveton Castle...29

Do. Appraismt of ditto...33

Wrangham & Cowell appd to Value Penkin...43

Will of Will Lee proved...52

Will of Wm Underwood proved...53

Will of John Harding proved...53

Will of Tho Free proved...53

Wrangham accepted Tenmt for Lease land late Goodwins...70

Will of Grace Coulson proved...108

Walls, One built by 105 Rod to enclose House & Garden...121

in the Country

Water brought into the Garden...121

Will of Arthur Oxackley proved...136

Will of James Holmes proved...156

Wall against Hook...183

Wood Timber seized at Woody Ridge by Provosts Marshal...209

Water at Chub Surveyed...234

Will of Rich Swallow proved...262

Will of Rich Clyerling proved...263

Wood orderd to be planted...263

Warrant to Survey Land...293

Will of Wallington proved...308

ditto of Sampson Nichols...372

Wood orderd to be planted...366

Young Jno presents Bill of Sale...274

22

 

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23

 

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24

1

You're right. Rule 29 requires every line to open and close with

except two: the very first line (no opening

) and the bold "Margin Notes:" heading (no markers at all). I failed it in the tabulated section and the margin notes: several line items lost their

markers where I split figures across lines, and I let column-header fragments and stray labels drift.

Here is the corrected transcription.

Island Sᵗ Helena

At a Consultation held the 26ᵗʰ February 1726/7 at

Union Castle

Present

Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governour

John Alexander 2

John Godwin 3 of Councill

The last Consultation read & approved

This Morning about Nine arrived the Princess Anne from

England Capt Gough Commander who brought the Honᵇˡᵉ Companys Pacquet

on Shoar but Mʳ Smith being in the Country the Governour to Shew his Respect

Deferd opening it till he came down. And it appearing that Our Honᵇˡᵉ Masters had

been pleased to appoint Mʳ Byfeild to Succeed as Governour, & to the End that

all Persons might have due Notice thereof his Commission was Published by

Beat of Drum in the usual manner.

We proceed to read through their General Letter dated 29ᵗʰ November 1726

& We resolve Strictly to observe & follow all their Orders & Directions & will

Sit daily in Order to Examine & Settle Mʳ Smiths Accts & Dispatch the

Princess Anne with all possible Expedition.

Orderd that a Letter be immediatly Sent the Captain to deliver the Cargo

to Us in ten [work]ing Days, that the Invoice & Bill of Loading be deliverd Captⁿ

Goodwin & that Mʳ Boxette do attend at the Water Side & Observe how many

Boates are unloden delivered, what Surfe or other Accidents may happen & that

he lodge an Accᵗ thereof every Evening in the Secretaries Office in Order to be

Entered in Consultation.

On the 22 instant arrived the Grantham Capt Feild Commander from

Bencoolen & brought Us the following Particulars for the Use of this Island viz

Sugar Vizt

Cannisters made at Bencoolen

Gross 20.0.8

Tare deducted 1..0.6

Neat Weight 19.2.13 in Bushl 16.80

19

Gross 70.3.—

Tare 6.3.—

27 Cannisters

Neat 66.0.05 in Bushl 40.07

Coffee

Arrack 2 Leagrs at 320 Gutt at 3d 24 [...] 130 Gross

41.2.33

Charge Merchandize Boat hire Slaves Labour &c

20.—

325.1.60

The Cargo not having been able is the Reason no Order was Sooner made

for the delivery of them on Shoar

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Godwin

Margin Notes:

Consigned

Sitting Price

Sugar Vizt

Nᵒ 1 to 8

9 to 27

6/4 [C]ᵗ

Island of St Helena. At a consultation held on 26 February 1727 at Union Castle.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander, second of council; John Goodwin, third of council.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

That morning about nine the Princess Anne arrived from England under Captain Gough, carrying the Company's packet on board. Governor Smith being away in the country, the Governor would not open it out of respect until Smith came down. It then appeared the Company had chosen to appoint Byfield to succeed as governor. So that everyone might have proper notice, his commission was proclaimed by beat of drum in the usual way.

The council read through the Company's general letter dated 25 November 1726. The council resolved to observe and follow all its orders and directions strictly, and to meet daily to examine and settle Governor Smith's accounts and speed the ship on her way with all possible haste.

The council ordered a letter sent at once to the captain to deliver his cargo within ten days, and directed that the invoice and bill of lading be given to Captain Goodwin. Mr Bargate was to attend at the waterside and note how many boats were unloaded each day, and what surf or other mishap might occur, so that he might lodge an account of it each evening in the secretary's office to be entered in the consultation.

On 22 February the Grantham arrived under Captain Field, commander, from Bencoolen, bringing the following goods for the island's use.

Sugar in 8 canisters made at Bencoolen, gross 20 quarters 2 nails 8 pounds

Tare deducted, 1 quarter 0 nails 6 pounds

Neat weight, 19 quarters 2 nails 8 pounds, in 1 cask numbered 16 to 30

Numbered 1 to 8, gross 20 quarters 2 nails 8 pounds

9 to 27, 19

27 canisters, gross 70 pounds

Tare, 3 pounds 8 ounces

27 canisters, neat 6 hundredweight 3 quarters 0 nails 5 pounds, in 1 cask, 49 pounds 0 ounces 7 [...]

1 cask, 65 pounds 10 ounces 7, at 4 pence, gross 263 pounds 3 shillings 8 pence [...]

Arrack, 2 bags, 320 gallons at 8 pence per gallon, 130 gallons

Charges: merchandise, boat hire, slaves' labour, freed

The Company's rates then in force being those Governor Smith had earlier settled, no landing order was needed for the delivery of the goods on board.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

A ship's cargo could not be landed at St Helena without a formal landing order fixing the rates at which goods entered the island. On this occasion the council recorded that no such order was needed, because the schedule of rates set earlier under Governor Smith remained in force. The note preserved the legal basis on which the Grantham goods came ashore, showing that continuity of an outgoing governor's orders bridged the gap before the new administration issued its own.

The Company packet was a sealed dispatch of orders and letters carried by an incoming Indiaman. The Governor's refusal to open it until Governor Smith returned reflected the delicacy of the handover: the packet named Byfield as successor, and opening it in Smith's absence would have pre-empted the man still holding office. Proclaiming the new commission by beat of drum gave the appointment public and legal effect on the island.

The weights recorded here rest on the East India trade's own system. A canister was a sealed metal container for tea or sugar, and tare was the allowance deducted for the weight of the container itself, leaving the neat or net weight of the goods. The figures ran in hundredweight, quarters, nails and pounds, the standard subdivisions used to reckon bulk commodities on the homeward and country routes.

Arrack was the standard spirit of the Eastern trade, distilled from palm sap, rice or sugar, and issued as the ordinary ration on the island. It arrived here from Bencoolen, the Company's pepper settlement on the west coast of Sumatra, from which the Grantham had sailed.

Speculations

The Governor chose not to open the Company packet on its arrival, though it was already ashore and in his hands. The obvious course was to read it at once, since it carried the Company's current orders and the island had been waiting on direction. Instead he held it sealed until Governor Smith came down from the country, treating deference to the man still in office as worth the delay. The record shows the reason plainly: the packet named Byfield himself as Smith's successor, so reading it first would have let the incoming governor act on his own appointment before the outgoing one had seen it.

25

2

At a Consultation held on Monday 27ᵗʰ February 1726/7 at

Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Report that pursuant to the Honᵇˡᵉ Companies Directions

received by Princess Anne he last Night Sent Order to the Overseers of the

Several Plantations to dismiss all Blacks from [Work]ing at the Wood or other

Slave belonging either to himself Gent or of Councill or Inhabitants

Wee this day made a Considerable Progress in Examining the Accts of the

late Governour Mʳ Smith & Order that the Same be finished on Wednesday next

to which time Wee have Adjourned in Order to give time for Compleating the

Same & to Morrow Wee will assemble about Publick Businesse

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 28ᵗʰ February 1726/7 at Union

Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Orderd that the Letters for the Several Settlements in India belonging to

the Honᵇˡᵉ Company be got ready before the Expiration of the Princess Anne

Ten [Work]ing Days

Pursuant to the Honᵇˡᵉ Compys Order having found many Errors & Mistakes

Committed by the Bookeeper, John Martin Batt Osten was called in & Severely

Reprimanded & the several particulars relating to his Negligence read to him

& promising Amendment for the future & to be very exact & carefull in all

Accts for the time to come he was Sworn to Secrecy & to do the Duty of his Office

in the best manner he was able.

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

Margin Notes:

Union Castle

Castle

At a consultation held on Monday 27 February 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that, following the Company's directions received by the Princess Anne, he had sent orders the previous night to the overseers of the several plantations. They were to release every black slave from labour at the wood or elsewhere, whether the slave belonged to himself, to members of council or to the inhabitants.

The council made good progress that day in examining the accounts of the late Governor Smith. It ordered the task finished the coming Wednesday, and so adjourned to that day to allow time for completing it. The council would meet the next day on public business.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 28 February 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The council ordered that the letters for the Company's several settlements in India be made ready before the Princess Anne sailed, being within ten days.

George Wrangham, purser to the Company and keeper of the storehouse, was found to have committed many errors and mistakes in his accounts. He was called in and severely reprimanded, and the several particulars of his negligence were read to him. He promised to amend his conduct in future and to be exact and careful in everything. He was then sworn to secrecy, and sworn to discharge the duty of his office in the best manner he was able for the time to come.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The release of slaves from labour at the wood marked a direct response to Company policy carried by the Princess Anne. The Great Wood was the island's principal timber and fuel reserve, and cutting there was among the heaviest tasks assigned to Company slaves. The order reached every category of holder at once, from the Governor down through the council to private inhabitants, showing that the directive overrode the ordinary division between Company labour and privately owned slaves.

The purser held one of the most sensitive posts on the island, keeping the accounts of goods received into and issued from the Company storehouse. Errors in those books touched directly on Company property and revenue, which is why negligence drew a formal reprimand entered in the record. The double swearing bound Wrangham twice over: an oath to secrecy protected the confidentiality of the Company's affairs, while an oath to the duty of his office made future neglect a breach of a sworn undertaking rather than mere carelessness.

Speculations

The council reprimanded George Wrangham for many errors in his accounts yet kept him in his office, binding him instead by fresh oaths. Dismissal was the plain alternative for a purser found repeatedly at fault with Company property, and his predecessor in surgeon Wignall's case had shown the council willing to strip an officer of his place. Here the council chose correction over removal, reading the faults to him and taking his promise of amendment, which suggests it valued continuity in a specialised post over the disruption of replacing the man who alone knew the storehouse books.

26

3

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 1ˢᵗ March 1726/7 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governour

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Wee this Day finished the Accts of the late Governour Mʳ Smith & find the

Abatement upon the Same according to the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Instruction to amount to

Six Hundred Twenty two Pounds five Shillings & Eleven Pence besides other

Deduction as [...] Acct

Orderd that the Same be fairly Copyd in Order to be transmitted to the Honᵇˡᵉ

Company for their better Satisfaction

The Governour Reports that upon his Perusal of the Books of Accts he finds

large Quantities of Beef & Pork delivered at Sundry times to the Blacks amounting

between 28ᵗʰ May 1723 & 24ᵗʰ Sepᵗ 1726 to One Thousand Eight Hundred Fifty

Eight Pounds Seven Shillings & alsº considerable Quantities charged to Diet

Expence both which Articles he thinks so great a Charge to the Honᵇˡᵉ Company that

he is Resolved entirely to lay it aside which may easily be done by providing a

proportionable Quantity of Fish in lieu thereof & has accordingly Orderd the Boats

to be well Timd & will direct that they Shall be constantly Employed & has already

Contracted with an able hand to keep the Blacks at [Work] therein closely to their

Businesse & Instruct them in Fishing & for Our greater Satisfaction laid the

following particulars before Us viz

Acct of Expence of Beef Pork Suet & Diet from 28ᵗʰ May 1723 to 24ᵗʰ Sepᵗ 1726 as

Appears by the Legers N. O. P. & Q. viz

Beef Cwt

Beef Quart

Pork Cwt

Pork lbˢ

Suet Cwt

Yard Cwt

Amount

Totalls

Leger N 1723

From 28 May 1723 to the 25 March 1723 on an Acct of Diet Expence

Beef Cwt 7, Beef Quart —, Pork Cwt 3, Pork lbˢ —, Suet Cwt 3, Yard Cwt —, Amount 158 . 2, Totalls —

From ditto on Acct of Blacks

Beef Cwt 21, Beef Quart —, Pork Cwt —, Pork lbˢ —, Suet Cwt —, Yard Cwt —, Amount 313 . 8, Totalls 470 . 6

Leger O 1724

From 25 Mar 1724 to 25 Dit foll on Acct of Diet Expence

Beef Cwt 5, Beef Quart 32, Pork Cwt 4, Pork lbˢ —, Suet Cwt 3, Yard Cwt —, Amount 131 . 12 . 9, Totalls —

From ditto to do on Acct of Blacks

Beef Cwt 29, Beef Quart —, Pork Cwt 12, Pork lbˢ —, Suet Cwt —, Yard Cwt —, Amount 500 . —, Totalls —

In Acct of do paid by Capt L Poste July

Beef Cwt 7, Beef Quart —, Pork Cwt 4, Pork lbˢ —, Suet Cwt —, Yard Cwt —, Amount 149, Totalls 717 . 12 . 9

Leger P

From 25 Dit 1724 to 25 Dit 1725 on Acct of Diet Expence

Beef Cwt 3, Beef Quart —, Pork Cwt —, Pork lbˢ —, Suet Cwt 1, Yard Cwt —, Amount 67 . 6, Totalls —

From do to do on Acct of Blacks

Beef Cwt 11, Beef Quart 364, Pork Cwt 11½, Pork lbˢ 50, Suet Cwt —, Yard Cwt —, Amount 288 . 12, Totalls 355 . 18

Leger Q 1725

From 25 Dit 1725 to 25ᵗʰ March following on Acct of Diet Expence

Beef Cwt 1, Beef Quart —, Pork Cwt —, Pork lbˢ —, Suet Cwt —, Yard Cwt —, Amount 37, Totalls —

From do to do on Acct of Blacks

Beef Cwt 16, Beef Quart —, Pork Cwt 12, Pork lbˢ —, Suet Cwt —, Yard Cwt —, Amount 352, Totalls —

1726

From do to do on Acct of Diet Expence

Beef Cwt 2, Beef Quart —, Pork Cwt 2, Pork lbˢ —, Suet Cwt 1, Yard Cwt —, Amount 56, Totalls —

From do to do on Acct of Blacks

Beef Cwt 13, Beef Quart 210, Pork Cwt 6, Pork lbˢ 196, Suet Cwt —, Yard Cwt —, Amount 251 . 9, Totalls 690 . 9

Sum Totalls

Beef Cwt 115, Beef Quart 32, Pork Cwt 574, Pork lbˢ 67½, Suet Cwt 206, Yard Cwt 8, Amount —, Totalls 2302 . 5 . 11

At a consultation held on Wednesday 1 March 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The council finished the accounts of the late Governor Smith that day. It found the abatement upon them, reckoned according to the Company's instruction, came to £672 5s 11d, besides other deductions in the accounts. The council ordered the whole fairly copied and sent home to the Company for its better satisfaction.

The Governor reported that, on examining the books of account, he found large quantities of beef and pork issued at various times to the slaves. These came, between 28 May 1723 and 24 September 1726, to £1,858 7s 0d, with further considerable quantities charged to diet expenses. He judged both charges too heavy a burden on the Company, and resolved to drop them altogether. This could easily be done by supplying a proportionate quantity of fish instead. He ordered a boat well fitted, and directed that it be kept constantly employed. He had already contracted with an able hand to keep the slaves at work at the fishing and to instruct them in it. For the council's greater satisfaction he set out the following particulars.

The account of expenditure on beef, pork, suet and lard from 28 May 1723 to 24 September 1726 appeared in ledgers N, O, P and Q as follows.

Ledger N, 1723

From 28 May 1723 to 25 March on account of diet expenses, beef 7 casks, pork 3 casks, suet 3 casks, amount £158 0s 2d

From same date to same on account of the slaves, beef 21 casks, amount £313 0s 0d, total £470 0s 2d

Ledger O, 1724

From 25 March 1724 to 25 March following on account of diet expenses, beef 5 casks 42 pieces, pork 4 casks, suet 3 casks, amount £131 12s 9d

From same to same on account of the slaves, beef 29 casks, pork 13 casks, amount £500 0s 0d

On account of pork paid by Giles Lufkin the elder, beef 7 casks, pork 4 casks, amount £199 0s 0d, total £779 12s 9d

Ledger P, 1725

From 25 March 1725 to 25 March 1726 on account of diet expenses, beef 3 casks, suet 1 cask, amount £67 6s 0d

From same to same on account of the slaves, beef 11 casks 364 pieces, pork 11½ casks 50 pieces, amount £288 12s 0d, total £355 18s 0d

Ledger Q, 1726

From 25 March 1726 to 24 March following on account of diet expenses, beef 1 cask, amount £37 0s 0d

From same to same on account of the slaves, beef 16 casks, pork 12 casks, amount £352 0s 0d

From same to same on account of diet expenses, beef 2 casks, suet 1 cask, amount £56 0s 0d

From same to same on account of the slaves, beef 13 casks 210 pieces, pork 6 casks 196 pieces, amount £251 9s 0d, total £696 9s 0d

Sum totals, beef 115 casks, pork 32 casks, 574 pieces beef, 671 pieces pork, 206 pieces, suet 8 casks, £2,302 5s 11d

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

An abatement was a formal reduction struck from an outgoing officer's accounts, disallowing charges the Company would not accept. The figure of £672 5s 11d represented the sum the late Governor Smith could not recover, deducted before his books were closed and sent home. Copying the accounts fairly and transmitting them to the Company completed the audit that had occupied the council since Byfield took office, and the abatement had been finished on this date under Company instruction.

The beef, pork, suet and lard were reckoned by the cask and by loose pieces, a piece being a single cut of salted meat and a cask the barrel in which it was preserved for the long voyage and for storage in a climate without refrigeration. Salt meat shipped from England or bought from passing ships was the costly alternative to fresh provisions, which is why the running total across four years drew the Governor's attention as a charge worth cutting.

Ledgers N, O, P and Q were the successive annual account books, each covering a year reckoned from 25 March, the old-style start of the legal year. The division within each ledger between diet expenses and the slaves separated the fort table's provisioning from the ration issued to Company slaves, allowing the Governor to isolate the slave ration as the charge he meant to replace.

The substitution of fish for salt meat turned on the island's setting. St Helena sat in productive southern-hemisphere fishing waters, so a boat and a skilled hand could supply protein at a fraction of the cost of imported barrelled meat. The plan tied the saving to constant employment of the boat and to instruction of the slaves themselves in fishing, making the change self-sustaining rather than dependent on continued purchase.

Speculations

The Governor resolved to end the slaves' meat ration and replace it entirely with fish, rather than trimming the quantity or seeking cheaper meat. The account gave him a running four-year total, and the plain course for a costly line was to reduce it at the margin. He chose instead to abolish the charge outright, staking the saving on a single boat and one contracted fisherman to feed the whole slave workforce. The record shows the reasoning in the figures he laid before the council: the slave issues alone dwarfed the diet-expense charges, so only their complete removal, not their reduction, delivered the economy he wanted, and the island's fishing grounds made total substitution appear practicable where it would not have been elsewhere.

27

4

Wee are of the Governours Opinion & believe the Honᵇˡᵉ Company will be very well ple[...]

with this Instance of Our Care to lessen so great a Branch of Expence

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 7ᵗʰ March 1726/7 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Jonathan Higham junʳ having made application Several times to Sell Such Land

as he Leases of the Honᵇˡᵉ Company & Petitioning again this Day for more lying

in Sandy Bay which if let would be prejudicial to the Neighbourhood wherefore Wee

Reject his Petition & the rather because he is an Ill Season

Wee received the following Letter from Mʳ Gibson the Surgeon

Gentlemen

Doctor Coatsworth acquainted me in Englands that Syrup

of Sundry Sorts might be made here & not finding any in the Shop I Shall have

Occasion for Several things necessary with which Pysick to be Supplyed according

to the underwritten particulars & pray Your Direction herein. I am

Your Most Obedᵗ Servᵗ

Geo. Gibson

Orderd that the Several particulars therein mentioned be deliverd him

& that it be recommended to him to be as good a Husband of them as possible

Captain Goodwin Reports that he has received the Arrack & Sugar Sent

to the from Bencoolen & Grantham in good Order & Condition

Orderd that the Arrack be Sold for 6/4 [P] Gallˢ & the Sugar for Six Pence [P] Pound

The Governour Captain Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward deliverd each their

Monthly Acct for February which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as

follow vizt

Account of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Stock of

Neat Cattle Sheep Goats, Hogs, Poultry & Horses, Likewise what has

been [Kill]d & Sold to Shipps Dead & Stolen the Increase or Decrease for the Month

of February 1726/7 vizt

Margin Notes:

Union Castle

Gentlemen

Sugar 6ᵈ

Coph 3ᵈ [P] Green

Aphies 3ᵈ

Sugar Large

Oatmeale & Ash

The council shared the Governor's opinion and believed the Company would be well pleased with this evidence of its care to reduce so large a branch of expense.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 March 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Jonathan Higham junior had applied several times to be granted more of the Company's land next to that he leased. He petitioned again this day for ground lying in Sandy Bay. The council rejected the petition, chiefly because granting it would harm the neighbourhood if such land were let to him.

The council received the following letter from George Gibson, the surgeon.

Gibson wrote to the council that Doctor Cousseau had told him in England the Company's medicines were then aboard, but on finding none in the storehouse here he would need several supplies for various purposes. He asked that the items listed below be provided, and sought the council's direction in the matter. He listed sugar 25 pounds, green tea 2 catties, oatmeal 1 chest, indigo 1 bag, and Mountain wine 1 cask. The letter was signed George Gibson.

The council ordered the several items delivered to Gibson, with a caution to use them as sparingly as possible.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the arrack and sugar sent from Bencoolen by the Grantham in good order and condition.

The council ordered the arrack sold at 6s 4d per gallon, and the sugar at 6d per pound.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward each delivered their monthly accounts for February, which were severally examined and approved as follows.

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses. It set out what had been killed and sold to ships, dead, and the increase or decrease for the month of February 1727.

Interpretations

The medicines request turned on a supply failure at the point of handover. Cousseau had understood in England that the Company's medicine stock was already shipped, but Gibson found none in the storehouse on arrival, the earlier stock aboard the Grantham having been spent. His list mixed treatment materials with staples: indigo served as a dye and wash, green tea and Mountain wine had medicinal as well as dietary use, and sugar and oatmeal were the base of invalid diets. The caution to husband them reflected the difficulty of resupply on a remote island dependent on irregular shipping.

Mountain was a sweet fortified Spanish wine from the hills near Malaga, valued both as a drink and as a restorative in sickness. A catty was a unit of the China trade weighing about a pound and a third, used here for the green tea drawn from the same Eastern commerce. These goods reached the island only through the Company's shipping, which is why a surgeon had to petition the council in writing rather than simply drawing on a market.

Fixing the sale prices of the arrack and sugar was an administrative act setting the rate at which imported goods entered island circulation. The arrack at 6s 4d per gallon matched the rate the council had earlier set on 7 March 1727 for unsold stock, tying the Grantham consignment into the same schedule and preventing officers from selling Company goods at rates of their own choosing.

Speculations

The council refused Higham's petition for the Sandy Bay land, though he had asked repeatedly and already held an adjoining lease. Extending a sitting tenant's holding into neighbouring waste was the ordinary course, and the council routinely granted such leases elsewhere in this period. Here it held that letting this particular ground to Higham would injure the wider neighbourhood, and put that judgement above his settled claim and his persistence. The record shows the reason lay in the land itself and its effect on those around it, not in any fault of the applicant, so the general interest of the district overrode a tenant's expectation of first refusal on the land beside his own.

28

5

Account of the Honᵇˡᵉ Companies Stock of Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goates, Hoggs Poultry & Horses likewise what has been killed

& Sold to Shipps Dead besides the Encrease or Decrease for the Month February 1726/7 Vizt

Neat Cattle Bullocks

Neat Cattle Cowes

Neat Cattle Heifers

Neat Cattle Steers

Neat Cattle Yearlings

Neat Cattle Calves

Neat Cattle Bulls

Neat Cattle Totall

Sheep Ewes

Sheep Wethers

Sheep Lambs

Sheep Rams

Sheep Totall

Goates Ewes

Goates Wethers

Goates Kids

Goates Rams

Goates Totall

Hoggs Sowes

Hoggs Shoates

Hoggs Boars

Hoggs Piggs

Hoggs Totall

Poultry Turkeys

Poultry Fowles

Poultry Ducks

Poultry Geese

Horses Horses

Horses Mares

Horses Totall

Remains Ultº January

Neat Cattle Bullocks 13, Neat Cattle Cowes 65, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steers 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 86, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 210, Sheep Ewes 55, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 22, Sheep Rams 4, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 162, Goates Wethers 54, Goates Kids 78, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 299, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 23, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 14, Hoggs Totall 43, Poultry Turkeys 96, Poultry Fowles 110, Poultry Ducks 10, Poultry Geese 34, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Encreased in February

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steers —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids 2, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 2, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys 11, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks 3, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 13, Neat Cattle Cowes 65, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steers 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 86, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 210, Sheep Ewes 55, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 22, Sheep Rams 4, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 162, Goates Wethers 54, Goates Kids 80, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 301, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 23, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 14, Hoggs Totall 43, Poultry Turkeys 107, Poultry Fowles 110, Poultry Ducks 13, Poultry Geese 34, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Killed in Ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks 1, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steers —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 1, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes 1, Goates Wethers 3, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 4, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys 8, Poultry Fowles 10, Poultry Ducks 6, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Sold to Shipps in ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks 1, Neat Cattle Cowes 3, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steers —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 4, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 12, Neat Cattle Cowes 65, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steers 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 86, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 209, Sheep Ewes 55, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 22, Sheep Rams 4, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 161, Goates Wethers 51, Goates Kids 80, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 297, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 23, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 14, Hoggs Totall 43, Poultry Turkeys 99, Poultry Fowles 100, Poultry Ducks 7, Poultry Geese 34, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Dead in ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes 1, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steers —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls 1, Neat Cattle Totall 2, Sheep Ewes 3, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs 1, Sheep Rams 1, Sheep Totall 5, Goates Ewes 2, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 3, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks 2, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Remains Ultº Febry

Neat Cattle Bullocks 11, Neat Cattle Cowes 64, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steers 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 86, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 203, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 21, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 100, Goates Ewes 159, Goates Wethers 50, Goates Kids 80, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 294, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 23, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 14, Hoggs Totall 43, Poultry Turkeys 99, Poultry Fowles 100, Poultry Ducks 7, Poultry Geese 32, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 45640 lb

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed and sold to ships, what died, and the increase or decrease for the month of February 1727.

Neat cattle

Remaining last of January: bullocks 13, cows 65, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 86, bulls 3, total 210

Increased in February: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Standing at: bullocks 13, cows 65, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 86, bulls 3, total 210

Killed in February: bullocks 1, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total 1

Remaining after killing: bullocks 12, cows 65, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 86, bulls 3, total 209

Sold to ships in February: bullocks 1, cows 3, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total 4

Remaining after sale: bullocks 11, cows 62, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 86, bulls 3, total 205

Dead in February: bullocks -, cows 1, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls 1, total 2

Remaining last of February: bullocks 11, cows 61, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 85, bulls 2, total 203

Sheep

Remaining last of January: ewes 55, wethers 24, lambs 22, rams 4, total 105

Increased in February: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Standing at: ewes 55, wethers 24, lambs 22, rams 4, total 105

Killed in February: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining after killing: ewes 55, wethers 24, lambs 22, rams 4, total 105

Sold to ships in February: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining after sale: ewes 55, wethers 24, lambs 22, rams 4, total 105

Dead in February: ewes 3, wethers -, lambs 1, rams 1, total 5

Remaining last of February: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 21, rams 3, total 100

Goats

Remaining last of January: ewes 162, wethers 54, kids 78, rams 5, total 299

Increased in February: ewes -, wethers -, kids 2, rams -, total 2

Standing at: ewes 162, wethers 54, kids 80, rams 5, total 301

Killed in February: ewes 1, wethers 3, kids -, rams -, total 4

Remaining after killing: ewes 161, wethers 51, kids 80, rams 5, total 297

Sold to ships in February: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Remaining after sale: ewes 161, wethers 51, kids 80, rams 5, total 297

Dead in February: ewes 2, wethers 1, kids -, rams -, total 3

Remaining last of February: ewes 159, wethers 50, kids 80, rams 5, total 294

Hogs

Remaining last of January: sows 5, shoats 23, boars 1, pigs 14, total 43

Increased in February: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Standing at: sows 5, shoats 23, boars 1, pigs 14, total 43

Killed in February: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Remaining after killing: sows 5, shoats 23, boars 1, pigs 14, total 43

Sold to ships in February: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Remaining after sale: sows 5, shoats 23, boars 1, pigs 14, total 43

Dead in February: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Remaining last of February: sows 5, shoats 23, boars 1, pigs 14, total 43

Poultry

Remaining last of January: turkeys 96, fowls 110, ducks 10, geese 34, total -

Increased in February: turkeys 11, fowls -, ducks 3, geese -, total -

Standing at: turkeys 107, fowls 110, ducks 13, geese 34, total -

Killed in February: turkeys 8, fowls 10, ducks 6, geese -, total -

Remaining after killing: turkeys 99, fowls 100, ducks 7, geese 34, total -

Sold to ships in February: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Remaining after sale: turkeys 99, fowls 100, ducks 7, geese 34, total -

Dead in February: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks 2, geese -, total -

Remaining last of February: turkeys 99, fowls 100, ducks 7, geese 32, total -

Horses

Remaining last of January: horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Remaining last of February: horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 45,640 pounds

Interpretations

The account tracked the Company's living stock through a single month by fixed stages, carrying each class from its opening number through increase, slaughter, sale to ships and death to a closing figure. This layout let the council see at a glance where each herd or flock had gained or lost, and separated animals killed for the fort table from those sold to visiting ships as fresh provisions. The stock represented the island's capacity to victual its own garrison and to supply the homeward Indiamen, so its month-by-month movement was a direct measure of the settlement's productive base.

Neat cattle were ordinary horned farm cattle, divided in the account into bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls, each a stage or sex within the herd. Wethers were castrated male sheep and goats, kept for meat rather than breeding, while shoats were young weaned pigs and barrows castrated males. These distinctions mattered because breeding animals, growing stock and animals ready for slaughter served different purposes in managing the herd's future yield.

The closing figures on this page fall into a sequence the earlier accounts allow to be traced. The neat cattle stood at 191 on 24 September 1726, rose to 203 by 30 November 1726, and hold at 203 here, a stable herd whose small monthly losses are made good over the longer run. The sheep decline steadily across the same period, from 119 on 24 September 1726 to 113 through the autumn and 100 by the end of February, this page showing five deaths and no births to reverse the fall. The goats moved most sharply of all, from 477 on 24 September 1726 down to 285 by 30 November 1726, then recovering slightly to 294 here on the strength of two kids born in the month. The hogs eased from 63 on 24 September 1726 to 43, where this month holds them level with no change at all.

The yam figure footed the account because yams were the staple fed both to the island's people and to its livestock, and the quantity expended measured the drain on the plantations' cultivation. At 45,640 pounds for the month, the consumption stood well below the heavier winter totals recorded earlier in the run, such as the 53,880 pounds of the previous December, reflecting the lighter feeding demand of the late-summer season in the southern hemisphere.

29

6

Collection of Store Goods Sold Deliverd to the Inhabitants viz

from 25ᵗʰ January to 24ᵗʰ February 1726/7 vizt

Arrack 133 3/4 Gallˢ

£ 42 . 7 . 7

Sugar 384 ℔

9 . 11

Coph 30ᵈ

7 . 19

11 . 10

Beild 168 ℔

2 . 5

Flour 185 ℔

2 . 6 . 3

4 . 8 . 3

Soap 28 ℔

1 . 19 . 8

Starch 3ᵈ

9 . 3

Indigo 10ᵈ

3 . 6

2 . 2 . 5

Tobacco 27 ℔

3 . —

Pipes 249

16 . 2½

3 . 11 . 1½

Candles 3½

7 . —

Ginger 4ᵈ

4 . —

Attras Gingham 2 Pˢ

15 . —

Neghees 3 Pˢ

15 . —

Delotees

10 . —

Adry Long Cloth 1½ Pˢ

1 . 10

3 . 18 . —

White Shirts

12 . 6

Cotton Stockings 3 Pˢ

7 . 6

1 . — . —

Sallampore 1

9 . 10

ditto

9 . 10

14 . 10

Damaris Soap 3 Pˢ Sold for 2 Pˢ

4 . 8

Cotton Jambo Roll 1

4 . 8

Sees 3ᵈ 2 ℔

6 . 3

Bettellees Roll 1

1 . —

English Tutor 1

1 . —

Shoos Sorted 12

7 . 4

1 . 4 . 6

Sailors Hatts

1 . 2 . 2

Caps Hatts

12 . 6

Silk Stockings 1 Pˢ

15 . —

1 . 15 . 8

Thread do

4 . 2

Youths do

2 . 4

do

4 . 4

1 . 6 . 1

Sailors do

1 . 6

Womens do Nᵒ 17 1 Pˢ

1 . 6

Worsted do 8 Pˢ

9 . —

12 . 8

Coffe Twine

9 . —

3 . 9

Twine 2

9 . —

Wom Sham Leaʳ Shoos 1 Pˢ

3 . 9

Mens Colar 3

3 . 8

12 . 5

Thimble

4

Hatching Comb 1

1 . 4

Iron do 1

4

Snuffers 2

3 . 6

Large Cups 12

2 . 1

Small Pots 23

3 . 10

11 . 4

Haberdashery Ware do 1 Pˢ

3½ ℔ Silk 46

9½

14 Draper Tape

7½

1 do ditto

10

1 Sowing Silk

10

2 Pˢ Ribbon

9

4 do do

9

3 Chain Mohair

9

1½ Doz Breast Buttons

9

½ Pˢ Filled Brown thread

3 . 6

1ᵈ Coloured Thread

—

1 Deep Silk Lace

6

6 Head Laces

—

14 Craps

1 . 6

½ ℔ Filled Brown thread

6

4½ yards Ferretting

3 . 10

1 Wm Twine

—

2½ do do

3 . 4

1 . 19 . 2½

Sum Totall to Inhabts

£ 78 . 2 . 10

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 25 January to 24 February 1727.

Arrack, 133¾ gallons, £42 7s 7d

Sugar, 387 pounds, at 9d, £14 10s 0d... £11 10s 0d

Candles, 30 pounds, at 4d...

Bread, 468 pounds, at 2s 4d

Flour, 185 pounds, at 2s 6d 3, £4 8s 3d

Soap, 28 pounds, £1 19s 8d

Starch, 3 pounds, at 4d 3

Indigo, 10 pounds, £2 2s 5d

Tobacco, 27 pounds, at 3d, £3 11s 1½d

Pipes, 24 dozen, at 16d 2½

Candles, 3½ pounds, at 7d

Bengal gingham, 2 pieces, 15s

Fustian, 3 pieces, 15s

Calico, 10s

Madras long cloth, 1½ pieces, £1 10s 0d, £3 18s 0d

White shirts, at 12s 6d

Cotton stockings, 3 pieces, 7s 6d, £1 0s 0d

Palempore, 1, 9s 10d

Palempore, 1, £14 10s 0d

Damask soap, 3 pieces, at 3d and 2d, 4s 8d

Cutler's amber, 1 box, 4s 8d

Files, 20, at 2¼d, 6s 3d

Bottled fish, 2 pounds, 1s 0d

English tutor, 1, 1s 0d

Shoes, forked, 12, 7s 4d, £1 4s 6d

Soldiers' hats, at 7d, £1 2s 2d

Common hats, at 12s 6d, £1 15s 3d

Silk stockings, 1 pair, 13s 0d

Thread stockings, 3s 2d

Youths' hats, 1, 2s 4d

Ties, 1, 2s 4d, £1 6s 1d

Soldiers' ditto, 1, 1s 6d

Women's shoes, numbered 8 to 17, 1 pair, 3s 0d

Worsted ties, 8 pairs, 9s 0d, 12s 8d

Cutler's knives, 2, 3s 9d

Fishing lines, 3s 9d

Women's shammy shoes, 1 pair, 3s 8d

Men's colour, 1 pair, 3s 8d, 12s 5d

Thimbles, 1½d

Puckling comb, 1, 1s 1d

Iron ditto, 1s 0d

Tinware, 2, 3s 6d, 2s 1d

Large cups, 12, 3s 6d

Small pipes, 23, 3s 10d, 11s 4d

Haberdashery ware, ditto

Silk lace, 3¼ yards, at 6d

1½ dozen diaper tape, 7½d

1 yard of ditto, 1s 10d

1 ferreting ribbon, 1s 6d

2 pieces ribbon, 1s 6d

Iron ditto, 1s 6d

Chain mohair, 1s 9d

1½ dozen breast buttons, 1s 9d

1½ ounce brown thread, 3s 6d

1 chained shield, 1s 6d

1 skein silk lace, 1s 3d

6 head laces, 1s 6d

1½ crape, 5s 0d

1½ ounce brown thread, 1s 6d

1½ yards ferreting, 3s 10d

1 yard silk lace, 3s 4d

2½ yards ditto, 3s 4d, £1 19s 2½d

Sum total to inhabitants, £78 2s 10d

Interpretations

The account recorded goods drawn from the Company warehouse by private inhabitants over a single month, each entry giving quantity, rate and value, and footing to a sterling total charged against the buyers. The warehouse acted as the island's principal store, mixing provisions, textiles, tools and small wares because there was no independent retail market, so the Company both imported and sold nearly everything the settlement consumed. The running total let the council reconcile stock issued against payment due and track the flow of imported goods into island hands.

Many of the textiles listed came from the Company's Eastern trade and would be unfamiliar today. Bengal gingham was a checked or striped cotton, calico a plain Indian cotton, and Madras long cloth a length of Coromandel cotton, while palempore was a large painted or printed cotton bedcover from the same coast. Fustian was a hard-wearing cotton and linen mix, and the haberdashery wares at the foot, diaper tape, ferreting, mohair, head laces and brown thread, were the narrow woven tapes, trimmings and sewing threads used to make and mend clothing. These reached the island only through Company shipping, which is why they appear in a warehouse account rather than a shop's books.

Arrack headed the account and was much its largest single charge, at £42 7s 7d for 133¾ gallons. Distilled from palm sap, rice or sugar in the East, it was the standard spirit issued and sold on the island, and its dominance in the total shows how heavily inhabitants' purchases ran to drink over any other single commodity.

30

7

Diet Expences Brought over

£ 78 . 2 . 10

103 Gallˢ Arrack 6/4 P Gall

£ 32 . 12 . 4

20 ℔ Candy

1 . —

246 ℔ Sugar

3 . 13 . —

2 Bottles Florence Oyle

10 . 6

2 do

10 . 6

4 Gall Vinegar

10 . —

1 Barrell Whitt

6 . 4 . 8

2 Catt[ees] Bohea Tea

12 . —

2 ℔ Pepper

2 . —

1 Cask Bread

5 . 11

1 Do Flour

4 . 4

56 . 11 . —

General Charges

1½ Oz China Silk

£ — . 9

4 Gall Arrack

1 . 5 . 4

64 ℔ Sugar

7 . 6

6 Wine Glasses

— . —

1 Stock Locks

£ 4 . 1

2 Stock Locks 18 . 8

1 . 2 . 9

6 Bulls Eyes

3 . 15 . —

6 . 14 . 4

Garrison

8 Catt[ees] Green Tea

£ 1 . 12 . —

3 Gall Linsed Oyle

13 . —

2 . 10 . —

Plantation

1 Large Line

£ — . 3 . 4

1½ ℔ Shoe thread

1 . 3

8 Nails

— . 6

11 ℔ Twine

5 . 6

10 . 7

Great Wood

2 Large Stub Scrapers 3/8

£ —

7 . 4

Companies Blacks

2 Coph Beefe

£ 26 . —

1 Hoghead do

12 . —

7 Barrills Pork 2/10

82 . 10

32 8 P Rice

41 . 16

2 44 ℔ Wheat

26 . 16 . 6

3 Pˢ Shoos 5/9

17 . 3

4 Pˢ Madrass Ginghamˢ

1 . 10

1½ Pˢ Ordy Long Cloth

10 . —

6 Nichanees

15 . —

1½ ℔ Whited Brown thread 2/9

— . —

4½ Pˢ Coloured thread

4 . 9

161 . 4 . —

Sum Totalls

305 . —

Gunners Store Expended in Febry 1726/7

vizt

Guns Fired

D Culverg

Sakers

Minions

Falcons

Powder

Febry 1 Muster Day

do Double Alarm

Guns Fired 6, D Culverg —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 10

2ᵈ Arrived a French Ship & an other Ship passed by

Guns Fired 7, D Culverg —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 9

4 Deliverd the Allis for Alarms

Guns Fired —, D Culverg —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 11

5 Departed the French Ship

Guns Fired 13, D Culverg —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 12

6 An Alarm

Guns Fired 4, D Culverg —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 6

7 Arrived the Princess Amelia Capt Misnoor

Guns Fired 9, D Culverg —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 9

16 Departed the Princess Amelia

Guns Fired 9, D Culverg —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 6

22 An Alarm

do Arrived the Grantham Capt Feild

Guns Fired 4, D Culverg —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 6

24 An Alarm

Guns Fired 4, D Culverg —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 6

26 Arrived the Princess Anne Capt Gough from England

do the Worshipfull Edᵈ Byfeild Esqʳ Succeeding to the Governmt

Guns Fired 21, D Culverg 1, Sakers 4, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 33

Expence for the Guards

Guns Fired —, D Culverg —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 15

Continued turn over

Guns Fired 94, D Culverg 1, Sakers 4, Minions —, Falcons 9, Powder 141

Diet expenses, brought over, £78 2s 10d.

103 gallons arrack, at 6s 4d per gallon, £32 12s 4d

20 pounds candy, £1 0s 0d

446 pounds sugar, £3 13s 0d

2 bottles Florence oil, 10s 6d

2 ditto, 10s 6d

4 gallons vinegar, 10s 0d

1 barrel suet, £6 4s 8d

2 catties bohea tea, 12s 0d

2 pounds pepper, 2s 0d

1 cask bread, £5 17s 0d

1 cask flour, £4 4s 0d, £56 11s 0d

General charges.

1½ ounce China silk, 9s 0d

4 gallons arrack, £1 5s 4d

6 pounds sugar, 3s 6d

6 bottles Galicia wine, 7s 6d

1 stock lock, £1 1s 0d

2 stock locks, at 13s 8d, £1 8s 9d

6 broad axes, £3 15s 0d, £6 14s 4d

Garrison.

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

3 gallons linseed oil, 13s 0d, £2 10s 0d

Plantation.

1 large line, £3 4s 0d

1½ ounce shoe thread, 1s 3d

6 nails, 6d

11 pieces crepe, 5s 6d, £10 7s 0d

Great Wood.

2 large stub scrapers, at 3s 8d, £7 4s 0d

Company's slaves.

2 casks beef, £26 0s 0d

1 hogshead ditto, 12s 0d

7 barrels pork, at £7 10s, £52 10s 0d

3,289 pounds rice, £41 16s 6d

2,441 pounds wheat, £26 16s 6d

30 pieces shoes, £17 3s 0d

4 pieces Madras gingham, £1 10s 0d

1½ pieces Madras long cloth, 10s 0d

6 pieces flannel, 15s 0d

1½ ounce whited brown thread, 3s 9d

1½ ounce coloured thread, £4 9s 0d, £161 4s 0d

Sum total, £305 0s 0d

Account of gunner's stores expended in February 1727. The account carried no legible headings across the top of the figure columns, and the identities set beside each figure were carried in from the earlier accounts of the same series: guns fired, demi-culverin, sakers, minions, falcons and powder.

1 February, muster day, guns fired 10

2 February, double alarm, guns fired 6, powder 9

2 February, arrived a French ship and another ship passed by, guns fired 7, powder 11

4 February, delivered the alarm for the arms, guns fired 13, powder 12

5 February, departed the French ship, guns fired 4, powder 6

6 February, an alarm, guns fired 9, powder 9

7 February, arrived the Princess Amelia, Captain Misnor, guns fired 9, powder 9

16 February, departed the Princess Amelia, guns fired 9, powder 9

22 February, an alarm, guns fired 9, powder 9

22 February, arrived the Grantham, Captain Field, guns fired 5, powder 6

26 February, an alarm, guns fired 9, powder 19

26 February, arrived the Princess Anne, Captain Gough, from England, guns fired 9, powder 19

26 February, for the proclaiming of Edward Byfield, succeeding to the government, guns fired 21, demi-culverin 1, sakers 4, powder 33

Expense for the guards, powder 6

Totals continued: guns fired 94, demi-culverin 1, sakers 4, minions 3, falcons 3, powder 141

Interpretations

This half of the account divided the fort's consumption by charge, separating diet expenses at the table from general charges, the garrison, the plantation, the Great Wood and the Company's slaves, so that each part of the establishment carried its own share of the goods drawn from store. The heaviest charge by far fell on the slaves at £161 4s 0d, more than half the whole, reflecting the beef, pork, rice and wheat still issued to them at this date. The account preceded the Governor's decision of 1 March 1727 to replace the slaves' meat ration with fish, and its figures gave the very evidence of cost that prompted the change.

Several goods here belonged to the maritime and workshop economy of the settlement. Florence oil was Tuscan olive oil, Galicia a wine from northwest Spain, and bohea a black tea from the Wuyi hills of Fujian carried through the China trade. The tools, stock locks, broad axes, stub scrapers and the large line for the plantation, were the ironmongery of cultivation and fortification, while the flannel, Madras gingham and long cloth issued to the slaves were the coarse cloths used to clothe them.

The gunner's stores account recorded powder and shot fired occasion by occasion through the month, for musters, alarms, and the arrival and departure of ships. Each firing consumed powder measured in pounds and expended a number of rounds from named ordnance: demi-culverin, sakers, minions and falcons were all light to medium cannon of the fort's battery. The single heaviest discharge was the 21-gun salute for the proclamation of Governor Byfield's succession, which alone drew a demi-culverin, four sakers and 33 pounds of powder, marking the ceremonial weight the garrison attached to the change of government.

Speculations

The account laid a full month's beef, pork, rice and wheat to the Company's slaves at £161 4s 0d, dwarfing every other charge on the establishment. Continuing the established meat ration was the settled course, and this account was drawn up on that footing like those before it. Yet the same figures, once totalled, gave Governor Byfield the ground on which he moved days later to abolish the ration in favour of fish. The record shows the reason plain in the numbers: the slave provisions alone outweighed the fort table, the garrison, the plantation and the wood combined, so the one charge worth attacking for a real saving was the one the routine account had just quantified.

31

8

Brought forward

Musquet Balls for the Guards

9 ℔

Spunge Staves broke

1

Spunge Heads broke

2

Torches deliverd Mʳ Johnson

1

Flints

24

Cartridge Paper for Cartridges

3 Quire

Match

28 ℔

Signed John French

Expence of the General Table for February 1726/7 vizt

58½ Gall Arrack for the Table 6/4

18 . 10 . 4

10 1/4 do for the Guards

3 . 4 . 11

4 3/4 do to Plantation 3ᵈ

1 . 9 . 1

3 Gall Vinegar

18 . —

26 Bottles French Wine 4/10

6 . 10 . 6

26 do Mountain 3

3 . 18

26 do Sherry 3

3 . 18

29 do Galitia 2/6

3 . 12 . 6

6 Corks Old Hock 2/6

15 . —

59 Bottles Cape

9 . 2

89 do Beer 3ᵈ

4 . 7 . 3

6 do Ryle 3/6

1 . 1 . —

206 ℔ Bread 3ᵈ

2 . 11 . 6

139 Sugar 6ᵈ

3 . 9 . 6

169 Flour 3ᵈ

2 . 2 . 3

103 Suet 6ᵈ

2 . 11 . 6

46 ℔ Candy 12ᵈ

2 . 6 . —

49 Apples 2/6

6 . 2 . 6

89 Soap 4ᵈ

2 . 13 . 10

46 ℔ Salt Beefe to Table 2/6

1 . 10 . —

15 do to Blackmen Black

1 . 17 . 6

14 do Salt Pork to Table 2/10

1 . 19 . 4

80 Fowles 3/6

6 . 10 . —

5 Turkeys 6

1 . 10

8 Musscovy Duck 3

1 . 4

8 Island do 2

16 . —

1 Ship

1 . 4

28 Days Green 12ᵈ P Diem

1 . 8

394 ℔ Fresh Beefe 25ˢ P 100 ℔

4 . 18 . 6

2 do Butter

1 . 3

56 Bottles Milk 4ᵈ

18 . 8

4 Goates 10ᵈ

2 . —

£ 99 . 17 . 11

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

Gunner's stores expended in February 1727, carried forward.

Musket balls for the guards, 9 pounds

Sponge staves broke, 1

Sponge heads broke, 2

Sponge delivered to Mr Johnson, 1

Flints, 24

Cartridge paper for cartridges, 3 quire

Match, 28 pounds

Signed by John French.

Account of the expense of the general table for February 1727.

58½ gallons arrack for the table, at 6s 4d, £18 10s 4d

10¼ gallons for the guards, at 6s 4d, £3 4s 11d

4¾ gallons to Plantation House, at 6s 4d, £1 9s 1d

3 gallons vinegar, at 8d, 1s 9d

26 bottles French wine, at 4s 8d, £6 10s 6d

26 bottles Mountain, at 3s, £3 18s 0d

26 bottles sherry, at 3s, £3 18s 0d

29 bottles Galicia, at 2s 6d, £3 12s 6d

6 bottles old hock, at 2s 6d, 15s 0d

59 bottles Cape, at 9d, £2 4s 3d

89 bottles beer, at 4d, £1 9s 8d

6 dozen apples, at 9d, 4s 6d

206 pounds bread, at 3d, £2 11s 6d

139 pounds sugar, at 6d, £3 9s 6d

169 pounds flour, at 3d, £2 2s 3d

102 pounds suet, at 6d, £2 11s 0d

46 pounds candy, at 12d, £2 6s 0d

49 pounds pipes, at 2s 6d, £6 2s 6d

89 pounds soap, at 17d, £2 13s 10d

16 pounds salt beef to the table, at 2s 6d, £1 10s 0d

15 pounds ditto to Plantation House slaves, £1 17s 6d

14 pounds salt pork to the table, at 2s 10d, £1 19s 6d

80 fowls, at 3s, £6 0s 0d

5 turkeys, at 6s, £1 10s 0d

8 Muscovy ducks, at 3s, £1 4s 0d

8 island ditto, at 2s, 16s 0d

1 hog, £1 4s 0d

28 days' greens, at 12d per day, £1 8s 0d

39¼ pounds fresh beef, at 25s per 100 pounds, £4 18s 6d

2 bottles indigo, £1 3s 0d

56 bottles milk, at 4d, 18s 8d

4 goats, at 10s 6d, £2 2s 0d

£99 12s 11d

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The general table account recorded the food and drink consumed at the fort over the month, extended to sterling and footed to a single total charged to the Company. It kept the arrack for the officers' table distinct from that issued to the guards and to Plantation House, showing how a shared commodity was apportioned between the seat of government, the garrison and the governor's residence. The account gives a close view of what the fort establishment actually ate and drank: a heavy weight of imported wines and spirits alongside island-raised fowls, goats, greens and milk.

The wines in the list came from across the maritime trade routes and would be little known today. Mountain was a sweet fortified wine from the hills near Malaga in southern Spain, Galicia a wine from the northwest of that country, and old hock a matured Rhenish white from the German river valleys. Cape wine came from the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, a natural stop on the homeward route, and its low price of 9d a bottle against 3s for sherry marks it as the everyday table wine while the others were reserved for better occasions.

The split between salt provisions and fresh gives a measure of the island's own supply. Salt beef and salt pork, preserved in casks for keeping, appear only in small quantities beside the fresh beef, fowls, goats, ducks, greens and milk raised on the plantations. The fresh fowls alone at £6 0s 0d outweighed every meat charge, showing that by late summer the fort could draw much of its table from local rearing rather than from the barrelled stores that fed it in leaner months.

32

9

At a Consultation held on Thursday 9ᵗʰ March 1726/7 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that all the Goods Sent Us by the Honᵇˡᵉ Compy

were all Safely landed yesterday & during the time of the Ships Unloading the Weather

& Number of Boates each day Sent on Shoar are as follow

February 27ᵗʰ The Sea being high nothing was Landed

28 The Boat came to the Rocks but the Sea being rough could not land

March 1 The Sea being high nothing was Landed

2 This Day three Boates came to the Crane & were deliverd

3 Four Long Boates were deliverd

4 Three Long Boates were deliverd

6 Three ditto were deliverd

7 One ditto was deliverd

8 One ditto was deliverd

Wee this Day Signd Our Letters to the Governʳ of the Honᵇˡᵉ Compys Sevʳˡ Settlements

in India & this Evening Dispatcht Capt Gough for Bencoolen & accordingly took his

Receipt for the Packet

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 14ᵗʰ of March 1726/7 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Reports that the Honᵇˡᵉ Compy having been pleased to appoint

a New Surgeon who was very much wanted he Sent for Mʳ Wignall the late Surgeon two or

three Days after the Arrival of the Princess Anne & acquainted him therewith, who

Answered he would go off in one of the Ships now in the Road & accordingly gave Publick

Notice for all Persons to Settle Acct with him but the Governʳ having Since been informed

that the said Wignall is no way inclinable to leave the Island he thinks it will be very

proper to Send him the following Letter

Mʳ Wignall

The Honᵇˡᵉ Compy having been pleased to appoint a New

At a consultation held on Thursday 9 March 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that all the goods sent by the Company had been safely landed the previous day. He gave the weather and the number of boats sent ashore each day during the ship's unloading as follows.

27 February, the sea being high, nothing was landed

28 February, the boat came to the rocks but the sea being rough could not land

1 March, the sea being high, nothing was landed

2 March, three 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 that day. That evening it dispatched Captain Gough for Bencoolen, taking his receipt for the packet.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 14 March 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that the Company had chosen to appoint a new surgeon, who was much wanted, and had sent him out. He had told Wignall, the former surgeon, of this two or three days after the Princess Anne arrived. Wignall answered that he would leave on one of the ships then in the road, and public notice was given for anyone with accounts to settle with him. Being since informed that Wignall was not at all inclined to leave the island, the Governor judged it proper to send him the following letter.

The letter to Wignall set out that the Company had chosen to appoint a new surgeon.

Interpretations

The daily landing record measured the island's chronic difficulty in getting goods ashore, since St Helena had no sheltered harbour and cargo came in by open boat to the rocks and a crane. High or rough seas stopped all landing for the first three days, so a cargo that took barely a week to discharge in fair conditions could be held up entirely by weather. The account gave the council a defence against any suggestion of delay in unloading, fixing the cause on the sea rather than on the men.

The dispatch of the letters to the Company's Indian settlements and the sending of Captain Gough to Bencoolen tied St Helena into the wider network of Company correspondence. The island served as a relay point on the homeward and outward routes, and taking the captain's receipt for the packet created a formal record that the letters had been handed over, protecting the council if the dispatch miscarried.

The handling of Wignall shows the machinery for removing a discharged servant who would not go. He had been stripped of Company service on 25 October 1726 for breaking the articles he signed, and the arrival of his replacement left no post for him. The public notice for settling accounts was the ordinary step before a departure, but Wignall's refusal to take ship forced the Governor to move from notice to a formal written order, escalating a matter of routine into a direct instruction to leave.

Speculations

The Governor met Wignall's refusal to leave with a formal letter rather than immediate compulsion, though Wignall was already discharged and his replacement had arrived. Simply putting him aboard the next ship was open to the council, since he held no office and had been told to go. Instead the Governor gave him a further chance to take passage at his own choice, committing the warning to writing before resorting to force. The record shows the reason in the sequence of steps taken: a written order created evidence that Wignall had been fairly warned, so that any later removal would rest on his own defiance of a documented instruction rather than on the Governor's bare authority.

33

10

Surgeon Wee cant by any means think it proper to continue two of the Same Profession upon

this little Spott for Reason very often observed & urged by Your Self when You acted in

the Businesse & therefore give You warning to provide for a Voyage either to England

or India, at Your own Election & to the Chore, Wee are

Your humble Servᵗˢ E Byfeild

J Alexander

J Goodwin

Messʳˢ Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham, Joshua Johnson & Edmond Nicholls

Planters having 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 & a Councill

Pursuant to a Warrant bearing date 17ᵗʰ January 1726/7 Wee have viewed

all & every Persons Lands both Free & Lease Land & given an Acct who has Fenced their

Land & who has not & likewise Acct of what Wood they have & Furze & the Quantity

of Young Plants of Wood to the best of Our Knowledge

John Bagley 2ᵈ Wee Suppose to have about 3/4 of an Acre of Wood, greatest part

of it young Plants his Land all Fenced & Planted with Furze

William Worrall Wee Suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood his Land all Fenced

except what he has lately hired & part Planted with Furze

Charles Steward Wee Suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood on his Free

Land & about 14 do on his Lease Land great part of it young Plants his Land all

Fenced & greatest part Planted with Furze

Mary Shoore Wee Suppose to have about 1½ Acre of Wood her Land all

Fenced except what She lately hired but no Furze Planted

Richard Trestly has no Wood nor Furze Planted his Land all Fenced

except what he lately hired

John Seale has no Wood nor Furze Planted his Land all Fenced

John Bradley Wee Suppose to have about two Acres of Wood his Land greatest

part Fenced but no Furze Planted

Thomas Greentree Wee Suppose to have about 4 Acres of Wood on his Free

Land & about five on his Lease Land part young Plants his Land all Fenced &

part Planted with Furze

Joseph Bates Wee Suppose to have about 7 Acres of Wood on his Free Land

& about ten on his Lease Land his Land all Fenced except what he has lately hired &

part Planted with Furze

Mʳˢ Robinsons Orphans Wee Suppose to have about 4 Acres of Wood their

Land all Fenced & part Planted with Furze

Richard Beal Wee Suppose to have about three Acres of Wood on his Free Land

& about four on his Lease Land, his Land all Fenced & part Planted with Furze

John Bagley junʳ Wee Suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood, his Land

all

The letter to Wignall continued that the surgeon could by no means think it proper to keep two men of the same profession on so small a spot. The Governor observed that Wignall himself had often noticed and urged this very point while in office. He therefore gave him warning to arrange a passage to either England or India, at his own choice. The letter was signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham, Joshua Johnson and Edmund Nichols, planters, had been appointed to survey the several plantations belonging to the inhabitants. They made the following report that day.

The surveyors reported to the council that, following the warrant dated 17 January 1727, they had viewed the land of every person, both freehold and leasehold. They set out who had fenced their land and who had not, together with the wood and furze each held and the quantity of young wood plants, to the best of their knowledge.

John Bagley senior, about 70 of an acre of wood, greatest part young plants, his land all fenced and planted with furze

William Worrall, about 6 acres of wood, his land all fenced except what he lately hired, part planted with furze

Charles Stewart, about 3 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 14 on his leasehold land, great part of it young plants, his land all fenced and greatest part planted with furze

Mary Shrewe, about 1½ acre of wood, her land all fenced except what she lately hired, but no furze planted

Richard Insley, no wood nor furze planted, his land all fenced except what he lately hired

John Seale, no wood nor furze planted, his land all fenced

John Bradley, about 2 acres of wood, his land greatest part fenced but no furze planted

Thomas Greentree, about 4 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 5 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

Joseph Bates, about 7 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 10 on his leasehold land, his land all fenced except what he lately hired, and part planted with furze

Mr Robinson's orphan, about 4 acres of wood, their land all fenced and part planted with furze

Richard Beal, about 3 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 4 on his leasehold land, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

John Bagley junior, about 5 acres of wood, his land all

Interpretations

The survey enforced the Company's requirement that every tenant maintain wood, furze and fencing on the land held under deed or lease. St Helena depended on planted timber for fuel and building and on furze for hedging and stock-proof boundaries, since the natural cover had been stripped by grazing and cutting over generations. Recording each holding's wood, its proportion of young plants and the state of its fencing let the council see which tenants were meeting the planting clauses of their leases and which were neglecting them, providing the evidence for the enforcement and fines that followed in April 1727.

The distinction drawn throughout between freehold and leasehold land mattered because the two were held on different terms. Freehold was owned outright, while leasehold was granted by the Company for a term of years under conditions that typically included planting and fencing. A tenant's obligation to raise wood and furze attached to both, but the repeated note of land recently hired, on which nothing had yet been planted, marked ground newly taken where the planting duty had not yet had time to take effect.

Furze was gorse, a hardy spiny shrub raised deliberately on the island as a fuel crop and as a living hedge that would turn cattle and sheep. Its planting was tracked here alongside timber because both served the settlement's constant need for fuel and enclosure, and a tenant who had fenced but planted no furze had met only part of the obligation the survey was measuring.

34

11

all Fenced & part planted with Furze

Orlando Bagley Senʳ Wee Suppose to have about two Acres of Wood on his Free

Land & about 4½ on his Lease Land part young Plants his Land all Fenced except

what he has lately hired & part planted with Furze

Richard Swallow Wee Suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood on his Free Land & about

two on his Lease Land his Land all Fenced & part planted with Furze

Orlando Bagley junʳ has not Fenced his Land nor Planted Furze

William Addis Wee Suppose to have about 1¼ Acre of Wood part young Plants

his Land Fenced & part Planted with Furze

John Harding Wee Suppose to have about Six Acres of Wood on his Free Land

& about two on his Leased Land, his Land all Fenced except what he has lately hired &

part planted with Furze

Thoˢ Allis Wee Suppose to have about two Acres of Wood on his Free Land & about

three on his Lease Land his Land part Fenced & part Planted with Furze

John Worrall Wee Suppose to have about One Acre of Wood on his Free Land & about 6½ on

his Leased Land his Land part Fenced & part Planted with Furze

Ebenezar Leech has no Wood & but little Furze his Land part Fenced

Robert Gorling Wee Suppose to have about ten Acres of Wood on his Free Land

& about 5 on his Lease Land his Land Fenced & part Planted with Furze

Stephen Luffkin Wee Suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood on his Free Land &

about 6 on his Lease Land his Land all Fenced except what he lately hired & part Planted

with Furze

Thomas Harper Wee Suppose to have about 4 Acres of Wood his Land all Fenced

except what he has lately hired & part Planted with Furze

Martin Harper has no Wood nor Furze his Land part Fenced

John French junʳ Wee Suppose to have about 4 Acres of Wood his Land not Fenced

nor Furze Planted

John Alexander Wee Suppose to have about 7 Acres of Wood on his Free Land and

about 7 on his Lease Land part young Plants his Land Fenced & part Planted with Furze

John Young his Land all Fenced but no Wood nor Furze as yet Planted his Land being

lately hired

Richard Mason Wee Suppose to have about 2/3 of an Acre of young Wood & hole

for about 3/4 more, his Land all Fenced except what he has lately hired & part Planted with

Furze

Francis Tunge Wee Suppose to have about One Acre of Wood & hole for about ½ Acre

more, his Land all Fenced except part of what he has lately hired & part Planted with Furze

Elery Greentree Wee Suppose to have about ten Acres of Wood on her Free Land & about

12 on her Lease Land her Land all Fenced except what She has lately hired part planted with

Furze part young Plants

Frans Cearne Wee Suppose to have about 6 Acres of Wood on her Free Land & about

7 on her Leased Land, part young Plants, a Small part of her Leased Land not Fenced

John Bagley junior held land all fenced and part planted with furze.

Orlando Bagley senior, about 2 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 4 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced except what he lately hired, and part planted with furze

Richard Swallow, about 5 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 2 on his leasehold land, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

Orlando Bagley junior, has not fenced his land nor planted furze

William Adds, about 1¼ acre of wood, part young plants, his land fenced and part planted with furze

John Harding, about 6 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 2 on his leasehold land, his land all fenced except what he lately hired, part planted with furze

Thomas Illis, about 2 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 3 on his leasehold land, his land part fenced and part planted with furze

John Worrall, about 1 acre of wood on his freehold land and about 6½ on his leasehold land, his land part fenced and part planted with furze

Ebenezer Leech, no wood but little furze, his land part fenced

Robert Durling, about 10 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 5 on his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

Stephen Lufkin, about 5 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 6 on his leasehold land, his land all fenced except what he lately hired, and part planted with furze

Thomas Harper, about 4 acres of wood, his land all fenced except what he lately hired, and part planted with furze

Martin Harper, no wood nor furze, his land part fenced

John French junior, about 4 acres of wood, his land not fenced nor furze planted

John Alexander, about 7 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 7 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land fenced and part planted with furze

John Young, his land all fenced but no wood nor furze as yet planted, his land being lately hired

Richard Mason, about ⅔ of an acre of young wood, and whole for about 70 more, his land all fenced except what he lately hired, and part planted with furze

Francis Funge, about 1 acre of wood, and whole for about ½ acre more, his land all fenced except part of what he lately hired, and part planted with furze

Elizabeth Greentree, about 10 acres of wood on her freehold land and about 12 on her leasehold land, her land all fenced except what she lately hired, part planted with furze, part young plants

Frances Cairn, about 8 acres of wood on her freehold land and about 7 on her leasehold land, part young plants, a small part of her leasehold land not fenced

Interpretations

The survey continued its tenant-by-tenant record of wood, furze and fencing, the three obligations the Company attached to landholding on the island. Each entry weighed a holder against the planting clauses of deed and lease, and the recurring notes of unfenced ground, absent furze or land too lately hired to have been planted marked exactly where tenants fell short. Several holders, Orlando Bagley junior, Martin Harper and John French junior among them, appeared with no wood, no furze or unfenced land, and these were the names carried forward into the enforcement consultation of April 1727 that fined the defaulters and warned of forfeiture.

The persistent division of each holding into freehold and leasehold portions reflected the mixed tenure by which land was held. A single tenant commonly worked ground owned outright alongside further acres taken from the Company on a term lease, and the planting duty ran across both. The survey measured each separately because the Company's power to enforce differed: on leasehold it could invoke the forfeiture clauses of the lease itself, a lever it did not hold over freehold in the same direct way.

The frequent qualification of land as lately hired identified ground newly taken into a holding, on which the planting and fencing obligations had not yet fallen due. This mattered to the fairness of the assessment, since a tenant could not reasonably be faulted for bare wood or furze on land only just acquired. The surveyors drew the distinction to separate genuine neglect from the ordinary lag of newly leased ground, protecting recent takers from penalties meant for established defaulters.

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12

but the greatest part Planted with Furze

Richard Goodwin Wee Suppose to have about 13 Acres of Wood on his Free Land, &

about two on his Lease Land part young Plants his Land all Fenced & part Planted with

Furze

John Goodwin Wee Suppose to have about 15 Acres of Wood on his Free Land, &

about 17 on his Lease Land part young Plants his Land all Fenced except a Small part

of that he lately hired & most part Planted with Furze

Thomas Hodgkinson has hole for Wood & Planted about half an Acre, but very

little of it growing his Land all Fenced but no Furze Planted

John Bowers Wee Suppose to have about two Acres of Wood on his Free Land &

about 3/4 of an Acre on his Lease Land his Land all Fenced & part planted with Furze

James Byfeon Wee Suppose to have about 11 Acres of Wood on his Free Land &

about 3/4 of an Acre on his Lease Land, his Land all Fenced & greatest part Planted with

Furze part young Plants

Daniel Griffith has no Wood nor Furze his Land part Fenced

John Long Wee Suppose to have about 1/3 an Acre of Wood on his Free Land &

about 3/4 of an Acre on his Lease Land which has been Planted but very little growing, his

Land all Fenced & part planted with Furze

Joseph Desfountains has no Wood nor Furze the greatest part of his Land Fenced

Elizabeth Marsh Wee Suppose to have about 4 Acre of Wood on her Free Land, &

but none on her Lease Land, her Land all Fenced & part planted with Furze

Jonathan Doveton Wee Suppose to have about 15 Acres of Wood on his Free

Land & about 9 on his Lease Land part young Plants his Land all Fenced & part

Planted with Furze

Grace Coulson Wee Suppose to have about One Acre of Wood on her Free Land but

none on her Lease Land her Land all Fenced but no Furze Planted

William Slaughter Wee Suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood his Land all Fenced

but no Furze

John Desfountains Wee Suppose to have about 7 Acres of Wood on his Free Land &

about 4 on his Lease Land, part young Plants, his Land Fenced & part Planted with Wood

Joseph Hayes Wee Suppose to have about 3/4 of an Acre of Wood on his Free Land, but

none on his Lease Land his Land all Fenced & part Planted with Furze

Sutton Isbee Wee Suppose to have about 2½ Acres of Wood on his Free Land, but

none on his Lease Land, his Land all Fenced & part Planted with Furze

Giles Smith Wee Suppose to have about 1/4 Acre of Wood on his Free Land all young Plants

his Land all Fenced except that he has lately hired & part Planted with Furze

Grace Hayes Wee Suppose to have about 3½ Acres of Wood on her Free Land, none on her

Lease Land part young Plants her Land all Fenced & part Planted with Furze

Matthew Mudge Wee Suppose to have about 3 Acres of Wood on his Land, his Land all

Fenced & part Planted with Wood

Frances Cairn held land with the greatest part planted with furze.

Richard Goodwin, about 13 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 2 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

John Goodwin, about 15 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 17 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced except a small part that he lately hired, and most part planted with furze

Thomas Hodgkinson, holed for wood and planted about half an acre but very little of it growing, his land all fenced but no furze planted

John Bowers, about 2 acres of wood on his freehold land and about ¼ of an acre on his leasehold land, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

James Byfield, about 11 acres of wood on his freehold land and about ¾ of an acre on his leasehold land, his land all fenced and greatest part planted with furze, part young plants

Daniel Griffith, no wood nor furze, his land part fenced

John Long, about ½ an acre of wood on his freehold land and about ¼ of an acre on his leasehold land which has been planted but very little growing, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

Joseph Defountaine, no wood nor furze, the greatest part of his land fenced

Elizabeth Marsh, about 4 acres of wood on her freehold land but none on her leasehold land, her land all fenced and part planted with furze

Jonathan Dorsent, about 15 acres of wood on his freehold land and about ¾ on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

Grace Coulson, about 1 acre of wood on her freehold land but none on her leasehold land, her land all fenced but no furze planted

William Slaughter, about 5 acres of wood, his land all fenced but no furze

John Defountaine, about 7 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 4 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land fenced and part planted with wood

Joseph Hayse, about ¾ of an acre of wood on his freehold land but none on his leasehold land, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

Stephen Illis, about 2½ acres of wood on his freehold land but none on his leasehold land, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

Giles Smith, about ¾ of an acre of wood on his freehold land, all young plants, his land all fenced except that he lately hired, and part planted with furze

Grace Hayes, about 5½ acres of wood on her freehold land, none on her leasehold land, part young plants, her land all fenced and part planted with furze

Matthew Mudge, about 3 acres of wood on his land, his land all fenced and part planted with wood

Interpretations

The survey carried its record through a further block of tenants, weighing each against the same duties of wood, furze and fencing that governed all Company land on the island. The recurring note of little growing marked a distinct kind of shortfall: several holders, Thomas Hodgkinson and John Long among them, had done the planting required yet had almost nothing to show for it, the young wood having failed to take. This mattered because it separated tenants who had defied the obligation from those who had met it but been defeated by poor soil or climate, a distinction the council would weigh when it came to fine defaulters in April 1727.

The verb holed, used of Hodgkinson, described the practice of digging planting holes to set young trees, the first physical step in raising the wood a lease required. Recording that a tenant had holed and planted yet seen little grow documented effort spent without result, evidence that the fault lay in the ground rather than in neglect. The surveyors' care to note this protected such tenants from the penalties reserved for those who had planted nothing at all.

The proportions of freehold to leasehold wood varied sharply across the list, from the substantial holdings of the Goodwins and Jonathan Dorsent to the fractions of an acre held by others. The council needed these figures because its power to compel planting rested largely on the leasehold portion, where the forfeiture clauses of the lease gave it direct leverage. A tenant with wood on freehold but none on leasehold, like Elizabeth Marsh or Grace Coulson, showed exactly where that leverage would be applied.

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Benjamin Bridger Wee Suppose to have about three Acres of Wood on his Free Land

& about 4 on his Lease Land, part young Plants, his Land all Fenced except what he has lately

hired & part planted with Furze

Henry Francis Orphan Wee Suppose to have about 3 Acres Wood on their Free Land, &

about 5 on their Lease Land their Land all Fenced & part Planted with Furze

John Ewlong Wee Suppose to have about 6 Acres of Wood on his Free Land & about 6 on

his Lease Land, his Land all Fenced & part Planted with Furze

John Thwaite Wee Suppose to have about 3 Acres of Wood, & about 1/2 an Acre of his

Leased Land, his Land all Fenced but no Furze Planted

John Knipe Wee Suppose to have about 5 Acres of Wood on his Free Land & about 2½ on

his Leased Land his Land all Fenced but no Furze Planted

John French Senʳ Wee Suppose to have about 6 Acres Wood on his Lease Land but none

on his Free Land his Land wants a Small Part of being Fenced & but little Furze

Stephen Coale Bridger Wee Suppose to have about 4 Acres of Wood on his Land

his Land not Fenced nor no Furze Planted

Isaac Leech Wee Suppose to have about 3 Acres Wood on his Free Land & about 2 on

his Lease Land his Land not all Fenced but part Planted with Furze

Samuel Josey Wee Suppose to have about 7 Acres of Wood on his Free Land & about

3 on his Lease Land part young Plants his Land near Fenced & part planted with Furze

Wilm Seale Wee Suppose to have about 13 Acres of Wood on his Free Land & about 1½ on

his Lease Land part young Plants his Land all Fenced & part Planted with Furze

Bridget Bazella Wee Suppose to have about 4½ Acres of Wood on her Free Land & about

10 on her Leased Land part young Plants her Land all Fenced & part Planted with Furze

Isaac Wood Wee Suppose to have about ten Acres of Wood on his Free Land & about

½ Acre on his Lease Land part young Plants his Land all Fenced & part planted with Furze

James Draper Orphan Wee Suppose to have about 3 Acres Wood on their Free

Land & about 3 on their Lease Land their Land all Fenced & part Planted with Furze

Mercy Whaley Wee Suppose to have about 2½ Acres of Wood on her Free Land

& about 5 on her Leased Land, her Land Fenced but no Furze Planted

John Bazella Wee Suppose to have about 1/2 an Acre of Wood on his Free Land and

about 5 on his Leased Land his Land part Fenced & part planted with Furze

Arthur Bradley Wee Suppose to have about 3 Acres of Wood on his Land, part

young Plants his Land partly Fenced but no Furze Planted

Joseph Luffkin Wee Suppose to have about One Acre of Wood, his Land part

Fenced but no Furze Planted

Gabriel Powell Wee Suppose to have about 30 Acres Wood on his Free Land

& about 3½ on his Leased Land part young Plants his Land all Fenced except a Small

matter lately hired & greatest part planted with Furze

Joshua Johnson Wee Suppose to have about 7 Acres of Wood on his Free Land & about

9 on his Lease Land, part young Plants, his Land all Fenced except what he has lately

hired & part planted with Furze

Benjamin Pledgard, about 3 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 4 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced except what he lately hired, and part planted with furze

Henry Francis's orphan, about 3 acres of wood on their freehold land and about 5 on their leasehold land, their land all fenced and part planted with furze

John Durling, about 6 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 6 on his leasehold land, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

John Thwaites, about 3 acres of wood, and about ½ an acre of wood newly planted on his leasehold land, his land all fenced but no furze planted

John Knipe, about 5 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 2½ on his leasehold land, his land all fenced but no furze planted

John French senior, about 6 acres of wood on his leasehold land but none on his freehold land, his land wants a small part of being fenced and has little furze

Stephen Pledgard, about 4 acres of wood on his land, his land all fenced but no furze planted

Isaac Leech, about 3 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 2 on his leasehold land, his land not all fenced but part planted with furze

Samuel Jephry, about 7 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 3 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land nearly fenced and part planted with furze

William Seale, about 15 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 19 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

Bridget Bazett, about 22 acres of wood on her freehold land and about 10 on her leasehold land, part young plants, her land all fenced and part planted with furze

Isaac Wood, about 10 acres of wood on his freehold land and about ½ an acre on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced and part planted with furze

James Draper's orphan, about 3 acres of wood on their freehold land and about 3 on their leasehold land, their land all fenced and part planted with furze

Mercy Whaley, about 2½ acres of wood on her freehold land and about 5 on her leasehold land, her land fenced but no furze planted

John Bazett, about ½ an acre of wood on his freehold land and about 5 on his leasehold land, his land part fenced and part planted with furze

Arthur Bradley, about 3 acres of wood on his land, part young plants, his land partly fenced but no furze planted

Joseph Lufkin, about 1 acre of wood on his land, his land part fenced but no furze planted

Gabriel Powell, about 30 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 8½ on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced except a small matter lately hired, and greatest part planted with furze

Joshua Johnson, about 7 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 9 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced except what he lately hired, and part planted with furze

Signed by Francis Wrangham.

Interpretations

The survey completed its holding-by-holding record with the largest tenants on the island, Gabriel Powell at nearly 38½ acres of wood and Bridget Bazett at some 32 acres among them, set beside smallholders with a fraction of an acre. Placing the great and small holdings in one continuous account gave the council a full measure of the island's planted timber and the state of every tenant's compliance in a single document. Powell and Wrangham, two of the four surveyors, were themselves among the largest holders, which is why the report they signed also recorded their own extensive wood and furze.

The estates entered under an orphan's name, those of Henry Francis, James Draper and earlier Mr Robinson, marked land held in trust for the children of tenants who had died. The Company kept such holdings on the register under the orphan's title and applied the same planting and fencing duties to them, so that a minor's inheritance was maintained rather than allowed to fall derelict during the years before the child could take it up. The survey treated these estates exactly as it treated living tenants, showing that the obligations of tenure passed to the land itself and not merely to the person holding it.

The distinction between newly planted wood and established growth ran through the whole return, as with John Thwaites's half-acre newly set. The surveyors recorded young plants separately because a lease required not just existing timber but continuing replacement, so a tenant raising fresh wood was meeting the forward-looking part of the obligation. This forward measure let the council judge not only what stood on each holding but whether the tenant was keeping the island's timber in renewal against future need.

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Francis Wrangham Wee Suppose to have about 20 Acres Wood on his Free

Land & about 3 on his Leased Land, part young Plants, his Land all Fenced, except

what he has lately hired & greatest part Planted with Furze

Edmond Nicholls Wee Suppose to have about 4½ Acres Wood on his Free

Land & about 3½ on his Leased Land, part young Plants, his Land part Fenced and

part Planted with Furze

Signed Gabriel Powell

Frans Wrangham

Joshua Johnson

Edmond Nicholls

Orderd that the Same be transmitted to the Honᵇˡᵉ Company & after dispatch of

the Grantham Wee will Examine who have been Defaulters & fine Such Persons as have been

Negligent in proportion to their Deserts

Yesterday the 15ᵗʰ instant the following List of the Honᵇˡᵉ Compys Blacks

with their Ages & Employments was taken & to prevent any Mistake each of the

Men Women & their Children were sent for in One by one, & their Names immediatly wrote

down

List of the Honᵇˡᵉ Compys Blacks with their Names, Ages, Employ

& Qualifications taken this 15ᵗʰ Day March 1726/7 as they passed in Review before

the Worshipfull the Governour & a Councill & were each Employed for the last two Years

as Undermentioned

Men Slaves Emplᵈ at New Plantacon vizt

Names

Age

Employmt

Qualificacon

Names

Age

Employmt

Qualificacon

1 Ned

Names Ned, Age 32, Employmt Overseer, Qualificacon very good

2 Dick

Names Dick, Age 31, Employmt Stonelayer, Qualificacon Good

3 Simon

Names Simon, Age 24, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

4 Cremona

Names Cremona, Age 31, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

5 Blackwall

Names Blackwall, Age 35, Employmt Sawyer, Qualificacon do

6 Cloise

Names Cloise, Age 39, Employmt Labourer, Qualificacon do

7 Blackheath

Names Blackheath, Age 29, Employmt do, Qualificacon Indifferent

8 Moses

Names Moses, Age 79, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good for little

9 Dick

Names Dick, Age 33, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

10 James

Names James, Age 36, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

11 Jupiter

Names Jupiter, Age 34, Employmt do, Qualificacon Indifferent

12 Adam

Names Adam, Age 46, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good for nothing

13 Harry

Names Harry, Age 26, Employmt do, Qualificacon Sickly

14 Mula

Names Mula, Age 27, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good

15 Sambo

Names Sambo, Age 36, Employmt do, Qualificacon do but lame

16 Davis

Names Davis, Age 27, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good

17 Somerhill

Names Somerhill, Age 27, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Belsered 17

Names Belsered, Age 17, Employmt —, Qualificacon —

Leo 18

Names Leo, Age 18, Employmt 27 Labourer, Qualificacon Good

Nr Siguera 19

Names Nr Siguera, Age 19, Employmt 36 do, Qualificacon do

Mahomet 20

Names Mahomet, Age 20, Employmt 25 do, Qualificacon Indifferent

Frank 21

Names Frank, Age 21, Employmt 36 do, Qualificacon Good

Joseph 22

Names Joseph, Age 22, Employmt 36 do, Qualificacon do

Matthew 20

Names Matthew, Age 20, Employmt 25 do, Qualificacon do

Diamond

Names Diamond, Age 23, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Drake

Names Drake, Age 13, Employmt 41 do, Qualificacon do

Stepney 26

Names Stepney, Age 26, Employmt 26 do, Qualificacon do

Jack Cook 27

Names Jack Cook, Age 27, Employmt 36 do, Qualificacon do

Will 28

Names Will, Age 28, Employmt 26 Fetches Water, Qualificacon do

Robin 29

Names Robin, Age 29, Employmt 31 Labourer, Qualificacon do

Horsham 30

Names Horsham, Age 30, Employmt 31 do, Qualificacon do

Portius Jack

Names Portius Jack, Age 27, Employmt do, Qualificacon Poxed & Rotten

Ben 39

Names Ben, Age 39, Employmt 30 Fetches Water, Qualificacon very Indifferent

Caleb 33

Names Caleb, Age 33, Employmt 72 Attends the Docter, Qualificacon Good

Francis Wrangham, about 20 acres of wood on his freehold land and about 3 on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land all fenced except what he lately hired, and greatest part planted with furze

Edmund Nichols, about 4½ acres of wood on his freehold land and about 8½ on his leasehold land, part young plants, his land part fenced and part planted with furze

Signed by Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham, Joshua Johnson and Edmund Nichols.

The council ordered the survey sent home to the Company. After the Grantham was dispatched, it would examine who had been defaulters and fine such persons as had been negligent, in proportion to what they deserved.

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, women and their children was called for one by one, and their names set down at once.

List of the Company's slaves, with their names, ages, employments and ratings of fitness, taken on 13 March 1727 as they passed in review before the Governor and council. Each had been employed for the past two years as noted.

Men slaves employed at New Plantation.

1, Ned, aged 32, overseer, very good

2, Dick, aged 31, stonelayer, good

3, Simon, aged 24, stonelayer, good

4, Cremona, aged 31, stonelayer, good

5, Blackwall, aged 35, sawyer, good

6, Cloise, aged 39, labourer, good

7, Blackheath, aged 29, labourer, indifferent

8, Moses, aged 79, labourer, good for little

9, Dick, aged 33, labourer, good

10, James, aged 36, labourer, good

11, Jupiter, aged 34, labourer, indifferent

12, Adam, aged 30, labourer, good for nothing

13, Harry, aged 26, labourer, sickly

14, Mula, aged 27, labourer, good

15, Sambo, aged 36, labourer, good but lame

16, Davis, aged 27, labourer, good

17, Somerhill, aged 27, labourer, good

18, Seaward, aged 17, -, -

19, Leo, aged 18, labourer, good

20, St Jago, aged 19, labourer, good

21, Mahomet, aged 20, labourer, indifferent

22, Frank, aged 21, labourer, good

23, Joseph, aged 22, labourer, good

24, Matthew, aged 20, labourer, good

25, Diamond, aged 23, labourer, good

26, Drake, aged 23, labourer, good

27, Stepney, aged 26, labourer, good

28, Jackboot, aged 27, labourer, good

29, Will, aged 28, fetches water, good

30, Robin, aged 29, labourer, good

31, Horsham, aged 30, labourer, good

32, Portius Jack, aged 27, labourer, poxed and rotten

33, Ben, aged 30, fetches water, very indifferent

34, Caleb, aged 22, attends the doctor, good

Interpretations

The slave review was a full muster of the Company's slaves conducted before the Governor and council, each person called individually and recorded by name, age, employment and a rating of fitness for labour. Taking the count in person and setting down each name at once guarded against error in a register that governed the Company's most valuable working asset. The list opened with the men stationed at New Plantation, the largest labour concentration, ranked from the overseer Ned down through stonelayers, a sawyer and the great body of general labourers, with a few assigned to fetching water or attending the doctor.

The fitness ratings, running from very good through indifferent and sickly to good for nothing, valued each individual by capacity for labour rather than as a person, exposing the frank commercial logic of slaveholding. Entries such as Adam at good for nothing, the 79-year-old Moses at good for little, and Portius Jack noted as diseased recorded slaves the Company could no longer profitably work yet still had to maintain. The review thus doubled as an audit of which slaves earned their keep and which had become a charge, the same accounting instinct that drove the meat-ration economy of 1 March 1727.

The names themselves carried the marks of the trade that produced this population. Some, like Cremona, St Jago and Mahomet, pointed to Mediterranean, Cape Verde and Muslim origins, while others, Blackwall, Blackheath, Stepney and Somerhill, were English place names imposed by masters in place of the names the slaves were born with. This naming stripped origin and identity and replaced them with labels of the holder's choosing, a routine feature of the system the register simply recorded.

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15

Men Slaves Employed at the Wood

Names

Age

Employmt

Qualificacon

Stephen

Names Stephen, Age 36, Employmt Stonelayer, Qualificacon very Good

Plato

Names Plato, Age 30, Employmt Labourer, Qualificacon Good

Pompey

Names Pompey, Age 30, Employmt do, Qualificacon Indifferent

Dutch

Names Dutch, Age 26, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Jersey

Names Jersey, Age 37, Employmt do, Qualificacon Sickly

Jenkiny

Names Jenkiny, Age 25, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good

Noah

Names Noah, Age 29, Employmt do, Qualificacon Indifferent

8 Prince

Names Prince, Age 24, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good

One Man Slave at the Hutts

Harry

Names Harry, Age 23, Employmt Looks after Cattle & Cattle, Qualificacon

Men Slaves Employed at Grand Plan

Harry

Names Harry, Age 38, Employmt Farrier, Qualificacon very Good

Ben

Names Ben, Age 33, Employmt Gardener, Qualificacon do

Jack

Names Jack, Age 34, Employmt Butcher, Qualificacon do

Sam

Names Sam, Age 39, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good

Charles

Names Charles, Age 24, Employmt Overseer, Qualificacon do

Harry Ranns[er]

Names Harry Rannser, Age 2, Employmt Minds ye Plantacon, Qualificacon do

Hannibal

Names Hannibal, Age 30, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Dick Brue

Names Dick Brue, Age 31, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Sam More

Names Sam More, Age 17, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Toney

Names Toney, Age 24, Employmt Hostler, Qualificacon Good for little

Smithouse

Names Smithouse, Age 2, Employmt Watch ye Plantacon, Qualificacon Indifferent

George

Names George, Age 24, Employmt Minds ye Plantacon, Qualificacon Good

Harry Green

Names Harry Green, Age 20, Employmt do, Qualificacon Sickly

Favonius

Names Favonius, Age 29, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Benjamin

Names Benjamin, Age 24, Employmt do, Qualificacon Sickly

Clau

Names Clau, Age 29, Employmt do, Qualificacon Sickly

Jugney

Names Jugney, Age 24, Employmt do, Qualificacon Sickly

Jaffly

Names Jaffly, Age 28, Employmt Fanner, Qualificacon Sickly

Scots

Names Scots, Age 30, Employmt Looks after Wood Cows, Qualificacon Indifferent

Franks

Names Franks, Age 3, Employmt Looks after Calves, Qualificacon Good

Daniel

Names Daniel, Age 3, Employmt Looks after Plantacon, Qualificacon very Indifferent

Machel

Names Machel, Age 31, Employmt Milk Man, Qualificacon Sickly

Joe

Names Joe, Age 17, Employmt Grass Boy, Qualificacon do

Harrow

Names Harrow, Age 40, Employmt Looks after ye Plantacon, Qualificacon Good for nothing

Cato

Names Cato, Age 28, Employmt Looks after Cattle, Qualificacon Indifferent

Mudagascar Dick

Names Mudagascar Dick, Age 24, Employmt Assist ye Gardener, Qualificacon do

Madras Jack

Names Madras Jack, Age 28, Employmt Minds ye Poultry, Qualificacon do

28 Peter

Names Peter, Age 34, Employmt Milk Man, Qualificacon Good

Men Slaves at Yorkins

Will

Names Will, Age 29, Employmt Admrl Herron, Qualificacon Good

Will Benjar

Names Will Benjar, Age 26, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Hector

Names Hector, Age 31, Employmt do, Qualificacon Sickly

Sam

Names Sam, Age 22, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Peter

Names Peter, Age 36, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good

Islington

Names Islington, Age 30, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Serif

Names Serif, Age 38, Employmt do, Qualificacon Indifferent

8 Augustus

Names Augustus, Age 36, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Men Slaves at Limekilns vizt

Names

Age

Employment

Qualificacon

Jack Pirate

Names Jack Pirate, Age 28, Employment do, Qualificacon Good

Simon

Names Simon, Age 31, Employment do, Qualificacon do

Cloise

Names Cloise, Age 29, Employment do, Qualificacon do

Blake

Names Blake, Age 26, Employment do, Qualificacon do

Mingo

Names Mingo, Age 41, Employment do, Qualificacon do

Will

Names Will, Age 19, Employment do, Qualificacon do

Jewel 7

Names Jewel, Age 28, Employment do, Qualificacon do

Men Slaves Employed at Handicrafts

Jack

Names Jack, Age 31, Employment Carpenter, Qualificacon Good

Dick

Names Dick, Age 15, Employment do Instructing, Qualificacon Sickly

Boston

Names Boston, Age 33, Employment Taylor, Qualificacon Good

Abdulla

Names Abdulla, Age 32, Employment do, Qualificacon Indifft

Daniel

Names Daniel, Age 26, Employment do, Qualificacon do & Lame

Alley

Names Alley, Age 33, Employment Smith, Qualificacon Good

Diabolus 7

Names Diabolus, Age 32, Employment do, Qualificacon Filler

Men Slaves belonging to Fishing Boates

Tom

Names Tom, Age 26, Employment, Qualificacon Good

Toney

Names Toney, Age 26, Employment, Qualificacon do

Martin

Names Martin, Age 28, Employment, Qualificacon do

Daniel

Names Daniel, Age 24, Employment, Qualificacon do

Mordue

Names Mordue, Age 56, Employment, Qualificacon do

Coppen

Names Coppen, Age 26, Employment, Qualificacon Sickly

Landor

Names Landor, Age 31, Employment, Qualificacon Good

Sepia

Names Sepia, Age 31, Employment, Qualificacon do

Mingo

Names Mingo, Age 26, Employment, Qualificacon do

Slaves Employed in Garden

Benjamin

Names Benjamin, Age 46, Employment Head gardener, Qualificacon very Good

Harry

Names Harry, Age 27, Employment, Qualificacon Good

Chatham

Names Chatham, Age 26, Employment, Qualificacon do

Monroe 4

Names Monroe, Age 30, Employment, Qualificacon do

Men Slaves in the House

Malla

Names Malla, Age 36, Employment Attend in ye Kitchen, Qualificacon very Good

Jaunky

Names Jaunky, Age 25, Employment the Kitchen, Qualificacon Indifferent

Morbury

Names Morbury, Age 29, Employment do, Qualificacon do

Ryot Cæsar

Names Ryot Cæsar, Age 32, Employment do, Qualificacon very Good

Long Cæsar

Names Long Cæsar, Age 24, Employment Waiter, Qualificacon Good

Navaro 6

Names Navaro, Age 55, Employment, Qualificacon very Good

Women in the House

Great Ellen

Names Great Ellen, Age 36, Employment Mind Linnen, Qualificacon very Good

Grace

Names Grace, Age 30, Employment Belongs ye Linnen, Qualificacon do

Betty Tom

Names Betty Tom, Age 24, Employment the House, Qualificacon Good

Sarah

Names Sarah, Age 22, Employment Sweeps ye House, Qualificacon do

Jarigo 5

Names Jarigo, Age 25, Employment Poultery House, Qualificacon do

Women Employed in Washing & Mending Cloths

Mercy

Names Mercy, Age 26, Employment, Qualificacon very Good

Mercy Benjamin

Names Mercy Benjamin, Age 26, Employment Taylors, Qualificacon Almost ye Friend

Sarah

Names Sarah, Age 26, Employment, Qualificacon Almost ye Friend

Betty Negroe 4

Names Betty Negroe, Age 31, Employment, Qualificacon Indifferent

Men slaves employed at the Wood.

Stephen, aged 36, stonelayer, very good

Plato, aged 30, labourer, good

Pompey, aged 30, labourer, indifferent

Dutch, aged 26, labourer, good

Jersey, aged 37, labourer, sickly

Jenkney, aged 25, labourer, good

Noah, aged 29, labourer, indifferent

8, Francis, aged 24, labourer, good

One man slave at the Huts.

Harry, aged 20, looks after cattle and other stock, good

Men slaves employed at Grand Plantation.

Harry, aged 33, tanner, very good

Ben, aged 33, gardener, good

Jack, aged 34, butcher, good

Sam, aged 39, labourer, good

Charles, aged 24, overseer, good

Harry Ranger, aged 2, minds the plantation, good

Hannibal, aged 30, labourer, good

Dick Buttons, aged 31, labourer, good

Sam More, aged 17, labourer, good

Toney, aged 24, cutler, good for little

Limehouse, aged 2, watches and fetches wood, indifferent

George, aged 22, minds the plantation, good

Harry Green, aged 20, labourer, sickly

Favonius, aged 29, labourer, good

Benjamin, aged 24, labourer, sickly

Chas, aged 29, labourer, sickly

Journey, aged 24, labourer, sickly

Jaffry, aged 28, tanner, sickly

Scots, aged 30, minds the wood, indifferent

Franks, aged 3, looks after cattle, good

Daniel, aged 3, minds the plantation, very indifferent

Machel, aged 31, mill man, sickly

Joe, aged 17, grass boy, good

Barrow, aged 40, minds the plantation, good for nothing

Cato, aged 28, looks after cattle, indifferent

Madagascar Dick, aged 24, assists the gardener, good

Portius Jack, aged 28, minds the poultry, good

28, Peter, aged 34, mill man, good

Men slaves at Perkins.

Will, aged 29, minds the plantation, good

Will Benjar, aged 26, labourer, good

Hector, aged 31, labourer, sickly

Sam, aged 23, labourer, good

Peter, aged 36, labourer, good

Islington, aged 30, labourer, good

Sarey, aged 38, labourer, indifferent

8, Augustus, aged 36, labourer, good

Men slaves at the limekiln.

Jack Pirate, aged 28, good

Simon, aged 31, good

Cloise, aged 29, good

Blake, aged 26, good

Mingo, aged 41, good

Will, aged 19, good

7, Lewis, aged 28, good

Men slaves employed at Handicrafts.

Jack, aged 31, carpenter, good

Dick, aged 15, instructing as carpenter, sickly

Boston, aged 33, tailor, good

Abdulla, aged 32, tailor, indifferent

Daniel, aged 26, tailor, good for little and lame

Alley, aged 33, smith, good

Diabbles, aged 32, tiler, good

Men slaves belonging to the fishing boats.

Tom, aged 26, good

Toney, aged 26, good

Martin, aged 28, good

Daniel, aged 24, good

Mordue, aged 56, good

Coppon, aged 26, sickly

Slander, aged 31, good

Sujue, aged 31, good

9, Mingo, aged 26, good

Slaves employed in the Garden.

Benjamin, aged 46, head gardener, very good

Harry, aged 27, good

Chatham, aged 26, good

4, Monroe, aged 30, good

Men slaves in the House.

Nada, aged 36, attends in the House, very good

Jaunky, aged 25, in the kitchen, indifferent

Morbury, aged 29, good

Ayot Caesar, aged 32, waiter, very good

Long Caesar, aged 24, waiter, good

6, Navarro, aged 55, very good

Women in the House.

Great Ellen, aged 36, maidservant, very good

Grace, aged 30, belongs to the House and cleans, good

Betty Tom, aged 24, in the House, good

Sarah, aged 25, in the kitchen and laundry, indifferent

5, Jigo, aged 25, in the kitchen and laundry, indifferent

Women employed in washing and mending clothes.

Mercy, aged 26, very good

Mercy Benjamin, aged 26, tailoress, good

Sarah, aged 26, tailoress, sickly and weak, indifferent

Betty Ranger, aged 31, tailoress, indifferent

Interpretations

The muster continued through the Company's male slaves station by station, moving from the Wood and the Huts through Grand Plantation, Perkins and the limekiln to the skilled Handicrafts, the fishing boats, the Garden and the House, before reaching the women who cleaned, cooked, laundered and sewed. Grouping the register by place of labour rather than by name let the council see the full workforce assigned to each part of the establishment at a glance. The largest single body was at Grand Plantation, its slaves spread across tanning, gardening, butchering, milling and cattle-tending, which marks it as the productive heart of the Company's own farming.

The handicraft entries reveal the skilled trades the settlement maintained within its slave workforce rather than buying in. Carpenters, tailors, a smith, a tiler and a tanner were all held as Company property, and the note of a fifteen-year-old being taught the carpenter's trade shows deliberate training of the young to renew these skills. Keeping such craftsmen in bondage spared the Company the cost of hiring free artisans on a remote island where none could easily be found, tying essential building and clothing work directly to owned labour.

The fishing boat crews take on particular significance against the Governor's decision of 1 March 1727 to feed the slaves on fish in place of meat. Nine men were already assigned to the boats, the labour on which that economy depended, so the plan to substitute fish rested on a fishing establishment the muster shows was in place. The presence of this crew, listed here two weeks after the ration decision, confirms that the council had the means to carry through the change it had ordered rather than merely proposing it in principle.

39

16

Women Slaves Employed at ye Plant

Names

Age

Employmt

Qualificacon

Betty Bee

Names Betty Bee, Age 31, Employmt Mill Woman, Qualificacon Good

Saber

Names Saber, Age 26, Employmt Dairy Maid, Qualificacon very Good

Short Mary

Names Short Mary, Age 31, Employmt Mill Woman, Qualificacon Good

Old Mary

Names Old Mary, Age 51, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Molt Gruer

Names Molt Gruer, Age 28, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Sarah Alley

Names Sarah Alley, Age 28, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Eller Lee

Names Eller Lee, Age 28, Employmt [Work]s in Plant, Qualificacon Indifferent

Mия

Names Mия, Age 26, Employmt Looks after Poultry, Qualificacon do

Agnes

Names Agnes, Age 24, Employmt Assist ye Dairy Maid, Qualificacon do

Ding

Names Ding, Age 26, Employmt Looks after Poultry, Qualificacon do

Margaret

Names Margaret, Age 26, Employmt Mill Woman, Qualificacon Good

Betty Tom

Names Betty Tom, Age 31, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Bridget

Names Bridget, Age 30, Employmt Fetches Wood, Qualificacon Indifferent

Magdalena

Names Magdalena, Age 28, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Sarah Daniel

Names Sarah Daniel, Age 22, Employmt [Work]s in Plant, Qualificacon do

Bess

Names Bess, Age 30, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Catherine

Names Catherine, Age 31, Employmt [Work]s for Servt, Qualificacon do

Abigaile

Names Abigaile, Age 30, Employmt [Work]s in Plant, Qualificacon do

Grace

Names Grace, Age 24, Employmt do, Qualificacon do & Lame

Nanny

Names Nanny, Age 28, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Rebecca

Names Rebecca, Age 26, Employmt Fetches Wood, Qualificacon Good

Sarah Robin

Names Sarah Robin, Age 32, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good for nothing

Priscilla

Names Priscilla, Age 26, Employmt [Work]s in Plant, Qualificacon Indifferent

Sarah Barrow

Names Sarah Barrow, Age 22, Employmt do, Qualificacon do

Margaret Stepney

Names Margaret Stepney, Age 28, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good for nothing

26 Catty Smith

Names Catty Smith, Age 17, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good

Women at Perkins

Ellen

Names Ellen, Age 28, Employmt Looks Poultry, Qualificacon Good

Jenney

Names Jenney, Age 26, Employmt [Work]s in Plant, Qualificacon Indifft

3 Mary

Names Mary, Age 28, Employmt do, Qualificacon Good

Superannuated vizt

Will

Antonio

Balla

Toney Myer & Bochee Backed

Sabon

Toney & Men Superannuated

Mercy

Cassmere

Welchy

Old Sarah & Women Superannuated

Boys

Names

Age

Frank

Names Frank, Age 6

Stepney

Names Stepney, Age 4

Timothy

Names Timothy, Age 9

Gabriel

Names Gabriel, Age 8

Jack Port

Names Jack Port, Age 10

Harry

Names Harry, Age 9

Jack Pidding

Names Jack Pidding, Age 10

Ned

Names Ned, Age 3

Cæsar

Names Cæsar, Age 1½

Will

Names Will, Age 3

Tom

Names Tom, Age 1

George

Names George, Age 5

Jack

Names Jack, Age 2

Morries

Names Morries, Age 5

Will

Names Will, Age 16

Moses

Names Moses, Age 3

Chte

Names Chte, Age 1

Toney

Names Toney, Age 11

Sam Monroe

Names Sam Monroe, Age 14

Jack

Names Jack, Age 4

Compey

Names Compey, Age 12

Robin

Names Robin, Age 10

James

Names James, Age 6

Phill

Names Phill, Age 2¾

Dick

Names Dick, Age 3/4

25

Girles

Names

Age

Mercy

Names Mercy, Age 9

Margaret

Names Margaret, Age 5

Betty

Names Betty, Age 7

Betty Gruer

Names Betty Gruer, Age 12

Margaret

Names Margaret, Age 8

Betty

Names Betty, Age 6

Fanny

Names Fanny, Age 1½6

Margaret

Names Margaret, Age 1¾

Mary

Names Mary, Age 7¼

Betty

Names Betty, Age 4

Bridget

Names Bridget, Age 1

Margaret

Names Margaret, Age 3

Nanny

Names Nanny, Age 2½

Ellen

Names Ellen, Age 2¼

Grace

Names Grace, Age 5

Magdalena

Names Magdalena, Age 3

Nanny

Names Nanny, Age 5

Sale

Names Sale, Age 3¾

Sarah

Names Sarah, Age 4¼

Ellen

Names Ellen, Age 1

Betty

Names Betty, Age 1

Mary

Names Mary, Age 1½

Magdalena

Names Magdalena, Age 8

Sarah

Names Sarah, Age 6

Margaret

Names Margaret, Age 4

Sarah

Names Sarah, Age 7

Margaret

Names Margaret, Age 7

Nanny

Names Nanny, Age 2

Catherine

Names Catherine, Age 4

Margaret

Names Margaret, Age 4¼

Betty

Names Betty, Age 31, 2¾

The most Adult of these Boys are Employed

in looking after Cattle Sheep Goates & Hoggs

& the rest such to Such little Services of which

they are Capable in Weding the Garden &c

Particular Totalls vizt

Men 33 at New Plantation

8 at Great Wood

1 at the Hutts

28 at Grand Plantation

8 at Yorkins

7 at Limekilns

7 at Handycrafts

9 Fishermen

4 Gardeners at the Sort for the House

Superannuated

Women 26 at Grand Plantation

3 at Fishing

5 in the House

3 Taylors

Superannuated

Boys 25

Girles 31

Grand Totalls 215

Women slaves employed at Grand Plantation.

Betty Bee, aged 31, mill woman, good

Saber, aged 26, dairy maid, very good

Short Mary, aged 31, mill woman, good

Old Mary, aged 51, mill woman, good

Moll Gruer, aged 28, mill woman, good

Sarah Alley, aged 28, mill woman, good

Ellen Lee, aged 28, works in the plantation, indifferent

Mula, aged 26, looks after poultry, good

Agnes, aged 24, assists in the dairy, good

Ding, aged 26, looks after poultry, good

Margaret, aged 26, mill woman, good

Betty Tom, aged 31, mill woman, good

Bridget, aged 30, fetches wood, indifferent

Magdalena, aged 28, fetches wood, good

Sarah Daniel, aged 22, works in the plantation, good

Bess, aged 30, works in the plantation, good

Catherine, aged 31, works for the smith, good

Abigail, aged 30, works in the plantation, good

Grace, aged 24, works in the plantation, good

Nanny, aged 28, works in the plantation, good but lame

Rebecca, aged 26, fetches wood, good

Sarah Robin, aged 32, works in the plantation, good for nothing

Priscilla, aged 26, works in the plantation, indifferent

Sarah Barrow, aged 22, works in the plantation, good

Margaret Stepney, aged 28, works in the plantation, good for nothing

26, Catty Smith, aged 17, works in the plantation, good

Women at Perkins.

Ellen, aged 28, looks after poultry, good

Jenney, aged 26, works in the plantation, indifferent

3, Mary, aged 28, works in the plantation, good

Superannuated men.

Will

Antonio

Balla

Toney Myer and Bochee Backed

Sabon

Toney and Men superannuated

Mercy

Cassmere

Welchy

Old Sarah and women superannuated

Boys.

Frank, aged 6

Stepney, aged 4

Timothy, aged 9

Gabriel, aged 8

Jack Port, aged 10

Harry, aged 9

Jack Pudding, aged 10

Ned, aged 3

Chas, aged 1½

Will, aged 3

Tom, aged 1

George, aged 5

Jack, aged 2

Morris, aged 5

Will, aged 10

Moses, aged 3

Chas, aged 1

Toney, aged 11

Sam Morris, aged 14

Jack, aged 4

Compey, aged 12

Robin, aged 10

James, aged 6

Phill, aged 2¾

Dick, aged ¾

25

Girls.

Mercy, aged 9

Margaret, aged 5

Body, aged 7

Betty Gruer, aged 12

Margaret, aged 8

Body, aged 6

Fanny, aged 1½

Margaret, aged 12¾

Mary, aged 7¼

Betty, aged 4¼

Bridget, aged 1½

Margaret, aged 3¼

Nanny, aged 2¼

Ellen, aged 2¾

Grace, aged 5

Magdalena, aged 9¼

Nanny, aged 2

Catt, aged 5¾

Sarah, aged 3¾

Ellen, aged 4¼

Bess, aged 1

Mary, aged 1½

Magdalena, aged 1½

Sarah, aged 8

Margaret, aged 6

Sarah, aged 4

Margaret, aged 7

Nanny, aged 7

Catherine, aged 7½

Margaret, aged 4½

Betty, aged 2¾

31

The most adult of these boys were employed in looking after cattle, sheep, goats and hogs. The rest were put to such little tasks as they were capable of, weeding the garden and the like.

Men, 33 at New Plantation

8 at Great Wood

1 at the Huts

28 at Grand Plantation

8 at Perkins

7 at the limekiln

7 at Handicrafts

9 fishermen

6 gardeners at the fort and for the House

superannuated

at Grand Plantation

3 at fishing

2 in the other boat

tailors

superannuated

Men total, 117

Women, 26 at Grand Plantation

Women total, 42

Boys, 25

Girls, 31

Grand total, 215

Interpretations

This closing part of the muster recorded the women at Grand Plantation and Perkins, the superannuated men and women, and every slave child by name and age, then footed the whole to a grand total of 215. The women's work fell into the mill, the dairy, the poultry yard, wood-fetching and general plantation labour, the domestic and agricultural tasks that sustained the establishment day to day. Listing children from infants to youths of fourteen showed the council the reproduction of its owned workforce, the boys already set to tend stock and the youngest put to weeding as soon as they were able.

The superannuated category recorded slaves too old or infirm to work, entered without age or task because they no longer earned their keep. The Company nonetheless carried them on the register and continued to maintain them, a standing charge with no return set directly against the productive labour tallied elsewhere. Their presence at the foot of the muster made visible the full lifetime cost of slaveholding, the aged dependants who remained the owner's burden after their capacity for labour had gone, which sharpened the accounting pressure behind the ration economies of March 1727.

The final tally reconciled the whole slave population into men, women, boys and girls totalling 215, distributed across every station named through the muster. This grand total was the figure the Company needed for its accounts, fixing the exact size of the labour force it owned, fed and clothed. Setting the summary against the detailed lists let the council verify that every individual called in review had been counted, closing the audit that the person-by-person method had been designed to secure.

40

17

In the Evening Wee received the following Letter from Mʳ Wignall

Gentlemen

My Acct with the Inhabitants requiring more time to adjust

than can possibly be done before the Sailing of either of the Ships in the Road I humbly

pray Your Permission to tarry upon the Island till the Arrival of the next homeward

bound Ship my Necessity at present really requiring this Indulgence I Wait Your

favourable Answer & am

Gentlemen

Your Most Obliged & Obedᵗ Servᵗ

14ᵗʰ March 1726/7 Wignall

For the Reasons Alledged in the said Mʳ Wignalls Letter Wee have permitted him

to tarry on the Island till the Arrival of the next homeward bound Ship but

Cautioned him to loose no time in Adjusting his Acct with the Inhabitants

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 21 March 1726/7 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governour

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

On Sunday Evening last the Princess Anne Sailed hence for Bencoolen, &

Yesterday about five in the Evening the Grantham Capt Feild Comdʳ Sailed for

England having as Passengers the late Governʳ Mʳ Smith & his Family

By the last mentioned Ship Wee drew three Sette of Bills of Exchange upon

the Honᵇˡᵉ Company for the severall Sums & payable to the severall Persons foll & vizt

One Sett Payable to Mʳ John Bazette or Order for

£ 260 . —

One ditto to Mʳ Richᵈ Goodwin or Order for

200 . 5 . —

One do to Mʳˢ Frans Wrangham or Order for

545 . 18 . —

All dated 12ᵗʰ March 1726/7 & Drewe for Cash & Notes paid into the Honᵇˡᵉ Compys

Acct of Cash vizt 585 . 18 . paid to the Governour the other 260 paid to Capt

Goodwin & their respective Acct were accordingly Debited for the Same

Wee this Day Copyd the Cargo of Goods Sent by the Honᵇˡᵉ Company of Ship

Princess Anne & a Copy thereof to be transmitted them by the next Ship homeward bound

The Governour Reports that in Obedience to the Honᵇˡᵉ Compys late Instructions

he has looked farther into the General Charge of the Island on which he finds the

Company have for Several Years past been at the Annual Expence of more than

Two hundred & Fifty Pounds at the Limekilns & is therefore of Opinion that the Sevʳˡ

That evening the council received the following letter from Thomas Wignall.

Wignall wrote that his accounts with the inhabitants needed more time to settle than could possibly be managed before either of the ships in the road sailed. He asked the council's leave to stay on the island until the next homeward ship arrived, saying his circumstances at present really required this indulgence. He sought a favourable answer. The letter was dated 14 March 1727 and signed Wignall.

For the reasons Wignall gave in his letter, the council allowed him to stay on the island until the next homeward ship arrived. It cautioned him to lose no time in settling his accounts with the inhabitants.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 21 March 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Princess Anne sailed from the island for Bencoolen the previous Sunday evening. The Grantham, Captain Field commander, sailed for England the previous day about five in the evening, carrying the late Governor Smith and his family as passengers.

The council drew three sets of bills of exchange upon the Company by the Grantham, for the several sums and payable to the several persons as follows.

One set payable to John Bazett or order, £260 0s 0d

One set to Richard Goodwin or order, £230 5s 0d

One set to Francis Wrangham or order, £55 13s 0d

All were dated 18 March 1727, drawn for cash notes paid into the Company's account of £545 18s 0d, of which £285 18s 0d was paid to the Governor and the other £260 0s 0d to Captain Goodwin. The respective accounts were credited accordingly.

The council copied the cargo of goods sent by the Company by the Princess Anne that day, and a copy was to be sent home by the next homeward ship.

The Governor reported that, following the Company's instructions, he had looked further into the general charge of the island. He found the limekiln had cost the Company more than £250 a year for several years past. He was therefore of opinion that the surgeon [reference to the continuation on the following matter].

Interpretations

The three bills of exchange drawn on the Grantham moved the value of cash paid in at St Helena to recipients in England without shipping coin across the ocean. Inhabitants and officers paid cash notes into the Company's account here, and in return the Company undertook to pay the named sums at home, making itself debtor for the total in its books. This mechanism, redeemable in England or India, was how the Company and its servants transferred money across the sea safely, and the careful record of who paid what and to whom protected all parties if a bill were later disputed.

Wignall's request to remain shows the practical hold that private debt gave a discharged servant over his own removal. Though stripped of Company service on 25 October 1726 and ordered to leave, he could not settle his accounts with the inhabitants before the ships sailed, and the council could not fairly expel a man mid-way through winding up his affairs. Granting the delay while cautioning him to lose no time balanced the wish to be rid of him against the disorder that would follow if he left creditors and debtors unsettled behind him.

The limekiln cost that the Governor raised opened the ground for its closure, decided on this same date. A kiln burned limestone to produce quicklime for mortar and building, essential work but plainly expensive at more than £250 a year. Setting that figure against the Company's instruction to reduce the general charge gave the Governor his justification for shutting it and dismissing the slaves employed there, part of the same drive for economy that had already reshaped the slaves' rations earlier in March 1727.

Speculations

The council let Wignall stay on the island until the next homeward ship, though it had ordered him to leave and two ships lay ready in the road. Putting him aboard one of them was the plain course, since his discharge was settled and vessels were at hand. It chose instead to grant his request for delay, accepting his private accounts with the inhabitants as reason enough to keep a man it had wanted gone. The record shows the reasoning in the caution attached to the leave: an unsettled web of local debts would have been left behind had he sailed at once, so the disorder of his creditors outweighed the council's own wish to see the back of him.

41

18

Persons there Employed Should be dismist & the Company eased of this needless Charge

& in Case there Should hereafter be Occasion to make more Lime other Means may be

found to have it made at as much cheaper Rate

Which being taken into Consideration it is Resolved & accordingly Orderd that

the Several Persons therein Employed be immediately Dismist & the Honᵇˡᵉ Compy

entirely eased from this unnecessary Expence of Limeburning

List of Eaters at the General Table

Governour & his Lady

2

Gentlemen of Councill

2

Captain & Ensign

2

Docter & Clerk of Councill

2

Sometimes the Wives of Gent of Councill Docter &c

3

Usually One or two of the Planters & their Wives Sometimes more

Sometimes less but One time with an other

3

In Shipping time the Commanders Supra Cargoes almost

constantly & other Gent Officers & Passengers of Notes at least

5

Household Servants & Marshall

7

On Sundays Publick Days Writers Clerk Schoolmaster &c

6

Drummer & when at Plantation & on the Overseer

6

In Shipping time the Coxswain & Some of the Boats Crew

& Servants attending their Masters commonly

5

The Montross & Gunner Brats on Duty

2

Blacks Servants attending all Offices & Servants attending

their Masters

14

53

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 29ᵗʰ March 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

On Wednesday 29ᵗʰ instant arrived the Townshend Capt Philip Worth Commdʳ

from China & brought Home for the Use of this Island the following Quantity of Tea & China Ware

vizt

One Chest China Ware Containing do 1

1000 Tea, Cupps & Saucers at

30 . [...] Che

200 Coffee Cupps at

16 Yellow Bottles 3 in a Nett

24 . —

2 Chamber Potts Gold & Colour

1 Chest

59 . 4 . —

3

59 . 7 . —

The Governor added that the persons employed at the limekiln should be dismissed and the Company freed of this needless charge. Should occasion arise later to make more lime, he judged it could be done by other means at far cheaper rates.

The council considered this and resolved to dismiss at once the several persons employed there, freeing the Company entirely of the unnecessary expense of limeburning.

List of eaters at the general table.

Governor and his lady, 2

Gentlemen of council, 2

Captain and ensign, 2

Doctor and clerk of council, 2

Sometimes the wife of a member of council and the doctor's wife, 3

Usually one or two of the planters and their wives, sometimes more and sometimes less but one time with another, 3

In shipping time the commanders, supercargoes, almost constantly, and other Company officers and passengers, or notes at least, 5

Household servants and marshal, 7

On Sundays the sabbath-day workers, clerk, schoolmaster and others, 6

Drummer, and when at Plantation House the overseer, 6

In shipping time the coxswain and some of the boat's crew, 5

Servants attending their masters, constantly, 5

The master and gunner's mate on duty, 2

Slaves and servants attending all offices, and servants attending their masters, 14

53

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 29 March 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

On Wednesday 22 March the Townshend, Captain Philip Worth commander, arrived from China, bringing home for the island's use the following quantity of tea and china ware.

One chest china ware, containing as follows.

1,000 tea cups and saucers at 3 mace each, 30 taels

200 coffee cups at [...]

16 teapots, 3 in a nest, 2 taels

2 chamber pots, gold and colours, [...]

Total, 59 taels 4 mace [...]

1 chest, [...]

59 taels 7 mace [...]

Interpretations

The list of eaters at the general table set out exactly who the Company fed at the fort's expense and on what footing, from the Governor and council down to servants, boat crews and slaves attending the offices. Its purpose was to justify the running table charge by naming every category entitled to sit, distinguishing the permanent household from those fed only in shipping time or on Sundays. The entry for ships' commanders, supercargoes and passengers shows the Company's obligation to host visiting officers, a cost that rose and fell with the arrival of the homeward fleet rather than staying fixed.

The china ware cargo of the Townshend was reckoned in the money of the Canton trade, where the tael served as the standard unit of account, subdivided into ten mace and a hundred candareens. Chinese porcelain, tea cups, saucers, teapots and decorated chamber pots reached the island only through the East India ships returning from Canton, and their valuation in taels and mace preserved the price paid at the Chinese end before any island markup. The nested teapots, packed three within one another to save space, reflect the careful stowage of fragile goods for the long sea passage.

Speculations

The Governor chose to dismiss the limekiln workforce outright rather than keep it against future need for lime. Retaining the kiln and its slaves would have kept the island self-sufficient in the mortar its building required, the obvious reason such an establishment existed. He judged instead that lime could be had later by other and cheaper means, and closed the whole operation to strike the annual charge of more than £250. The record shows the reasoning in that comparison of costs: the standing expense of running the kiln outweighed the convenience of ready lime, so the Company accepted future inconvenience in exchange for an immediate and certain saving.

42

19

Brought Over

59 . 7 . —

2 Chests Bohea Tea qty 58 Cannisters Weight

Nett 1 Cwtˢ 45 Cottas at 20 Tale P Cwtˢ

29 . 6

Chest & Cannisters

10 . 3 . 9

39 . 8 . 9

2 Chests Single qty 40 Cannisters Wᵗ Nett 1 . 30 Cottas

at 20 Tale P Cwtˢ

26 . —

Chest & Cannisters

12 . —

38 . —

Totall Sales

137 . 5 . 9

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4 April 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

On Thursday last Month the Townshend Capt S Worth Sailed hence for England

John Gorling presented his Petition Setting forth that having formerly Purchased a

Parcell of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Land at the Hutts as mentiond in Consideration of the 3ᵈ of

February 1726/7 & be allowed the Refusal of the rest there adjoyning in Case the Same

Should hereby Occasion to become Purchaser for the Plantation & a Small Enough Plott

built for Rocks Morter Standing

The said John Gorling being called in & asked howmuch he was willing to give

for it, Answerd Seven Pounds P 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 Company was deliverd of a Girle last Week also called Margaret

Wee this Day begun & finished Reckoning with the Garrison & Workmen for the

Quarter Ending 25ᵗʰ March last pursuant to a Notice given last Week

Transfers are vizt

William Allen

2 . 2 . 3

Thomas Cotgreve

2 . 7 . 3½

P Thoˢ Allen to lessen his Debt to

4 . 15 . 3½ the Company

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

John Goodwin

Tea brought by the Townshend, valued in the money of the China trade, brought over 59 taels 7 mace.

2 chests bohea tea of 58 canisters, neat weight 1 hundredweight 4 catties, at 20 taels per hundredweight, 29 taels 6 mace

Chests and canisters, 10 taels 3 mace 9 candareens, 39 taels 8 mace 9 candareens

2 chests single tea of 40 canisters, neat weight 1 hundredweight 30 catties, at 20 taels per hundredweight, 26 taels

Chests and canisters, 12 taels, 38 taels

Total tales, 137 taels 5 mace 9 candareens

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 4 April 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Townshend, Captain Philip Worth commander, sailed from the island for England the previous Thursday.

John Durling presented a petition. He set out that he had earlier bought a parcel of the Company's land at the Huts, and had been allowed refusal of the rest adjoining it under the consultation of 8 February 1727 on paying the same rate. He now asked to purchase the remainder, a small plot with a slaves' house built on it.

Durling was called in and asked how much he was willing to give for it. He answered £7 per acre. The council ordered the land viewed and enquiry made whether anyone would give more, and that it then be sold to the highest bidder.

The Governor reported that a black woman named Margaret, belonging to the Company, had been delivered of a girl the previous week, also named Margaret.

The council began that day to reckon with the garrison and workmen for the quarter ending 25 March, following the public notice given the previous week. It made the following transfers.

William Illis, £2 8s 0d

Thomas Colgrave, £2 7s 8½d

Total, £4 15s 8½d, credited to William Illis to lessen his debt to the Company

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The tea valuation completed the Townshend cargo in the same Canton money as the china ware, the tael divided into ten mace and a hundred candareens. Bohea and single tea were both black teas from the Wuyi hills of Fujian, reckoned here by neat weight in hundredweight and catties after the chests and canisters were allowed for separately. Pricing the tea at twenty taels the hundredweight preserved the Canton purchase cost, and adding the value of the containers themselves shows that the packing was treated as a saleable part of the consignment rather than mere wrapping.

Durling's petition turned on the right of first refusal he had secured under the consultation of 8 February 1727, which gave him first claim on the adjoining land at the same rate before it could go to another. The council honoured that prior right yet still ordered the plot viewed and open to higher bids, balancing his claim against its duty to get the best price for Company property. The small plot carried a slaves' house, a fixed improvement that added value and helps explain why the land was not simply granted at Durling's opening offer.

The transfers reckoned with the garrison moved credits between individuals' accounts rather than paying out cash, the sums due to William Illis and Thomas Colgrave being applied to reduce Illis's standing debt to the Company. This was an internal accounting adjustment by which wages and dues owed on the island were set against debts owed the other way, sparing the movement of coin. Settling the quarter's reckoning in this manner kept the Company's books balanced while holding a debtor to his obligation through the very wages he had earned.

43

20

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 11ᵗʰ April 1727

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Pursuant to Order of Consultation of Tuesday last Enquiry was made & Notice

given that the Remainder of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Plantation at the Hutts was to be Sold, but

none offering more than Six Pounds & Mʳ Gorling biding Eight Pounds P Acre Wee

accept him as Purchaser of the Premises it being agreed Even for One Opinion the said

Worth thereof, One of the two Acres he formerly bought was the best Parcell belonging

to the Plantation & Sold dear because of the great conveniency of Water, viz ready Fenced

& in part Planted, before he want of Planting Land tempted him to give so large a

Price for those two Acre, the Commander is Barren Land which Wee believe amounts to

about Forty Acre but has so very much Exposed to the Bleakness of the Weather,

that its hardly possible to keep Cattle there in the Winter Season & great Part of it

rather closely & barren which Occasions the Difference in the Price between this & the

former Parcell Orderd that Capt Goodwin be Measure the Same by Tuesday next

The Governʳ Reports that conformable to the Directions formerly

given by the Honᵇˡᵉ Company he has lately put out One of their Girles Named Betty

Green aged 12 Years Provided to Save the Charge of Clothing & Maintaining them & to

put out more as Opportunities Offer to John Gorling 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 Governʳ One Black Girle

belonging to the Honᵇˡᵉ Eaᵈ India Company called Betty Green aged 10 Years whom I promise

for my Self My Heirs Exʳˢ Admrˢ & assigns under the Penalty of ten Pounds Payable

to Him the said Honᵇˡᵉ Company their Heirs or Successors to keep & Maintain with

wholesome & Sufficient Meat Drink Washing Lodging & decent Apparrell for the

Space of Seven Years next Ensuing the Date hereof & at the Expiration of which I promise to

deliver her to the Governour their Councill for the time being In Witness whereof I have

hereunto Set my hand & Seal this 6ᵗʰ Day of April 1727

Signed & Sealed in the Presence of

E Byfeild

Signed John Gorling

Messʳˢ Bennett Wrangham & Nichols Coldland for two Acres of the

Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Waste Land adjoyning to other of their Lease Land at High Hill

Granted & Orderd that Capt Goodwin be Measure the Same

Francis Tunge & Giles Smith presented a Bill of Sale of Seven Blacks from Jnº Long

Planter to Thoˢ Allen Planter Praying the Same may be Registered for greater Security

Orderd that the Same be accordingly Registered

Mʳ Gibson Surgeon made Complaint against Thoˢ Wignall for Practicing Surgery

& for Slandering & Defaming him in his Character & Reputation by Saying that

At a consultation held on Tuesday 11 April 1727.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Following the order at the consultation the previous Tuesday, enquiry was made and notice given that the remainder of the Company's plantation at the Huts was to 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, though it had earlier agreed £7 an acre for the well-watered parcel he had already bought. That parcel was the best land belonging to the plantation, and drew a higher price for its ready water, part fenced, though short of arable ground, which prompted the council to allow him so large a price for those two acres. The remainder was Bazett land, which the council reckoned at about 40 acres but which lay so much exposed to the weather that stock could hardly be kept there in the winter season. A great part of it was either steep or barren, which accounted for the difference in price between this land and the earlier parcel. The council ordered Captain Goodwin to measure it by the following Tuesday.

The Governor reported that, in keeping with the Company's earlier instructions, he had lately apprenticed out one of its slave girls, named Betty Green, aged 12. This was to save the charge of clothing and maintaining her, and to give her a chance of better opportunity in future. He had bound her to John Durling, who entered into the following obligation.

Durling appeared before Governor Byfield and bound himself over a slave girl named Betty Green, aged 12, belonging to the Company, for the term of seven years next after the date of the deed. He bound himself, his heirs, executors and assigns, under a penalty of £10 payable to the Company, to maintain her with wholesome and sufficient meat, drink, washing, lodging and decent apparel. At the end of the seven years he was to deliver her to the Governor of the island for the time being. In witness of this he signed and sealed the deed on 6 April 1727.

Signed and sealed in the presence of Edward Byfield, by John Durling.

Powell, Wrangham and Nichols petitioned for 2 acres of the Company's waste land adjoining their own lease at High Hill. The council granted it and ordered Captain Goodwin to measure it.

Francis Funge and Giles Smith presented a bill of sale of seven slaves bought from John Long, planter. They asked that it be registered for greater security, and the council ordered it registered accordingly.

Gibson, the surgeon, made complaint against Wignall for practising surgery, and for slandering and defaming him in his character and reputation by saying that [continuation on the following matter].

Interpretations

The sale of the remaining Huts land shows the council reconciling a tenant's right of first refusal with its duty to secure the best price for Company property. Durling held prior claim under the consultation of 8 February 1727, yet the land was still put to open bidding, and the wide gap in value between the two parcels was set out in detail to justify the rates. The well-watered, part-fenced ground commanded £7 an acre while the exposed Bazett land, some 40 acres of steep or barren winter pasture, was worth far less, so the record explained the pricing to head off any suggestion the Company had sold cheap.

The apprenticing of Betty Green was a device to shift the cost of a Company slave onto a private holder while binding him to her upkeep. The Company saved the charge of clothing and feeding a twelve-year-old girl, and Durling took her labour for seven years under a £10 penalty bond that required him to maintain her with food, clothing, lodging and washing. That she was to be returned to the Governor at the term's end shows she remained Company property throughout, merely placed out, so the arrangement was a temporary transfer of maintenance and labour rather than a sale, part of the same drive for economy that reshaped the slaves' rations in March 1727.

The bill of sale of seven slaves from John Long, presented by Funge and Smith for registration, illustrates why such transfers were entered on the record. Registration gave the buyers secure and provable title to human property against any later dispute, treating slaves in exactly the same way as land or goods conveyed between inhabitants. The council's routine order to register it shows the machinery by which the island's clerk maintained a public record of ownership in slaves as a recognised and protected form of property.

Speculations

The council allowed Durling £7 an acre for the watered parcel yet took his higher offer of £8 for the exposed remainder, and set out at length why the two prices differed. Simply recording the agreed sale would have sufficed, the plain course for a routine conveyance. It chose instead to justify the pricing in detail, weighing the well-watered ground against the steep and barren Bazett land that could scarcely carry cattle in winter. The record shows the reasoning in that careful comparison: selling the poorer land dear and the better land at a set rate invited the suspicion that the Company had mishandled its own property, so the council documented the difference to protect itself against exactly that charge.

44

21

he broke open his Chest & that he could not write or Spell English & produced Mʳ Jnº

Hodgkinson to prove these particulars who being Sworn Sayth vizt That Mʳ Wignall did

ask him Hodgkinson whether he was power to his Gibson breaking open his Chest

& did also that Mʳ Gibson could not write or Spell English & that he would Practice

upon the Island in Spite of him or any body else

Mʳ Wignall in his Defence Said that he had Practiced but on a Face Mʳ Gibson

Arrival & that he was so far from Saying that Mʳ Gibson had broke open his Chest that he

never thought so, but if so Sworn he had said there Wordˢ he must be in Liquor & publickly

asked Mʳ Gibson Pardon for the Injury he had done him with which Mʳ Gibson was

Satisfied

Orderd that Mʳ Crispe do write to Mʳ Wignall to forbid him Practicing Surgery

or Administring Physick during the time he Shall continue upon the Island which was

accordingly done & is as follows

Mʳ Wignall

I am Orderd by the Governour & Gentlemen of Councill to acquaint You

that they have received Complaints against You for Practicing Since the Arrival of Mʳ

Gibson not only to his Prejudice, but contrary to the Custom & usage of the Place, and

therefore caused me to tell You that You are not upon any Pretence to Practice Surgery or

Administer Physick without leave first obtained of the Governour, I am

Sir, Your humble Servᵗ

D Crispe

Pursuant to former Order Wee this day again Read & Examined the Report of Messʳˢ

G Powell, F Wrangham, J Johnson & E Nicholls formerly appointed by Warrant to

Survey the Several Plantations belonging to each of the Inhabitants & find the following

Gardens have been Negligent either in Fencing or Planting Wood or Furze vizt

John Bagley Senʳ

Orlando Bagley junʳ

Martin Harper

Edw Marsh

Joseph Hayes

John Thwaite

Rich Trestly

Wilm Addis

John French

Joe Desfountains

Giles Smith

Step Coale Bridger

John Seale

Ebenezer Leech

Daniel Griffith

Grace Coulson

Sutton Isbee

Isaac South

Isaac Wood

Orderd that the several Persons abovementioned be Summoned to attend on the fʳˢt day next

to be per fanate Examined about the Cause of theire Neglect in Planting & Fencing their Land

& it is farther Orderd that they be then acquainted that Wee are resolved to inflict Upon the Executions

of the Condition in their Disposition Duke & Lease which are Subject to Forfeiture of theire Neglect

to Plant & Fence as therein particularly mentioned

The Governour proposed a General Acct of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Stock of Cattle

Sheep Goates &c ending 20ᵗʰ February last Past are as follow the Monthly Expence

thereof for March last which were Severally Examined & approved were as follow

Capt Goodwin & Mʳ Gibson the Steward deliverd each their Monthly Acct for

March last which were also Severally Examined & Approved were as following

The Gunner having then all foolsome Just his General & Monthly Acct were Sent for

who returned Answer that he Spill continued as all that he was not able to make them out

Gibson's complaint against Wignall was that Wignall had broken open his medicine chest, and that he could neither write nor spell English. To prove these particulars, John Hodgkinson was sworn. He testified that Wignall had asked him whether Gibson had power to break open the chest, and had also said that Gibson could not write or spell English, and that he would practise on the island in spite of Gibson or anyone else.

Wignall, in his defence, admitted that he had practised, but only once. He said that as for the words about Gibson breaking open his chest, he had never thought it, though he had sworn as much. He added that any words he had spoken must have been said in drink, and he publicly asked Gibson's pardon for the injury he had done him. Gibson was satisfied with this.

The council ordered Gibson to write to Wignall forbidding him to practise surgery or administer medicines during his remaining time on the island. This was done accordingly, as follows.

The letter to Wignall set out that Gibson had been ordered by the Governor and gentlemen of council to acquaint him that they had received complaints against him. Since the arrival of Gibson, Wignall had continued to practise, which was not only to Gibson's prejudice but contrary to the custom and usage of the place. The council therefore directed Gibson to tell Wignall that he was not upon any pretence to practise surgery or administer medicines without leave first obtained of the Governor. The letter was signed by Gibson.

Following the earlier order, the council again that day read and examined the survey report of Powell, Wrangham, Johnson and Nichols, who had been appointed by warrant to survey the several plantations belonging to the inhabitants. It found the following persons had been negligent, either in fencing or in planting wood or furze.

John Bagley senior

Orlando Bagley junior

Martin Harper

Elizabeth Marsh

Joseph Hayse

John Thwaites

Richard Insley

William Adds

John French

Joseph Defountaine

Giles Smith

Stephen Pledgard

John Seale

Benoni Leech

Daniel Griffith

Grace Coulson

Sutton Illis

Isaac Leech

Isaac Wood

The council ordered the persons named above summoned to attend the following Tuesday, to be further examined about the cause of their neglect in planting and fencing their land. It further ordered that they then be told the council was resolved to insist on the performance of the conditions in their deeds and leases, which were subject to forfeiture for such neglect, particularly the clauses on planting and fencing.

The Governor presented a general account of the Company's stock of cattle, sheep and goats, ending 26 February, which was severally examined and approved as follows.

Captain Goodwin and the Governor delivered each their monthly account for March, which was severally examined and approved as follows.

The Governor, having earlier reported that a boat was sometimes wanting, gave his answer that he had done all he was able to make them work.

Interpretations

The dispute between the two surgeons turned on the custom that only one licensed practitioner should serve the island, and on the authority of the Company's newly appointed man over a discharged predecessor. Gibson held the office, so Wignall's continued practice was both a direct injury to Gibson's livelihood and a breach of the accepted usage of the place. Resolving the quarrel by a public apology and a written prohibition, rather than by punishment, let the council restore order while formally recording that no one might practise medicine without the Governor's leave.

The evidentiary handling of the slander deserves note. Hodgkinson was sworn to prove the words, and Wignall's own sworn statement was then set against his later admission that he had never actually believed what he swore. The council accepted his explanation that the words were spoken in drink and his open apology, treating a retraction and public submission as sufficient to close the matter. This shows how such disputes among servants were settled by acknowledgement and pardon before the council rather than by formal legal action.

The default enforcement reprised the survey of 14 March 1727, reading the surveyors' report to identify tenants who had neglected the planting and fencing their deeds and leases required. The council's power here rested on the forfeiture clauses written into those grants, which allowed it to threaten loss of the land itself for non-performance. Summoning the named defaulters to be examined and warned was the first formal step in that enforcement, converting the survey's findings into a direct demand backed by the ultimate sanction of forfeiture.

45

22

Account of the Honᵇˡᵉ Companies Stock of Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goates, Hoggs, Poultry & Horses likewise what has been killed &

Sold to Shipps Dead besides the Increase or Decrease from 25ᵗʰ Sepᵗ 1726 to 26ᵗʰ February 1726/7

Neat Cattle Bullocks

Neat Cattle Cowes

Neat Cattle Heifers

Neat Cattle Steer

Neat Cattle Yearlings

Neat Cattle Calves

Neat Cattle Bulls

Neat Cattle Totall

Sheep Ewes

Sheep Wethers

Sheep Lambs

Sheep Rams

Sheep Totall

Goates Ewes

Goates Wethers

Goates Kids

Goates Rams

Goates Totall

Hoggs Sowes

Hoggs Shoats

Hoggs Boars

Hoggs Barrows

Hoggs Barrows

Hoggs Totall

Poultry Turkeys

Poultry Fowles

Poultry Ducks

Poultry Geese

Horses Horses

Horses Mares

Horses Totall

Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726

Neat Cattle Bullocks 15, Neat Cattle Cowes 66, Neat Cattle Heifers 9, Neat Cattle Steer 1, Neat Cattle Yearlings 36, Neat Cattle Calves 68, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 191, Sheep Ewes 51, Sheep Wethers 25, Sheep Lambs 40, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 119, Goates Ewes 214, Goates Wethers 96, Goates Kids 161, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 477, Hoggs Sowes 11, Hoggs Shoats 34, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Barrows 1, Hoggs Barrows 17, Hoggs Totall 63, Poultry Turkeys 80, Poultry Fowles 95, Poultry Ducks 6, Poultry Geese 32, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Encreased from do to 26 Febry

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers 12, Neat Cattle Steer 9, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves 29, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 50, Sheep Ewes 7, Sheep Wethers 3, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams 1, Sheep Totall 11, Goates Ewes 38, Goates Wethers 57, Goates Kids 53, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 145, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoats —, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Barrows 1, Hoggs Totall 1, Poultry Turkeys 39, Poultry Fowles 33, Poultry Ducks 7, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 15, Neat Cattle Cowes 66, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steer 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 36, Neat Cattle Calves 97, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 241, Sheep Ewes 58, Sheep Wethers 28, Sheep Lambs 40, Sheep Rams 4, Sheep Totall 130, Goates Ewes 249, Goates Wethers 153, Goates Kids 214, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 622, Hoggs Sowes 11, Hoggs Shoats 34, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Barrows 1, Hoggs Barrows 17, Hoggs Totall 64, Poultry Turkeys 119, Poultry Fowles 178, Poultry Ducks 13, Poultry Geese 38, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Killed from do to do

Neat Cattle Bullocks 2, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves 2, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 4, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers 1, Sheep Lambs 1, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall 2, Goates Ewes 82, Goates Wethers 100, Goates Kids 16, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 198, Hoggs Sowes 3, Hoggs Shoats 8, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Barrows 1, Hoggs Barrows 12, Hoggs Totall 12, Poultry Turkeys 12, Poultry Fowles 78, Poultry Ducks 6, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 13, Neat Cattle Cowes 66, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steer 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 36, Neat Cattle Calves 95, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 237, Sheep Ewes 58, Sheep Wethers 27, Sheep Lambs 39, Sheep Rams 4, Sheep Totall 128, Goates Ewes 167, Goates Wethers 53, Goates Kids 198, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 424, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoats 26, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Barrows 1, Hoggs Barrows 17, Hoggs Totall 52, Poultry Turkeys 107, Poultry Fowles 100, Poultry Ducks 7, Poultry Geese 38, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Sold to Ships in do

Neat Cattle Bullocks 2, Neat Cattle Cowes 3, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 5, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoats —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Cattle Sheep Goates & Hoggs Killed & Grown in do

Neat Cattle Bullocks 11, Neat Cattle Cowes 63, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steer 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 36, Neat Cattle Calves 95, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 232, Sheep Ewes 58, Sheep Wethers 27, Sheep Lambs 39, Sheep Rams 4, Sheep Totall 128, Goates Ewes 167, Goates Wethers 53, Goates Kids 198, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 424, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoats 26, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Barrows 1, Hoggs Barrows 17, Hoggs Totall 52, Poultry Turkeys 107, Poultry Fowles 100, Poultry Ducks 7, Poultry Geese 38, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings 16, Neat Cattle Calves 5, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 21, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs 11, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall 11, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids 92, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 92, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoats 1, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Barrows 1, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Dead in Ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes 2, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves 5, Neat Cattle Bulls 1, Neat Cattle Totall 8, Sheep Ewes 6, Sheep Wethers 3, Sheep Lambs 7, Sheep Rams 1, Sheep Totall 17, Goates Ewes 167, Goates Wethers 3, Goates Kids 26, Goates Rams 1, Goates Totall 38, Hoggs Sowes 3, Hoggs Shoats 2, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Barrows 3, Hoggs Totall 8, Poultry Turkeys 8, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks 6, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Remains 26 Febry 1726/7

Neat Cattle Bullocks 11, Neat Cattle Cowes 61, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steer 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 85, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 203, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 21, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 100, Goates Ewes 159, Goates Wethers 50, Goates Kids 80, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 294, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoats 23, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Barrows 14, Hoggs Totall 43, Poultry Turkeys 99, Poultry Fowles 100, Poultry Ducks 7, Poultry Geese 32, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Sevʳˡ Plantations 243566 ℔

Ditto deliverd to the Fort Blacks 4075

Totall Yam 247630 ℔

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed and sold to ships, what died, and the increase or decrease from 25 September 1726 to 26 February 1727.

Neat cattle

Remaining 25 September 1726: bullocks 15, cows 66, heifers 9, steers 1, yearlings 36, calves 68, bulls 3, total 191

Increased from that date to 26 February: bullocks -, cows -, heifers 12, steers 9, yearlings -, calves 29, bulls -, total 50

Standing at: bullocks 15, cows 66, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 36, calves 97, bulls 3, total 241

Killed from that date to this: bullocks 2, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves 2, bulls -, total 4

Remaining after killing: bullocks 13, cows 66, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 36, calves 95, bulls 3, total 237

Sold to ships from that date to this: bullocks 2, cows 3, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total 5

Remaining after sale: bullocks 11, cows 63, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 36, calves 95, bulls 3, total 232

Cattle, sheep, goats and hogs cut and grown from that date to this: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings 16, calves 5, bulls -, total 21

Dead in that period: bullocks -, cows 2, heifers -, steers -, yearlings 5, calves 1, bulls -, total 8

Remaining 26 February 1727: bullocks 11, cows 61, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 85, bulls 2, total 203

Sheep

Remaining 25 September 1726: ewes 51, wethers 25, lambs 40, rams 3, total 119

Increased from that date to 26 February: ewes 7, wethers 3, lambs -, rams 1, total 11

Standing at: ewes 58, wethers 28, lambs 40, rams 4, total 130

Killed from that date to this: ewes -, wethers 1, lambs 1, rams -, total 2

Remaining after killing: ewes 58, wethers 27, lambs 39, rams 4, total 128

Sold to ships from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining after sale: ewes 58, wethers 27, lambs 39, rams 4, total 128

Cut and grown from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs 11, rams -, total 11

Dead in that period: ewes 6, wethers 3, lambs 7, rams 1, total 17

Remaining 26 February 1727: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 21, rams 3, total 100

Goats

Remaining 25 September 1726: ewes 214, wethers 96, kids 161, rams 6, total 477

Increased from that date to 26 February: ewes 35, wethers 57, kids 53, rams -, total 145

Standing at: ewes 249, wethers 153, kids 214, rams 6, total 622

Killed from that date to this: ewes 82, wethers 100, kids 16, rams -, total 198

Remaining after killing: ewes 167, wethers 53, kids 198, rams 6, total 424

Sold to ships from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Remaining after sale: ewes 167, wethers 53, kids 198, rams 6, total 424

Cut and grown from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, kids 92, rams -, total 92

Dead in that period: ewes 167, wethers 53, kids 106, rams 6, total 332

Remaining 26 February 1727: ewes 159, wethers 50, kids 80, rams 5, total 294

Hogs

Remaining 25 September 1726: sows 11, shoats 34, boars -, barrows 1, total 63

Increased from that date to 26 February: sows -, shoats -, boars 1, barrows -, total 1

Standing at: sows 11, shoats 34, boars 1, barrows 1, total 64

Killed from that date to this: sows 3, shoats 8, boars -, barrows 1, total 12

Remaining after killing: sows 8, shoats 26, boars 1, barrows -, total 62

Sold to ships from that date to this: sows -, shoats -, boars -, barrows -, total -

Remaining after sale: sows 8, shoats 26, boars 1, barrows -, total 62

Cut and grown from that date to this: sows -, shoats 1, boars -, barrows -, total 1

Dead in that period: sows 3, shoats 2, boars -, barrows -, total 5

Remaining 26 February 1727: sows 5, shoats 23, boars 1, barrows -, total 43

Poultry

Remaining 25 September 1726: turkeys 80, fowls 95, ducks 6, geese 32, total -

Increased from that date to 26 February: turkeys 38, fowls 83, ducks 7, geese 6, total -

Standing at: turkeys 119, fowls 178, ducks 13, geese 38, total -

Killed from that date to this: turkeys 12, fowls 78, ducks 6, geese -, total -

Remaining after killing: turkeys 107, fowls 100, ducks 7, geese 38, total -

Sold to ships from that date to this: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Remaining after sale: turkeys 107, fowls 100, ducks 7, geese 38, total -

Dead in that period: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks 6, geese -, total -

Remaining 26 February 1727: turkeys 99, fowls 100, ducks 7, geese 32, total -

Horses

Remaining 25 September 1726: horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Remaining 26 February 1727: horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 243,566 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 4,075 pounds

Total yams, 247,630 pounds

Interpretations

This account covered a full five-month span from 25 September 1726 to 26 February 1727 rather than a single month, consolidating the whole autumn and early summer into one statement of the Company's stock. Setting the closing figures against the reference points already recorded confirms the herd's slow recovery: the neat cattle stood at 191 on 24 September 1726 and close here at 203, a net gain driven by the 50 heifers, steers and calves entered as increase over the period. The account runs each class through the same stages of increase, slaughter, ship sales, animals cut and grown between categories, and death, giving the council a complete audit of the productive base across the season.

The line for animals cut and grown between categories records stock moving from one class to another as it matured or was altered, rather than entering or leaving the herd. Yearlings became older cattle, kids became grown goats, and castration shifted males into the wether or barrow classes kept for meat. This internal reclassification explains figures that would otherwise seem not to balance, since an animal leaving the yearling count reappears in an older category rather than as a loss.

The goats show the most violent movement of any stock across the period, and the account lets the earlier figures be read in sequence. From 477 on 24 September 1726 the flock was driven up to 622 by heavy breeding, then cut back sharply through 198 killed and a very high mortality to close at 294, matching the reference figure for 26 February 1727. The goats plainly bore the brunt of the fort's fresh-meat demand and of winter losses, far more than the cattle or sheep, which the season's heavy slaughter and death columns make plain.

The yam total of 247,630 pounds footed the account as the measure of what the plantations expended feeding people and stock across the five months, split between the plantations at large and the fort slaves. This far exceeded any single month's consumption because it aggregated the whole period, including the heavier winter feeding when grazing was poorest. The separate line for the fort slaves at 4,075 pounds isolated the ration issued to the Company's own labour force, the same accounting distinction that underlay the ration economies the Governor pursued from 1 March 1727.

46

23

Account of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Stock of Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goates, Hoggs, Poultry & Horses likewise what has

been killed & Dead besides the Encrease or Decrease from 28ᵗʰ February 1726/7 to 25ᵗʰ March following vizt

Neat Cattle Bullocks

Neat Cattle Cowes

Neat Cattle Heifers

Neat Cattle Steer

Neat Cattle Yearlings

Neat Cattle Calves

Neat Cattle Bulls

Neat Cattle Totall

Sheep Ewes

Sheep Wethers

Sheep Lambs

Sheep Rams

Sheep Totall

Goates Ewes

Goates Wethers

Goates Kids

Goates Rams

Goates Totall

Hoggs Sowes

Hoggs Shoates

Hoggs Boars

Hoggs Piggs

Hoggs Totall

Poultry Turkeys

Poultry Fowles

Poultry Ducks

Poultry Geese

Horses Horses

Horses Mares

Horses Totall

Remains Ultº Febry

Neat Cattle Bullocks 11, Neat Cattle Cowes 61, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steer 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 85, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 203, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 21, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 100, Goates Ewes 159, Goates Wethers 50, Goates Kids 80, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 294, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 23, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 14, Hoggs Totall 43, Poultry Turkeys 99, Poultry Fowles 100, Poultry Ducks 7, Poultry Geese 32, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Encreased to 25ᵗʰ March

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs 1, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall 1, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 11, Neat Cattle Cowes 61, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steer 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 85, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 203, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 22, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 101, Goates Ewes 159, Goates Wethers 50, Goates Kids 80, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 294, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 23, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 14, Hoggs Totall 43, Poultry Turkeys 99, Poultry Fowles 100, Poultry Ducks 7, Poultry Geese 32, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Killed in ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs 2, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall 2, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers 2, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 4, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 2, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs —, Hoggs Totall 2, Poultry Turkeys 6, Poultry Fowles 3, Poultry Ducks 2, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 11, Neat Cattle Cowes 61, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steer 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 85, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 203, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 22, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 101, Goates Ewes 157, Goates Wethers 48, Goates Kids 80, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 290, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 21, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 14, Hoggs Totall 41, Poultry Turkeys 93, Poultry Fowles 97, Poultry Ducks 5, Poultry Geese 32, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Dead in ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes 1, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves 1, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 2, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 1, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs 1, Hoggs Totall 2, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles 3, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Remains 25ᵗʰ Mar

Neat Cattle Bullocks 11, Neat Cattle Cowes 60, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steer 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 84, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 201, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 22, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 101, Goates Ewes 157, Goates Wethers 48, Goates Kids 80, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 290, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 20, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 13, Hoggs Totall 39, Poultry Turkeys 90, Poultry Fowles 91, Poultry Ducks 5, Poultry Geese 32, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 29300 ℔

Ditto deliverd the Fort Blacks 4750

Totall Yam 34050 ℔

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed and died, and the increase or decrease, from 28 February 1727 to 25 March following.

Neat cattle

Remaining last of February: bullocks 11, cows 61, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 85, bulls 2, total 203

Increased to 25 March: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Standing at: bullocks 11, cows 61, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 85, bulls 2, total 203

Killed in that period: bullocks -, cows 1, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves 1, bulls -, total 2

Remaining after killing: bullocks 11, cows 61, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 85, bulls 2, total 203

Dead in that period: bullocks -, cows 1, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves 1, bulls -, total 2

Remaining 25 March: bullocks 11, cows 60, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 84, bulls 2, total 201

Sheep

Remaining last of February: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 21, rams 3, total 100

Increased to 25 March: ewes -, wethers -, lambs 1, rams -, total 1

Standing at: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 22, rams 3, total 101

Killed in that period: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining after killing: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 22, rams 3, total 101

Dead in that period: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining 25 March: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 22, rams 3, total 101

Goats

Remaining last of February: ewes 159, wethers 50, kids 80, rams 5, total 294

Increased to 25 March: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Standing at: ewes 159, wethers 50, kids 80, rams 5, total 294

Killed in that period: ewes 2, wethers 2, kids -, rams -, total 4

Remaining after killing: ewes 157, wethers 48, kids 80, rams 5, total 290

Dead in that period: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Remaining 25 March: ewes 157, wethers 48, kids 80, rams 5, total 290

Hogs

Remaining last of February: sows 5, shoats 23, boars 1, pigs 14, total 43

Increased to 25 March: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Standing at: sows 5, shoats 23, boars 1, pigs 14, total 43

Killed in that period: sows -, shoats 2, boars -, pigs -, total 2

Remaining after killing: sows 5, shoats 21, boars 1, pigs 14, total 41

Dead in that period: sows -, shoats 1, boars -, pigs -, total 1

Remaining 25 March: sows 5, shoats 20, boars 1, pigs 13, total 39

Poultry

Remaining last of February: turkeys 99, fowls 100, ducks 7, geese 32, total -

Increased to 25 March: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks 2, geese -, total -

Standing at: turkeys 99, fowls 100, ducks 9, geese 32, total -

Killed in that period: turkeys 6, fowls 3, ducks 3, geese -, total -

Remaining after killing: turkeys 93, fowls 97, ducks 6, geese 32, total -

Dead in that period: turkeys 3, fowls 6, ducks 1, geese -, total -

Remaining 25 March: turkeys 90, fowls 91, ducks 5, geese 32, total -

Horses

Remaining last of February: horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Remaining 25 March: horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 29,300 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 4,750 pounds

Total yams, 34,050 pounds

Interpretations

This account returned to a single month, covering 28 February to 25 March 1727, and its opening figures carry straight on from the closing figures of the previous statement, the neat cattle standing at 203 and the goats at 294 exactly as the five-month account left them. The stock now moves only slightly, with small losses to slaughter and death and almost no increase, marking the quiet late-summer interval before the autumn breeding. The near-stillness of every class through the month, no cattle sold to ships and only a handful killed, reflects a period with few homeward vessels drawing on the fort's fresh provisions.

The month's figures show attrition without renewal across most of the stock. The neat cattle drop by two to 201, the goats by four to 290 and the hogs by four to 39, each losing animals to the table or to death with nothing entered as increase except a single lamb and two ducklings. This pattern was normal for the season, when breeding had largely ceased and the herds simply ran down under steady consumption, a decline the council watched closely because the island's ability to victual ships depended on it.

The yam total of 34,050 pounds for the month footed the account and split between the plantations at 29,300 pounds and the fort slaves at 4,750 pounds. This stood well below the heavier consumption of the deep winter months, the previous December having run to 53,880 pounds, reflecting the lighter feeding demand as the southern-hemisphere summer eased the pressure on grazing. The separate line for the fort slaves again isolated the ration issued to the Company's own labour, the very charge the Governor had moved to reduce from 1 March 1727.

47

24

153½ Gallˢ Arrack

12 . 2 . 6

48 . 12 . 2

487 ℔ Sugar

14 . —

12 . 17 . 6

64 ℔ Candy

310 ℔ Beild

10 . 4 . 6

11 . 11 . 3

106 ℔ Flour

1 . 4 . 6

34 ℔ Soap

2 . 3 . 9

3 Gallˢ Linsed Oyle

2 . 8 . 7

10 ℔ Candles

12 ℔ Wax

15 . —

27 ℔ Cutt Tobacco

1 . 15 . —

6 . 11 . 2

176 Pipes

8 . 9

21 Catt[ees] Bohea Tea

7 . 1

3 . 8 . 1

4 do Green

6 . 6

1½ Barrells Pitch

16 . —

7 . 2 . —

25 ℔ White Lead

17 . 6

19 Rice

42 . 6

3 Bushells Beans

2 . —

12 ℔ Pepper

1 . 3

2 . 12 . 9

10 Oz Indigo

6

6 White Shirts

15 . —

— . 6

1 Gingham

15 . —

1½ Long Cloth

4 . 6

1 Chints

2 . 10 . 6

1 Pˢ White Delotees

1 . 8 . 8

3 Small Iron Rolls

10 . —

5 . 11 . 2

1 Frying Pan

12 . —

2 Cotton Aprons

3

1 Ditto

4 . 9½

1 Tin Pepper Box

4 . 9½

4 . 10½

1 Lamp

2 . 3

1 Sauce Pan

1 . 3

1 do

1 . 9

6 Yardˢ Durance

5 . 9

13 Yardˢ Hollands Duck

2 . 1 . 2

6 Thimbles

10

1 Comb

1 . 3

1 do

2 . 8

2 Pˢ Salisbury Papers

2

2 Horse do

2

6 . 6

2 Tortoise Combins

2 . 6

7 . —

5 Doz Coph P

13 . 3

1½ ℔ Shoe thread

3 . 9

1 Chain Mohair

3 Doz Combs Sorted

1 . 5

10 . 6

3 Lines 3ᵈ

1 Pˢ Brass Candlesticks

1 . 5

2 . 10

1 Pˢ Snuffers

1 . 6

3 Pˢ Womens Stocking

3 . 6

8 . —

1 Youth do

1 . 9

1 Ryler do

2 . 10

4 Felt Hatts

14 . —

3 Tutors

2 Pˢ Boys Shoos 5/6

10 . 6

1 Corke do

3 . 6

2 Pˢ Mens Calf

13 . 4

2 Spanish Lead

16 . 8

11 Ordy

3 . 3 . 3

Margin Notes:

This Acct is Enterd here by Mistake

Start of crossed out section

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants.

153½ gallons arrack, at 6s 4d, £48 12s 2d

487 pounds sugar, at 9d, £12 17s 6d

64 pounds candy, at 14d, [...]

319 pounds bread, at 1s 4d, £11 11s 3d

106 pounds flour, at 2s 6d, [...]

34 pounds soap, at 2s 3d, [...]

8 gallons linseed oil, at 2s 8d, [...]

10 pounds candles, at 1s, [...]

12 pounds wax, at 15d, £6 11s 2d

27 pounds cut tobacco, at 3d, £3 8s 1d

17 pounds pepper, at 7¼d, [...]

21 catties bohea tea, at 6d, £7 2s 0d

4 pounds green tea, at 16d, [...]

1½ barrel pitch, at 17s 6d, [...]

25 pounds white lead, at 4½d, [...]

19 pounds rice, at 2d, [...]

3 bushels beans, at 1s 3d, [...]

1½ pounds pepper, at 6d, [...]

10 ounces indigo, at 16d, £2 12s 9d

6 pounds white lead, at 15s, [...]

1 piece gingham, at 1s 6d, [...]

1½ pieces long cloth, at 2s 10d, £6 11s 2d

1 chintz, at 1s 8d, [...]

1 piece white calico, at 10s, [...]

3 small handkerchiefs, at 12d, £5 11s 2d

1 frying pan, at 3s, [...]

2 garden aprons, at 3s, 15s 0d

1 diaper, at 4s 9½d, £4 10s 4½d

1 tin pepper box, at 3s, [...]

1 lamp, at 1s 3d, [...]

1 sauce pan, at 1s 3d, [...]

1 ditto, at 1s 9d, [...]

6 yards durance, at 5s 9d, £5 9s 0d

15 yards Holland Dutch, at 2s 4d, [...]

6 thimbles, at 10d, [...]

1 comb, at 1s 3d, [...]

1 ditto, at 1s 8d, [...]

1 ditto, at 3s 8d, £6 6s 0d

2 pieces Salisbury paper, at 3s 3d, [...]

2 horse ditto, at 3s 3d, £7 0s 0d

2 tortoiseshell combs, at 2s 6d, [...]

5 dozen corks, at 1s 3d, [...]

1½ dozen shoe thread, at 1s 3d, [...]

1 hair broom, at 3s 6d, [...]

3 dozen hooks, sorted, at 1s 5d, £10 6s 0d

3 lines, at 1s 3d, [...]

1 dozen brass candlesticks, at 1s 5d, £2 10s 0d

1 dozen snuffers, at 1s 6d, [...]

8 pairs women's stockings, at 3s 6d, £8 0s 0d

1 youth ditto, at 1s 9d, [...]

1 miller ditto, at 1s 10d, [...]

1 felt hat, at 14s, [...]

3 tutors, [...]

2 pairs boys' shoes, at 6s, 10s 6d, [...]

1 pair ditto, at 3s 6d, [...]

2 pairs men's calf, at 13s 4d, [...]

2 Spanish leather, at 16s 8d, [...]

11 crepe, at 3s 3d, £3 3s 3d

This account was entered here by mistake.

End of crossed out section

Interpretations

The clerk struck the whole account through and noted at the foot that it had been entered here by mistake, so the entire schedule of store goods sold to inhabitants was cancelled rather than corrected line by line. The cancellation shows the working method of the consultation book, in which a wrongly placed account was voided in full and re-entered in its proper place elsewhere, the crossing-out serving as the formal mark that these figures were not to be reckoned. The goods themselves, arrack, textiles, tools and tableware drawn from the Company warehouse, were the same mixed provisioning the store supplied to the settlement in the absence of any independent market.

Several textiles in the list belonged to the Company's Eastern and European cloth trade and would be little known today. Durance was a hard-wearing glazed woollen, Holland a fine Dutch linen, and gingham a checked or striped cotton, while chintz and long cloth were printed and plain cottons from the Coromandel coast. Spanish leather was a fine tanned hide used for better footwear, and the diaper was a figured linen, all imported goods that reached the island only through Company shipping.

The tools and small wares record the domestic and maritime economy the store had to supply. Fishing hooks and lines, corks, brass candlesticks, snuffers, combs and cooking pans were the everyday articles a remote settlement could not make for itself, and their appearance in a warehouse account rather than a shop's books shows how completely the Company controlled the supply of manufactured goods to the island's inhabitants.

48

25

Collection of Store Goods Sold & deliverd to Inhabitants

from 25ᵗʰ Febry to 24ᵗʰ March 1726/7 vizt

296¾ Gallˢ Arrack

98 . 15 . 6½

868 ℔ Sugar

21 . 9 . —

10 ℔ Candy

5 . 6 . —

26 . 15 . —

390 ℔ Bread

4 . 17 . 6

180 ℔ Flour

2 . 5 . —

39 ℔ Tobacco

4 . 7 . 9

7 . 2 . 6

43 Doz 1 Pipe

1 . 1 . 6½

13 Catt[ees] Bohea Tea

5 . 8 . —

5 . 9 . 3½

2 Ditto Green

8 . —

5 Gallˢ Linsed Oyle

1 . 10

5 . 16 . —

35 ℔ Soap

2 . 8 . 7

3 ℔ Starch

2 . 3

2 ℔ Pepper

2 . —

23 ℔ Candles

£ 2 . 6

1 ℔ Wax

1 . 3

2 . 7 . 3

6 . 10 . 1

27 Small Cupps

4 . 6

14 Large ditto

4 . 9

13 Sancers

6 . 6

6 Cupps & Saucers

3 . —

13 . 8

1 White Shirt

2 . 6

2 Pˢ Cotton Stockings

5 . —

7 . 6

2 Pˢ Chelloe

1 . 3 . 8

7 Pˢ Gingham

2 . 12 . 6

3 ℔ Shoe thread

7 . 6

4 . 8 . 8

1 ℔ 5º Nailes

1 . 1

1 ℔ 6º do

9

1½ 8º

2

1½ ℔ Brads

1 . 1

3 . 1

1 Wooden Bowls

6

1 do

7

1 do

5 . 6

3 . 7

2 Thimbles

4

1 Buckling Comb

1 . 1

1 . 9

26 Thread Twist

2 . 2

16 Yards Ferretting

6 . 4

2 do

6

5 Chains Mohair

8½ Oz China Silk

12 . 2½

3 Pˢ Holland Tape

3 . —

1 do Diaper do

2 . 6

2½ Coloured thread

9 . —

1 Oz Twine do

1 Wm Twine

1 . 6

9 . 2

12 Wm do

3½ Doz Hooks Sorted

3 . 3½

12 Lines do

9 . 3½

1 Butchers Knife

6

2 . 2

6 Spoons

3 . 3

Carried over

154 . 6 . —

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 25 February to 24 March 1727.

296¾ gallons arrack, £98 15s 5½d

868 pounds sugar, at 9d, £21 9s 0d

106 pounds candy, at 5s 6d, £26 15s 0d

390 pounds bread, at 4s 17d, [...]

180 pounds flour, at 2s 5d, £7 2s 6d

39 pounds tobacco, at 4s 7d, [...]

43 dozen 1 pipe, at 1s 1s 6½d, £5 9s 3½d

13 catties bohea tea, at 5s 8d, [...]

2 ditto green, at 8s, £5 16s 0d

5 gallons linseed oil, £1 10s 0d

35 pounds soap, at 2s 8d, 7d

3 pounds starch, at 2s 3d

2 pounds pepper, at 2s

23 pounds candles, at £2 6s

1 pound wax, at 1s 3d, £2 7s 3d, £6 10s 1d

27 small cups, at 4s 6d

14 large ditto, at 4s 9d

13 saucers, at 6s 6d

6 cups and saucers, at 3s, 13s 8d

1 white shirt, at 2s 6d

2 pairs cotton stockings, at 5s, 7s 6d

2 pieces calico, at £1 3s 8d

7 pieces gingham, at £2 12s 6d

3 pounds shoe thread, at 7s 6d, £4 8s 8d

1 pound 3d nails, at 1s 1d

1 pound 6d ditto, at 9d

1 pound 8d ditto, at 4d

1½ pounds brads, at 1s 1d, 3s 1d

1 wooden bowl, at 6d

1 ditto, at 7d

1 ditto, at 5s 6d, 3s 7d

2 thimbles, at 4d

1 buckling comb, at 1s 1d, 1s 0d

26 thread ditto, at 2s 2d

16 yards ferreting, at 6s 4d

2 ditto, at 6d

2 skeins mohair, at 6d

8½ ounces China silk, at 12s 6½d

3 pieces Holland tape, at 3s

1 ditto diaper, at 2s 6d

2½ pounds coloured thread, at 5s

1 ounce ditto, at 1s 6d

1 tin cup, at 1s 6d, £2 2s 9½d

12 tin ditto, at 3s

3½ dozen hooks, sorted, at 3s 3½d

12 lines ditto, 9s 3½d

1 butcher's knife, at 6d, 2s 2d

6 spoons, at 3s 3d

Carried over, £164 6s 0d

Interpretations

The account is the properly entered version of the store goods sold to inhabitants, replacing the schedule struck out on the facing leaf as entered by mistake. It runs the same class of goods, arrack, sugar, textiles, hardware and tableware drawn from the Company warehouse, and foots to a carried-over total of £164 6s 0d before its continuation. The warehouse served as the island's sole supplier of manufactured and imported goods, so this monthly collection measured the flow of such articles into private hands and the sterling owed for them.

Arrack again dominated the account at £98 15s 5½d for nearly 297 gallons, more than half the whole sum carried over. Distilled from palm sap, rice or sugar in the East and shipped in through the Company's Asian trade, it was the standard spirit sold and issued on the island, and its scale here confirms that inhabitants' purchases ran more heavily to drink than to any other single commodity.

Many of the small wares reveal the fine detail of a remote household's needs that only the store could meet. Ferreting and Holland tape were narrow woven linen tapes for binding and fastening, mohair and China silk were thread for finer sewing, and the sorted fishing hooks and lines supplied the island's own fishing. That such minor articles as thimbles, brads and spoons were entered individually shows how completely the settlement depended on Company shipping for goods it could not produce, down to the smallest domestic item.

49

26

Brought Over

£ 154 . 6

7 Yardˢ Durance

10 . 6

1½ Red Pich

3 . 4½

2 Ebony

2

½ ℔ Dutkoy

1 . 1

3 Yards Flannelle

7 . —

11 Splinter Locks Nᵒ 1

14 . 8

1 Small Stock Lock

2 . 3

1 Frying Pan

3 . —

1 Pˢ Mens Spanish Leather Shoe

8 . 4

12 Axle Blades

4 . —

1 Corke Dish Wᵗ 4 ℔

2 . —

8 Pˢ Womens Stock

15 . —

1½ Pˢ Ordry Long Cloth

1 . 13 . 4

1 Gent Sauce Pan

10

2 Lamps

4 . 6

1 Porringer

7

1 Coffy Pott

3 . 6

1 Tin Kettle

3 . 6

6 . 19 . 0½

Sum Totall to Inhabitants

161 . 5 . 1½

Diet Expences vizt

103 Gallˢ Arrack

14 . 8 . 2

246 ℔ Sugar

3 . 14 . —

2 Bottles Oyle

10 . 6

2 Gallons Vinegar

8 . —

1 Pepper

1 . —

4 Gallˢ Corck Wine

21 . 8 . —

13 do Mountain

4 . 15

6 . 4 . —

Cash in the Storekeepers Hand 60 Bushˢ Salt

1 . 19

27 . 4 . 8

Fortification

6 ℔ 5º Nailes

5

2 6º do

del the Carpenter

1 . 6

8 10º do

5 . 4

7 ℔ 4½ 2½ Stub Brads

16 . 4

1 Quart Linsed Oyle

2 . —

18 Squares Glass 6 & 3

Delivered

13 . 6

1 do 3 & 10

the Castle

1 . —

1 do 10 & 12

Windows

1 . 6

2 Barrills Lamp Black

8

2 . 6 . 10

Plantation

2 Garden Spades Nᵒ 2 & 3

13 . 8

1 Pˢ do Sheer

del the Country

3 . 4

2 Lines Sorted

Gardener

5 . 3

1 Rugg Stone

6

1 . 4 . 9

Garrison

12 Catt[ees] Tea

2 . 8 . —

5½ Linsed Oyle

del the Guards

1 . 13

2 ℔ Sweet do

del the Armourer

10 . 6

5 ℔ Soap

7 . 1

25 Vinegar

12 . 6

88 ℔ Gunner 90 ℔ Rope for Slings & Gun Rope

2 . 6

7 . 6 . 1

Carried Over

£ 192 . 11 . 3½

Store goods sold to inhabitants, brought over, £164 6s 0d.

7 yards durance, at 2s, 10s 6d

1½ yards red hock, at 3s, 4s 4½d

2 ebony, at 2s 2d

½ pound diaper, at 1s 1d

3 yards flannel, at 7s 0d

11 spinster locks, numbered 1, at 14s 8d

1 small stock lock, at 2s 8d

1 frying pan, at 3s 0d

1 pair Spanish leather shoes, at 8s 4d

12 awl blades, at 4s 0d

1 corked dish, numbered 4, at 2s 0d

6 pairs women's stockings, at 15s 0d

1½ pieces Orlando long cloth, at £1 13s 4d

1 gilt shoe pan, at 10d

2 lamps, at 4s 6d

1 porringer, at 7d

1 coffee cup, at 2s 6d

1 tin kettle, at 3s 6d, £6 19s 0½d

Sum total to inhabitants, £164 5s 1½d

Diet expenses.

45½ gallons arrack, £14 8s 2d

446 pounds sugar, £3 14s 0d

2 bottles oil, 10s 6d

2 gallons vinegar, 8s 0d

1 pepper, 1s 0d

4 gallons old Cape wine, £1 3s 0d

15 bottles Mountain, at 4s 8d, £6 4s 0d

Cask in the storekeeper's hands, 6 bushels salt, £1 19s 0d, £27 4s 8d.

Fortification.

6 pounds 4d nails, at 5s, delivered to the carpenter

2 pounds 6d ditto, at 1s 6d, delivered to the carpenter

8 pounds 10d ditto, at 5s 4d, delivered to the carpenter

7½ pounds 8d shod brads, at 16s 4d

1 quart linseed oil, 2s 0d

18 squares glass, 6 by 8, whited, 13s 6d

1 ditto, 3 by 10, the castle, 1s 0d

1 ditto, 10 by 12, windows, 1s 6d

2 barrels lampblack, 8s 0d, £2 6s 10d

Plantation.

2 garden spades, numbered 2 and 3, 13s 8d, delivered to the country gardener

1 pair sheep shears, 3s 4d, delivered to the country gardener

2 lines forked, 5s 3d, delivered to the country gardener

1 hone stone, 6d, £1 4s 9d

Garrison.

12 catties tea, delivered to the guard, 2s 8d

5½ gallons linseed oil, delivered to the guard, £1 13s 0d

2 pounds sweet oil, 292 pounds turnover, 10s 6d

5 pounds soap, 7s 1d

25 vinegar, 12s 6d

88 pounds gunner, 90 pounds rope for rigging and gun rope, 2s 6d

Carried over, £7 6s 1½d, £192 11s 3½d

Interpretations

This part of the account closed the inhabitants' collection at a sum total of £164 5s 1½d, then divided the remaining store issues by charge into diet expenses, fortification, plantation and garrison. Each division carried its own goods, so the fort's provisioning, its building repairs, its farming tools and its guard supplies were reckoned separately against the parts of the establishment they served. This apportionment let the council attribute every article drawn from the warehouse to a defined purpose rather than to a single undifferentiated total.

The wines under diet expenses came from across the maritime trade routes. Mountain was a sweet fortified wine from the hills near Malaga in southern Spain, and old Cape wine came from the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, a natural stop on the homeward route. Hock was a matured Rhenish white from the German river valleys, all imported goods that reached the fort table only through Company and passing shipping.

The fortification entries record the practical materials of maintaining the fort, the glass squares cut to size for the castle windows being noted by their exact dimensions. Lampblack was a fine soot used to make ink and black paint, and the shod brads were iron-tipped fastening nails, both delivered to the carpenter for repairs. Listing each pane by measurement and each nail by weight shows the close accounting the Company kept even over the smallest materials of upkeep, since every item had to be shipped in and none could be replaced from local supply.

50

27

Brought Over

£ 7 . 6 . 1

192 . 11 . 3½

del the Gunner

2 White Lead

£ 1 . 6

del Capt of the Guards

6º Yellow Oaker

3 . 6

1 ℔ Blew to make Bags &c

to preserve the Ensuers

10 . —

del the Docter

1 Peck Oatmeale

3 . 1½

1 Glass Mugg

4½

del the Gunner

1 Hammoen

16

4 Iron Brushes

8 . —

del the Docter

1 Twine

3 . 3

1 ℔ Candles

9 . —

1 Shoe Knife

1 . —

4 ℔ do

5 . —

2 6º do

1 . 8

10 Yardˢ White Bunting

10 . —

13 do Blew do

13 . —

del the Gunner

8 do Red do

2 . 3

4 Barrills Iron for Gun Carriage

4 . 6

del the Docter

2 Pyshim

3 . 11 . 11½

15 . 13 . 1½

Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Blacks

1 Cash Pork

12 . —

2 Oßo ℔ Rice

25 . 12 . 6

1363 ℔ Wheat

14 . 7 . 6

10½ Doz Hooks Sorted 2 . 9

6 . 12 . 2

11 Doz Lines do 7 . 3

175 ℔ Rope

4 . 7 . 6

4 Cabe

1 . 8

del for Fishing Boates

1 Twine

3 . 3

12 Knives

6

6º Lead

17

200 Neddles

2

2½ Oz China Silk

3 . 11½

1 ℔ English Moss & Nlleg

9

69 . 4 . 11½

General Charges

1 Tobacco

2 . 3

24 Pipes

1 . —

2 Hand Brushes

6 Scrubbing do

7 . 6

del for the Use of the Castle

2 Mops

4 . —

1 Large Locks for the Jacks

3 . 4

1 Chafing Dish

4 . 5

1 Brass Lock

13 . 4

1 Chest Lock

2 . 8

2 Hoes

7 . —

del Fort Gardener

1 Spade

7 . 10

1 Pair Bellowes

3 . 8

2 ℔ Corck Wool

2 . 8

del the Docter

1½ Pˢ Long Cloth

10 . —

1 Catt[ee] Tea

6 . —

del for Table Linnen

12 Pˢ Delotes

6 . —

1 . 3 . 3

del to Cash & Bake

9 Yardˢ Fishem

Carried Over

£ 11 . 6 . 5

277 . 14 . 3½

Store goods sold, brought over, £7 6s 1d, £192 11s 3½d.

Delivered to the gunner, 2 pounds white lead, £1 1s 6d

Delivered to the captain of the guards, 6 pounds yellow ochre, 3s 6d

1 pound blue, to make bags to preserve the ounces, 10d

Delivered to the doctor, 1 peck oatmeal, 3s 1½d

1 glass mug, 4½d

1 hammer, 1s 6d

Delivered to the gunner, 4 stove brushes, 8d

Delivered to the doctor, 1 pound twine, 2s 2d

1 pound candles, 2d

1 shoe knife, 1s 0d

4 pounds ditto, 5s 0d

4 pounds ditto, 1s 8d

10 yards white bunting, 10s 0d

12 yards blue ditto, 13s 0d

8 yards red ditto, 2s 3d

Delivered to the gunner, 4 barrels tar for gun carriage, 4s 6d

Delivered to the doctor, 6 pipkins, 6s 0d, £8 11s 11½d, £15 13s 0½d

Company's slaves.

1 cask beef, £12 0s 0d

2,050 pounds rice, £25 12s 6d

1,368 pounds wheat, £14 7s 6d

10½ dozen hooks, sorted, 2s 9d

11 dozen lines ditto, £6 12s 9d

175 pounds rope, £4 7s 6d

4 casks, £1 8s 0d

1 pound twine, 2s 2d

12 knives, 6s 0d

6 pounds lead, 7s 0d

200 needles, 2s 0d

2½ ounces China silk, 3s 4½d

1 pound English moss, delivered to the fishing boats, 3s 9d, £69 4s 11½d

General charges.

1 tobacco, 2s 3d

24 pipes, 1s 0d

2 hand brushes, delivered for the use of the castle

6 scrubbing ditto, 7s 6d

2 mops, 4s 0d

1 large lock for the docks, 3s 4d

1 chafing dish, 4s 5d

1 brass lock, 13s 4d

1 chest lock, 2s 8d

2 hoes, 7s 0d

1 spade, delivered to the fort gardener, 7s 10d

1 pair bellows, 3s 8d

2 pounds cork wood, 2s 8d

1½ pieces long cloth, delivered to the doctor, 10s 0d

1 catty tea, 6s 0d

12 pounds tallow, delivered for the table linen, £1 3s 3d

9 yards fishing, delivered to the coxswain and boat, £11 6s 5d

Carried over, £277 14s 3½d

Interpretations

This continuation carried the store account through further issues to the doctor, gunner and captain of the guards, then divided the remainder between the Company's slaves and general charges, footing to a carried-over total of £277 14s 3½d. The charge to the slaves stood out at £69 4s 11½d, driven by a cask of beef, more than two thousand pounds of rice and nearly fourteen hundred of wheat, the bulk provisions that fed the Company's owned labour. This heavy grain issue reflects the shift the Governor had begun on 1 March 1727, moving the slaves toward fish and cereals and away from the costly meat ration.

The fishing tackle issued to the slaves and to the boat crew, sorted hooks, dozens of lines, rope, twine and English moss, shows the material basis of the fish economy the council had ordered. English moss, a dried seaweed, and the quantities of line and hook were the equipment needed to keep the fishing boats constantly employed, the very plan on which the meat-ration saving depended. Supplying this gear through the store confirms that the council was fitting out the fishery in practice, not merely resolving it in principle.

The small stores delivered to named officers reveal the specialised needs of each department. The gunner drew tar for the gun carriages and bags of blue to protect the ordnance, the doctor took oatmeal, pipkins and a glass mug for the sick, and the captain of the guards received ochre and lead. The coloured bunting issued in white, blue and red was signal and flag cloth for the fort, each length recorded against the office that used it, showing how tightly the Company tracked even minor materials that had to be shipped in from England.

51

28

Brought over

£ 11 . 6 . 5

277 . 14 . 3½

4 Oz Thread

2 . 8

del to Tin Kings Basket

3 Sugar Pan

2 . —

1 ℔ Cash thread

1 . 9

6½ Yardˢ Duck

10 . 9½

del to Bottom Boat feed

1 ℔ 6º Nailes

4 . 3

1½ ℔ half Inch Brads

1 . 3

del for the Buckets

3¼ Yardˢ Canvas

10½

del for Fort Use

2 Large Glass Lanthorn

1 . 16 . 6

1 Iron do

6 . 8

3 ℔ 10º Nailes

2 . —

del 2º do

1 . 3

del to Mend the Fishing Boates

2 Pˢ Lamp Oyle

3 . —

2 Ashin Oarˢ

14 . 9

14 . 6 . 4

Sum Totall

£ 289 . 10 . 10½

Expence of the General Table in March 1726/7

35½ Gallˢ Arrack for the Table

11 . 4 . 10

8 do to Labouring Blacks

2 . 10 . 8

2 do to Guards

12 . 8

12 Gallˢ Mountain 7/9 P Gall

4 . 13 . —

4 do Cort 7/9

1 . 11

2 do Vinegar

8

2 Bottles Oyle

7

146 ℔ Sugar

3 . 14

130 Bread

1 . 12 . 6

100 Flour

1 . 6

32 do Suet

4 . —

145 ℔ Pork

3 . 12 . 6

4 Goates

2 . —

6 Turkeys

1 . 16

3 Fowles

4 . 6

2 Ducks

4 . —

Butter 23 ℔

1 . 3

28 Day Green

1 . 8

56 Bottles Milk

16 . 8

24 ℔ Wax Candles

9 . 8

145 Soap

19 . 10

£ 46 . 8 . 2

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

Store goods sold, brought over, £11 6s 5d, £277 14s 3½d.

4 ounces thread, 2s 8d

Delivered to the limehouse basket, 3 pepper pans, 2s 0d

1 ounce corked thread, 1s 9d

6 yards Dutch, 19s 9½d

Delivered to the bottom of the head, 1 pound nails, 4s 3d

Delivered to the bottom of the head, 1½ pounds half-inch brads, 1s 4d

Delivered to the buckets, ¾ yard canvas, 10½d

Delivered to the fort use, 2 large glass lanthorns, £1 16s 6d

Delivered to the fort use, 1 6d ditto, 6s 8d

3 pounds 10d nails, 2s 0d

1 pound 2d ditto, 1s 3d

Delivered to serve the fishing boats, 2 quarts lamp oil, 3s 0d

Delivered to serve the fishing boats, 2 ashen oars, 14s 0d, £14 6s 4d

Sum total, £289 10s 10½d

Account of the expense of the general table for March 1727.

35½ gallons arrack for the table, £11 4s 10d

8 gallons to labouring slaves, £2 10s 8d

2 gallons to the guards, 12s 8d

12 gallons Mountain, at 7s 9d per gallon, £4 13s 0d

4 gallons port, at 7s 9d, £1 11s 0d

2 gallons vinegar, 8s 0d

2 bottles oil, 7s 0d

124 pounds sugar, £3 14s 0d

130 pounds bread, £1 12s 6d

100 pounds flour, £1 6s 0d

320 pounds beef, £4 0s 0d

145 pounds pork, £3 12s 6d

4 goats, £2 0s 0d

6 turkeys, £1 16s 0d

3 fowls, 4s 6d

2 ducks, 4s 0d

butter, 23 pounds, £1 3s 0d

25 days' greens, £1 5s 0d

5 bottles milk, 16s 8d

2 pounds wax candles, 2s 8d

14 pounds soap, 19s 10d

Sum total, £46 8s 2d

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This closing part of the store account footed the whole collection to a sum total of £289 10s 10½d, the aggregate of goods sold to inhabitants and issued to the several departments over the month. The final entries record materials for specific fort uses, glass lanthorns for lighting, nails and brads for repairs, and oars and lamp oil delivered to serve the fishing boats. The continued supply of gear to the fishery confirms the council was equipping the boats on which its meat-ration economy of 1 March 1727 depended.

The general table account recorded the food and drink consumed at the fort over March, extended to sterling and footed to £46 8s 2d, keeping the arrack for the officers' table distinct from that issued to the labouring slaves and the guards. The heavy weight of imported wine and spirits, Mountain and port alongside the arrack, sat beside island-raised goats, turkeys, fowls, greens and milk. The salt beef and pork still appear in quantity, showing that the fort table itself retained its meat even as the slaves' ration was being cut.

Mountain was a sweet fortified wine from the hills near Malaga in southern Spain, and port a fortified red from the Douro valley of Portugal, both reserved for the officers' table rather than the general establishment. The eight gallons of arrack entered for the labouring slaves records the spirit ration still issued to the Company's own workforce, a separate line from the table's own drink, marking the different footing on which each group was supplied.

52

29

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 18ᵗʰ Aprill 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Reports that Since this day Sennight he hath put out

three more of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Black Girles vizt Nanney & Mary each of the Age

of Seven Years both to Mʳ French Gunner who has Entred into an Obligation of

Sixteen Pounds the form of which is Entred in the preceding Consultation to keep them

for the Space of Twelve Years, & Sarah aged Eight Years to Mʳ Bazette who is also

obliged to keep her Eleven Years under the Penalty of Eight Pounds

Orderd that these & all other Obligations of this Sort that Shall be hereafter

made be Entred in the Register Book

Capt Goodwin Report that he has Measured the Land at the Hutts & finds

with the two Acres formerly Sold Mʳ Gorling that it contains Forty Seven Acres

but great part of it very cold & Barren

Orderd that a Bill of Sale be accordingly made Mʳ Gorling of the whole & that

the former Bill of Sale for two Acres be Cancelled

Richard Beal presented a Receipt for Fifty Pounds by him paid to & Signed by

the Church Wardens Joshua Johnson & John Desfountain being a Legacy left the

Poor of the Island by William Penney Praying the Same might be Registered for

greater Security

Orderd that the Same be accordingly Registered

John Gorling presented his Petition Setting forth that by his Care & Diligence, a Cow

Calf that he received five Years ago on Acct of Doveton, Orphan, has yeilded two Steer

Calves all which he has hitherto Pastured Gratis but is now desireous to be eased of the

trouble & Charge Praying Wee would appoint a Person to Receive them or that Wee would

Order them to be appraised & Sold for the Benefit of the said Child

Orderd that Mʳ Wood do Appraise & Sell them & make Report thereof on Tuesday next

The Several Persons Orderd to attend this day made their Appearance accordingly

& were each of them Severly Reprimanded & threatened with the Forfeiture of their Deeds &

Lease in Case they Should hereafter Neglect to Plant & Fence as frequently directed, &

they all Promised to be more carefull for the time to come & the Defaulters were fined as

follow vizt

John Bagley Senʳ fined 12ᵈ a former Offender & Defective in Wood

Richᵈ Trestly 7/6 & neither Furze or Wood in Proportion

John Seale 2/6 first Offence neither Wood or Furze

Orlando Bagley junʳ neither Wooded or fenced having lately had it, not fenced

William Addis 2/6 Wood & Furze in Part only

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 April 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that a week earlier he had apprenticed out three more of the Company's slave girls. Nanny and Mary, each aged 7, went to Mr French, the gunner, who entered into a bond of £16, in the form set out in the previous consultation, to keep them for twelve years. Sarah, aged 8, went to Mr Bazett, who was likewise bound to keep her twelve years under a penalty of £8. The council ordered these bonds, and all others of the kind made in future, entered in the register book.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the land at the Huts, including the two acres formerly Carling's, and found it came to 47 acres, though a great part was very cold and barren. The council ordered a bill of sale made to Carling for the whole, and the earlier bill of sale for the two acres cancelled.

Richard Beal presented a receipt for £50 paid to him, signed by the churchwardens Joshua Johnson and John Defountaine, being a legacy left to the poor of the island by William Denny. He asked that it be registered for greater security, and the council ordered it registered accordingly.

John Carling presented a petition. He set out that, by his care and diligence, a cow and calf received five years earlier on account of Dorston's orphan had increased to two steers and a calf. He had reared them all without charge to the estate but was now anxious to be relieved of the trouble and cost. He asked the council to appoint someone to receive them, or to order them appraised and sold for the child's benefit. The council ordered Mr Ward to appraise and sell them and to report the following Tuesday.

The several persons ordered to attend that day appeared accordingly. Each was reprimanded and warned of the forfeiture of their deeds and leases if they neglected to plant and fence as their grants required. All promised to be more careful in future. The defaulters were fined as follows.

John Bagley senior, fined 12s, a former offender and defective in wood

Richard Insley, 7s 6d, neither furze nor wood in proportion

John Seale, 2s 6d, first offence, neither wood nor furze

Orlando Bagley junior, neither wooded nor fenced, having lately had it, not fined

William Adds, 2s 6d, wood and furze in part only

Interpretations

The apprenticing of three more slave girls extended the policy the Governor had begun with Betty Green on 11 April 1727, placing Company children with private holders under penalty bonds. Each girl remained Company property, bound out for twelve years to save the charge of feeding and clothing her, with the holder liable to a forfeit if he failed to maintain her. Ordering every such bond entered in the register created a permanent record of the obligation, so the Company could enforce the maintenance terms and reclaim the girls at the end of their terms.

The legacy of £50 to the poor of the island, left by William Denny and paid through the churchwardens, shows the parish machinery for charitable relief operating alongside the Company's civil government. Churchwardens were the parish officers responsible for poor relief, and registering the receipt gave legal proof that the money had been received and was held for its charitable purpose. This protected the fund against loss or dispute and fixed the churchwardens' accountability for it.

The default enforcement carried through the process begun on 11 April 1727, converting the survey's findings into actual fines against named tenants. The council's power rested on the forfeiture clauses of each deed and lease, which allowed loss of the land for failure to plant wood and furze or to fence. The graduated fines, heavier on repeat offenders like John Bagley senior and lighter or waived for those newly holding their land, show the council enforcing the planting obligation while distinguishing wilful neglect from the ordinary lag of recently acquired ground.

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Ebenezer Leech 5 No Wood, little Furze & not fenced

Martin Harper not fenced having lately had his Land no Wood or Furze

John French junʳ not fenced for the same Reason neither fenced or Furzed

Elizabeth Marsh an old Offender & defective both in Wood & Furze

Joseph Desfountain not fenced having lately had it neither fenced & Wooded

Grace Coulson 5 no Wood & not fenced

Joseph Hayse 5 Second Offence his Leased Land not proportionally Wooded

Giles Smith not fenced his Land being lately hired

Sutton Isbee 7/6 Defective in Wood upon his Leased Land

John Thwaites 2/6 No Furze &c

Stephen Coale Bridger not fenced having lately had his Land

Isaac Leech 5 his Land not being fenced

Isaac Wood not fenced having lately had his Lease Land

The Governour Reports that for many Years past Several People have had Lycence to

Retaile Strong Liquors without making any Acknowledgment to the Honᵇˡᵉ Company

for that Liberty he thinks it reasonable they Should Pay for their Lycence as is Customary

in other Factories & accordingly Orderd the Several Persons who Sell Punch being in Nº 7

to attend him this day who each agreed to Pay Five Pounds P Annum for their Lycence, &

humbly Prayed Wee would Issue out an Order to forbid all other Persons Selling Punch or any

other Sort of Strong Liquor under the Penalty of Ten Pounds for the first Offence & three

Pounds for every Offence afterwards half Payable to the Honᵇˡᵉ Company & half to the Informer

Orderd that the following Advertizement be accordingly Published

Whereas Several Persons have this day had Lycences Granted them to Sell Strong

Liquor of all Sorts for which they each annually Pay the Honᵇˡᵉ Company a certain Sum

These are therefore to forbid all Persons other than those who have Lycences

as aforesaid to Sell Punch or any other Sort of Strong Liquor to any Person or Persons

what soever under the Forfeiture of Ten Pounds for the first Offence & three Pounds for

every other Offence afterwards half Payable to the Honᵇˡᵉ Company & half to the Person or

Persons who Shall make Proof thereof

Signed by Order

D Crispe

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 25ᵗʰ Aprill 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Wee this Day Executed a Bill of Sale to John Gorling Planter of the Hutts

Ebenezer Leech, 5s, no wood, little furze and not fenced

Martin Harper, not fined, having lately had his land, no wood or furze

John French junior, not fined for the same reason, neither fenced nor furze

Elizabeth Marsh, an old offender and defective both in wood and furze

Joseph Defountaine, not fined, having lately had it, neither fenced nor wooded

Grace Coulson, 5s, no wood and not fenced

Joseph Hayse, 5s, second offence, his leasehold land not proportionably wooded

Giles Smith, not fined, his land being lately hired

Sutton Illis, 7s 6d, defective in wood upon his leasehold land

John Thwaites, 2s 6d, no furze planted

Stephen Pledgard, not fined, having lately had his land

Isaac Leech, 5s, his land not being fenced

Isaac Wood, not fined, having lately had his leasehold land

The Governor reported that for many years several people had held licences to sell strong liquor without making any acknowledgement to the Company. Judging this liberty an abuse, he said the sellers should pay for their licences, as was customary at other factories. He accordingly ordered the several persons who sold punch, being seven in number, to attend that day. They agreed to pay 40s each yearly for their licences. The Governor further asked leave to forbid any other person from selling punch or any other strong liquor, under a penalty of £10 for a first offence and £10 for a second, half payable to the Company and half to the informer. The council ordered the following notice published accordingly.

The notice set out that several persons had held licences to sell strong liquor, for which each would now pay the Company a yearly sum. It forbade all persons other than those licensed to sell punch or any strong liquor, on pain of £10 for a first offence and £10 for every offence thereafter, half payable to the Company and half to the informer.

Signed by order of Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 25 April 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The council executed that day a bill of sale to John Carling, planter, of the Huts plantation.

Interpretations

The remaining fines completed the enforcement of the land survey, distinguishing throughout between established defaulters and those too recently settled to be penalised. Repeat offenders such as Elizabeth Marsh, marked an old offender, and Joseph Hayse at his second offence drew fines, while every tenant noted as having lately had his land was spared. This consistent distinction shows the council enforcing the planting and fencing obligation as a genuine duty rather than a mere revenue device, targeting neglect while protecting new holders whose duty had not yet fallen due.

The licensing of punch-sellers turned a long-tolerated practice into a source of Company revenue and a means of control. Selling strong liquor had gone unlicensed for years, and the Governor's charge of 40s yearly brought it into line with the custom of other Company factories, making the trade a matter of paid permission rather than free right. The heavy £10 penalty for unlicensed selling, split between the Company and any informer, harnessed private incentive to enforcement, since anyone reporting an offender stood to gain half the fine.

Punch was a mixed drink of spirit, usually arrack, with water, sugar, citrus and spice, the common strong liquor of the settlement. Regulating its sale mattered because uncontrolled retailing of spirits threatened both order among the garrison and inhabitants and the Company's own interest in the arrack it imported and sold. Requiring a licence let the Governor limit who could sell, tax the trade, and suppress unauthorised competition in a single measure.

Speculations

The Governor made the informer a paid partner in enforcement, allotting half of every £10 penalty to whoever reported an unlicensed seller. Leaving detection to the Company's own officers was the plain alternative, since the fort had a garrison and a marshal to police the island. He chose instead to spread the burden of enforcement across the whole population by giving each inhabitant a direct financial stake in reporting neighbours. The record shows the reasoning in the division of the fine: unlicensed selling in scattered private houses was hard for officers to detect, so the promise of half the penalty turned potential witnesses into informers and made the prohibition enforce itself.

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Plantation, containing with two Acres formerly Sold him Forty Seven Acres for

Three hundred & Fifty Pounds

John Gorling presented the said Bill of Sale desiring [...] the Same might be

Registered

Orderd that the Same be Registered Accordingly

Joseph Hays Petitioned for a Lease of about ten Acres of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps

Waste Land lying in Rupert Valley, & Grace Hayes Widow & Matthew Mudge

being formerly promised the Refusal of it, but now declining to take a Lease of the

Same his Request is Granted & is Orderd that Capt Goodwin do view & Measure

the Same

The Governour Reports that having great Reason to believe that the Guard

also Manditue Court were Negligent of their Duty he Orderd the Provost to go from

the Castle at an hour Unexpected who about Twelve at Night found the Officer & all

with him fast a Sleep who confessed that he had given the People that were with him leave

to Sleep till Twelve & would from that call them & then is agreable to the Orders hereunto from

his Superiour Officer but instead of Waking them he himself fell fast a Sleep for which

Offence he was Orderd to Ride the Wooden Horse two hours

The Governour Reports that he hath put out Margaret a Girle of Seven Years

old to John French Marshall for the Space of twelve Years upon the Same Terms as the

rest

Orderd that an Advertizement be given Published which has been frequently

Repeated to forbid carrying of Fire to & fro from House to House unless the Same be

well Secured in a Lanthorn or otherwise to prevent danger of Fire I & say may be found to

disregard this Order it is Resolved that the offender Shall be Severely fined

On Wednesday Morning at Day Break a Ship Appeared in the offing &

Stood pretty near us with French Colours but only looked into the Road & bore away

& Wee Suppose her to be an offender Capt Worth having left three in China when he

Sailed from hence

The Docter wanting Spirit of Wine for the Use of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Servants

Garrison & Blacks Dead & not having any in the Shop desired fifteen Gallon Arrack

to distill for that purpose

Orderd that fifteen Gallˢ Arrack be delivered him for that Service

The Gunner delivered a General Acct of Gunners Store from 25ᵗʰ Sepᵗ 1726 to 28ᵗʰ

February 1726/7, & also a Monthly Acct of Gunners Store Expended in March last

which were each Examined & approved & are as follow What has been in

Names of each Sort

Acct of what

Store of Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726

the Expence from 25ᵗʰ Sepᵗ 1726 to 28ᵗʰ February 1726/7

the Remains 28ᵗʰ February 1726/7

Gunners Store 1726

Names Gunners Store, Store of Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 —, the Expence 25 Sepᵗ 1726 to 26 Febry 1726/7 —, the Remains 28ᵗʰ February 1726/7 —

Iron Ordinance

Names Iron Ordinance, Store of Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 114, the Expence 25 Sepᵗ 1726 to 26 Febry 1726/7 —, the Remains 28ᵗʰ February 1726/7 114

Iron round Shott

Names Iron round Shott, Store of Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 6943, the Expence 25 Sepᵗ 1726 to 26 Febry 1726/7 2, the Remains 28ᵗʰ February 1726/7 6943

Double headed or hammered Shott

Names Double headed or hammered Shott, Store of Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 546, the Expence 25 Sepᵗ 1726 to 26 Febry 1726/7 —, the Remains 28ᵗʰ February 1726/7 546

The bill of sale to Carling covered the whole plantation, including the two acres formerly sold to him, coming to 47 acres for £3 6s 0d, and was ordered registered.

John Durling presented the bill of sale and asked that it be registered. The council ordered it registered accordingly.

Joseph Hayse petitioned for a lease of about ten acres of the Company's waste land in Rupert's Valley, lying between Grace Hayes, widow, and Matthew Mudge. Having earlier been promised first refusal of it, he now wished to take a lease. The council granted his request and ordered Captain Goodwin to view and measure the land.

The Governor reported that, having good reason to believe the guard at Munden's Point negligent of its duty, he had gone from the castle unexpectedly about midnight. He found the watch officer, and all with him, fast asleep. The officer confessed he had given his men leave to sleep two hours at a time under his superior's orders, but he had himself fallen asleep, which was against the orders he had received. For this offence the Governor ordered him to ride the wooden horse two hours.

The Governor reported that he had put out George Wrangham as marshal and appointed John French marshal for twelve years on the same terms as the rest.

The council ordered a notice published, one often published before, forbidding the carrying of fire from house to house unless secured in a lanthorn, so as to prevent danger of fire. Any found to disregard the order was to be severely punished.

On Wednesday morning at daybreak a ship appeared in the offing and stood pretty near with French colours, but only looked into the road before bearing away. The council took her to be Captain Worth in the Townshend, who had left three ships in China when he sailed from the island.

The doctor, wanting spirit of wine for the use of the Company's servants and the garrison slaves, and there being none in the store, asked for fifteen gallons of arrack. The council ordered fifteen gallons of arrack delivered for that use.

The gunner delivered a general account of the gunner's stores, from 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727, together with his monthly account of stores expended in March. Both were examined and approved as follows.

Account of the gunner's stores, showing what had been received and expended, from 25 September 1725 to 26 February 1727.

Iron ordnance, remaining 25 September 1725: 114

Iron ordnance, received and expended to 26 February 1727: -

Iron ordnance, remaining 26 February 1727: 114

Round shot, remaining 25 September 1725: 6,946

Round shot, expended to 26 February 1727: 2

Round shot, remaining 26 February 1727: 6,943

Double-headed or hammered shot, remaining 25 September 1725: 546

Double-headed or hammered shot, remaining 26 February 1727: 546

Interpretations

The riding of the wooden horse was a standard military punishment in which the offender was made to straddle a sharp-edged wooden beam, often weighted at the feet, for a set time. The Governor's midnight inspection of the Munden's Point guard and his discovery of the whole watch asleep struck at the island's defence, since that post guarded the anchorage against surprise. Punishing the officer while noting his men had leave to sleep in turns shows the council enforcing the distinction between a permitted rest and the dereliction of the man responsible for keeping watch.

The fire notice addressed a standing hazard on an island of closely built wooden houses, where an open flame carried between buildings could spread quickly. Requiring fire to be enclosed in a lanthorn, a pierced or glazed case that shielded the flame, was a practical fire-prevention rule backed by the threat of severe punishment. That the notice had been published before shows the council resorting to repeated proclamation to keep a familiar danger in check.

The gunner's stores account inventoried the fort's ordnance and munitions by class, carrying each from an opening figure through what was received and expended to a closing total. The iron ordnance held steady at 114 pieces and the round shot barely moved, reflecting a period of few discharges. Double-headed shot, two balls joined to tear rigging and sails, was among the specialised munitions kept for use against enemy ships, part of the arsenal the island maintained against the threat of attack on its anchorage.

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Names of Gunners Stores of each Sort

Acct of what Remains 25ᵗʰ Sepᵗ 1726

The Expence from Ultº Sepᵗ 1726 to 26ᵗʰ Febry 1726/7

What has been Recᵈ from Ultº Sepᵗ 1726 to 26ᵗʰ Febry 1726/7

The Remains 26 Febry 1726/7

Corn Powder

Names Corn Powder, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 174 Barls 16½ ℔, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 1 Barl 5ᵈ 3ᵈ, Recᵈ 81½℔ 13, Remains 26 Febry 174 Barls 6 ℔

Cartridge Paper

Names Cartridge Paper, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 21 ℔, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 1½, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 20

Spunge Heads

Names Spunge Heads, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 365, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 2, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 363

Rammer Heads

Names Rammer Heads, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 219, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 219

Powder Horns

Names Powder Horns, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 158, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ 50, Remains 26 Febry 208

Pole Axe

Names Pole Axe, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 24, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 24

Flints

Names Flints, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 17103, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 104, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 16999

Worms

Names Worms, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 77, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 77

Copper Ladles

Names Copper Ladles, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 23, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 23

Pomphica

Names Pomphica, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 569, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 9, Recᵈ 200, Remains 26 Febry 760

Spunge Staves

Names Spunge Staves, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 342, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 3, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 339

Sheep Skins

Names Sheep Skins, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 169, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 14, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 156

Scouering Rodds

Names Scouering Rodds, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 278, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 278

Beds

Names Beds, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 122, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 122

Quinns

Names Quinns, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 180, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 180

Cardose Boxe

Names Cardose Boxe, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 77, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 77

Trucks

Names Trucks, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 274, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 20, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 254

Axletrees

Names Axletrees, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 69, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 8, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 61

Blunderbusses

Names Blunderbusses, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 36, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 36

Pistolls

Names Pistolls, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 12, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 12

Lead Shott

Names Lead Shott, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 13500¾, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 74, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 13976¾

Bomb Barrills

Names Bomb Barrills, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 12, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 12

Blocks

Names Blocks, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 2, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 1, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 1

Union Flagg

Names Union Flagg, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 2, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 2

Hand Spikes

Names Hand Spikes, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 206, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 15, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 191

Cormers

Names Cormers, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 24, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 24

Linstocks

Names Linstocks, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 100, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 100

Priming Wires

Names Priming Wires, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 300, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 300

Cartridge Cases

Names Cartridge Cases, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 92¼, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 92¼

Horse Hides

Names Horse Hides, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 1, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 1

Parchment Skins

Names Parchment Skins, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 72, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry —, Recᵈ —, Remains 26 Febry 72

Match

Names Match, Remains 25 Sepᵗ 1726 755, Expence 25 Sepᵗ to 26 Febry 347, Recᵈ 600, Remains 26 Febry 408

Signed Jnº French

Gunners Store Expended in March 1726/7 vizt

Guns Fired

Demiculverin

Sakers

Minions

Falcons

Chambers

Powder

March 1 Muster Day

Guns Fired —, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Chambers —, Powder 14 ℔

10 Departed Princess Anne Capt Gough

Guns Fired 9, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Chambers 2, Powder 6

do for Capt Smith going off the Island

Guns Fired 10, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Chambers 9, Powder 15

do Departed the Grantham Capt Feild

Guns Fired —, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Chambers 9, Powder 15

22 An Alarm

Guns Fired —, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Chambers 2, Powder 2

26 Arrived the Townshend Capt Worth

Guns Fired —, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons 9, Chambers 2, Powder 6

do for the Supra Cargoes coming on Shoar

Guns Fired 10, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Chambers 2, Powder 9

30 Departed the Townshend after Sun Sett

Guns Fired —, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Chambers 9, Powder 15

Expence for the Guards

Guns Fired —, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Chambers —, Powder 13

For fitting the Grandier Touches

Guns Fired —, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Chambers —, Powder 17

to Scale the Guns on the New they not having been fired half Year Year past

Guns Fired 15, Demiculverin 2, Sakers 3, Minions 5, Falcons —, Chambers —, Powder 107

Sharp Kern to Coat Spunge

Guns Fired —, Demiculverin —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Chambers —, Powder 20

White Lead to Whiten Pomphica

Guns Fired 76, Demiculverin 2, Sakers 8, Minions 5, Falcons 2, Chambers 59, Powder 272

Linsed Oyle to Grind Paint

1 Gall

Match

28 ℔

Tarr to Tarr the Carriage

2½ Barlˢ

Signed Jnº French

Account of the gunner's stores of each sort, showing the quantity remaining on 25 September 1725, the expense from that date to 26 February 1727, what was received in the same period, and the quantity remaining on 26 February 1727.

Corn powder, remaining 25 September 1725, 174 barrels 16½ pounds; expended, 1 barrel 84½ pounds; received, 13 barrels; remaining 26 February 1727, 173 barrels 6 pounds

Cartridge paper, remaining, 22 quire; expended, 2 quire; remaining, 20 quire

Sponge heads, remaining, 365; expended, 2; remaining, 363

Rammer heads, remaining, 219; remaining, 219

Powder horns, remaining, 158; received, 50; remaining, 208

Pole axes, remaining, 24; remaining, 24

Flints, remaining, 17,103; expended, 104; remaining, 16,999

Worms, remaining, 77; remaining, 77

Copper ladles, remaining, 23; remaining, 23

Sponges, remaining, 569; expended, 9; received, 200; remaining, 760

Sponge staves, remaining, 342; expended, 3; remaining, 339

Sheepskins, remaining, 169; expended, 14; remaining, 155

Scouring rods, remaining, 273; remaining, 273

Beds, remaining, 122; remaining, 122

Quoins, remaining, 130; remaining, 130

Cartouche boxes, remaining, 77; remaining, 77

Trucks, remaining, 274; expended, 20; remaining, 254

Aiglets, remaining, 69; expended, 8; remaining, 61

Blunderbusses, remaining, 36; remaining, 36

Pistols, remaining, 12; remaining, 12

Lead shot, remaining, 13,507 pounds; expended, 74; remaining, 13,763¾ pounds

Bough barrels, remaining, 12; remaining, 12

Blocks, remaining, 2; expended, 1; remaining, 1

Union flags, remaining, 2; remaining, 2

Handspikes, remaining, 206; expended, 15; remaining, 191

Cormers, remaining, 24; remaining, 24

Linstocks, remaining, 100; remaining, 100

Priming wires, remaining, 300; remaining, 300

Cartridge cases, remaining, 92¾; remaining, 92¾

Horse hides, remaining, 1; remaining, 1

Parchment skins, remaining, 79; remaining, 79

Match, remaining, 755 pounds; expended, 347; received, 600; remaining, 408

Signed by John French.

Account of the gunner's stores expended in March 1727. The account carried column headings for guns fired, culverin, demi-culverin, minions, falcons, sakers and powder.

1 March, muster day, powder 12 pounds

19 March, departed the Princess Anne, Captain Gough, guns fired 9, powder 9

20 March, for Captain Smith going off the island, guns fired 10, powder 15

20 March, departed the Grantham, Captain Field, guns fired 15, powder 15

22 March, an alarm, powder 6

22 March, arrived the Townshend, Captain Worth, guns fired 9, powder 9

23 March, for the supercargoes coming ashore, guns fired 15, powder 15

30 March, departed the Townshend after sundown, powder 13

Expense for the guard, powder 17

For firing the grenadier touches, powder 107

For 16 charges to seal the guns on the line, they not having been fired half a year past, guns fired 15, culverin 2, demi-culverin 3, minions 5, powder 107

White lead to whiten the sponges, 20 pounds

Linseed oil to grind the paint, 1 gallon

Match, 28 pounds

Tar to tar the carriages, 2½ barrels

Totals, guns fired 76, culverin 2, demi-culverin 8, minions 6, falcons 2, sakers 59, powder 372

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

This detailed stores account inventoried the fort's ordnance equipment class by class, most items unchanged across the seventeen months, which marks a quiet period of few discharges. The categories reveal the full apparatus of eighteenth-century gunnery: sponges, rammers and scouring rods to clean and load the guns, quoins and beds to adjust their elevation, worms to draw spent charges, and linstocks and priming wires to fire them. Handspikes were levers to shift the heavy pieces, trucks the wooden wheels of the gun carriages, and cartouche boxes the containers for made-up cartridges, together the working gear the garrison needed to keep its battery in action.

The monthly account records powder and shot fired occasion by occasion, dominated by salutes marking the comings and goings of ships and officers. The departures of the Princess Anne, the Grantham and the Townshend, and Governor Smith's leaving the island, each drew a ceremonial discharge, the conventional courtesy of the anchorage. The entry of 15 charges to seal the guns that had stood unfired for half a year points to a maintenance firing, clearing pieces long idle to keep them serviceable against sudden need.

The materials at the foot, white lead to whiten the sponges, linseed oil to grind paint and tar for the gun carriages, record the upkeep of the ordnance rather than its use. These preservative supplies show the constant attention the fort gave to protecting iron and timber against the sea air, since every gun, carriage and tool had to be shipped from England and none could be replaced from the island's own resources.

56

33

Serjeant Wood acquainted Us that he has Appraised the four Head of Cattle belonging

to Doveton, Orphan at Ten Pounds & Sold the Same to John Gorling for that Sum who

Promises to be accountable for the Same whenever Demanded

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 2 May 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

Jnº Alexander Absent being Sick

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Mʳˢ Bazette having lost her Lease for twenty Acre Land Granted in the

Lifetime of her deceased Husband presented her Petition Praying Wee would Grant

her a New One the better to Ascertain her Title to the Premises

Granted

The Governour, Captain Goodwin, The Gunner & Steward

delivered each a Monthly Acct as usual which were each Examined & Approved & are

as follow vizt

Gunners Stores Expended between 1 & 24ᵗʰ Aprill 1727 vizt

Guns Fired

Culvering

Falcons

Powder

Aprl 5 Muster Day

Guns Fired —, Culvering —, Falcons —, Powder 10 ℔

An Alarm for Ship to Leeward

Guns Fired 4, Culvering 2, Falcons 2, Powder 16

Expence of the Guard

Guns Fired —, Culvering —, Falcons —, Powder 12

Musquet Balls for ditto 1 ℔

Guns Fired 4, Culvering 2, Falcons 2, Powder 38

Cartridge Paper for do 1 Quire

Axletree deliverd the Carpenter 1

Match 14 ℔

Signed John French

Expence of the General Table in Aprill 1727

29½ Gallˢ Arrack for the Table

9 . 6 . 10

8½ do to Labouring Blacks

17 . 5

4 3/4 do to Guards

6½ Gallˢ Mountain Wine 7/6 P Gall

2 . 10 . 4½

6 do Red Cort 7/9

6 . 6

8 do Strong Beer

12 . —

10 do Small do

10 . —

2 do Vinegar

8

140 ℔ Bohea 15º P ℔

1 . 7 . 6

150 do Flour

17 . 6

120 Sugar 6º

3 . —

31 Wax Candle 2º P ℔

3 . 2

145 Soap 17º P ℔

1 . 13

Carried over

£ 29 . 10 . 6½

Sergeant Wood reported that he had appraised the four head of cattle belonging to Dorston's orphan at £[...] and sold them to John Carling for that sum, who promised to be accountable for them whenever they were demanded.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 May 1727 at Union Castle.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Goodwin. John Alexander absent, being sick.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Mrs Bazett, having held her lease for twenty acres of land during the lifetime of her deceased husband, presented her petition. She asked the council to grant her a new lease, the better to secure her title to the land. The council granted it.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward each delivered their monthly account as usual, which were severally examined and approved as follows.

Account of the gunner's stores expended between 1 and 24 April 1727. The account carried column headings for guns fired, culverin, falcons and powder.

5 April, muster day, guns fired [...], culverin [...], falcons [...], powder 10 pounds

19 April, an alarm for a ship to leeward, guns fired 4, culverin 2, falcons 2, powder 16

Expense of the guard, powder 12

Musket balls for the same, 1 pound

Cartridge paper for the same, 1 quire

Axletree, delivered to the carpenter, 1

Match, 14 pounds

Totals, guns fired 4, culverin 2, falcons 2, powder 38

Signed by John French.

Account of the expense of the general table for April 1727.

20½ gallons arrack for the table, £6 9s 10d

8½ gallons to labouring slaves, £2 13s 5d

2¾ gallons to the guards, 17s 5d

6½ gallons Mountain wine, at 7s 6d per gallon, £2 10s 4½d

6 gallons red port, at 7s 9d, £2 6s 6d

3 gallons strong beer, 12s 0d

10 gallons small beer, 10s 0d

2 gallons vinegar, 8s 0d

110 pounds bread, at 15s per 100 pounds, £1 7s 6d

150 pounds flour, £1 17s 6d

120 pounds sugar, at 6d, £3 0s 0d

31 wax candles, at 2s per pound, 3s 2d

15 pounds soap, at 17d per pound, £1 3s 0d

Carried over, £29 10s 6½d

Interpretations

The sale of the orphan's cattle to Carling completed the arrangement set in motion on 18 April 1727, when the council ordered the stock appraised and sold for the child's benefit. Sergeant Wood's role as appraiser and Carling's undertaking to answer for the animals when demanded show the machinery for protecting a minor's estate: the beasts were converted to a fixed value held for the orphan, while Carling took the practical burden of keeping them under a binding promise of accountability. This turned troublesome livestock into a secured claim the child could realise later.

Mrs Bazett's petition illustrates the insecurity of a lease held only for the term of a husband's life. Such a lease ended at his death, leaving the widow's continued possession uncertain, so she sought a fresh grant in her own name to fix her title. The council's grant regularised her hold on the twenty acres, replacing a right that had lapsed with one she could rely on and defend, a common step for widows converting a marital tenancy into their own.

The general table account again separated the arrack issued for the officers' table from that given to the labouring slaves and the guards, three distinct rations of the same spirit drawn on different footings. The continued issue of Mountain wine and red port to the table, alongside strong and small beer, shows the fort maintaining its established range of drink. Red port was a fortified red wine from the Douro valley of Portugal, and small beer a weak brew for ordinary daily drinking, the two marking the gap between the officers' table and the common ration.

57

34

Brought Over

£ 29 . 10 . 6½

65 ℔ Fresh Pork 6º P ℔

1 . 12 . 6

31 ℔ Butter 12º

1 . 11

2 ℔ Pepper

2

7 Fowles

10 . 6

4 Turkey

6

3 Geese

18

5 Goates

2 . 10

31 Days Green

1 . 11

2 Bottles Florence Oyle

10

62 Bottles Milk 4º

1 . 8

40 . 11 . 8½

Account of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Stock of Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goates, Hoggs, Poultry, & Horses,

likewise what has been Killed & Dead besides the Increase or Decrease from 25ᵗʰ March 1727 to 24ᵗʰ Aprile following

vizt

Neat Cattle Bullocks

Neat Cattle Cowes

Neat Cattle Heifers

Neat Cattle Steer

Neat Cattle Yearlings

Neat Cattle Calves

Neat Cattle Bulls

Neat Cattle Totall

Sheep Ewes

Sheep Wethers

Sheep Lambs

Sheep Rams

Sheep Totall

Goates Ewes

Goates Wethers

Goates Kids

Goates Rams

Goates Totall

Hoggs Sowes

Hoggs Shoates

Hoggs Boars

Hoggs Pigs

Hoggs Totall

Poultry Turkeys

Poultry Fowles

Poultry Ducks

Poultry Geese

Horses Horses

Horses Mares

Horses Totall

Rem 25 March

Neat Cattle Bullocks 11, Neat Cattle Cowes 60, Neat Cattle Heifers 14, Neat Cattle Steer 10, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 84, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 201, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 22, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 101, Goates Ewes 157, Goates Wethers 48, Goates Kids 80, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 290, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 20, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 13, Hoggs Totall 39, Poultry Turkeys 90, Poultry Fowles 91, Poultry Ducks 5, Poultry Geese 32, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Bought 1 to 24 Aprill

Neat Cattle Bullocks 5, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers 2, Neat Cattle Steer 3, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 10, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Encreased from do to do

Neat Cattle Bullocks 9, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers 9, Neat Cattle Steer 8, Neat Cattle Yearlings 20, Neat Cattle Calves 5, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 51, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs 4, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall 4, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids 24, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 24, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks 5, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 25, Neat Cattle Cowes 60, Neat Cattle Heifers 25, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 89, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 262, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 157, Goates Wethers 48, Goates Kids 104, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 314, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 20, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 13, Hoggs Totall 39, Poultry Turkeys 90, Poultry Fowles 96, Poultry Ducks 10, Poultry Geese 32, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Killed from do to do

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers 5, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 5, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 1, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall 4, Poultry Turkeys 1, Poultry Fowles 7, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese 3, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Cattle Cutt & Grown from do to do

Neat Cattle Bullocks 25, Neat Cattle Cowes 60, Neat Cattle Heifers 25, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 89, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 262, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 157, Goates Wethers 43, Goates Kids 104, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 309, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 19, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 13, Hoggs Totall 38, Poultry Turkeys 89, Poultry Fowles 84, Poultry Ducks 10, Poultry Geese 29, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings 16, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 16, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 25, Neat Cattle Cowes 60, Neat Cattle Heifers 25, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 43, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 216, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 157, Goates Wethers 43, Goates Kids 104, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 309, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 19, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 13, Hoggs Totall 38, Poultry Turkeys 89, Poultry Fowles 84, Poultry Ducks 10, Poultry Geese 29, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Dead in ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes 1, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 1, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys 3, Poultry Fowles 8, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Rem 24ᵗʰ Aprile 1727

Neat Cattle Bullocks 25, Neat Cattle Cowes 59, Neat Cattle Heifers 25, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 43, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 215, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 157, Goates Wethers 43, Goates Kids 104, Goates Rams 5, Goates Totall 309, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 19, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 13, Hoggs Totall 38, Poultry Turkeys 86, Poultry Fowles 76, Poultry Ducks 10, Poultry Geese 29, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 33125 ℔

Ditto deliverd the Fort Blacks 6000 ℔

39125 ℔

General table account for April 1727, brought over, £29 12s 6½d.

63 pounds fresh beef, at 6d per pound, £1 11s 6d

31 pounds butter, at 12d, £1 11s 0d

2 pounds pepper, 2s 0d

7 fowls, 10s 6d

4 turkeys, £1 6s 0d

3 geese, 18s 0d

5 goats, £2 11s 0d

31 days' greens, £1 11s 0d

2 bottles Florence oil, 10s 0d

62 bottles milk, at 4d, £1 0s 8d

Sum total, £40 11s 8½d

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed and died, and the increase or decrease, from 25 March 1727 to 24 April following.

Neat cattle

Remaining 25 March: bullocks 11, cows 60, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 84, bulls 2, total 201

Bought from that date to 24 April: bullocks 5, cows -, heifers 2, steers 3, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total 10

Increased from that date to this: bullocks 9, cows -, heifers 9, steers 8, yearlings 20, calves 5, bulls -, total 51

Standing at: bullocks 25, cows 60, heifers 25, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 89, bulls 2, total 262

Killed from that date to this: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Remaining after killing: bullocks 25, cows 60, heifers 25, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 89, bulls 2, total 262

Cattle cut and grown from that date to this: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings 46, calves -, bulls -, total 46

Standing at: bullocks 25, cows 60, heifers 25, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 43, bulls 2, total 216

Dead in that period: bullocks -, cows 1, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total 1

Remaining 24 April 1727: bullocks 25, cows 59, heifers 25, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 43, bulls 2, total 215

Sheep

Remaining 25 March: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 22, rams 3, total 101

Bought from that date to 24 April: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Increased from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs 4, rams -, total 4

Standing at: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total 105

Killed from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining after killing: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total 105

Cut and grown from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Standing at: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total 105

Dead in that period: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining 24 April 1727: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total 105

Goats

Remaining 25 March: ewes 157, wethers 48, kids 80, rams 5, total 290

Bought from that date to 24 April: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Increased from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, kids 24, rams -, total 24

Standing at: ewes 157, wethers 48, kids 104, rams 5, total 314

Killed from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, kids 5, rams -, total 5

Remaining after killing: ewes 157, wethers 48, kids 104, rams 5, total 309

Cut and grown from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Standing at: ewes 157, wethers 48, kids 104, rams 5, total 309

Dead in that period: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Remaining 24 April 1727: ewes 157, wethers 48, kids 104, rams 5, total 309

Hogs

Remaining 25 March: sows 5, shoats 20, boars 1, pigs 13, total 39

Bought from that date to 24 April: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Increased from that date to this: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Standing at: sows 5, shoats 20, boars 1, pigs 13, total 39

Killed from that date to this: sows -, shoats 1, boars -, pigs -, total 1

Remaining after killing: sows 5, shoats 19, boars 1, pigs 13, total 38

Cut and grown from that date to this: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Standing at: sows 5, shoats 19, boars 1, pigs 13, total 38

Dead in that period: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Remaining 24 April 1727: sows 5, shoats 19, boars 1, pigs 13, total 38

Poultry

Remaining 25 March: turkeys 90, fowls 91, ducks 5, geese 32, total -

Bought from that date to 24 April: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Increased from that date to this: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks 5, geese -, total -

Standing at: turkeys 90, fowls 91, ducks 10, geese 32, total -

Killed from that date to this: turkeys 4, fowls 7, ducks 3, geese -, total -

Remaining after killing: turkeys 89, fowls 84, ducks 10, geese 29, total -

Cut and grown from that date to this: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Standing at: turkeys 89, fowls 84, ducks 10, geese 29, total -

Dead in that period: turkeys 3, fowls 8, ducks -, geese -, total -

Remaining 24 April 1727: turkeys 86, fowls 76, ducks 10, geese 29, total -

Horses

Remaining 25 March: horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Remaining 24 April 1727: horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 33,125 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 6,000 pounds

Total yams, 39,125 pounds

Interpretations

The general table account closed at a sum total of £40 11s 8½d, its final entries recording the fresh beef, butter, poultry, goats, greens and milk that the island itself supplied to the fort. The heavy weight of local produce against the small quantities of imported goods marks a table drawing much of its provision from the plantations by late summer. This monthly account of the fort's food and drink was the routine record the Governor and council examined and approved at each meeting.

This stock account opened with the closing figures of the previous statement, the neat cattle at 201 and the goats at 290 exactly as the March account left them, and shows a sharp gain in cattle over the month. The herd rose from 201 to 215, driven by ten head bought in and a further 51 entered as increase through animals maturing between classes, the largest single addition in the run so far. This purchase and internal growth lifted the neat cattle well above the 203 the reference records for late February, marking the strongest recovery of the season.

The line for cattle cut and grown between categories records animals moving from one class to another as they matured, rather than entering or leaving the herd. The 46 yearlings that vanish from that class reappear as older cattle, and the 24 kids added to the goats show the same maturing of young stock. This internal reclassification explains figures that would otherwise seem not to balance, since the total held steady while individual classes shifted.

The yam total of 39,125 pounds footed the account, split between the plantations at 33,125 pounds and the fort slaves at 6,000 pounds. The heavier issue to the fort slaves than in the previous month reflects the larger labour force the growing stock and cultivation required, the ration to the Company's own workers being the charge the Governor had moved to contain from 1 March 1727.

58

35

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered the Inhabts vizt

from 25ᵗʰ March to 24ᵗʰ Aprille 1727 vizt

107 3/4 Gallˢ Arrack

33 . 6 . 11½

1227½ Sugar

3 . 1 . 3

58 ℔ Candy

2 . 18

5 . 19 . 3

3268 ℔ Bread

40 . 17

2542 ℔ Flour

31 . 15 . 6

72 . 12 . 6

339 ℔ Soap

24 . — . 3

100 ℔ Candles

10 . —

23 ℔ Wax

1 . 8 . 9

11 . 8 . 9

466 ℔ Cutt Tobacco

52 . 8 . 6

102½ Doz Pipes

2 . 11 . 3

54 . 19 . 9

32 Catt[ees] Bohea Tea

9 . 12 . —

3/4 Gallˢ Rape Oyle

4 . 6

23 ℔ Pepper

1 . 3

3 3/4 Gallˢ Vinegar

8 . 3

11 ℔ Starch

8 . 3

17 Oz Indigo

8 . 6

12 . 4 . 6

1 Cash Beefe

13 . —

2½ Barrills Pitch

4 . 7 . 6

5 do Tarr

4 . 4

170 ℔ Turpentine

2 . 16 . 8

158 ℔ Rozin

1 . 13 . 3

28 . 6 . 5

10½ ℔ Shoe thread

1 . 9 . 3

8½ Doz Hooks Sorted

1 . 6 . 3

2 . 15 . 6

228 Lines do

1 . 17 . 6

85 ℔ White Lead

6 . 1 . 10

32 ℔ Red do

2 . 2 . 6

20 Yellow Oaker

16 . —

7 . 19 . 6

28 Barrills Lamp Black

6 . 8

3½ Yardˢ Bengall Taffety

7 . —

3 . 12 . 2

17 Pˢ Gingham 6/6 P

5 . 4

4 Chints 4/9

6 . 7 . 6

1 do

16 . 8

5 do

15 . —

1 do

4 . 5 . —

18 . 19 . 2

1 Pˢ Turkim Muslins

1 . 4

2 Pˢ Loosers

3 . 2 . 6

18 do Sackers

5 . — . —

2 Pˢ Midling Long Cloth

7 . 10

15 . 12 . 6

16 3/4 Ordry Ditto

2 . 14

1 Pˢ Culliams

18 . 6 . 8

18 . — . 8

16 Pˢ Chittes

16 . —

25 do 14/6

11 . 5 . 4

5 Pˢ Madrass Chints

17 . 18 . 4

29 . 3 . 8

5 do

5 . 6 . 3

25 Nicanees

6 . 5

16 . 11 . 3

Sum Totalls to Inhabitants

353 . 19 . 7½

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 25 March to 24 April 1727.

187¾ gallons arrack, £33 6s 11½d

1,227½ pounds sugar, at 3s 1d per hundredweight, £5 19s 3d

58 pounds candy, at 2s 18d, [...]

3,268 pounds bread, at 40s 17d, [...]

2,542 pounds flour, at 31s 15d, £72 12s 6d

33 pounds soap, £24 0s 3d

100 pounds candles, 10s 0d

23 pounds wax, £1 8s 9d, £11 8s 9d

466 pounds cut tobacco, £52 8s 6d

102½ dozen pipes, £2 11s 0d, £54 19s 9d

32 catties bohea tea, £9 12s 0d

3¼ gallons rape oil, 4s 6d

23 pounds pepper, £1 3s 0d

3¾ gallons vinegar, 8s 0d

11 pounds starch, 8s 0d

17 ounces indigo, 8s 6d, £12 4s 6d

1 cask beef, £13 0s 0d

2½ barrels pitch, £4 7s 6d

5 gallons tar, 4s 4d

170 pounds turpentine, £2 16s 8d

158 pounds rosin, £1 13s 3d, £28 6s 5d

10½ pounds shoe thread, £1 9s 3d

38 dozen hooks, sorted, £1 6s 3d

228 lines ditto, £1 17s 0d

85 pounds white lead, £6 1s 10d

32 pounds red ditto, £2 2s 6d

20 pounds yellow ochre, 16s 0d

28 barrels lampblack, 6s 8d

3¼ pieces Bengal taffety, 7d

17 pieces gingham, at 6s per piece, £5 4s 0d

4 chintz, at 5s 4d, £6 7s 6d

1 ditto, 16s 8d

5 ditto, 15s 0d

1 ditto, £1 5s 0d

1 ditto, £1 4s 0d, £18 19s 2d

1 piece Turlino muslin, £3 2s 6d

2 pieces cottons, 5s 0d

15 dozen laces, £7 10s 0d, £15 12s 6d

2 pieces middling long cloth, £2 14s 0d

16½ ditto Orlando ditto, £18 6s 8d, £18 0s 8d

1 piece calico, 16s 0d

16 pieces chintz, £11 5s 4d

25 ditto, at 14s 6d, £17 18s 4d, £29 3s 8d

5 pieces Madras chintz, £5 6s 3d

5 ditto, £6 5s 0d

25 nuances, £5 5s 0d, £16 11s 3d

Sum total to inhabitants, £353 19s 7½d

Interpretations

The monthly collection recorded goods drawn from the Company warehouse by private inhabitants, footing to a large sum total of £353 19s 7½d, much higher than the previous month's account. The warehouse was the island's sole supplier of imported and manufactured goods, so this schedule measured the whole flow of such articles into private hands and the sterling owed for them. The account mixed provisions, spirits, textiles, tools and preservative stores in a single running list divided only by the sterling column.

A great part of the value lay in textiles from the Company's Eastern trade, most of which would be unfamiliar today. Bengal taffety was a Bengal silk, chintz and calico were printed and plain Indian cottons, and Madras chintz and long cloth came from the Coromandel coast, while muslin was a fine sheer cotton and gingham a checked or striped weave. These cloths reached the island only through the returning East India ships, which is why they filled a warehouse account rather than a shop's books, and their high combined value shows the inhabitants' strong demand for imported cloth.

The preservative and marine stores record the material needs of a settlement dependent on shipping and building. Pitch, tar, turpentine and rosin were the waterproofing and sealing materials for boats and timber, white lead, red lead and yellow ochre were paint pigments, and lampblack a fine soot for ink and blacking. Sorted fishing hooks and lines supplied the island's own fishing, all articles that had to be imported and sold through the store because none could be produced locally.

59

36

Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Blacks Dʳ

Brought Over

£ 353 . 19 . 7½

To Diet Expence 3832 ℔ Rice

47 . 18 . —

850 ℔ Wheat

8 . 15

46¼ Yardˢ Thin Canvas

1 . 16 . 10½

del for Sails for Fishing Boates

8 ℔ Pitblim

4 . —

1½ ℔ Twine

3 . 3

2 . 4 . 1½

1 Pˢ Delotes

10 . —

3 Pˢ Mens Shoes

17 . 3

1 Wom Colar do

4 . 3

1 Pˢ Mens Stocking

4 . —

1 Pˢ Wom do

3 . 6

1 Pˢ Mens do

4 . 6

½ ℔ Whited Brown thread

3 . 6

2 . 7 . —

61 . 4 . 1½

Great Wood

2 Pˢ Cross Garnetts 4/6

9 . —

2 Broad Axes 6/6

13

3 Helves

3

1 . 5

Garrison

11 Catt[ees] Green Tea

2 . 4

3 Gallˢ Rape Oyle

18

1 Line for Draw Cord do

3 . 4

3 . 5 . 4

General Charges

8 ℔ 6º do

£ 5 . 4

2 4º

Nailes

1 . 8

del the Carpenter

7 . 30º

4 . 1

1½ ℔ Tacks

10

24 Sheets Tin

16 . —

11 . 11

4 ℔ Rope

2 . —

1 Yardˢ White Bunting

1 . 4

del for Warehouse Door

1 Stock Lock for Warehouse

£ 9 . 4

2 do

4 . 8

2 . 2

1 Pˢ Chest Hinges

4 . —

2 Crook

4

2 Chest Locks

8 . 6

2 Stubg Hammers 2/4

4 . —

2 Helves

2

del for Office & Casts

2 Splinter Locks for Office book

6 . 9

del for New Plantation

1 Stock Lock for New Plan

4 . 1

1 Pˢ Chest Hinges 6/6

4 . 1

1 Bar ditto

6 . 6

1 Long Plain

3 . —

1 Bee do

2 . 2

del the Carpenter

2 Plain Irons for Carpt

1 . 4

1 Sargett Claw Hammer do

4 . 6

1 Hay Fork

4 . 8

del for Bucket

3/4 Yardˢ Canvas for Bucket

3 . 19 . 10½

1 Large Quilt for the House Use

4 . —

2 do Common Prayer Book for do

9 . 4

1½ Corck Wood

1 . 6

del to Stop Rat holes

2 Sheets Tin

1 . 4

2 Pˢ Linsed Oyle

3 . —

1 Pint Grayn

9

5 Barr Black

7 . 8

1 Paint Brush

1 Sault Brush

1 . 6

7 . 11

General Charges Carried Over

7 . 15 . 9½

419 . 14 . 1

Store goods sold, brought over, £353 19s 7½d.

Company's slaves, to diet expenses.

3,832 pounds rice, £47 18s 0d

850 pounds wheat, £8 15s 0d

44½ yards thin canvas, £1 16s 10½d

8 pounds twine, delivered to serve the fishing boats, 4s 0d

1½ pounds twine, 3s 0d

1 piece Dosotea, 10s 0d

3 pairs men's shoes, 17s 3d

1 woman's calf ditto, 4s 3d

1 pair men's stockings, 4s 0d

1 pair woman's ditto, 3s 6d

1 pair men's ditto, 4s 6d

1½ pounds whited brown thread, 3s 6d, £2 4s 1½d, £2 7s 0d, £61 4s 1½d

Great Wood.

2 pieces cross garnets, at 4s 6d, 9s 0d

2 broad axes, at 6s, 13s 0d

3 helves, 3s 0d, £1 5s 0d

Garrison.

11 catties green tea, 2s 4d

3 gallons rape oil, 18s 0d

1 line for the depth cord, 3s 4d, £3 5s 4d

General charges.

2 pounds 6d nails, delivered to the carpenter, 5s 4d

2 pounds 4d ditto, 1s 8d

7 pounds 30d ditto, 4s 1d

1 pound 4d tacks, 1s 10d

24 shod tin, 16s 0d

4 pounds hops, 2s 0d

1 yard white bunting, £1 4s 0d, £11 11s 0d

1 stock lock for the warehouse, delivered for the warehouse door, £9 4s 0d

1 ditto, 4s 4d

1 pair chest hinges, 2s 2d

2 crooks, 1s 4d

2 chest locks, 8s 6d

2 shod hammers, at 2s 4d, 4s 8d

2 helves, 2s 0d

1 spinster lock for the office, delivered for the officers' house, 6s 9d

1 stock lock for New Plantation, delivered for New Plantation, 4s 1d

1 pair chest hinges, at 6s, 6s 0d

1 pair ditto, 6s 6d

1 long chain, delivered to the carpenter, 3s 0d

1 axe, delivered to the carpenter, 2s 2d

2 plane irons, delivered to the carpenter, 1s 4d

1 sergeant's claw hammer, delivered to the carpenter, 4s 6d

1 hay fork, 1s 8d

¾ yard canvas, delivered for the buckets, 3s 0d

1 large Bible for the House use, £1 4s 0d

2 Common Prayer books for the House use, 9s 4d

1½ pounds cork wood, 1s 6d

2 sheets tin, delivered to stop the rat holes, 1s 4d

2 quarts linseed oil, 3s 0d

1 pint green, 9d

5 pounds lampblack, 1s 8d

1 shoe brush, [...]

1 scout brush, 1s 6d

General charges carried over, £7 15s 9½d, £419 14s 1d

Interpretations

This part of the account divided the store issues by charge, setting the Company's slaves apart from the Great Wood, the garrison and general charges. The heaviest single charge fell on the slaves at £61 4s 1½d, driven by nearly four thousand pounds of rice and eight hundred and fifty of wheat, the grain provisions that now formed the bulk of their diet. This weight of cereal, entered under diet expenses, records the working of the Governor's decision of 1 March 1727 to move the slaves off meat and onto fish and grain, the twine and canvas issued to the fishing boats belonging to the same plan.

The general charges recorded the ironmongery and hardware of maintaining the settlement's buildings and stores, most of it delivered to the carpenter for repairs. Stock locks, chest locks, hinges and hammers secured the warehouse, office and New Plantation, while plane irons, axes and helves were the tools of building work. Cross garnets were T-shaped iron hinges for heavy doors, and the sheets of tin were issued specifically to block rat holes, a routine defence of stored provisions against vermin on a remote island where every loss to spoilage mattered.

The entry of a large Bible and two Common Prayer books for the House points to the religious observance the Company maintained at the fort. Supplying these through the ordinary store account, alongside locks and nails, shows that provision for worship was treated as a normal charge of the establishment. This reflects the Church of England's place in the island's governance, the same parish framework under which the churchwardens administered poor relief and recorded the legacy of William Denny.

60

37

Genʳˡ Charge Broᵗ Overˢt

7 . 15 . 9½

419 . 14 . 1

4 8º Nailes

4 . 6

del for Store Use

7 ℔ Weightˢ do

4 . 1

4 20º do

2 . 4

10 . 9

4 Brass Cocks

14 . —

24 Squares Glass 10 & 12

£ 1 . 16

3 do 3 & 10

3 . —

12 do 6 & 8

9 . —

2 . 8 . —

4 ℔ Steering Brads

3 . —

1 Shrub Mopp

2 . —

1 Coullender

2 . 6

7 . 6

del the Docter

16 Gallˢ Arrack

4 . 15 . —

7 Pˢ Cross Long Cloth

1 . —

5 . 15 . —

½ Pˢ Cash Bread

4 . 9

1 do for Store Use

4 . 9

3 . 6

del the Gardener

1 Large Sing dish the Gardener

3 . 6

1 Wooden Grater

6

1½ Salisbury Scissors

2 . 6

1 Tin Coffy Pott

2 . 3

3 Tortoise Shell Beehives

13 . —

1 Cash Gold Team & Beam

3 . 19 . 6

50 ℔ Rice

7 . 6

23 . 3 . 3½

Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Plantation

1 Table Pepper

1 . 4

4 Gallˢ Rappe Oyle

8 . 6

17 ℔ Rope

2 Larger Lines

6 . 3

1 Small do

10

6 Hoe Knives

6

2 Hoes

6 . 8

1 do with Furniture

9 . 6

6 Iron Hoes

13 . —

6 Sugar Trowells

15 . —

2 Garden Spades

15 . 8

3 . 4 . 10

4 ℔ 10º Nailes

4 . —

4 20º do

2 . 4

2 6º do

1 . 6

7 . 10

Diet Expences

41 3/4 Arrack 6/4

13 . 4 . 5

6½ Gallˢ Mountain 7/9

2 . 10 . 4½

10 do Small Beer

10 . —

8 do Strong do

12 . —

2 do Vinegar

8 . —

2 Bottles Florence Oyle

10 . 6

110 ℔ Bread

1 . 7 . 6

150 ℔ Flour

1 . 17 . 6

120 ℔ Sugar

3 . —

31 ℔ Wax Candles

3 . 2

16 ℔ Soap

1 . 1 . 3

2 ℔ Pepper

2 . —

6 Gallˢ Red Cort 7/9

2 . 6 . 6

30 . 12 . 7½

£ 479 . 9 . 5

General charges, brought over, £7 15s 9½d, £419 14s 1d.

4 pounds 8d nails, 2s 4d

7 pounds 8d weight ditto, delivered for the store use, 4s 1d

6 pounds 20d ditto, 2s 4d, 10s 9d

4 brass cocks, 14s 0d

24 squares glass, 10 by 12, £1 16s 0d

3 ditto, 3 by 10, 3s 0d

12 ditto, 6 by 8, 9s 0d, £2 8s 0d

4 pounds ferreting brads, 2s 3d

1 thrum mop, 2s 0d

1 cullender, 2s 6d, 7s 6d

15 gallons arrack, delivered to the doctor, £4 15s 0d

1½ pieces cross long cloth, delivered to the doctor, £1 4s 0d, £5 15s 0d

1 peck bread, delivered to the doctor, 4s 9d

1 ditto, delivered for the store use, 4s 9d, 3s 6d

1 large line, delivered to the gardener, 3s 6d

1 wooden grater, 6d

1½ pairs Salisbury scissors, 2s 6d

1 tin coffee pot, 2s 3d

3 tortoiseshell beehives, 13s 0d

1 cask gold and coloured beam, £3 19s 6d

50 pounds rice, 7s 6d, £23 3s 3½d

Company's plantation.

1 tin pepper box, £1 4s 0d

4 gallons rape oil, 8s 6d

17 pounds hops, 6s 8d

2 large lines, 6s 8d

1 small ditto, 6s 10d

6 shoe knives, 6s 0d

2 hoes, 6s 8d

1 ditto with furniture, 9s 6d

6 iron hoes, 13s 0d

6 sugar shovels, 15s 0d

2 garden spades, 16s 8d, £3 4s 10d

6 pounds 10d nails, 4s 0d

4 pounds 20d ditto, 2s 4d

2 pounds 6d ditto, 1s 6d, £7 10s 0d

Diet expenses.

41¾ gallons arrack, at 6s 4d, £13 4s 5d

6½ gallons Mountain, at 7s 9d, £2 10s 4½d

10 gallons small beer, 10s 0d

8 gallons strong ditto, 12s 0d

2 gallons vinegar, 8s 0d

2 bottles Florence oil, 10s 6d

110 pounds bread, £1 7s 6d

150 pounds flour, £1 17s 6d

120 pounds sugar, £3 0s 0d

31 pounds wax candles, £1 1s 3d

15 pounds soap, 2s 0d

2 pounds pepper, 2s 0d

6 gallons red port, at 7s 9d, £2 6s 6d, £30 12s 7½d

Sum total, £479 9s 5d

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This final part of the store account footed the whole collection to a sum total of £479 9s 5d, closing the month's issues after the charges to general expenses, the Company's plantation and the fort's diet. The plantation charge gathered the farming tools the Company's own cultivation required, hoes, spades, sugar shovels and lines, all iron implements shipped in because none could be forged on the island. This apportionment let the council attribute every article to the part of the establishment that used it, keeping the warehouse account tied to defined purposes.

Several small items reveal the domestic detail of the fort's supply. Salisbury scissors were English-made shears from the Wiltshire cutlery trade, the squares of glass were window panes cut to size for repairs, and the tortoiseshell beehives point to the keeping of bees for honey and wax. The brass cocks were taps for barrels or cisterns, and the ferreting brads fine fastening nails, all articles the settlement drew from the store because it could produce none of them itself.

The diet expenses again separated the arrack and wines of the fort table from the other charges, maintaining the established range of Mountain, red port and beer alongside the spirit. Red port was a fortified red wine from the Douro valley of Portugal and Mountain a sweet fortified wine from near Malaga in southern Spain, both reserved for the officers' table. The steady reappearance of these wines month after month shows the fort keeping its accustomed style of provisioning even through the Governor's wider drive for economy in the slaves' rations.

61

38

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 9ᵗʰ May 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

Jnº Alexander absᵗ being Same John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Yesterday Morning Wee had a double Alarm for three Shipps two hours afternoon

two more appeared & about Noon bore away & Wee Suppose them to be Dutch, & this

Morning Wee had a Single Alarm & an hour after a double Alarm for two Ships more

& about Noon arrived the India Yatch Capt Richard Misenor Commander from

England & brought Us a Pacquet from the Honᵇˡᵉ Company giving Us Advice of

their Apprehension of a Speedy War between England, France, & Holland on the One

Part & the Emperour & Spain on the other & about three arrived the Derby Capt

Fitzhugh & the King George Capt Houghton from Bengall & brought each

of them Supplys for this Island as hereafter Mentioned vizt

Copy of Invoice of Derby vizt

Batavia Arrack

Nᵒ 1 to 4

4 Half Leagers 9/7 vizt

Nᵒ 1 60 Gall

3 70

4 70

270 Gall at 62.3 P Leg

126 . —

Trisunda Sugar

Nᵒ 1 to 10

10 Bags qty 20º to 14 . 2 . 18 P do 9 Bup P Bag

90 . —

Fine Rice

Nᵒ 1 to 42

42 Bags qty 34º to Cwt 2 . 11 & 15 P Mad Bup

74 . 10 . 9

Batta 10 P Cent

7 . 6

82 . 2 . 3

Chargese Merchandize

397 . 2 . 3

Boat Hire

5 . 15 . —

84 Bags &c

6 . 13 . —

Matters

1 . 7 . 6

Rent & Oyle

40 . 9

14 . 14 . 3

312 . — . 6

Copy of Invoice of King George vizt

Batavia Arrack

Nᵒ 5 to 8

4 Half Legars 9/7 vizt

Nᵒ 5 63

6 80

7 76½

3 71

289½ at 62.2 P Leg

126 . —

Trisunda Sugar

Nᵒ 1 to 10

10 Bags qty 20º Buper Nº to 14 . 2 . 18 & 9 P Bag

90 . —

Carried over

215 . —

At a consultation held on Tuesday 9 May 1727 at Union Castle.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Goodwin. John Alexander absent, being lame.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The previous morning the council had a double alarm for three ships two hours before dawn. Two more appeared, and about noon they bore away. The council took them to be Dutch. That same morning it had a single alarm, and an hour later a double alarm for two more ships. About noon the Prince of Wales, Captain Richard Misnor commander, styled the India Gatch, arrived from England. She brought a packet from the Company warning of the threat of a speedy war between England, France and Holland on the one side and the Emperor and Spain on the other. About three the Derby, Captain Litchfield commander, and the King George, Captain Naughton commander, arrived from Bengal, each bringing a supply for the island as set out below.

Copy of the invoice of the Derby.

Batavia arrack, numbered 1 to 4

4 half leaguers, each of 7 [...]

Number 1, 60 gallons

2, 70

3, 70

4, 70

270 gallons at 62s 3d per leaguer, £126 0s 0d

Tresundee sugar, numbered 1 to 10

10 bags, each of 20 pounds, tare 14 pounds, at 18s per bag, 9 bags weight, £90 0s 0d

Fine rice, numbered 1 to 42

42 bags, each of 3 quarters 4 pounds, tare 2 quarters 11 pounds, at £1 5s per maund per bag, £74 10s 9d

Batta at 10 per cent, £7 7s 6d, £82 2s 3d

Total, £397 2s 3d

Charges of merchandise

Boat hire, £5 15s 0d

84 bags, £6 13s 0d

Matches, £1 7s 6d

Rope and oil, 40s 9d, £14 14s 3d

Total, £312 0s 6d

Copy of the invoice of the King George.

Batavia arrack, numbered 5 to 8

4 half leaguers, each of 7 [...]

Number 5, 63

6, 80

7, 76½

3, 71, 289½ gallons at 62s 2d per leaguer, £126 0s 0d

Tresundee sugar, numbered 1 to 10

10 bags, each of 20 pounds, tare 14 pounds, at 18s per bag, £90 0s 0d

Carried over, £215 0s 0d

Interpretations

The double and single alarms record the island's warship-watch reacting to unidentified vessels off the anchorage, the very defence the fort's guns and guards existed to serve. The arrival of the Prince of Wales with the Company's war warning gave those alarms new weight, since a threatened war between England, France and Holland against the Emperor and Spain meant any strange ship might be an enemy. This packet, dated in the Company's earlier dispatch, set the context for the full posture of defence the council adopted at this meeting.

The invoices were reckoned in the mixed weights and money of the Bengal trade, from which both ships had come. A leaguer was a large cask of about 150 gallons, so a half-leaguer held roughly 75, and the arrack was priced by that measure. Batta was an allowance or premium added in the exchange of the trade, and the maund a standard Indian weight for bulk goods like rice, all conventions of the Company's Asian commerce carried through into the island's accounts.

The goods themselves were the staples of the country trade. Batavia arrack was the palm or rice spirit shipped from the Dutch entrepôt at Batavia on Java, Tresundee sugar a grade of Bengal sugar, and the fine rice a Bengal cereal, all supplied to victual the island and the homeward fleet. The careful listing of tare, batta and charges of merchandise, boat hire, bags, matches and rope, shows the Company accounting for every element of cost from the Indian purchase to the landing at St Helena.

62

39

Brought Over

215 . —

Fine Rice

39 Bags qty 73º to Cwt 53 . 2 . 3 & 15 P M

69 . 5 . 3

Batta

6 . 15

76 . 4 . 3

Charges Merchandize

291 . 4 . 3

Boat hire

5 . 15 . —

73 Bags &c

6 . 5 . 3

Muttas

1 . 6 . 9

Cranes & Oyle

10 . 9

14 . 5 . 9

Rupees

305 . 10

Wee resolve to put Our Selves immediatly into the best Posture of Defence that

is possible & the Governour thinking it most Safe & Prudent to be as much upon Our

Guard & make the Same Preparations as if the Warr was actually Proclaimd, it is Orderd

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 several

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 Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Shipps Should be in the

Road & a Single Alarm Should happen that they do then also bring all their Male

Blacks with them as before directed to do upon all double Alarms & it is also Orderd

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 We received a Pacquet from the Honᵇˡᵉ Company

dated 27ᵗʰ January 1726 Sent Express P the India Yatch Capt Richᵈ Misenor Commander

acquainting Us that they Apprehend a Warr between England, France & Holland on the

One Part & the Emperour & Spain on the other Unavoidable through not then actually

Proclaimed & that the Occasion of the Breach does in a great Measure arise from

the Emperours Seeming Resolution to Support the Ostend Trade & Us in Obedience to

their Commands acquaint You that You are to Broth Your Ship whilest You are in this

Road & so to prevent any Attempt of an Enemy You are to put & Conserue Your

Ship in the best Posture of Defence that is possible & not to leave the Island until so there

be at least three in Company, & You are to particularly 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 Corts for intelligence & Govern Your Self for

greater Safety according to the New You Shall learn & can depend on. You are to Agree

upon a Commodore before You Sails hence & also on proper Instructions both as to

Sailing & how to Manage in Case You are Attacked. And as a farther Encouragement

to Your Shipps 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 dont doubt but their Encouragement

will be Sufficient to Ordius them to Defend themselves against their Enemical as

Englishmen are wont to do And in farther Execution of their Orders We Desire You will

immediatly heave in as near the Landing Rock or Crane as will be Safe for Your Riding

Invoice of the King George, brought over, £215 0s 0d.

Fine rice, numbered 1 to 39

39 bags, each of 3 quarters, tare 2 quarters 3 pounds, at £1 5s per maund, £69 5s 3d

Batta, £6 15s 0d, £76 4s 3d

Total, £291 4s 3d

Charges of merchandise

Boat hire, £5 15s 0d

78 bags, £6 5s 3d

Matches, £1 6s 9d

Rope and oil, 10s 9d, £14 5s 9d

Total, 305 rupees 10 annas

The council resolved to put the island at once into the best posture of defence it could, and the Governor, thinking it most safe and prudent to be as much upon its guard as if the war were actually proclaimed, ordered the same preparations made.

The council ordered public notice given to the inhabitants that day. On every double alarm they were to attend in person at the several places where they were posted, all excuses set aside, and to bring all their male slaves, for whom they paid head money. Should a single alarm occur while one or more of the Company's ships lay in the road, they were likewise to attend and bring all their male slaves, as they were already directed to do on every double alarm. The council also ordered the following letter sent at once to each commander of the two ships then in the road, and to every other commander the moment he arrived.

The letter set out that a packet had been received from the Company, dated 27 January 1727, sent by the India Gatch, Captain Richard Misnor commander. It acquainted the island that the Company apprehended a war between England, France and Holland on the one side and the Emperor and Spain on the other, unavoidable though not then actually proclaimed, the breach arising in great measure from the Emperor's firm resolution to support the Ostend trade. In keeping with the Company's commands, the letter required each commander to berth his ship while in the road so as to prevent any attempt by an enemy, and to keep his ship in the best posture of defence possible. He was not to leave the island unless at least three ships were in company, and was particularly to keep company together for greater security. When arriving at or near the Channel he was to send ashore at any of the western ports for intelligence, and to steer his course for greater safety according to what he learned there. He was to agree upon a commodore before sailing, and to take proper instructions both as to sailing and as to how to act if attacked. As a further encouragement to the ships' companies to behave themselves as Englishmen in the cause of their country, the Company would extend its bounty in the same manner to them if they were attacked either by Spaniards, Ostenders or any other enemy, as they were entitled to should they be attacked by a pirate. The Company 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 the Company's orders, the letter required each commander, on any alarm, to heave in as near the landing rock or crane as would be safe.

Interpretations

The council's war measures show the machinery by which a Company outpost mobilised for defence on receipt of a distant warning. Requiring inhabitants to muster with their male slaves on alarms turned the whole settlement into a militia, the head money paid for those slaves marking them as a recognised part of the island's fighting strength. Setting all excuses aside and distinguishing single from double alarms according to whether Company ships lay in the road gave the population a clear and graduated duty, converting a general threat into specific obligations.

The convoy instructions to the ship commanders reveal the Company's system for protecting its homeward trade in wartime. Forbidding a ship to sail unless at least three kept company, requiring a commodore agreed before departure, and directing calls at the western ports for intelligence near the Channel were all measures to guard valuable cargoes against enemy cruisers and privateers. The promise to extend the Company's bounty, the reward normally given for resisting pirates, to crews who fought Spaniards or Ostenders tied a financial incentive directly to armed resistance.

The Ostend trade named as the cause of the breach was the commerce of the Ostend Company, a rival trading venture chartered in the Austrian Netherlands under the Emperor's protection, which threatened the monopolies of the English, Dutch and French East India companies. The dispute over imperial support for that trade lay behind the wider European tension the packet reported. This connects the island's defensive scramble to a specific commercial rivalry, showing how a quarrel over Eastern trade rights reached down to the guard posts of a remote Atlantic station.

Speculations

The Governor put the island onto a full war footing on the strength of a warning that the war was not yet actually proclaimed. Waiting for confirmation that hostilities had begun was the cautious alternative, since mustering the inhabitants and their slaves on every alarm imposed a real and repeated burden on the settlement. He judged it safer to act as if war were already declared, mobilising at once on a threat that might still not materialise. The record shows the reasoning in his own words, that it was most prudent to be as much upon guard as if the war were proclaimed, since a remote island caught unprepared by a hostile squadron could be lost before any confirmed news arrived, and the cost of a false alarm was far less than the cost of surprise.

63

40

& if You want any Assistance Wee Shall be glad to Serve You. Wee are

Sir

Alarm

9ᵗʰ May 1727

Your Most humble Servant

Edward Byfeild

John Goodwin

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation had on Wednesday 10ᵗʰ May 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

Jnº Alexander absent being Same John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour called this Consultation to acquaint Us that effectually to Frustrate any

Attempts the Enemy may make either by any Stratagem or Surpize to think it will be

highly Necessary to Approach of the Captains upon every Alarm to Send a Sheep or Sloop

either to the Crane or Landing Rock & heave in as neat as possible & their continue till

Wee know whether a Friend or Foe be coming

Wherefore Orderd 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

Alarms that may happen during Your Stay here You will Send a Sheep either to the Crane or

Landing Rock & heave in near as I get possibly can with Safety & there continue till the

hand whether the Ship Bears away or be Found on Ship. This is conformable to the

Honᵇˡᵉ Companies Instructions to Us & Wee Desire You will give due Regard to it. Wee are

Sir

Your Most humble Servts

E Byfeild

J Goodwin

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 16ᵗʰ May 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

Jnº Goodwin absent being Same John Alexander

The last Consultation read & Approved

On Thursday last Capt arrived the Lyon Capt Smit from Bengall & brought the following

Supplys for the Use of the Island vizt

The letter closed by offering the commanders any assistance the council could give. It was dated 9 May 1727 and signed by Edward Byfield and John Goodwin.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 10 May 1727 at Union Castle.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Goodwin. John Alexander absent, being lame.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor called the council to consider a further danger. To carry out any surprise, the enemy might make an attempt by stratagem, so he thought it prudent to require each captain, on every alarm, to land a party either at the crane or at Lemon Valley. The men were to come in as near as possible and stay until it was known whether the ship in the offing was friend or foe. The council ordered the following letter also sent to each commander as soon as he arrived.

The letter set out that, for the greater security of both ship and cargo, the council desired each commander, on every alarm that might happen during his ship's stay, to land a party either at the crane or at the landing rock. The men were to come in as near as they safely could and stay until it was known whether the ship in the offing was friend or foe. This was in keeping with the Company's instructions, and the council trusted its wishes would be respected. The letter was signed by Edward Byfield and John Goodwin.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 May 1727 at Union Castle.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander. John Goodwin absent, being sick.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The King George, Captain Naughton commander, arrived the previous Thursday from Bengal, bringing the following supply for the island's use.

Interpretations

The order to land a shore party on every alarm extended the defensive measures of 9 May 1727 by drawing on the crews of visiting ships as an additional garrison. Holding the men near the landing places until a strange ship was identified as friend or foe guarded against a surprise landing under false colours, the stratagem the Governor feared. This turned each Indiaman in the road into a temporary reinforcement of the island's own defence, binding the ships' companies to the fort's security while they sheltered there.

Lemon Valley, named alongside the crane and the landing rock, was a secondary landing on the island guarded on alarms, the main anchorage lying at James Valley below the fort. Directing shore parties to either point covered the two places where an enemy might attempt a landing, spreading the defence across the vulnerable approaches. This reflects the island's difficult coast, where the absence of a sheltered harbour meant only a few spots allowed men and goods to come ashore, each of which had to be watched.

The repeated dispatch of near-identical letters to every commander as he arrived shows the council building a standing defensive regime rather than issuing one-off orders. Because ships came and went continually, each new arrival had to be brought under the same instructions, so the orders were framed to be served automatically on any commander the moment he reached the road. This administrative method ensured the whole shifting population of visiting ships remained bound to a consistent scheme of defence throughout the emergency.

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Sugar Tresinda

Nᵒ 1 to 10

10 Bags qty buy Nᵒ 20º to 14 . 2 . 18 & 9 . 4 P Bag

92 . 8 . —

Rice

1 to 54

54 Bags qty buy Nᵒ 108º to 79 . —, 22 . 2 . 10 P M is Nᵒ

36 . 6 . 6

Batta 10 P Cent

8 . 10 . —

95 . — . 6

187 . 3 . 6

Charges

Boat hire

8 . 9

Muttas

2 . 3 . 9

Bags 108 &c

8 . 11 . 3

11 . 7 . 9

Rupees

199 . — . 3

Joseph Bates presented a Bill of Sale to him from Samuel Josey for

Twenty One Acres of Free Land

Henry Mutton also presented a Bill of Sale to him for a House from Richard

Goodwin each Praying the Same might be Registered

Orderd that both the said Bills of Sale be accordingly Registered

Joseph Johnson Petitioned for a Quarter of an Acre of Land lying in Sandy Bay

Granted

Capt Alexander paid into the Hands of the Governour Cash Notes amounting

to Two Hundred Sixteen Pounds Praying Bills of Exchange for the Same,

Orderd that Bills of Exchange be accordingly drawn upon the Honᵇˡᵉ Compy

for the Sum aforesaid & that the Same be immediatly Entered in the Journal

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 17ᵗʰ May 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

Jnº Goodwin absent being ill John Alexander

The last Consultation read & Approved

This afternoon arrived the Middlesex, Essex & Mary from Bengall

& brought Each the following Pieces for this Island vizt

Per Essex

Sugar Tresinda vizt

Nᵒ 1 to 10

10 Bags qty buy Nᵒ 20º to 14 . 2 . 18 & 9 . 4 P Bag

92 . 8 . —

Rice vizt

Nᵒ 1 to 34

34 Bags qty 68º to 45 . 1 . 9 & 1 . 10 P Muta is

54 . 6 . 6

Batta 10 P Cent

5 . 6 . 9

59 . 13 . 13

Charges vizt

Sloop freight

11 . —

Muttas

1 . 9 . 9

Bags 68 &c

5 . 6 . 9

18 . 1 . 9

Rupees

170 . 7 . —

Supply brought by the King George for the island's use.

Tresundee sugar, numbered 1 to 10

10 bags, each of 20 pounds, tare 14 pounds, at 18s per bag, £90 8s 0d

Rice, numbered 1 to 54

54 bags, each of 79 pounds, tare 2 quarters 14 pounds, at £1 10s per maund, £86 6s 6d

Batta at 10 per cent, £8 10s 0d, £95 0s 6d

Total, £187 8s 6d

Charges

Boat hire, 8s 9d

Matches, £2 3s 9d

108 bags, £8 11s 3d, £11 7s 9d

Total, 199 rupees 0 annas 3 pies

Joseph Bates presented a bill of sale to him from Samuel Jephry for twenty-one acres of forage land. Henry Newton also presented a bill of sale to him for a house from Richard Goodwin. Each asked that his bill be registered, and the council ordered both registered accordingly.

Joshua Johnson petitioned for a quarter of an acre of land lying in Sandy Bay. The council granted it.

Captain Alexander paid into the Governor's hands cash notes to the amount of £216, asking for bills of exchange for the same. The council ordered bills of exchange drawn upon the Company for that sum, and the transaction entered at once in the journal.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 17 May 1727 at Union Castle.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander. John Goodwin absent, being ill.

The previous consultation was read and approved.

That afternoon the Middlesex, the Essex and the Mary arrived from Bengal, each bringing the following supply for the island.

Supply brought by the Essex.

Tresundee sugar, numbered 1 to 10

10 bags, each of 20 pounds, tare 14 pounds, at 18s per bag, £90 8s 0d

Rice, numbered 1 to 54

54 bags, each of 79 pounds, tare 2 quarters 14 pounds, at £1 10s per maund, £54 6s 6d

Batta at 10 per cent, £5 6s 9d, £59 13s 3d

Charges

Sloop freight, 11s 0d

Matches, £1 9s 9d

108 bags, £5 6s 9d, £18 1s 0d

Total, 170 rupees 7 annas

Interpretations

The invoice of the King George was reckoned in the mixed weights and money of the Bengal trade, from which the ship had come, before its total was expressed in rupees, annas and pies. The maund was the standard Indian weight for bulk goods like rice, batta an allowance added in the exchange of the trade, and the whole sum carried through into the Company's Indian currency of account. Listing the charges of merchandise separately, boat hire, matches and the cost of the bags, kept the landing costs distinct from the value of the goods themselves.

The bills of sale for forage land, a house and slaves, all presented for registration at this meeting, show the island's system for securing title to property of every kind. Registration entered the transfer on the public record, giving the buyer provable ownership against any later dispute, whether the property was land, a building or a human being. The council's routine order to register each bill demonstrates how completely this machinery governed the movement of property among the inhabitants.

The bills of exchange drawn for Captain Alexander's £216 in cash notes moved that value to England without shipping coin, the Company undertaking to pay the sum at home. Paying cash into the Governor's hands here in return for a bill payable in England let officers and inhabitants transfer money across the ocean safely, the Company becoming debtor for the amount in its journal. Recording each such transaction at once protected all parties if a bill were later questioned, part of the constant flow of remittance that the arrival of the homeward fleet set in motion.

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Per Middlesex

Sugar Tresinda vizt

Nᵒ 1 to 10

10 Bags qty 20º Nᵒ to 14 . 2 . 18 & 9 . 4 P Bag

92 . 8

Rice vizt

49 Bags qty 93º to 65 . 1 . 9 & 1 . 10 P Muta is

78 . 6 . 6

Batta 10 P Cent

7 . 13 . 3

86 . 3 . 9

173 . 11 . 9

Charges vizt

Boat hire

8 . 9

Muttas

2 . 1 . 9

Bags 93 &c

7 . 17 . 6

10 . 9

189 . 4 . 9

Per Mary vizt

Sugar Tresinda vizt

Nᵒ 1 to 10

10 Bags 20º Nᵒ to 14 . 2 . 8 & 9 . 4 P Bag

92 . 8

Rice vizt

Nᵒ 1 to 57

57 Bags 114º Nᵒ to 30 . 2 . 11 & 1 . 10 P Muta is

91 . 3 . 3

Batta 10 P Cent

9 . 2

100 . 5 . 3

192 . 13 . 3

Charges vizt

Boat hire

5 . —

Muttas

2 . 2 . 6

Bags 114

9 . 3

Bins

10 . 3

16 . 15 . 9

Rupees

209 . 13 . —

The like Orders were delivered to each of the Captains as before had been given

to the Commanders of the other Shipps

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 23ᵈ May 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has received the Cargo Sent P Derby, King George,

Lyon, Essex, Middlesex, & Mary according to Invoices

Charles Steward paid into the Hands of the Governour Cash Notes amounting

to Fifty Pounds Praying Bills of Exchange for the Same

Supply brought by the Middlesex.

Tresundee sugar, numbered 1 to 10

10 bags, each of 20 pounds, tare 14 pounds, at 18s per bag, £90 8s 0d

Rice, numbered 1 to 49

49 bags, each of 93 pounds, tare 2 quarters 1 pound, at £1 10s per maund, £78 6s 6d

Batta at 10 per cent, £7 13s 3d, £86 3s 9d

Total, £173 11s 9d

Charges

Boat hire, 8s 9d

Matches, £2 1s 9d

98 bags, £7 17s 6d, £10 9s 0d

Total, £189 4s 9d

Supply brought by the Mary.

Tresundee sugar, numbered 1 to 10

10 bags, each of 20 pounds, tare 14 pounds, at 18s per bag, £90 8s 0d

Rice, numbered 1 to 57

57 bags, each of 114 pounds, tare 2 quarters 11 pounds, at £1 10s per maund, £91 3s 3d

Batta at 10 per cent, £9 2s 0d, £100 5s 3d

Total, £192 13s 3d

Charges

Boat hire, 5s 0d

Matches, £2 2s 6d

114 bags, £9 3s 0d

Boat, 10s 3d, £16 15s 9d

Total, 209 rupees 13 annas

The like orders were delivered to each of these captains as had earlier been given to the commanders of the other ships.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 23 May 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the cargoes sent by the Derby, the King George, the Lyell, the Essex, the Middlesex and the Mary, according to their invoices.

Charles Steward paid into the Governor's hands cash notes amounting to £50, asking for bills of exchange for the same.

Interpretations

The three invoices followed the same pattern as those already entered, each reckoned in the weights and money of the Bengal trade before its total was expressed in rupees, annas and pies. The rice was priced by the maund, the standard Indian bulk weight, with batta added as the trade's customary exchange allowance and the charges of merchandise, boat hire, matches and bags, listed apart from the value of the goods. This uniform accounting across every ship shows the Company applying a single method to the whole homeward supply as it was landed and received.

The delivery of identical defensive orders to each new captain confirms the standing regime the council had built for the emergency. Because ships arrived continually, every fresh commander had to be brought under the same convoy and shore-party instructions the moment he reached the road, so the orders were framed to be served automatically on each arrival. This kept the shifting body of visiting ships bound to a consistent scheme of defence throughout the period of alarm.

The bills of exchange drawn for Charles Steward's £50 in cash notes, like Captain Alexander's earlier, moved that value to England without shipping coin, the Company undertaking to pay it at home. The arrival of the homeward fleet set off a steady flow of such remittances, as officers and inhabitants converted cash into bills payable in England, the Governor becoming debtor for each sum in the journal. Recording every transaction protected all parties if a bill were later disputed, part of the routine financial business that accompanied the fleet's stay.

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43

Orderd that Bills of Exchange be accordingly drawn upon the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps for the Sum

aforesaid, & that they be immediatly Enterd in the Journal

Capt Thomas Holden also paid into the Hands of the Governʳ the Sum of Fifty

five Pounds in Cash Notes desiring Bills for the Same

Orderd that Bills be accordingly drawn upon the Honᵇˡᵉ Compy for the aforesaid

Sum & that the Same be Enterd in the Journal as usual

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 30ᵗʰ May 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & appeared

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 Honᵇˡᵉ Company being Part of the Lands called

Barren & 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 & Francis Wrangham being two of the most Eminent

Planters upon the Island

Orderd that the following Advertizement be Published

Whereas the Fencing of Land & Encrease & Preservation of Wood & Furze are of

the greatest Consequence to this Place, & the Inhabitants been frequently Enjoyned to Fence

& Plant both One & the other but hitherto have generally Neglected to give Obedience to the

Several Orders already given relating to the Matter

These are therefore to give early Notice that the Weather being likely to become

Seasonable all Persons are Strictly Commended to Embrace the first Opportunity to

Fence & Plant both Wood & Furze, & the better to discover who do or be not Pay obedience

to these Orders an other General Survey will be taken at a proper time of their Several

Plantations & those Penalties Exacted from all Defaulters to which they are Subject

by Several Clauses in their Respective Deeds & Lease

The Governour Reports that Bess a Black Wench at Plantation House was delivered

of a Boy last Week Named Harry

Orderd that Messʳˢ Powell & Wrangham be desired to Value the said Land

between this & Tuesday next & deliver the Valuation thereof to Us in Writing

Orderd that Capt Goodwin do Measure the aforesaid Land at the Same time

that Messʳˢ Powell & Wrangham attend to Value it

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

The council ordered bills of exchange drawn upon the Company for that sum, to be entered at once in the journal.

Captain Thomas Golding also paid into the Governor's hands the sum of £55 in cash notes, asking for bills for the same. The council ordered bills drawn upon the Company for that sum and entered in the journal as usual.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 30 May 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The previous afternoon the Derby, the King George, the Lyell, the Essex, the Middlesex, the Mary and the India Gatch sailed for England. Each was plentifully furnished with everything wanted, and their commanders were well pleased with their reception and entertainment.

Captain Alexander presented a petition, asking to buy about thirty acres of the Company's pasture land, part of the ground called Perkins. He was willing to give whatever it should be valued at by two indifferent persons.

The council agreed that Captain Alexander be admitted purchaser of the land at the valuation of Gabriel Powell and Francis Wrangham, two of the most eminent planters on the island. The council ordered the following notice published.

The notice set out that the raising of wood and furze was of the greatest consequence to the island, and that the inhabitants, though often required to fence and plant, had generally neglected to obey the orders already given. It therefore gave early warning that, the weather being about to turn seasonable, all were strictly required to take the first opportunity to fence and plant both wood and furze. To discover who did or did not obey, another general survey would be taken at a proper time of the several plantations, and penalties exacted from defaulters under the several clauses of their deeds and leases.

The Governor reported that Bess, a black woman at Plantation House, had been delivered of a boy the previous week, named Harry.

The council ordered Powell and Wrangham to value the land between then and the following Tuesday, and to deliver their valuation in writing. It ordered Captain Goodwin to measure the land at the same time that Powell and Wrangham attended to value it.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The departure of the whole homeward squadron in company reflects the convoy discipline the council had imposed for the war emergency, which forbade any ship to sail unless several kept together. The seven vessels leaving on the same afternoon, plentifully furnished and their commanders satisfied, show the island performing its central function as a victualling station for the returning fleet. Sending them off together under the agreed instructions put into practice the whole defensive scheme built up through the letters of 9 and 10 May 1727.

The sale of the Perkins pasture to Captain Alexander turned on valuation by indifferent persons, a standard device for setting a fair price on Company land. Rather than fixing a sum by negotiation, the council referred the worth of the ground to two disinterested experts, Powell and Wrangham, named as the most eminent planters on the island. Admitting Alexander as purchaser at whatever they valued protected the Company against selling too cheap and the buyer against paying too dear, the same care the council had taken over the Huts land in April 1727.

The renewed survey notice shows the council escalating its enforcement of the planting obligation after the fines of April 1727 had failed to secure general compliance. Warning that a fresh general survey would be taken and penalties exacted under the forfeiture clauses of every deed and lease kept the threat of losing the land constantly before the tenants. Timing the notice to the turn of seasonable weather removed any excuse of unsuitable conditions, pressing the inhabitants to plant while the southern-hemisphere season allowed.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday 6ᵗʰ June 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & approved

On the first instant arrived the Cragg Capt Grantham from Bengall & on

Saturday arrived the Devonshire Capt Prince from Bombay & brought each the following

Supplys for this Island vizt

Batavia Arrack

P Cragg

Nᵒ 1 to 4

4 Half Legars 9/7 vizt

9 74 Gallˢ

10 80

11 75

12 83

312 at 62 . 3 P Legar

125 . —

Trisinda Sugar

Nᵒ 1 to 10

10 Bags qty 20º to 14 . 2 . 18 & 9 Bup P Bag

90 . —

Fine Rice

Nᵒ 1 to 28

28 Bags qty 56º to 41 . 2 . 7 & 15 P Mt Bup

49 . 12 . 6

Batta 10 P Cent

4 . 16 . 9

54 . 12 . 3

269 . 12 . 3

Charges Merchandize

Boat Hire

4 . 14 . —

56 Bags &c

4 . 9 . —

Muttas

1 . 5 . —

Crane Oyle &c

11 . —

11 . 7 . —

281 . 3 . 3

P Devonshire

Bengall Rice 50 Bales at 35º P Bale

175 . —

Goa Arrack 4 Hogsheads double Distilled

at 30 &c

120 . —

295

The Honᵇˡᵉ Comps late Orders were Signified as usual by Letters dated 1 & 3 to

Capt Grantham & 3 & 4 instant to Capt Prince the form of which are Entered in

Consultation of the 9ᵗʰ & 10ᵗʰ of May last

Capt Goodwin Report that he hath Measured the Pasture Land at Perkins

which Capt Alexander desires to Purchase & finds it contains Thirty One Acres

Messrˢ Powell & Wrangham according to Order of Tuesday last

presented the following Valuation of the Pasture Land at Perkins vizt

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ & a 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 a consultation held on Tuesday 6 June 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Grantham, Captain Grantham commander, arrived from Bengal on the first of the month. The Devonshire, Captain Coney commander, arrived from Bombay the previous Saturday. Each brought the following supply for the island.

Supply brought by the Grantham.

Batavia arrack

4 half leaguers, numbered 9 to 12

9, 74 gallons

10, 80

11, 75

12, 83, 312 gallons at 62s 3d per leaguer, £126 0s 0d

Tresundee sugar, numbered 1 to 10

10 bags, each of 20 pounds, tare 14 pounds, at 18s per bag, £90 0s 0d

Fine rice, numbered 1 to 28

28 bags, each of 36 pounds, tare 1 quarter 7 pounds, at 16s per maund per bag, £49 12s 6d

Batta at 10 per cent, £4 16s 9d, £54 12s 3d

Total, £269 12s 3d

Charges of merchandise

Boat hire, £4 14s 0d

56 bags, £4 9s 0d

Matches, £1 5s 0d

Rope and oil, 11s 0d, £11 7s 0d

Total, £281 3s 3d

Supply brought by the Devonshire.

Bengal rice, 50 bales at 37s per bale, £175 0s 0d

Goa arrack, double distilled, 4 hogsheads at 30s each, £120 0s 0d

Total, £295 0s 0d

The Company's earlier orders were signified as usual by letters dated the first and second of the month to Captain Grantham, and on the fourth to Captain Coney of the Devonshire. The terms were those entered in the consultation of 9 and 10 May.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the pasture land at Perkins, which Captain Alexander wished to buy, and found it contained thirty-one acres.

Powell and Wrangham, following the council's order the previous Tuesday, presented the following valuation of the pasture land at Perkins.

Powell and Wrangham reported to the council that, following its order the previous Tuesday, they had valued the pasture land to the best of their skill and judgement.

Interpretations

The two invoices were reckoned in the weights and money of the Bengal and Bombay trade before their totals were carried out in sterling. A leaguer was a large cask of about 150 gallons, so the half-leaguers of arrack held roughly 75 each, and the rice was priced by the maund with batta added as the trade's exchange allowance. The Devonshire cargo distinguished Goa arrack, double distilled and reckoned by the hogshead, from the Batavia arrack of the Grantham, marking the different sources and strengths of spirit the country trade supplied.

Goa arrack came from the Portuguese settlement on the west coast of India, and being double distilled was a stronger spirit than the ordinary single-distilled kind, which explains its separate pricing by the hogshead rather than the leaguer. Bengal rice shipped in bales rather than bags reflects a different mode of packing for the coarser grades, each element of the cargo accounted for by its own measure. These distinctions of origin, strength and packing show the varied sources from which the Company drew the island's provisions across its Asian network.

The purchase of the Perkins pasture proceeded through independent measurement and valuation, the two checks the council applied to any sale of its land. Goodwin measured the ground at thirty-one acres while Powell and Wrangham, the two eminent planters named on 30 May 1727, valued it on oath of their skill and judgement. Separating the survey of extent from the assessment of worth gave the council two independent figures on which to complete the sale, protecting the Company's interest in disposing of its pasture at a fair and provable price.

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at the Plantation called Perkins belonging to the Honᵇˡᵉ Compy at the Several

Prices following it not being equally good in all Places vizt

16 3/4 Acres of Good Land at

£ 10 P Acre

£ 167 . 10

5 Ditto Indifferent

8 P Ditto

40 . —

9¼ ditto Worse & very Steep & Rockey

6 P ditto

55 . 10

£ 263 . —

St Helena

6ᵗʰ June 1727

Frans Wrangham

Gabriel Powell

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Mʳ Gao Steward delivered each

their Monthly Acct for May last which were Severally Examined & Approved &

are as follow vizt

Account of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry &

Horses likewise what has been killed Dead besides the Increase or Decrease from 25ᵗʰ Aprill to 24ᵗʰ May 1727 vizt

Neat Cattle Bullocks

Neat Cattle Cowes

Neat Cattle Heifers

Neat Cattle Steer

Neat Cattle Yearlings

Neat Cattle Calves

Neat Cattle Bulls

Neat Cattle Totall

Sheep Ewes

Sheep Wethers

Sheep Lambs

Sheep Rams

Sheep Totall

Goates Ewes

Goates Wethers

Goates Kids

Goates Rams

Goates Totall

Hoggs Sowes

Hoggs Shoates

Hoggs Barrows

Hoggs Boars

Hoggs Pigg

Hoggs Totall

Poultry Turkeys

Poultry Fowles

Poultry Ducks

Poultry Geese

Horses Horses

Horses Mares

Horses Totall

Rem 25ᵗʰ Aprill 1727

Neat Cattle Bullocks 26, Neat Cattle Cowes 59, Neat Cattle Heifers 26, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 43, Neat Cattle Bulls 2, Neat Cattle Totall 216, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 157, Goates Wethers 43, Goates Kids 104, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 309, Hoggs Sowes 5, Hoggs Shoates 19, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigg 13, Hoggs Totall 38, Poultry Turkeys 86, Poultry Fowles 76, Poultry Ducks 10, Poultry Geese 29, Horses Horses 5, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 8

Bought from do to 24 May

Neat Cattle Bullocks 24, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers 2, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls 1, Neat Cattle Totall 27, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes 31, Goates Wethers 19, Goates Kids 9, Goates Rams 1, Goates Totall 60, Hoggs Sowes 3, Hoggs Shoates 3, Hoggs Barrows 7, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigg —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys 13, Poultry Fowles 4, Poultry Ducks 13, Poultry Geese 3, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares 1, Horses Totall 1

Encreased from do to ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigg —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 49, Neat Cattle Cowes 59, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 43, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 242, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 188, Goates Wethers 62, Goates Kids 113, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 369, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 22, Hoggs Barrows 7, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigg 13, Hoggs Totall 51, Poultry Turkeys 90, Poultry Fowles 89, Poultry Ducks 13, Poultry Geese 29, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Killed from do to do

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 1, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigg —, Hoggs Totall 1, Poultry Turkeys 1, Poultry Fowles 9, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese 3, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 49, Neat Cattle Cowes 59, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 43, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 242, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 188, Goates Wethers 62, Goates Kids 113, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 369, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 21, Hoggs Barrows 7, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigg 13, Hoggs Totall 50, Poultry Turkeys 89, Poultry Fowles 80, Poultry Ducks 13, Poultry Geese 26, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Goates & Hoggs Cutt & Grown in do

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids 51, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 51, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 7, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigg 6, Hoggs Totall 13, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 49, Neat Cattle Cowes 59, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 43, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 242, Sheep Ewes 52, Sheep Wethers 24, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 188, Goates Wethers 62, Goates Kids 62, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 318, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 7, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigg 4, Hoggs Totall 34, Poultry Turkeys 89, Poultry Fowles 80, Poultry Ducks 13, Poultry Geese 26, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Dead in ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs 1, Sheep Rams 1, Sheep Totall 3, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigg —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles 1, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Remains 24ᵗʰ May 1727

Neat Cattle Bullocks 49, Neat Cattle Cowes 59, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 43, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 242, Sheep Ewes 51, Sheep Wethers 23, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 102, Goates Ewes 188, Goates Wethers 62, Goates Kids 62, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 318, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 7, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigg 4, Hoggs Totall 34, Poultry Turkeys 89, Poultry Fowles 80, Poultry Ducks 13, Poultry Geese 26, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 31400 ℔

Ditto deliverd to the Fort Blacks 7575

Do deliverd to the Great Wood Blacks 7050

Totall Yams 46025 ℔

Powell and Wrangham valued the pasture land at the plantation called Perkins, belonging to the Company, at the several prices following, it not being equally good in all places.

16½ acres of good land at £10 per acre, £167 10s 0d

5 acres indifferent at £8 per acre, £40 0s 0d

9½ acres worse and very steep and rocky at £6 per acre, £55 10s 0d

Total, £263 0s 0d

Signed at St Helena, 6 June 1727, by Francis Wrangham and Gabriel Powell.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and Mr Gaa the steward each delivered their monthly account for May, which were severally examined and approved as follows.

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed and died, and the increase or decrease, from 25 April 1727 to 24 May following.

Neat cattle

Remaining 25 April 1727: bullocks 25, cows 59, heifers 26, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 43, bulls 2, total 216

Bought from that date to 24 May: bullocks 24, cows -, heifers 2, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total 27

Increased from that date to this: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Standing at: bullocks 49, cows 59, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 43, bulls 2, total 242

Killed from that date to this: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Remaining after killing: bullocks 49, cows 59, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 43, bulls 2, total 242

Goats and hogs cut and grown from that date to this: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Standing at: bullocks 49, cows 59, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 43, bulls 2, total 242

Dead in that period: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Remaining 24 May 1727: bullocks 49, cows 59, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 43, bulls 2, total 242

Sheep

Remaining 25 April 1727: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total 105

Bought from that date to 24 May: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Increased from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Standing at: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total 105

Killed from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining after killing: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total 105

Cut and grown from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Standing at: ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 26, rams 3, total 105

Dead in that period: ewes 1, wethers -, lambs 1, rams -, total 1

Remaining 24 May 1727: ewes 51, wethers 23, lambs 26, rams 3, total 102

Goats

Remaining 25 April 1727: ewes 157, wethers 43, kids 104, rams 5, total 309

Bought from that date to 24 May: ewes 31, wethers 19, kids 9, rams 1, total 60

Increased from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Standing at: ewes 188, wethers 62, kids 113, rams 6, total 369

Killed from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Remaining after killing: ewes 188, wethers 62, kids 113, rams 6, total 369

Cut and grown from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, kids 51, rams -, total 51

Standing at: ewes 188, wethers 62, kids 62, rams 6, total 318

Dead in that period: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Remaining 24 May 1727: ewes 188, wethers 62, kids 62, rams 6, total 318

Hogs

Remaining 25 April 1727: sows 5, shoats 19, boars 1, pigs 13, total 38

Bought from that date to 24 May: sows 3, shoats 3, boars -, pigs -, total 7

Increased from that date to this: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Standing at: sows 8, shoats 22, boars 1, pigs 13, total 51

Killed from that date to this: sows -, shoats 1, boars -, pigs -, total 1

Remaining after killing: sows 8, shoats 21, boars 1, pigs 13, total 50

Goats and hogs cut and grown from that date to this: sows -, shoats -, boars 7, pigs 6, total 13

Standing at: sows 8, shoats 14, boars 7, pigs 1, total 30

Dead in that period: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Remaining 24 May 1727: sows 8, shoats 14, boars 7, pigs 1, total 30

Poultry

Remaining 25 April 1727: turkeys 86, fowls 76, ducks 10, geese 29, total -

Bought from that date to 24 May: turkeys -, fowls 13, ducks 4, geese 13, total -

Increased from that date to this: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Standing at: turkeys 90, fowls 89, ducks 13, geese 29, total -

Killed from that date to this: turkeys 1, fowls 1, ducks 9, geese -, total -

Remaining after killing: turkeys 89, fowls 80, ducks 13, geese 26, total -

Standing at: turkeys 89, fowls 80, ducks 13, geese 26, total -

Dead in that period: turkeys -, fowls 1, ducks -, geese -, total -

Remaining 24 May 1727: turkeys 89, fowls 80, ducks 13, geese 26, total -

Horses

Remaining 25 April 1727: horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Remaining 24 May 1727: horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 31,400 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 7,575 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 7,050 pounds

Total yams, 46,025 pounds

Interpretations

The valuation of the Perkins pasture completed the sale to Captain Alexander by pricing the ground in three grades according to its quality, the 16½ acres of good land at £10 an acre standing well above the steep and rocky portion at £6. Grading the land rather than setting a single average price gave a fairer measure of worth and a fuller justification for the total of £263, protecting the Company against any charge of selling its pasture cheap. Powell and Wrangham signing the valuation on the same footing as the survey they had made gave the assessment the authority of the island's most eminent planters.

This stock account opened with the closing figures of the previous statement, the neat cattle at 216 and the goats at 309, and records the largest single expansion of the herd in the run. The neat cattle leapt from 216 to 242 through twenty-seven head bought in, and the goats from 309 to 369 through sixty purchased, far above the closing figures the reference records for the late winter. This heavy buying-in, rather than natural increase, drove the growth, suggesting the Company was building up its stock as fresh supplies of animals became available.

The yam total of 46,025 pounds footed the account and was split three ways for the first time in the run, between the plantations, the fort slaves and now a separate line for the Great Wood slaves at 7,050 pounds. This new division reflects the labour concentrated at the Great Wood, the island's principal timber reserve, whose slaves the muster of 13 March 1727 had recorded as a distinct station. Isolating their ration in the account shows the Company tracking the feeding cost of each part of its labour force separately, the same close accounting that underlay the ration economies pursued from 1 March 1727.

69

46

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabts

&c from 25ᵗʰ Aprille to 24ᵗʰ May 1727 vizt

83 Gallˢ Arrack

27 . 7 . 4

254 ℔ Sugar

6 . 8 . 6

22 Candy

1 . 2

7 . 10 . 6

168 ℔ Bread

2 . 2

77 ℔ Flour

19 . 3

3 . 1 . 3

7 ℔ Candles

14 . —

5 ℔ Soap

7 . 1

1 Catt[ee] Bohea Tea

6 . —

1 . 7 . 1

14 ℔ Cutt Tobacco

1 . 11 . 6

119 Pipes

4 . 11½

1 . 16 . 5½

3 3/4 Pˢ Bengall Taffety

6 . —

17 Gingham

6 . 7 . 6

12 . 7 . 6

4 Small Rolls

16 . 8

1 do Large

15 . —

5 do do 17

4 . 5 . —

1 do

1 . 4

7 . — . 8

48 White Shirts

5 . 5 . —

Six Pˢ Cotton Stock

5 . 10 . —

10 . 15 . —

8 ℔ Wax

7 . 6

1 ℔ Cotton Yarn

3 . 6

11 . —

1 Oz Indigo

6

26 Small China Cupps

14 . 4

49 Large do

16 . 4

102 Cupps & Saucers

2 . 11 . 6

1 Enamelled Bowls

1 . 6

9 Bowls

7 . 6

1 Sett do

6 . —

5 Tea Potts

7 . 6

1 Pˢ Brass Candlesticks

12 . 6

5 . 14 . 8

2 Copper Kettle Weight 33¾ ℔

3 . 11 . 1½

8 Salad Hoes

9 . 12 . 6

4 . 3 . 7½

1 Plain do

16 . 6

2 do

12 . —

29 Soldiers do

3 . 16 . 6

47 Yardˢ Sackery

2 . 14 . 10

14 . 16 . 8

4 ℔ Hollands Duck

13 . 5½

19½ Red Duck 2/7

2 . 11 . —¼

14 do 2/3

1 . 11 . 6

62 Yardˢ Kersey

6 . 4 . —

21 Flannell

2 . 9 . —

1½ Camblet

3 . 9

14 Sagathy

2 . 10

2½ Duroy

5 . —

1 do

2 . 2 . —

17¼ Serge

2 . — . 10

1½ Scarlet Cloth

1 . 18 . 3

29 Yardˢ Norwich Stuffs

30 . 3 . 7½

1½ Dimothy

1 . 5 . 8

14 do

2 . —

19¼ Pˢ Fustians Nᵒ 3

2 . 7½

1½ do 4

2 . 3 . 1½

1½ do

2 . 4 . 3

1 . 10 . —

6 . 7 . —

Carried Over

£ 153 . 12 . 3¾

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 25 April to 24 May 1727.

89 gallons arrack, £27 17s 4d

254 pounds sugar, at 6s 8d per hundredweight, 8s 6d

22 pounds candy, £1 2s 0d, £7 10s 6d

168 pounds bread, £2 2s 0d

77 pounds flour, 19s 3d, £3 1s 3d

7 pounds candles, 14s 0d

5 pounds soap, 7s 1d

1 catty bohea tea, 6s 1d, £1 7s 1d

14 pounds cut tobacco, £1 11s 6d

110 pipes, 4s 11½d, £1 16s 5½d

3¾ pieces Bengal taffety, 6s 0d

17 gingham, at 6s per piece, £6 7s 6d, £12 7s 6d

4 small ducks, 16s 8d

1 ditto large, 15s 0d

5 ditto, numbered 17, £4 5s 0d

1 ditto, £1 4s 0d, £7 0s 8d

48 white shirts, at 5s, £5 5s 0d

1 pair cotton stockings, 5s 10d, £10 15s 0d

6 pounds wax, 7s 6d

1 pound cotton yarn, 3s 6d, 11s 0d

1 ounce indigo, 6d

96 tinned China cups, 14s 4d

49 large ditto, 16s 4d

102 cups and saucers, £2 11s 6d

1 enamelled bowl, 1s 6d

2 bowls, 7s 6d

1 ditto, 6s 0d

5 tea bottles, 17s 6d

1 pair brass candlesticks, 12s 6d, £5 14s 8d

2 copper kettles, weight 8 pounds 27½ ounces, £3 11s 1½d

3 salad hoes, 12s 6d, £4 3s 7½d

1 plain ditto, 16s 6d

2 ditto, 12s 0d

20 soldiers' ditto, £3 10s 6d

47 yards bunting, £2 14s 10d

4½ Holland Dutch, 13s 5½d

19½ red silk, at 2s 7d, £2 11s 0¼d

14 ditto, at 2s 3d, £1 11s 6¼d

62 yards kersey, £6 4s 0d

21 flannel, £2 9s 0d

1½ camblet, £3 3s 9d

19 taffety, £2 15s 0d

2½ durance, 5s 0d

1 ditto, £2 2s 0d

17½ serge, 7s 10d

1½ scarlet cloth, £1 18s 3d

20 yards Norwich stuffs, £1 18s 0d, £30 3s 7½d

1½ dimothy, £1 5s 3d

1½ ditto, 3s 0d

1¾ pieces fustians, numbered 3, 2s 7½d

1½ ditto, numbered 4, £2 3s 1½d

1½ ditto, £2 4s 3d, £6 7s 0d

Carried over, £133 12s 3¾d

Interpretations

The monthly collection recorded goods drawn from the Company warehouse by private inhabitants, carried over at £133 12s 3¾d before its continuation. The warehouse was the island's only supplier of imported and manufactured goods, so this schedule measured the flow of such articles into private hands and the sterling owed for them. The heavy proportion of textiles in this account, running through cottons, silks, woollens and mixed cloths, shows the strong demand among inhabitants for the fabrics that only Company shipping could bring.

Many of the cloths would be unfamiliar today and came from both the Eastern and the English trades. Bengal taffety was a Bengal silk, gingham a checked Indian cotton, and calico a plain one, while the woollens carried out from England included kersey, a coarse ribbed wool used to clothe slaves, serge, a twilled wool, durance, a glazed wool, and camblet, a wool or wool-mix cloth. Norwich stuffs were worsted fabrics from that English weaving centre, scarlet cloth a fine dyed wool, and dimity and fustian cotton or cotton-linen weaves, the whole range showing the mixed sources of the island's cloth supply.

The tinned China cups, cups and saucers, enamelled bowls and tea bottles record the porcelain and tableware of the China trade reaching private households through the store. These reflect the spread of tea-drinking and its associated wares even on a remote station, supplied through the same returning Indiamen that brought the tea itself. That such fragile and decorative goods appear alongside hoes and copper kettles shows the warehouse meeting the full range of a household's needs, from farming tools to the refinements of the tea table.

70

47

Brought over

£ 153 . 12 . 8¾

1½ Pˢ Thick Sit

2 . 16 . 3

1½ do

4 . 10 . —

7 . 6 . 3

1 Pewter Dish

8 . —

2 Iron Cots

1 . 9 . 2

1 Wine Glass

6

1 Hatchet Nᵒ 2

3 . —

2 . — . 8

19 Lines Sorted

9 . 11

10 doz Hooks Sorted

9 . 4

19 . 3

1 English Tutor

1 . —

1 Large Common Prayer Book

4 . 8

5 . 8

1 Coffee Pott

1 . 9

1 Quart Bonnell

1 . 2

3 . 11

1 ℔ Shoe thread

2 . 6

1 Pˢ Sciser

1 . 4

4 Ivory Comb

4 . 8

1 Horn do

10

1 Box do

1 . 2

8 . —

2 Pair Mens Knitt Stocking

15 . —

1 do Horse

8 . 8

5 Womens do

1 . 1 . 3

1 do

3 . —

2 . 7 . 6

1 Pˢ Mens Colar Leather Shoe

6 . 8

1 Bags

4 . —

10 . 8

2 Tortoise Penknives

2 . 6

8 Mᵈ Twine

4 . —

7 Pˢ Edging

8 . 9

1 Pˢ Holland Tape

1 . 9

4 Bobbing

1 . 9

6 Doz White Button

1 . 9

1½ Oz China Silk

2 . 3

8¾ Coloured thread

9 . —

2 Oz thread

2 . 9

2 Doz thread Laces

2 . —

1 . 18 . 6

Sum Totall to Inhabitants

£ 151 . 2 . 8¾

The Great Wood

6 Broad Axe 6/6

1 . 19 . —

2 Grubbing do Wᵗ 20 ℔

1 . —

8 Helves

6 . 8

2 Large Lines

8 . —

2 Gallˢ Tarr

5 . —

5 ℔ Rope

1 . 8 . —

5 . 6 . 8

Garrison

3 Gallˢ Linsed Oyle

13 . —

8 Catt[ees] Green Tea

1 . 12 . —

48 ℔ Rope for Crosspieces Bay

2 . 2

1 Twine

4 . —

1 ℔ Brown thread

2 . —

89 round Shott Neddles

Delivered the Gunner

2 . —

2 Yardˢ Red Bunting

2 . 3

4 Pˢ do

4 . 8

4 White do

2 . 3

1 Small Stock Lock

2 . 3

Garrison Carried Over

£ 5 . 13 . —

156 . 9 . 4¾

Store goods sold to inhabitants, brought over, £133 12s 8¾d.

1½ pieces thickset, £2 16s 3d

1½ ditto, £4 10s 0d, £7 6s 3d

1 pewter dish, 8s 0d

2 iron pots, £1 9s 2d

1 wine glass, 6d

1 hatchet, numbered 2, 3s 0d, £2 0s 8d

19 lines, sorted, 9s 11d

10 dozen hooks, sorted, 9s 4d, 19s 3d

1 English tutor, 1s 0d

1 large Common Prayer book, 4s 8d, 5s 8d

1 coffee pot, 1s 9d

1 quart funnel, 1s 2d, 3s 11d

1 pound shoe thread, 2s 6d

1 pair scissors, 1s 4d

4 ivory combs, 4s 3d

1 horn ditto, 10d

1 box ditto, 1s 2d, 8s 0d

2 pairs men's knit stockings, 15s 0d

1 horse ditto, 8s 3d

5 women's ditto, £1 1s 3d

1 ditto, 3s 0d, £2 7s 6d

1 pair Spanish calf leather shoes, 6s 8d

1 bag, 4s 0d, 10s 8d

2 tortoiseshell penknives, 2s 6d

6 tin cups, 4s 0d

7 yards edging, 3s 9d

1 piece Holland tape, 1s 2d

4 bobbing, 1s 2d

6 dozen white buttons, 1s 2d

1½ ounce China silk, 2s 3d

2¾ coloured thread, 9s 0d

2 ounce thread, 2s 9d

2 dozen thread laces, 2s 0d, £1 18s 6d

Sum total to inhabitants, £151 2s 8¾d

The Great Wood.

6 broad axes, at 6s, £1 19s 0d

2 grubbing ditto, weight 20 pounds, £1 0s 0d

8 helves, 6s 8d

2 large lines, 5s 0d

2 gallons tar, 3s 0d

5 pounds rope, [...], £5 6s 8d

Garrison.

3 gallons linseed oil, 18s 0d

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

4 pounds rope for Prosperous Bay, 2s 2d

1 twine, 4s 0d

1 pound brown thread, delivered to the gunner, 2s 0d

29 round shot, delivered to the gunner, 2s 0d

1 pound needles, delivered to the gunner, 2s 0d

2 yards red bunting, delivered to the gunner, 2s 8d

4 pieces ditto, 4s 8d

4 white ditto, 2s 3d

1 small stock lock, 2s 3d

Garrison carried over, £5 15s 9d, £156 9s 4¾d

Interpretations

This part of the account closed the inhabitants' collection at a sum total of £151 2s 8¾d, then divided further store issues between the Great Wood and the garrison. The heavy woodworking tools charged to the Great Wood, broad axes, grubbing axes and helves, record the equipment needed to cut and clear timber in the island's principal wood reserve. Grubbing axes were heavy tools for digging out roots and stumps, marking the labour of clearing ground as well as felling, the same forestry work the slave muster of 13 March 1727 had assigned to the Great Wood station.

Thickset was a stout cotton fabric with a raised pile, similar to fustian and used for hard-wearing garments, one of several cloths in the list that only the store could supply. The tableware and small wares, pewter dishes, iron pots, tin cups, ivory and horn combs, and tortoiseshell penknives, were the everyday domestic articles a remote settlement could not make for itself. Their appearance in a warehouse account rather than a shop's books shows how completely the Company controlled the supply of manufactured goods to the island's households.

The garrison charge included munitions delivered directly to the gunner, round shot and needles for making cartridges, alongside coloured bunting for signal flags. The rope specifically marked for Prosperous Bay points to gear supplied for a particular coastal point, part of the island's fortified watch over its anchorages. Issuing these military stores through the same account as domestic goods shows the warehouse serving every branch of the establishment, from the fort's defence to the tea tables of private houses.

71

48

Garrison broᵗ Over

£ 5 . 13 . 9

156 . 9 . 4¾

1 Iron Cott Weight 52 ℔

1 . 6 . 3

1 Frying Pan

5 . —

1 Tin Lamp

9

1 Lanthorn

4 . 6

1 Wooden Bowls

2 . 6

6 Spoons

6

1 Platter

3 . 6

5 . 17 . 9

Plantation

1 Made Weight 16¼ ℔

15 . 3½

Honᵇˡᵉ Companies Blacks vizt

To Diet Expence 246 ℔ Rice

13 . 6 . 9

4 Pˢ Wom Shoe

3 . 3

To Acct Clothing

1 do Calve & Shoe

4 . 3

4 Mens Ordrd do

5 . 9

18 . 19 . 11

General Charges

15 Sheets Tin

10 . —

120 ℔ Rice

1 . 10 . —

2 Glass hand Lanthorn

1 . 6 . 6

2 Pˢ Ordry Long Cloth

2 . —

1½ Yardˢ Yock Brade

2 . 8

4 ℔ Tack

10

1 Brmb Closet Lock

5 . 3

1 Small Chest Lock

1 . 3

1 Sett Nº 2/7 for Store Use

11

Cash in the Storekeepers Hand paid for 20 Bushˢ Salt

5 . 18 . 6

1 Tin Sauce Pan

1 . 9

2 do

1 . 3 . 6

8 Pˢ Old Tape for Secretarys Office

12 . —

½ Pˢ Whited Brown thread

9

1½ do

9

1 ℔ Cash thread

2 . 9

10 Oz Corck Wood

7 . 1½

2 China Chamber Potts

6 . —

1 Pˢ Mens Stotchets

3 . —

10 Gimblets

3 . 4

1 Bruning Knife

1 . 6

2 Butchers do

1 . —

1 Cutt Tobacco

2 . 3

3 doz Pipe

1 . 6

15 . 10 . 7½

Diet Expences

57½ Gallˢ Arrack 6/4

18 . 4 . 2

14 do Sherry 7/9

5 . 8 . 6

12 Gallˢ Mountain 7/9

4 . 13 . —

8 Gallˢ Cort

3 . 2

13 Gallˢ Small Beer

13 . —

4 Gallˢ Vinegar

10 . —

2 Bottles Oyle

7 . 6

150 ℔ Bread

1 . 17 . 6

200 ℔ Flour

2 . 10 . —

148 ℔ Sugar

3 . 14 . —

48 ℔ Candles Wax

4 . 16

2 ℔ Pepper

Totall

£ 46 . 2 . 2

242 . 6 . 3¼

Garrison, brought over, £5 15s 9d, £156 9s 4¾d.

1 iron pot, weight 52 pounds, £1 6s 3d

1 frying pan, 5s 0d

1 tin lamp, 9d

1 lanthorn, 4s 6d

1 wooden bowl, 2s 6d

6 spoons, 6d

1 platter, 3s 6d, £5 17s 9d

Plantation.

1 maul, weight 16¼ pounds, 16s 2½d

Company's slaves, to diet expenses.

146 pounds rice, £13 6s 9d

1 pair women's shoes, 3s 3d

1 pair calf ditto shoes, delivered to account of clothing, 4s 3d

1 pair men's ordinary ditto, 5s 9d, £18 19s 11d

General charges.

15 sheets tin, 10s 0d

120 pounds rice, £1 10s 0d

2 glass hand lanthorns, £1 6s 6d

2 pieces diaper, delivered for the long cloth, £2 3s 0d

1½ dozen shod brads, 2s 8d

½ dozen tacks, 10d

1 brass closet lock, 5s 3d

1 small chest lock, 1s 3d

1 sieve, numbered 27, delivered for the store use, 11d, £5 16s 6d

Cask in the storekeeper's hands, paid for 20 bushels salt, £5 16s 6d

1 tin sauce pan, 1s 9d

1 ditto, 3s 6d

3 pieces old tape for the secretary's office, 12s 0d

½ pound whited brown thread, 3s 0d

½ ditto, 1s 9d

1 pound corked thread, 9d

10 ounces cork wood, 6s 7½d

2 China chamber pots, 3s 0d

1 pair men's stretchers, 3s 4d

10 gimblets, 1s 6d

1 burning knife, 1s 2d

2 butcher ditto, 9s 3d

1 pound cut tobacco, 1s 6d

3 dozen pipes, £13 10s 7½d

Diet expenses.

57½ gallons arrack, at 6s 4d, £18 4s 2d

14 gallons sherry, at 7s, £5 8s 6d

12 gallons Mountain, at 7s 9d, £4 13s 0d

5 gallons port, £3 2s 0d

13 gallons small beer, 13s 0d

4 gallons vinegar, 10s 0d

2 bottles oil, 7s 6d

150 pounds bread, £1 17s 6d

200 pounds flour, £2 10s 0d

148 pounds sugar, £3 14s 0d

43 pounds candles wax, £4 16s 0d

2 pounds pepper, [...]

Total, £46 2s 2d, £242 0s 6¾d

Interpretations

This closing part of the store account footed the whole collection to a total of £242 0s 6¾d, dividing the last issues among the garrison, the plantation, the Company's slaves, general charges and the fort's diet. The charge to the slaves gathered under diet expenses and clothing shows the Company still supplying its owned labour with rice and footwear, the grain issue reflecting the shift toward cereal and fish begun on 1 March 1727. Keeping clothing and diet as separate headings against the slaves let the council track each element of their maintenance cost.

The general charges recorded the small hardware and stores of maintaining the fort and its offices. Gimblets were small boring tools, stretchers likely shoe or boot stretchers, and the sheets of tin and shod brads materials for repairs, while old tape was supplied specifically for the secretary's office to bind papers. The China chamber pots and the diaper cloth for the long cloth show imported wares meeting domestic and household needs, all articles the settlement drew from the store because it could produce none itself.

The diet expenses maintained the fort table's accustomed range of drink, sherry, Mountain and port alongside the arrack and beer. Sherry was a fortified white wine from the Jerez region of southern Spain, Mountain a sweet fortified wine from near Malaga, and port a fortified red from the Douro valley of Portugal, all reserved for the officers' table. The steady reappearance of these wines month after month shows the fort keeping its established style of provisioning through the wider drive for economy in the slaves' rations.

72

49

Gunners Stores Expended in May 1727 vizt

Guns Fired

Shott

Demiculvering

Sakers

Minions

Falcons

Powder

May 3 Muster Day

Guns Fired —, Shott —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 12 ℔

8 A Double Alarm 5 Ships went by

Guns Fired 7, Shott 1, Demiculvering 1, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons 3, Powder 19

9 A Double Alarm

Guns Fired 6, Shott —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons 3, Powder 12

do Arrived the India Yatch Derby & King George

Guns Fired 27, Shott —, Demiculvering 2, Sakers 3, Minions —, Falcons 22, Powder 48

11 An Alarm

Guns Fired 4, Shott —, Demiculvering 1, Sakers 1, Minions —, Falcons 2, Powder 8

12 Arrived the Lyell Capt Small

Guns Fired 9, Shott —, Demiculvering 1, Sakers 1, Minions —, Falcons 7, Powder 18

do To Clear & Scale at Barks

Guns Fired 4, Shott 4, Demiculvering 2, Sakers 2, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 22

17 At the Funeral of William Lee

Guns Fired —, Shott —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 1

do A Double Alarm

Guns Fired 6, Shott —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons 3, Powder 12

do Arrived the Essex, Mary & Middlesex

Guns Fired 27, Shott —, Demiculvering 4, Sakers 4, Minions —, Falcons 19, Powder 63

19 At the Funeral of Stephen Redwood

Guns Fired —, Shott —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 8

Expence for Priming

Guns Fired —, Shott —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder 13

Ditto for the Guards

Guns Fired —, Shott —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcons —, Powder —

Musquet Balls for ditto 3 ℔

Guns Fired 90, Shott 5, Demiculvering 10, Sakers 10, Minions —, Falcons 11, Powder 59 240

Fritchs Broke 2

Handspikes broke 2

Sheep Skins 4

Spunge Heads 2

Rammer Heads 3

Cartridge Paper 12 Quire

Thread 1 ℔

Twine 1 ℔

Match 19

N B All the Powder Expended for Salutes was Damaged & fit for no other Service

Signed John French

Expence of the General Table in May 1727 vizt

14 3/4 Gallˢ Arrack for the Table

13 . 15 . 6

8 do to Guards more then usual the Kings Birth Day happening this Month

2 . 10 . 3

6 do to Labouring Blacks

1 . 18 . 6

14 Gallˢ Sherrey 7/9

3 . 8 . 6

12 do Mountain 7/9

4 . 10 . —

8 do Cort 7/9

3 . 2 . —

18 do Small Beer

18 . —

4 do Vinegar

10 . —

2 Bottles Oyle

7 . 6

2 ℔ Pepper

2 . —

150 ℔ Bread

1 . 17 . 6

200 ℔ Flour

2 . 40

148 ℔ Sugar

3 . 14 . —

48 ℔ Candles

4 . 16 . —

15 ℔ Soap

13 . 9

271 ℔ Beefe

1 . 5 . —

53 ℔ Pork

1 . 40

30 ℔ Butter

13 . 6

9 Fowles

13 . —

6 Geese

6

1 Turkey

60 Bottles Milk

Totall

£ 53 . 1 . 10

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

Account of the gunner's stores expended in May 1727. The account carried column headings for guns fired, shot, demi-culverin, saker, minion, falcon and powder.

3 May, muster day, powder 12 pounds

8 May, a double alarm, 5 ships went by, guns fired 7, shot 1, demi-culverin 1, minion 3, falcon 3, powder 19

9 May, a double alarm, guns fired 6, minion 3, falcon 3, powder 12

9 May, arrived the India Gatch, the Derby and the King George, guns fired 27, shot 4, demi-culverin 2, saker 3, minion 2, falcon 22, powder 48

11 May, an alarm, shot 4, powder 8

12 May, arrived the Lyell, Captain Small, guns fired 9, demi-culverin 1, saker 1, falcon 7, powder 18

12 May, to clear and fire at Bank's, guns fired 4, shot 4, demi-culverin 2, saker 2, powder 22

12 May, at the funeral of William Lee, powder 1

17 May, a double alarm, guns fired 6, minion 3, falcon 3, powder 12

17 May, arrived the Essex, the Mary and the Middlesex, guns fired 27, saker 4, minion 4, falcon 19, powder 63

19 May, at the funeral of Stephen Pledgard, powder 8

Expense for priming, powder 13

Expense for the guards, powder 13

Musket balls for the same, 3 pounds

Flints broke, 2

Handspikes broke, 2

Sheepskins, 2

Sponge heads, 2

Rammer heads, 3

Cartridge paper, 12 quire

Thread, 1 pound

Twine, 1 pound

Match, 19 pounds

Totals, guns fired 90, shot 5, demi-culverin 10, saker 10, minion 11, falcon 59, powder 240

The gunner noted that all the powder was expended on salutes, and was damaged and fit for no other use. Signed by John French.

Account of the expense of the general table for May 1727.

43 gallons arrack for the table, £13 15s 6d

8 gallons to the guards, more than usual, the King's birthday happening this month, £2 10s 8d

6 gallons to labouring slaves, £1 18s 0d

14 gallons sherry, at 7s, £3 8s 6d

12 gallons Mountain, at 7s 9d, £4 10s 0d

5 gallons port, at 7s 9d, £2 0s 0d

18 gallons small beer, 18s 0d

4 gallons vinegar, 10s 0d

2 bottles oil, 7s 6d

2 pounds pepper, 2s 0d

150 pounds bread, £1 17s 6d

200 pounds flour, £2 10s 0d

148 pounds sugar, £3 14s 0d

43 pounds candles wax, £4 16s 0d

15 pounds soap, £1 5s 6d

271 pounds beef, £1 0s 0d

5 pounds pork, £1 10s 0d

30 pounds butter, 13s 6d

6 fowls, 13s 0d

6 geese, 6s 0d

1 turkey, 6s 0d

60 bottles milk, £1 0s 0d

Total, £53 1s 10d

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The gunner's account records a month of unusually heavy firing, dominated by the salutes for the great fleet arrivals and by the war alarms that drove the island's defence through May 1727. The entries of double alarms for ships going by, and the 27-gun salutes for the arrival of the India Gatch, Derby and King George together and again for the Essex, Mary and Middlesex, show the anchorage at its busiest. The note that all the powder was spent on salutes and left damaged marks the cost of the ceremonial firing that the crowded shipping season demanded.

The firing at the funerals of William Lee and Stephen Pledgard records the military honours given to the island's dead, a customary mark of respect discharged from the fort's guns. The extra arrack issued to the guards for the King's birthday shows the same ceremonial calendar working through the ordinary provisioning, the sovereign's day marked by an increased allowance to the men. These entries reveal how far the fort's powder and drink served occasions of ceremony and mourning alongside defence.

The general table account kept the arrack for the officers' table distinct from that given to the guards and the labouring slaves, three rations of the same spirit on different footings. The wines, sherry, Mountain and port, again marked the officers' table, while the salt beef and pork appearing in quantity show the fort still eating meat even as the slaves' ration had been turned toward fish. Sherry was a fortified white from the Jerez region of southern Spain, the customary strong wine of the English table, reserved here for the fort's own use.

73

50

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 7ᵗʰ June 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Yesterday arrived the Barrington Capt Hunter from Bengale & brought the

following Supply for this Island vizt

Rice

1 to 33

33 Bags qty 7/6 buy Nᵒ to 52 . 2 . 26 at 1 . 1 . 4 P Mt Bup

73 . 11

Batta 10 P Cent

7 . 6

81 . 1

Trisinda Sugar

Nᵒ 1 to 10

10 Bags qty 20 Buy Nᵒ to 14 . 2 . 18 & 9 Bup P Bag

90 . —

Batavia Arrack 4 Half Legars 9/7 vizt

Nᵒ 17

Nᵒ 17 57 Gallons

18 53

19 75

26 75

260 at 62 . 3 P Legar

126

296 . 1

Charges Merchandize

76 Bags & lining

6 . 3

Boat hire

6 . —

Muttas

2 . 13 . 6

Sloop freight

23 . —

32 . 6 . 6

Rupees

328 . 7 . 6

Orderd that an Advertizement be Published to Morrow to give Notice that

on Monday 26ᵗʰ instant there will be a Genʳˡ Quarter Sessions of the Peace held for the

Tryal & Descision of Such Matters as Shall be then Depending & for the Satisfaction

of the Inhabitants the Same Shall hereafter be Quarterly continued

The Comps Orders were Signified to Capt Hunter by Letter one dated yesterday

the other to day the form of which are Entred in Consultation 9ᵗʰ & 10ᵗʰ May last

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held 11ᵗʰ June 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

This Morning Wee had a double Alarm & about Noon arrived the Dawson Capt

Steward Commander from Bengale & about ten a Ship was brought to at Barks &

gave Acct that She came from Madagascar upon which the Governour Orderd her not to

come into the Road but to Anchor in Rupert Bay till the Captain was well Examined

At a consultation held on Wednesday 7 June 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Bonington, Captain Hunter commander, arrived the previous day from Bengal, bringing the following supply for the island.

Supply brought by the Bonington.

Rice, numbered 1 to 33

33 bags, each of 7 [...], tare 14 pounds, at £1 1s 4d per maund per bag, £73 11s 0d

Batta at 10 per cent, £7 6s 0d, £81 1s 0d

Tresundee sugar, numbered 1 to 10

10 bags, each of 20 pounds, tare 14 pounds, at £1 1s per bag, £90 0s 0d

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, numbered 17 to 26

Number 17, 57 gallons

18, 53

19, 75

26, 75, 260 gallons at 62s 3d per leaguer, £126 0s 0d

Total, £296 1s 0d

Charges of merchandise

76 bags belonging, 6s 3d

Boat hire, 6s 0d

Matches, £2 13s 6d

Sloop freight, 23s 0d, £32 6s 6d

Total, 323 rupees 7 annas 0 pies

The council ordered a notice published the next day, giving notice that on Monday 26 June there would be a general quarter meeting of the council for the trial of local matters, held for the benefit of the inhabitants. Such matters would thereafter be dealt with every quarter.

The Company's orders were signified to Captain Hunter by letters, one dated the previous day and the other that day. The terms were those entered in the consultation of 9 and 10 May.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 11 June 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

That morning the council had a double alarm, and about noon the Dawson, Captain Steward commander, arrived from Bengal. About ten a ship was brought to at Bank's, reporting she came from Madagascar. The Governor ordered her not to come into the road but to anchor in Rupert's Bay until the captain was properly examined.

Interpretations

The invoice of the Bonington followed the mixed weights and money of the Bengal trade before its total was carried out in rupees, annas and pies. The rice was priced by the maund, the standard Indian bulk weight, with batta added as the trade's exchange allowance, and the charges of merchandise, bags, boat hire, matches and sloop freight, listed apart from the value of the goods. The Batavia arrack, shipped from the Dutch entrepôt on Java and measured by the half-leaguer of about 75 gallons, was the palm or rice spirit that formed the standard issue on the island.

The establishment of a quarterly court marks a step in the island's legal administration, setting a regular time for the trial of local disputes rather than dealing with them piecemeal as they arose. Announcing that such matters would thereafter be heard every quarter gave the inhabitants a predictable forum for justice, the general quarter meeting functioning as a court of local jurisdiction under the Governor and council. This regularising of legal business reflects the growth of settled civil government on the station.

The order to hold the Madagascar ship at Rupert's Bay, away from the main anchorage, until her captain was examined shows the council's caution over unknown shipping in a period of war alarm. Rupert's Bay served as a northern anchorage where suspect vessels could be kept clear of the road until their business was known. Requiring examination before admission guarded the island against an enemy or an unlawful trader slipping in among the homeward fleet, a precaution sharpened by the recent warning of war.

74

51

who about One came on Shoar & produced an Indenture Tripartite under the Honᵇˡᵉ

Companies Seale dated 22 June 1726 between the Honᵇˡᵉ Compy the Sº Sea Compy

& the Commander Charles Burnham by which it appears that the Ship is called the

Sᵗ Michael Buttion 370 Ton 30 Guns & Sixty five Men & is Lycensed to go to

Madagascar for Slaves from whence She is now returned his Instructions were dated

Sº Sea House London 9ᵗʰ June 1726 & Signed by twenty two of the Court of Directors

of that Company his other Commission was Signed by the King & the Great Seale of

England annexed thereto & dated 1 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 haste & begone

Copy of Invoice P Dawson vizt

Selling Price

Nᵒ 1 to 42

Rice

42 Bags qty 84 Buy Nᵒ to 63 . 2 . 19 & 1 . 1 . 4 P Mt Bup

87 . 3

Batta 10 P Cent

8 . 2 . 3

30 . 9 . 6

Trisinda Sugar

1 to 10

10 Bags qty 20 buy Nᵒ to 14 . 2 . 18 & 9 Nᵒ P Bag

90 . —

Batavia Arrack 4 Half Legar 9/7

13 to 16

13 30

14 30

15 75

16 40

315 Gall at 62 . 3 P Legar

126 . —

304 . 9 . 6

Charges Merchandize

84 Bags & Sewing

6 . 13 . —

Muttas

9 . 4 . —

Boat hire

6 . —

Sloop freight

25 . —

35 . 1

Rupees

330 . 10 . 6

The Companies late Orders were as usual this day delivered the Captain as P Consultation

of the 9ᵗʰ May

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held 18ᵗʰ June 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Comps Orders for heaving in were yesterday delivered to Capt Steward as P

Consultation of 10ᵗʰ May last

Capt Goodwin Report that he hath received the Cargo P Cragg Devonshire

& Barrington according to Invoice

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

The captain of the Madagascar ship came ashore about one o'clock and produced a tripartite indenture under the Company's seal, dated 22 June 1726, between the Company, the South Sea Company and the commander Charles Burnham. It showed the ship to be the St Michael, a brigantine of 370 tons, 30 guns and 65 men, licensed to go to Madagascar for slaves. His instructions were dated South Sea House, London, 9 June 1726, and signed by twenty-two of that company's court of directors. His other commission, under the King's great seal of England, was dated 1 June 1726. It being plain from these authentic papers that he was abroad on a fair account, the council allowed him to come into the road and take refreshment, but cautioned him to make haste and be gone.

Copy of the invoice of the Dawson.

Rice, numbered 1 to 42

42 bags, each of 3 quarters, tare 2 quarters 14 pounds, at £1 1s 4d per maund per bag, £81 7s 3d

Batta at 10 per cent, £8 2s 3d, £89 9s 6d

Tresundee sugar, numbered 1 to 10

10 bags, each of 20 pounds, tare 14 pounds, at £1 1s per bag, £90 0s 0d

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, numbered 13 to 16

13, 70 gallons

14, 70

15, 75

16, 70, 315 gallons at 62s 3d per leaguer, £126 0s 0d

Total, £304 9s 6d

Charges of merchandise

84 bags belonging, £6 13s 0d

Matches, £2 14s 0d

Boat hire, 6s 0d

Sloop freight, 23s 0d, £35 1s 0d

Total, 330 rupees 10 annas 6 pies

The Company's earlier orders were signified as usual to the captain that day, being those entered in the consultation of 9 May.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on 13 June 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Company's orders for heaving in were delivered to Captain Steward the previous day, being those entered in the consultation of 10 May.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the cargoes of the Devonshire and the Bonington, according to their invoices.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The examination of the St Michael reveals the layered legal authority behind a licensed slaving voyage of this kind. The tripartite indenture bound three parties, the East India Company, the South Sea Company and the commander Burnham, so that a voyage to Madagascar for slaves crossed the chartered monopolies of both trading companies and required the consent of each. Adding the King's commission under the great seal gave the whole enterprise royal sanction, a combination of company and crown authority that the council checked before admitting the ship.

The council's insistence on inspecting Burnham's papers before allowing him ashore shows the machinery for policing unlicensed trade and enemy shipping at a Company station. Because the St Michael had come from Madagascar, outside the ordinary homeward route, she might have been an interloper trespassing on the Company's monopoly or, in wartime, a hostile vessel. Only the authentic indenture and commission satisfied the council she was on a lawful account, after which she was admitted to refreshment but pressed to leave quickly, minimising any risk she posed.

The South Sea Company's role in the indenture connects this voyage to that company's slaving operations under the Asiento, the contract to supply slaves to the Spanish American colonies. Its involvement alongside the East India Company points to the wider Atlantic slave trade reaching into the Indian Ocean for its human cargo, Madagascar being a recognised source of slaves. This shows the island as a crossing point where the two great chartered companies' spheres met, the council obliged to recognise the authority of both.

75

52

At a Consultation held 17ᵗʰ June 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Mʳ Powell this Day paid the Governʳ Cash Notes amounting to the Sum of

Eighty Pounds praying Bills of Exchange for the Same

Orderd that a Sett of Bills be accordingly drawn upon the Honᵇˡᵉ Compy for

the Sum aforesaid & that the Governʳ be made Debtor for the Same in the Journall

Capt Goodwin Reports that he hath received the Goods P Dawson according

to Invoice

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held 20ᵗʰ June 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation Read & Approved

On Saturday last the Cragg, Barrington, Devonshire & Dawson Sailed

hence for England plentifully Supplyd with necessary Refreshment & as the rest of the

Gentlemen who went from here this Season expressed their Satisfaction at the Civilities Shewn

them & the Care that was taken to furnish them with every thing they wanted

John Bagley Senʳ presented the last Will & Testament of Wᵐ Lee deceased praying

the Same might be proved which was accordingly done upon the Oaths of Richᵈ Beal &

Caleb Davis Witnesses to the said Will

Orderd that Wednesday & Thursday next be appointed to Reckon with the

Garrison &c for the Quarter Ending 26ᵗʰ instant & that Publick Notice be accordingly

given thereof

Richard Swallow being ill & having a Suit Depending between him & his

Mother humbly prayed Wee would defer the Sessions appointed to be held on Tuesday

next a little time longer

Orderd that the Same be Adjourned to Wednesday 26ᵗʰ July next, & the Honᵇˡᵉ

Compy having been pleased to Direct a New Fellow to be Tryed

concerning the Right & Title to Ten Acres of Land in Dispute between Gil Cotgrove

& Capt Alexander it is also Orderd that the said Cotgrove have

Notice given him to prepare for a New Tryal at the time aforesaid

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a consultation held on 17 June 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Mr Powell paid into the Governor's hands cash notes amounting to £80, asking for bills of exchange for the same. The council ordered a set of bills drawn upon the Company for that sum, and the Governor made debtor for it in the journal.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the goods of the Dawson, according to its invoice.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on 20 June 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The previous Saturday the Grantham, the Bonington, the Devonshire and the Dawson sailed for England, plentifully supplied with necessary refreshment, along with the rest of the ships. Their commanders were well pleased with their reception and with the cargoes taken to furnish them with everything wanted.

John Bagley senior presented the last will and testament of William Lee, deceased, asking that it be proved. It was proved accordingly on the oaths of Richard Beale and Caleb Davis, witnesses to the will.

The council ordered Wednesday and Thursday, 28 and 29 June, appointed to reckon with the garrison for the quarter ending 25 June, and public notice given.

Richard Swallow, being ill and having a suit pending between himself and his mother, asked the council to defer the meeting appointed for the following Tuesday a little longer. The council ordered it adjourned to Wednesday 26 July next. Since the Company had chosen to direct a new court to try the right and title to ten acres of land in dispute between Giles Colgrave and Captain Alexander, it also ordered that Colgrave have notice given him to prepare for a new trial at that time.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The bills of exchange drawn for Mr Powell's £80 in cash notes moved that value to England without shipping coin, the Company undertaking to pay it at home and becoming debtor for the sum in its journal. This remittance, like the others taken during the fleet's stay, let inhabitants transfer money across the ocean safely through the Company's credit. Recording the Governor as debtor for each amount fixed the Company's liability and protected the payer if the bill were later questioned.

The proving of William Lee's will shows the council acting as a probate court, admitting a will to proof on the sworn testimony of its witnesses. This gave the will legal force, allowing the deceased's estate to be administered according to its terms, the same jurisdiction the council had exercised over earlier wills such as Martha Stevenson's on 13 December 1726. Requiring the witnesses to swear to the will guarded against fraud and established its authenticity before the estate passed.

The adjournment of the appointed meeting and the ordering of a new trial reveal the growth of formal legal process on the island. Richard Swallow's suit against his mother and the land dispute between Colgrave and Captain Alexander were both to be heard at the quarterly court, which the council had lately established on 7 June 1727 for the trial of local matters. Postponing the sitting to accommodate an ill litigant, and giving Colgrave formal notice to prepare, show the council observing the procedural fairness of a settled court rather than deciding matters summarily.

76

53

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 28ᵗʰ June 1727

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Wee this day met & paid off the Garrison &c for the Quarter Ending 25ᵗʰ instant

The Governour Report that a Black Wench of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps at Plantation

House Named Ellen Lee was delivered of a Boy last Week Named Jaunky

Wee have Sold One Black Wench Named Mary that lived at Perkins

to Mʳ Powell for twenty Pounds & have Exchanged One Black Fellow Named

George with Capt Alexander for a lusty young able Fellow called Sandwich about

Eighteen Year old who was immediatly Entred in the Books

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4ᵗʰ July 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

On Thursday last the Sᵗ Michael Capt Burnham Commander in the Service

of the South Sea Company Sailed hence on her Voyage to Buenos Ayres

Benjamin Bridger presented the last Will & Testament of Jospᵗ Andewood

deceased Praying the Same might be Proved which was accordingly done upon the

Oaths of Isaac Wood, Richard Beale & Joseph Hayse Witnesses to the said Will

In Obedience to the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps late Orders He endeavoured to Sell the Cape Chintz, Hoalts

& Mohair Buttons, but they are so very much Damaged no body would buy them this offered

at a Small Price

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 11ᵗʰ July 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Richard Beale presented the last Will & Testament of John Harding deceased

Praying the Same might be proved which was accordingly done upon the Oaths of the

Witnesses Richard Beale Wilm Addis & Thoˢ Cotgrove

The Honᵇˡᵉ Compy having been pleased in the 61 Parᵃ of their Genʳˡ Letter of Caernarvon

to Refer the Remission of the Bond of Joseph Bates for Fifty Pounds either in whole or

in part to the Discretion of the Governour & the said Bates appearing this day &

promising to behave himself in the most Dutefull manner for the time to come Wee have

accepted of Fifty Shillings in lieu of the whole & Cancelled his Bond

At a consultation held on Wednesday 28 June 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The council met that day and reckoned with the garrison for the quarter ending 25 June.

The Governor reported that Ellen Lee, a black woman of the Company at Grand Plantation, had been delivered of a boy the previous week, named Journey.

The council had sold a black woman named Mary, who had lived at Perkins, to Mr Bowell for £20. It had also exchanged a black man named George with Captain Alexander for a lusty young able man called Sandwich, about eighteen years old, who was entered on the books at once.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 4 July 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The previous Thursday the St Michael, Captain Burnham commander, in the service of the South Sea Company, sailed for Buenos Aires on her voyage.

Benjamin Pledgard presented the last will and testament of Stephen Woodward, deceased, asking that it be proved. It was proved accordingly on the oaths of Blackwood, Richard Beale and Joseph Hayse, witnesses to the will.

Following the Company's earlier orders, the council delivered up the sale of tea, hats and mohair buttons, but these were so much damaged that no one would buy them at the low price offered.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 11 July 1727 at Union Castle.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Richard Beale presented the last will and testament of John Harding, deceased, asking that it be proved. It was proved accordingly on the oaths of the witnesses Richard Beale, William Adds and Thomas Colgrave.

The Company, having been pleased at the request of the late Earl of Caernarvon to defer the completion of the bond of Joseph Bates for £50, either in whole or in part, to the discretion of the Governor, and the said Bates appearing this day and promising to behave himself in the most dutiful manner for the time to come, the council accepted 50s in place of the whole and cancelled his bond.

Interpretations

The sale of Mary and the exchange of George for Sandwich show the routine treatment of slaves as transferable property on the island, valued and traded like livestock or goods. Mary was sold for a fixed sum of £20, while George was swapped for a younger and stronger man, the exchange plainly reckoned on the greater labour value of an able eighteen-year-old. Entering Sandwich on the books at once records the Company's careful accounting of its human property, each transaction adjusting the register of owned labour.

The St Michael's onward voyage to Buenos Aires confirms the Atlantic destination of her Madagascar slaves and the reach of the South Sea Company's slaving trade. Buenos Aires was a principal port for supplying slaves to Spanish South America under the Asiento, the contract the South Sea Company held to furnish that market. This shows the island as a waypoint on a slaving route running from the Indian Ocean to the River Plate, the human cargo shipped from Madagascar bound ultimately for the Spanish colonies.

The remission of Joseph Bates's bond reveals the intercession of aristocratic patronage in the Company's dealings with an individual settler. The late Earl of Caernarvon had asked the Company to leave the enforcement of the £50 bond to the Governor's discretion, and Bates's promise of dutiful conduct secured a reduction to a token 50s. This shows how a great man's influence could reach down to soften a Company obligation on a remote island, the bond cancelled not on its terms but as an act of favour tempered by the debtor's submission.

77

54

The Rice the Honᵇˡᵉ Company Send hither from Judia being for the Sole Use of their Blacks

&c Wee only Charge it at prime Cost Freight included amounting to about 13º P hundred

The Governour Captain Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Acct for June last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow

Account of the Honᵇˡᵉ Companies Stock of Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goates, & Hoggs Poultry & Horses likewise

what has been killed & Sold to Shipps besides the Encrease or Decrease from 25ᵗʰ May 1727 to 24 June following Vizt

Neat Cattle Bullocks

Neat Cattle Cowes

Neat Cattle Heifers

Neat Cattle Steer

Neat Cattle Yearlings

Neat Cattle Calves

Neat Cattle Bulls

Neat Cattle Totall

Sheep Ewes

Sheep Wethers

Sheep Lambs

Sheep Rams

Sheep Totall

Goates Ewes

Goates Wethers

Goates Kids

Goates Rams

Goates Totall

Hoggs Sowes

Hoggs Shoates

Hoggs Barrows

Hoggs Boars

Hoggs Pigs

Hoggs Totall

Poultry Turkeys

Poultry Fowles

Poultry Ducks

Poultry Geese

Horses Horses

Horses Mares

Horses Totall

Remains 25ᵗʰ May

Neat Cattle Bullocks 49, Neat Cattle Cowes 59, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 43, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 242, Sheep Ewes 51, Sheep Wethers 23, Sheep Lambs 25, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 102, Goates Ewes 188, Goates Wethers 62, Goates Kids 62, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 318, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 7, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 4, Hoggs Totall 34, Poultry Turkeys 89, Poultry Fowles 80, Poultry Ducks 13, Poultry Geese 25, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Bought from do to 24 June

Neat Cattle Bullocks 1, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves 4, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 4, Sheep Ewes 6, Sheep Wethers 7, Sheep Lambs 2, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall 15, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids 3, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 3, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks 14, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Encreased from do to do

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 59, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 47, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 247, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 30, Sheep Lambs 27, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 117, Goates Ewes 188, Goates Wethers 62, Goates Kids 65, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 321, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 7, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 4, Hoggs Totall 34, Poultry Turkeys 89, Poultry Fowles 80, Poultry Ducks 27, Poultry Geese 26, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Killed from do to do

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs 1, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall 1, Goates Ewes 1, Goates Wethers 5, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 6, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 2, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall 2, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles 2, Poultry Ducks 6, Poultry Geese 2, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 59, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 47, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 247, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 30, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 116, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 57, Goates Kids 65, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 315, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 5, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 4, Hoggs Totall 32, Poultry Turkeys 83, Poultry Fowles 78, Poultry Ducks 27, Poultry Geese 25, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Sold to Ships in do

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes 1, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 1, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 58, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 47, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 246, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 30, Sheep Lambs 26, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 116, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 57, Goates Kids 65, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 315, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 5, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 4, Hoggs Totall 32, Poultry Turkeys 83, Poultry Fowles 78, Poultry Ducks 27, Poultry Geese 25, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Sheep Cutt & Grown in do

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers 13, Sheep Lambs 13, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 2, Hoggs Barrows 2, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 58, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 47, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 246, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 30, Sheep Lambs 13, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 103, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 57, Goates Kids 65, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 315, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 5, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 4, Hoggs Totall 32, Poultry Turkeys 83, Poultry Fowles 78, Poultry Ducks 27, Poultry Geese 25, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Dead in do

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 1, Hoggs Barrows 6, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles 1, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 58, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 47, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 246, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 30, Sheep Lambs 13, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 103, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 57, Goates Kids 65, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 315, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 5, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 2, Hoggs Totall 30, Poultry Turkeys 83, Poultry Fowles 78, Poultry Ducks 27, Poultry Geese 25, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Stole in ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall —, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 1, Hoggs Barrows 6, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Pigs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Remains 24 June 1727

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 58, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 47, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 246, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 30, Sheep Lambs 13, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 103, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 57, Goates Kids 65, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 315, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 5, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Pigs 2, Hoggs Totall 30, Poultry Turkeys 83, Poultry Fowles 78, Poultry Ducks 27, Poultry Geese 25, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 30326 ℔

Ditto deliverd to the Fort Blacks 5400 ℔

Do deliverd to the Great Wood Blacks 9200

Totall Yam 44926 ℔

The rice the Company sent from Bengal, being for the sole use of its slaves, the council charged only at prime cost with freight included, amounting to about 13s per hundredweight.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward each delivered their monthly account for June, which were severally examined and approved as follows.

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed and sold to ships, and the increase or decrease, from 25 May 1727 to 24 June following.

Neat cattle

Remaining 25 May: bullocks 49, cows 59, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 43, bulls 3, total 242

Bought from that date to 24 June: bullocks 1, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves 4, bulls -, total 4

Increased from that date to this: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Standing at: bullocks 50, cows 59, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 47, bulls 3, total 247

Killed from that date to this: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total 1

Remaining after killing: bullocks 50, cows 59, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 47, bulls 3, total 247

Sold to ships in that period: bullocks -, cows 1, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total 1

Remaining after sale: bullocks 50, cows 58, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 47, bulls 3, total 246

Sheep, cut and grown in that period: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Standing at: bullocks 50, cows 58, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 47, bulls 3, total 246

Dead in that period: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Stolen in that period: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Remaining 24 June 1727: bullocks 50, cows 58, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 47, bulls 3, total 246

Sheep

Remaining 25 May: ewes 51, wethers 23, lambs 25, rams 3, total 102

Bought from that date to 24 June: ewes 6, wethers 7, lambs 2, rams -, total 15

Increased from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Standing at: ewes 57, wethers 30, lambs 27, rams 3, total 117

Killed from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs 1, rams -, total 1

Remaining after killing: ewes 57, wethers 30, lambs 26, rams 3, total 116

Sold to ships in that period: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining after sale: ewes 57, wethers 30, lambs 26, rams 3, total 116

Cut and grown in that period: ewes -, wethers 13, lambs -, rams -, total 13

Standing at: ewes 57, wethers 30, lambs 13, rams 3, total 103

Dead in that period: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Stolen in that period: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining 24 June 1727: ewes 57, wethers 30, lambs 13, rams 3, total 103

Goats

Remaining 25 May: ewes 188, wethers 62, kids 62, rams 6, total 318

Bought from that date to 24 June: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Increased from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, kids 3, rams -, total 3

Standing at: ewes 188, wethers 62, kids 65, rams 6, total 321

Killed from that date to this: ewes 1, wethers 5, kids -, rams -, total 6

Remaining after killing: ewes 187, wethers 57, kids 65, rams 6, total 315

Sold to ships in that period: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Remaining after sale: ewes 187, wethers 57, kids 65, rams 6, total 315

Cut and grown in that period: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Standing at: ewes 187, wethers 57, kids 65, rams 6, total 315

Dead in that period: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Stolen in that period: ewes -, wethers -, kids -, rams -, total -

Remaining 24 June 1727: ewes 187, wethers 57, kids 65, rams 6, total 315

Hogs

Remaining 25 May: sows 8, shoats 14, boars 7, pigs 1, total 34

Bought from that date to 24 June: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Increased from that date to this: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Standing at: sows 8, shoats 14, boars 7, pigs 1, total 34

Killed from that date to this: sows -, shoats 2, boars -, pigs -, total 2

Remaining after killing: sows 8, shoats 12, boars 7, pigs 1, total 32

Sold to ships in that period: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Remaining after sale: sows 8, shoats 12, boars 7, pigs 1, total 32

Cut and grown in that period: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Standing at: sows 8, shoats 12, boars 7, pigs 1, total 32

Dead in that period: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Stolen in that period: sows 2, shoats -, boars -, pigs -, total 2

Remaining 24 June 1727: sows 8, shoats 12, boars 7, pigs 1, total 30

Poultry

Remaining 25 May: turkeys 89, fowls 80, ducks 13, geese 25, total -

Bought from that date to 24 June: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total 14

Increased from that date to this: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Standing at: turkeys 89, fowls 80, ducks 13, geese 25, total -

Killed from that date to this: turkeys 2, fowls 6, ducks 2, geese -, total -

Remaining after killing: turkeys 83, fowls 78, ducks 27, geese 25, total -

Sold to ships in that period: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Remaining after sale: turkeys 83, fowls 78, ducks 27, geese 25, total -

Cut and grown in that period: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Standing at: turkeys 83, fowls 78, ducks 27, geese 25, total -

Dead in that period: turkeys 1, fowls 6, ducks -, geese -, total -

Stolen in that period: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Remaining 24 June 1727: turkeys 82, fowls 79, ducks 27, geese 25, total -

Horses

Remaining 25 May: horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Remaining 24 June 1727: horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 30,326 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 5,400 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 9,200 pounds

Total yams, 44,926 pounds

Interpretations

The note on the rice explains the pricing of provisions supplied to the Company's own slaves, charged only at prime cost with freight added rather than at a profit. The council reckoned this at about 13s per hundredweight, treating the grain for the slaves as an internal cost of maintaining owned labour rather than as a saleable commodity. This distinction reflects the shift begun on 1 March 1727 toward feeding the slaves on cheaper cereal and fish, the rice supplied at bare cost forming part of that economy.

This stock account opened with the closing figures of the previous statement, the neat cattle at 242 and the goats at 318, and shows the herd holding at the higher level reached through the spring buying-in. The neat cattle rose slightly to 246 and the sheep grew from 102 to 103 after fifteen head were bought, while the goats settled at 315, confirming the earlier reference figures for the season. The appearance of a stolen column, recording two sows and two goats lost, marks theft of livestock as a distinct category the account now tracked alongside slaughter and death.

The yam total of 44,926 pounds footed the account, split three ways between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood slaves, whose ration had risen to 9,200 pounds. This increased issue to the Great Wood reflects the heavier labour concentrated there on timber cutting and clearing, the station the slave muster of 13 March 1727 had recorded as a distinct group. Tracking the feeding cost of each part of the slave workforce separately shows the close accounting the Company applied to the maintenance of its owned labour throughout this period.

78

55

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabts &c

from 25ᵗʰ May to 24ᵗʰ June 1727 vizt

153½ Gallˢ Arrack

48 . 12 . 2

487 ℔ Sugar

12 . 3 . 6

14 ℔ Candy

14

12 . 17 . 6

319 ℔ Beild

10 . 4 . 9

106 ℔ Flour

1 . 6 . 6

11 . 11 . 3

34 ℔ Soap

2 . 8 . 2

3 Gallˢ Linsed Oyle

2 . 8 . —

10 ℔ Candles

1 . —

12 ℔ Wax

16 . —

6 . 11 . 2

27 ℔ Cutt Tobacco

3 . —

176 Pipes

7 . 2

3 . 3 . 1

21 Catt[ees] Bohea Tea

6 . 6

4 do Green

16 . —

7 . 2 . —

1½ Barrill Pitch

17 . 6

25 ℔ White Lead

17 . 6

19 ℔ Rice

2 . —

3 Bushell & Coffe Beans

1 . 3

19 ℔ Pepper

6

2 . 12 . 6

1 Oz Indigo

6

6 White Shirts

15 . —

1 Pˢ Gingham

7 . 6

2½ Long Cloth

2 . 40

2 Chittoe

1 . 3 . 8

1 Pˢ White Delotees

10 . —

5 . 11 . 2

3 Small Iron Rolls

12 . —

1 Frying Pan

3 . —

6 . —

2 Butter Spoons

9

1 Dish

4 . 11½

4 . 10½

1 Tin Pepper Box

6

1 Lamp

2 . 3

1 Sauce Pan

1 . 3

1 do

1 . 9

5 . 9

6 Yardˢ Durance

9

13 Pˢ Hollands Duck

2 . 1 . 2

2 . 10 . 2

6 Thimbles

10

1 Comb

1 . —

2 do

2 . 8

1 do

2 . —

6 . 6

2 Pˢ Salisbury Papers

2

2 Horse do

2

7 . —

2 Tortoise Penknives

2 . 6

5 Doz Coph

1 . 3

1½ ℔ Shoe thread

3 . 9

10 . 6

1 Chain Broom

1 . 5

8 Doz Hooks Sorted

4 . 6

3 Lines do

4 . 6

2 . 10

1 Pˢ Brass Candlesticks

3 . 6

8 . —

1 Pˢ Snuffers

8 . 6

1 Pˢ Womens Stocking

1 . 9

1 Youth do

7 . 10

1 Girle do

14

4 Felt Hatts

3

12 . 1

8 Tutors

10 . 6

2 Pˢ Boys Shoos

3 . 6

1 Girle do

14 . —

Carried over

£ 106 . — . 3½

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 25 May to 24 June 1727.

153½ gallons arrack, £48 12s 2d

487 pounds sugar, £12 0s 6d

14 pounds candy, 14s 0d, £12 17s 6d

319 pounds bread, 10s 4d, 9d

106 pounds flour, £1 6s 6d, £11 11s 3d

34 pounds soap, £2 8s 2d

8 gallons linseed oil, £2 8s 0d

10 pounds candles, £1 0s 0d

12 pounds wax, 16s 0d, £6 11s 2d

27 pounds cut tobacco, 3s 0d, 9d

176 pipes, 7s 0d, £3 3s 1d

21 catties bohea tea, £6 6s 0d

4 pounds green ditto, 16s 0d, £7 2s 0d

1½ barrels pitch, 17s 6d

25 pounds white lead, 12s 6d

19 pounds rice, 2s 0d

3 bushels of coarse beans, £1 0s 3d

1 pound pepper, 6d, £2 12s 6d

1 ounce indigo, [...]

6 white shirts, 15s 0d

1 piece gingham, 7s 6d

2½ long cloth, £2 4s 0d

2 chintz, £1 8s 8d

1 pair white ditto shoes, 10s 0d, £5 11s 2d

3 small iron pots, 19s 0d

1 frying pan, 3s 0d, 6s 0d

2 butter spoons, 9d

1 dish, £4 1s 7½d, £4 10s 7½d

1 tin pepper box, 6d

1 lamp, 2s 3d

1 saucepan, 1s 3d

1 ditto, 1s 9d, 5s 9d

6 yards durance, 9d

15 yards Holland Dutch, £2 1s 2d, £2 10s 8d

6 thimbles, 10d

1 comb, 1s 0d

2 ditto, 2s 8d

1 ditto, 2s 0d, 6s 6d

2 pairs Salisbury scissors, 3s 6d

2 horse ditto, 3s 0d, 7s 0d

2 tortoiseshell penknives, 2s 6d

6 dozen corks, 1s 0d

1½ pounds shoe thread, 3s 9d

1 hair broom, 1s 5d

3 dozen hooks, sorted, 4s 6d, 2s 10d

3 lines ditto, 4s 6d

1 pair brass candlesticks, 3s 6d, 8s 0d

1 pair snuffers, 8s 6d

1 pair women's stockings, 1s 9d

1 youths' ditto, 7s 10d

1 girls' ditto, 14s 0d, £12 1s 0d

4 felt hats, 3s 0d

6 tutors, 10s 6d

2 pairs boys' shoes, 3s 6d

1 girls' ditto, [...], £14 0s 0d

Carried over, £106 0s 3½d

Interpretations

The monthly collection recorded goods drawn from the Company warehouse by private inhabitants, carried over at £106 0s 3½d before its continuation. The warehouse was the island's sole supplier of imported and manufactured goods, so this schedule measured the flow of such articles into private hands and the sterling owed for them. As in earlier months the account mixed provisions, spirits, textiles and hardware in a single running list, with arrack again the largest single charge at £48 12s 2d.

The coarse beans and rice entered here were among the plainer provisions the store supplied, alongside the sugar, tea and tobacco that inhabitants bought in quantity. Pitch and white lead were preservative and paint materials for boats and building, and the sorted fishing hooks and lines supplied the island's own fishing. These practical goods sat beside the finer wares, showing the warehouse meeting the full range of a household's needs from staple food to the materials of trade and repair.

Several textiles again came from the Company's Eastern trade and would be little known today. Gingham was a checked Indian cotton, long cloth a plain Coromandel cotton, and chintz a printed one, while durance was a glazed English wool and Holland a fine Dutch linen. The tableware and small wares, iron pots, tin pepper boxes, tortoiseshell penknives, Salisbury scissors and brass candlesticks, were the domestic articles a remote settlement could not make for itself, all drawn from the store because none could be produced on the island.

79

56

Broᵗ Over

106 . — . 3½

2 Pˢ Mens Calve Sº Shoos

13 . 4

2 do Spanish

16 . 8

4 Ordry

3 . 3 . 3

4 . 13 . 3

8 Sancher

4

4 Small Cupps

10 . 6

8 Pˢ Cross Garnetts Gathering

1 . 6

18

2 Ferretting

8

3½ ℔ Coloured thread

13

½ ℔ White Brown

6 . 3

1 Pˢ Tape

9

6 Broad Holland do

12 . —

2 Doz thread Laces

9

6 Ferretting do

1 . 6

6 doz White Buttons

1 . 8

1 Oz Nun thread

10

5 do

5 . 5

2 do

3 . 6

1 China Silk

1 . 6

3½ Box

4 . 8

1 Pˢ Bobbin

6½

2 . 10 . 2¼

Sum Totall to Inhabitants

£ 114 . 1 . 8¾

Great Wood

4 Bill Axes

17 . 4

4 Hoes

12 . 8

4 do

12 . —

8 Helves

12 . —

2 . 14 . —

Plantation

del Harry

1 Large Watering Pott

9 . 6

1 Sold Hatchet

1 . 10 . 10

2 Mauls Nº 37 ℔

1 . 18 . 6

1 do 77

5 . 10

10 30º

6 . 4

4 6º

2 . 6

4 20º

4 . 15 . 6

Garrison

8 Catt[ees] Green Tea

1 . 12

3 Gallˢ Oyle

13

2 Pˢ Boat do del the Armourer

6

1 Twine

5 . 2

2 Yardˢ Red Bunting

2 . 6

2 Blew do

2 . 4

2 White do

2 . 4

1 ℔ Brown thread

4

7 Lines Sorted del the Gunner

19 . 3

4 . 3 . 3

Fortification

1 Stock Lock

6 . —

1 ℔ 20 Nailes

8

6 . 8

Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Blacks

To Diet Expence 210 ℔ Rice 13º P Cwt

13 . 16 . 10

To Genʳˡ Charges 160 Doz Hooks Sorted

4 . 13 . 4

21 Doz Lines

6 . 4

2 ℔ Twine

15 . 4

2½ Oz China Silk

3 . 4½

Carried over

24 . 17 . 10½

126 . 6 . 1¾

Store goods sold to inhabitants, brought over, £106 0s 3½d.

2 pairs men's calf leather shoes, 13s 4d

2 ditto Spanish, 16s 8d

4 ordinary ditto, 3s 3d, £4 13s 3d

3 snuffers, 4d

24 small cups, 10s 6d

6 plates ditto, 1s 6d

8 gartering, 8d, 18s 0d

2 ferreting, 13s 0d

3½ pounds coloured thread, 6s 3d

½ pound whited brown, 9d

1 piece tape, 12s 0d

6 pieces broad Holland ditto, [...]

2 dozen thread laces, 1s 0d

6 ferreting ditto, 1s 8d

6 dozen white buttons, 10d

1 ounce Nuremberg thread, 5s 5d

5 ditto, 3s 0d

2 ditto, 1s 6d

1 China silk, 4s 8d

3½ box, [...]

1 pound bobbin, 6½d, £2 10s 2½d

Sum total to inhabitants, £114 1s 8¾d

Great Wood.

4 broad axes, 17s 4d

4 hoes, 12s 8d

4 ditto, 12s 0d

2 helves, 12s 0d, £2 14s 0d

Plantation.

1 large mahogany pot, delivered to Harry, 9s 6d

1 iron hatchet, 1s 6d

2 mauls, numbered 37, weight 37 pounds, £1 10s 10d

1 ditto, numbered 77, £1 18s 6d

10 30d nails, 5s 10d

4 6d ditto, 6s 4d

4 20d ditto, 2s 6d, £4 15s 6d

Garrison.

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

3 gallons oil, 18s 0d

2 pieces bolt ditto, delivered to the armourer, 6s 0d

1 twine, 3s 2d

2 yards red bunting, 2s 6d

4 blue ditto, 2s 4d

2 white ditto, 3s 4d

1 pound brown thread, 4s 0d

7 lines, sorted, delivered to the gunner, 19s 0d, £4 8s 0d

Fortification.

1 stock lock, 6s 0d

1 pound 20d nails, 8d, 6s 8d

Company's slaves.

To diet expenses, 2,100 pounds rice, at 13s per hundredweight, £13 16s 10d

To general charges, 160 dozen hooks, sorted, £4 13s 4d

21 dozen lines, £1 5s 0d

2 pounds twine, 4s 0d

2¾ ounces China silk, 3s 4½d

Carried over, £24 17s 10½d, £126 6s 1¾d

Interpretations

This part of the account closed the inhabitants' collection at a sum total of £114 1s 8¾d, then divided further store issues among the Great Wood, the plantation, the garrison, the fortification and the Company's slaves. The heavy woodworking tools charged to the Great Wood, broad axes, hoes and helves, record the equipment for cutting and clearing timber in the island's principal wood reserve. The mauls and mahogany pot issued to the plantation, one delivered by name to the slave Harry, show tools going directly to the labour that used them.

The haberdashery in the inhabitants' list, ferreting, gartering, thread laces, bobbin and Nuremberg thread, were the narrow tapes, trimmings and sewing materials needed to make and mend clothing. Gartering was tape for garters, bobbin a narrow braid, and Nuremberg thread a fine German sewing thread named for its city of origin. These small wares reached the island only through Company shipping, which is why even the least of them appears in a warehouse account rather than a shop's books.

The charge to the Company's slaves gathered rice under diet expenses and fishing tackle under general charges, the two sides of the ration policy pursued since 1 March 1727. The rice, priced at 13s per hundredweight as the council had noted, fed the slaves at bare cost, while the many dozens of hooks and lines equipped the fishing that was to replace their meat. Setting the grain and the fishing gear together in one account shows the practical working of the shift from meat to fish and cereal in the maintenance of the island's owned labour.

80

57

Broᵗ Over

24 . 17 . 10½

126 . 6 . 1¾

100 Nedles

1 . 6

6½ ℔ Rope

1 . 12 . 6

99 ℔ Lead

1 . 1

To Acct Clothing

4 Pˢ Shoos 5/9

1 . 3 . —

3 Shirts

1 . —

1 ℔ Cold Thread

4

2 . 7 . —

30 . 19 . 10½

General Charges

3 Gallˢ Linsed Oyle

13 . —

4 ℔ Yellow Oaker

1 . 6

1 Large Tin Kettle

6 . —

6 ℔ 24º Nailes

3 . 9

3 ℔ 26º do

1 . 9

14 Mopps

8 . —

1 ℔ Cutt Tobacco

2 . 3

1 ℔ Seed do

1 . —

12 Pipes

4 . 6

8 ℔ 4º Nailes

4 . 6

4 ℔ 30º

2 . 6

2 ℔ 10

1 . 4

16 ℔ 3º

10 . 8

6 ℔ 6º

4 . 6

4 ℔ 4º

3 . 4

10 ℔ 2º

12 . 6

10 ℔ Flooring Brads

7 . 6

4½ ℔ Nails

3 . 6

½ ℔ Tack

5

1 Pˢ Ordry Long Cloth

1 . —

6 Squarˢ Glass 8 & 10

7 . 6

2 do 10 & 12

4½

12 ℔ Rope

To thatch the Doctors

6 . —

1 Pˢ Rape Oyle & Apparchment

9

14 Coloured thread to mend the Flag

9 . 3

1½ Pˢ Ticking Canvas

1 . 2

1 Coffin Pott

1 . 9

2 Barr Lamp Black

2 . —

1 Pˢ Linsed Oyle

5

1 Paint Brush

3 . 4

1 Large Line

10

1 Pˢ Thin Canvas

for the Bucket

6

1 Suit Nedle

2 . 3

4 Shoots Tin

6

24 ℔ Rozin

to Mend the Boates

6 . —

1 Gall Oyle

10

2 Oz Copy Yarn

1 . 6

1 Oz China Silk

7 . 3

1 Chest Lock

9

1 do

1 . 3

1 do

1 . 8

1 Hammer

15 . 4

2 Iron Shovels & Large Brass Knobs

9

1 Pˢ do Large Plain

7

1 do

5

9 Sugar Shovels

3

1 Colotes Chamber Pott

13 . 8

1 do Bason

Carried over

170 . 14 . 7½

Store goods sold, brought over, £24 17s 10½d, £126 6s 1¾d.

100 needles, 1s 6d

6 pounds rope, £1 12s 6d

2 pounds lead, 1s 1d

To account of clothing, 4 pairs shoes, at 5s 9d, £1 3s 0d

3 shirts, £1 0s 0d

1 pound coloured thread, 4s 0d, £2 7s 0d, £30 19s 10¾d

General charges.

3 gallons linseed oil, 18s 0d

4 pounds yellow ochre, 1s 6d

1 large tin kettle, 6s 0d

6 pounds 24d nails, 3s 9d

3 pounds 20d ditto, 1s 9d

1 mop, 1s 8d

1 pound cut tobacco, 2s 3d

1 pound lead, 1s 0d

12 pipes, 6d

3 pounds 12d nails, 4s 6d

4 pounds 30d ditto, 2s 6d

2 ditto 10d, 1s 4d

16 pounds 10d ditto, 10s 8d

6 pounds 6d ditto, 4s 6d

4 pounds 4d ditto, 3s 4d

10 pounds 2d ditto, 12s 6d

10 pounds flooring brads, 7s 6d

4½ pounds tacks, 3s 6d

1¼ pounds tack, 5d

1 piece Orlando long cloth, £1 0s 0d

6 squares glass, 8 by 10, 7s 6d

2 ditto, 10 by 12, 1s 6d

12 pounds rope, to thatch the doctor, 6s 0d

1 pint sweet oil, delivered to the armourer, 9d

1½ ounce gold thread, to mend the flag, 2s 9d

1½ yard canvas, 1s 2d

1 coffee pot, 1s 3d

2 barrels lampblack, 2s 0d

1 quart linseed oil, 5d

1 paint brush, 3s 4d

1 large line, 10d

1½ yard thin canvas, delivered for the packet, 6d

1 sail needle, 2s 8d

4 sheets tin, to mend the boats, 6d

24 pounds rosin, 6d

1 gallon oil, 10d

2 pounds copra yarn, 1s 6d

1 ounce China silk, 7s 9d

1 chest lock, 1s 3d

1 ditto, 1s 8d

1 hammer, 15s 4d

2 fire shovels and tongs, brass knobs, 9s 0d

1 pair large scales, 7s 0d

1 ditto, 5s 0d

2 sugar shovels, 3s 0d

1 China chamber pot, 13s 8d

1 basin, [...], £13 8s 0d

Sorted over, £170 14s 7¼d

Interpretations

This part of the account carried further store issues to the Company's slaves and into general charges, sorted over at £170 14s 7¼d. The charge to the slaves again separated clothing, shoes, shirts and thread, from the diet and general provisions, keeping each element of their maintenance distinct in the account. The clothing supplied under this head shows the Company meeting its standing obligation to keep its owned labour decently clad, the same duty written into the apprenticing bonds for the slave girls placed out earlier in 1727.

The general charges gathered the ironmongery, hardware and small stores of maintaining the fort, its offices and its boats. The many grades of nails and brads, sorted by size, the flooring brads, tacks, chest locks and hammers were the materials of repair and building, while the sail needle, rosin, canvas and sheets of tin were issued specifically to mend the boats. The gold thread to mend the flag and the canvas for the packet show even the smallest ceremonial and administrative needs met through the ordinary store account.

Several items reveal the specialised trades the fort maintained. The sweet oil delivered to the armourer served the care of weapons, the paint brushes, lampblack and linseed oil the preservation of timber and iron against the sea air, and the large scales the weighing of goods received and issued. Copra yarn, spun from dried coconut, and rosin were marine materials for cordage and sealing, all articles the settlement drew from the store because it could produce none of them itself on a remote island dependent wholly on shipping.

81

58

Diet Expences

Brought Over

170 . 14 . 7½

46 Gallˢ Arrack

14 . 11 . 4

19 do Cort 7/9

7 . 7 . 3

8 do Sherey

3 . 2 . —

37 do Small Beer

1 . 17 . —

2 do Vinegar

8 . —

1 Bottle Oyle

5 . 3

100 ℔ Bread

1 . 5 . —

120 ℔ Flour

1 . 10 . —

112 ℔ Sugar

2 . 16 . —

40 ℔ Candles

4 . —

2 ℔ Pepper

37 . 3 . 10

207 . 17 . 10½

Gunners Store Expended in June 1727 vizt

Guns Fired

Shott

W Culvering

12 Pounders

Demiculvering

Sakers

Minion

Falcon

Powder

May 28 King Georges Birth Day

Guns Fired 21, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers 3, Minions 4, Falcon —, Powder 14 51

29 Departed the Derby Lyell Essex King George Middlesex Mary & Yatch Yatch

The 9 Nᵒ Encreasing to ten 12 Pounders were fired to clear & Scale them at ten P Cent

Guns Fired 61, Shott —, W Culvering 9, 12 Pounders 10, Demiculvering 10, Sakers 9, Minions —, Falcon 23, Powder 299

31 An Alarm

Guns Fired 4, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions 2, Falcon 2, Powder 8

June 1 Arrived the Cragg Capt Grantham

Guns Fired 26, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcon 9, Powder 9

do for Mʳ Falcorner comming on Shoar

Guns Fired 4, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering 1, Sakers 4, Minions —, Falcon 10, Powder 33

2 An Alarm

Guns Fired 4, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions 2, Falcon 2, Powder 8

3 Arrived the Devonshire Capt Prince

Guns Fired 9, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering 1, Sakers 1, Minions —, Falcon 7, Powder 18

do 2 Guns fired at Barks & watch for watch this comming

Guns Fired 2, Shott 2, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers 2, Minions —, Falcon —, Powder —

do Arrived the Barrington Capt Hunter

Guns Fired 11, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering 1, Sakers 2, Minions —, Falcon 8, Powder 28

7 Muster Day

Guns Fired —, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcon —, Powder 10

8 At the Funeral of Ralph Ormer

Guns Fired —, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcon —, Powder 1

11 A Double Alarm

Guns Fired 6, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers 3, Minions 3, Falcon —, Powder 12

do Arrived the Sᵗ Michael

Guns Fired 17, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering 1, Sakers 4, Minions —, Falcon 12, Powder 35

do Arrived the Dawson

Guns Fired 16, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering 1, Sakers 4, Minions —, Falcon 10, Powder 33

17 for Mʳ Falcorner going on Board

Guns Fired 40, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcon —, Powder —

do Departed the Cragg Dawson Devonshire & Barrington

Guns Fired —, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering 7, Sakers 2, Minions —, Falcon 31, Powder 88

Expence for Priming

Guns Fired —, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcon —, Powder —

do for the Guards

Guns Fired —, Shott —, W Culvering —, 12 Pounders —, Demiculvering —, Sakers —, Minions —, Falcon —, Powder 14

Ship Skins do Capt Prince 4 6

Guns Fired 272, Shott 2, W Culvering 9, 12 Pounders 10, Demiculvering 26, Sakers 33, Minions 9, Falcon 140, Powder 676

so Expended

Cartridge Paper 4 Quire

Bread 14 ℔

Serv to Sling Powder from

Delivered the Castle for Guards 17000 Flints

Do to do 6º do 280 Scouering Rodds

Match 70 ℔

N B All the Powder Expended for Salutes was Damaged & fit for no other Service

Jnº French

Expence of the Govʳˢ Table in June 1727 vizt

36 Gallˢ Arrack for the Table 6/4

11 . 8 . —

3 do to the Guards

19 . 4

7 do to Labouring Blacks

2 . 14 . 3

19 Gallˢ Cort Wine 7/9 P Gall

7 . 7 . —

8 do Sherry

1 . 17 . —

37 Gallˢ Small Beer

2 Gall Vinegar

Carried over

£ 27 . 5 . 7

Diet expenses, brought over, £170 14s 7¼d.

46 gallons arrack, £14 11s 4d

19 gallons port, at 7s 9d, £7 7s 3d

8 gallons sherry, £3 2s 0d

37 gallons small beer, £1 17s 0d

2 gallons vinegar, 8s 0d

1 bottle oil, 5s 3d

100 pounds bread, £1 5s 0d

120 pounds flour, £1 10s 0d

112 pounds sugar, £2 16s 0d

40 pounds candles, £4 0s 0d

2 pounds pepper, 2s 0d, £37 3s 10d

Total, £207 17s 10¼d

Account of the gunner's stores expended in June 1727. The account carried column headings for guns fired, shot, demi-culverin, twelve-pounders, culverin, saker, minion, falcon and powder.

28 May, King George's birthday, guns fired 21, shot 1, minion 3, falcon 14, saker 4, powder 51

29 May, departed the Derby, the Lyell, the Essex, the King George, the Middlesex, the Mary and the Dutch Gatch, guns fired 61, demi-culverin 9, twelve-pounders 10, culverin 10, saker 9, falcon 23, powder 299

30 May, the guns of the New Castle over, fired to clear and seal them, not having been fired half a year past, guns fired 45

31 May, an alarm, guns fired 14, minion 2, falcon 2, powder 8

1 June, arrived the Grantham, Captain Grantham, guns fired 9, minion 2, falcon 9, powder 33

2 June, for Mr Falconer coming on shore, guns fired 4, culverin 1, saker 4, falcon 10, powder 33

2 June, an alarm, guns fired 4, culverin 1, saker 1, powder 8

3 June, arrived the Devonshire, Captain Prince, guns fired 9, culverin 1, saker 1, falcon 7, powder 18

6 June, an alarm, guns fired 4, culverin 2, powder 8

6 June, 2 guns fired at Bank's to warn the ship coming to, culverin 2, minion 2, powder 8

6 June, arrived the Bonington, Captain Hunter, guns fired 11, culverin 1, saker 2, falcon 8, powder 28

7 June, muster day, powder 10

8 June, at the funeral of Ralph Ormar, powder 1

11 June, a double alarm, powder 1

11 June, arrived the St Michael, guns fired 6, culverin 3, saker 3, powder 12

11 June, arrived the Dawson, guns fired 17, culverin 1, saker 4, falcon 12, powder 35

17 June, for Mr Falconer going on board, guns fired 10, culverin 1, saker 4, falcon 10, powder 33

17 June, departed the Grantham, the Dawson and the Devonshire, guns fired 40, saker 7, minion 2, falcon 31, powder 88

Expense for priming, powder 6

Expense for the guards, powder 14

Totals, guns fired 272, shot 2, demi-culverin 9, twelve-pounders 10, culverin 26, saker 33, minion 9, falcon 140, powder 676

Cartridge paper, 4 quire. Bread, 14 pounds. Rope to sling powder horns, 7. Ditto to clean for the guards, 17,000. Flints, 230. Scouring rods, [...]. Match, 70 pounds.

The gunner noted that all the powder was expended on salutes and was damaged and fit for no other use. Signed by John French.

Account of the expense of the general table for June 1727.

36 gallons arrack for the table, at 6s 4d, £11 8s 0d

3 gallons to the guards, 19s 0d

7 gallons to labouring slaves, at 6s 4d, £2 4s 4d

19 gallons red port, at 7s 9d, £7 7s 3d

8 gallons sherry, £3 2s 0d

37 gallons small beer, £1 17s 0d

2 gallons vinegar, 8s 0d

Carried over, £27 5s 7d

Interpretations

This part of the account closed the diet expenses at a total of £207 17s 10¼d, maintaining the fort table's accustomed range of port, sherry and small beer alongside the arrack. Port was a fortified red wine from the Douro valley of Portugal and sherry a fortified white from the Jerez region of southern Spain, both reserved for the officers' table. The steady reappearance of these wines confirms the fort keeping its established style of provisioning through the wider drive for economy in the slaves' rations.

The gunner's account records the heaviest month of firing in the run, dominated by the great salute of 29 May 1727 when the whole homeward fleet of seven ships departed together, drawing 299 pounds of powder in a single discharge. The many arrivals and departures through June, each marked by a salute, and the repeated war alarms show the anchorage at the height of its shipping season under the shadow of the war warning. The note that all the powder was left damaged marks the real cost of the ceremonial firing the crowded season demanded.

The funeral firing for Ralph Ormar records the military honours given to the island's dead, discharged from the fort's guns as a customary mark of respect. The salutes for Mr Falconer coming ashore and going aboard show the same courtesy extended to a person of standing, while the guns fired at Bank's to warn an approaching ship served a practical signalling purpose. These varied entries reveal how far the fort's powder served occasions of ceremony, mourning and communication alongside its central purpose of defence.

82

59

Brought Over

27 . 5 . 7

1 Bottle Oyle

5 . 3

100 ℔ Bread

1 . 5 . —

120 ℔ Flour

1 . 10 . —

112 ℔ Sugar

2 . 16 . —

40 ℔ Candles

4 . —

2 ℔ Pepper

2 . —

211 ℔ Pork

5 . 5 . 6

6 Goates

3 . —

1 Lamb

12 . —

6 Turkeys

1 . 16 . —

2 Fowles

3 . —

30 ℔ Butter

1 . 10 . —

31 Days Greens

1 . 11 . —

62 Bottles Milk

£ 1 . — . 8

52 . 2 . —

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 18ᵗʰ July 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Sarah Lee Widow of Thoˢ Lee presented the last Will & Testament of her said deceased

Husband Praying the Same might be Proved which was accordingly done upon the Oaths of

the Witnesses & Crosse, John Bazella & John French junʳ who declared that he only made

his Mark his Hand at the time he made his said Will Shaking so very much that he was

not able to Guide the Pen to write his Name

The Books of Accompts being with much labour & Difficulty now brought into good

forwardness Wee Judge it able from this time forward to Settle all Accompts Monthly & also

Pay the Garrison &c & have accordingly fixed the 3 day of each Month to Reckon with them

& in Case it Should happen of a Sunday then the Reckoning will Commence the day after,

& have Appointed the first to begin on Thursday 3 August next & Order that Publick

Notice be given thereof on Wednesday 26ᵗʰ instant it being Court Day & most of the

Inhabitants Oblige then to attend

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

General table account for June 1727, brought over, £27 5s 7d.

1 bottle oil, 5s 3d

100 pounds bread, £1 5s 0d

120 pounds flour, £1 10s 0d

112 pounds sugar, £2 16s 0d

40 pounds candles, £4 0s 0d

2 pounds pepper, 2s 0d

211 pounds pork, £5 5s 6d

6 goats, £3 0s 0d

1 lamb, 12s 0d

6 turkeys, £1 16s 0d

2 fowls, 3s 0d

30 pounds butter, £1 10s 0d

31 days' greens, £1 11s 0d

62 bottles milk, £1 0s 8d

Total, £52 2s 0d

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 July 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Sarah Illis, widow of Thomas Illis, presented the last will and testament of her deceased husband, asking that it be proved. It was proved accordingly on the oaths of the witnesses Blackwood, John Bazett and John French junior. French declared that he had only made his mark at the time, being so very much in drink that he was not able to guide the pen to write his name.

The books of account had at last, with much labour and difficulty, been brought into good order. The council resolved that from then on it would settle all accounts monthly, reckon with the garrison and pay the garrison on the third day of each month. Should that day fall on a Sunday, the reckoning would begin the day after. The council appointed the first such reckoning to begin on Thursday 3 August next, and ordered public notice given on Wednesday 26 July, being court day, on which most of the inhabitants would be obliged to attend.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The general table account closed the fort's monthly provisioning at a total of £52 2s 0d, its final entries recording the pork, goats, turkeys, butter, greens and milk that fed the establishment. The heavy weight of local produce against the small quantities of imported goods shows a table drawing much of its provision from the island's own rearing and cultivation. This monthly record of the fort's food and drink was the routine account the Governor and council examined and approved at each meeting.

The proving of Thomas Illis's will illustrates the council acting as a probate court, admitting a will on the sworn testimony of its witnesses to give it legal force. French's frank admission that he had made only his mark, being too drunk at the time to write his name, records the kind of detail that could later be raised against a will's validity. The council's noting of it shows the care taken to establish exactly how each witness had attested, guarding the estate against any future challenge to the will's execution.

The reform of the accounting system marks the council putting the island's finances on a regular monthly footing after much difficulty in setting the books in order. Fixing the third of each month for reckoning with and paying the garrison, with a rule for when that day fell on a Sunday, replaced irregular settlement with a predictable cycle. Tying the public notice to the court day, when most inhabitants were bound to attend, ensured the new arrangement reached the whole settlement, reflecting the same drive toward orderly administration that had run through Byfield's government since early 1727.

83

60

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 25ᵗʰ July 1727 at Governʳˢ House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin acquainting Us that on Sunday last in the Night time a Leagar of

Arrack was lost occasioned by the Bursting of the Same & to be Sloop Wee adjourned in Order

to view the Same & found that the Accident happend in the manner by him related & at the

Same time Wee Survey'os all the other Cattle which appeared to be Tight Wood Stained but

to prevent Such Losses for the future Wee Orderd the Cooper in Our Presence to Search the Hoops

of each Cask & make every thing as Secure as possible

Richard Mason Petitioned for a Lease of about two Acres of the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Waste

Land adjoyning to his House in the Country

Orderd that Capt Goodwin do view the Same & Report whether Letting the Same

will be prejudicial to the Neighbourhood or not

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Measured the Land Petitioned for by Jos Hayes

& finds it contains twelve Acres & that he has also Measured the Land formerly Set for by

Messʳˢ Powell Wrangham & Nicholls & that it contains two Acres

Orderd that Lease be drawn & Executed for the two Parcells of Land aforesaid

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a General Sessions held on Wednesday 26ᵗʰ July 1727 at the Sessions House

in James Valley

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ & Judge

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Assistants

The Court being Sett the several Persons following were Sworn of the Jury vizt

Gabriel Powell foreman

Orlando Bagley Senʳ

Jonathan Doveton

Joshua Johnson

Richard Goodwin

Edmond Nicholls

Charles Steward

James Byfeon

Thoˢ Greentree

Samuel Josey

William Seale

Isaac Wood

Pursuant to the Honᵇˡᵉ Companies late Order in the 47 Paragraph of their last

Letter P Princess Anne directing a New Fellow to be tryed concerning the Right to two

Acres of Land in Dispute between Capt Alexander & of Councill & John Cotgrave & Idis on

the said Cotgrove who had these Twenty Notis given him to prepare to make good

his Title to the said Land & who to prevent all Pretence of Surprize, had & fortnight

Warning given him by Summons to attend & make good his Contention to the Premises

was called upon & asked if he had any Witnesses to be Examined or any Proofs to

At a consultation held on Tuesday 25 July 1727 at the Company house.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that the previous Sunday night a leaguer of arrack had been lost through the bursting of the hoops. He went to view the loss and found the accident had happened as reported. At the same time he examined all the other casks, which appeared to be tight, and none but this one broken. To prevent such losses in future, the council ordered the cooper in its presence to search the hoops of every cask, and to mend everything as far as possible.

Richard Mason petitioned for a lease of about two acres of the Company's waste land adjoining his house in the country. The council ordered Captain Goodwin to view the land and report whether letting it would harm the neighbourhood.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the ground petitioned for by Joseph Hayse and found it contained twelve acres. He had also measured the land jointly set out for Powell, Wrangham and Nichols and found it contained two acres. The council ordered leases drawn and executed for the two parcels.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a court of the peace held on Wednesday 26 July 1727 at the Company house in James Valley.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor and judge; John Alexander and John Goodwin, assistants.

The court being opened, the several persons following were sworn of the jury.

Gabriel Powell, foreman

Orlando Bagley senior

Jonathan Dorsent

Joshua Johnson

Richard Goodwin

Edmund Nichols

Charles Steward

James Byfield

Thomas Greentree

Samuel Jephry

William Seale

Isaac Wood

Following the Company's earlier order in the 47th paragraph of its last letter by the Princess Anne, directing a new court to try the right and title to ten acres of land in dispute between Captain Alexander, one of the council, and John Colgrave, the said Colgrave, who had held the ten acres, had a fortnight's warning given him by summons to attend and make good his claim to the land. Being called upon, he was asked if he had any witnesses to be examined or any proof to [continuation on the following matter].

Interpretations

The loss of a leaguer of arrack through burst hoops shows the practical vulnerability of the island's stored provisions and the routine response of inspection and repair. A leaguer held about 150 gallons, so the failure of one cask's hoops meant a substantial loss of the spirit that was the settlement's staple issue. Ordering the cooper to search and mend every cask in the council's presence turned a single accident into a general precaution, protecting the Company's stores against the recurrence of a costly and avoidable waste.

The opening of the court of the peace with a sworn jury marks the working of the quarterly court the council had established on 7 June 1727 for the trial of local matters. The Governor sat as judge with two councillors as assistants, and twelve inhabitants were sworn as jurors, reproducing on the island the form of an English court of law. The prominence of the largest landholders among the jury, Gabriel Powell as foreman and men like Dorsent, Seale and Jephry, shows the settlement's leading planters serving as the body that tried its disputes.

The land dispute between Captain Alexander and John Colgrave reveals the Company reaching down through its correspondence to direct a particular case, the trial ordered in a numbered paragraph of its letter carried by the Princess Anne. Requiring a fortnight's summons and the chance to produce witnesses shows the court observing the procedural fairness of a settled legal process rather than deciding summarily. That the Company itself directed a new trial of a matter touching one of its own councillors shows its concern to have contested titles determined by proper judicial form.

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offer in Support of his Claim to the said Land, who Answered that he had none

nor ever thought he had any Right or Title to the said Land & declared he was very

Sorry that he ever Stird in the Affair & that however Should have made any Claim

to it, if he had not been put upon & Stird to do by Mʳ Smith & accordingly in open

Court Voluntarily Renounced & Disclaimed for him Self & his Heirs forever all

Right & Title whatsoever to the said Land & in confirmation thereof gave Captain

Alexander a General Releasein the usual Form which was publickly read & at the

Desire of both Parties Orderd to be Registred

Richard Swallow Senʳ Claimᵗ Exhibited a Declaration against

John Myers Defendant Setting forth that a Dwelling House in James Valley

& Ten Acres of Free Land in Sandy Bay had been for five Years past & till was

forcably & illegally detained & withheld from him by the said Myer who lately Maried

the Claimᵗˢ Mother Elizabeth Swallow & renouncing his Title to the Premises by

Virtue of the late Will & Testament of his deceased Father Thoˢ Swallow, which was read

The Defendants Answer to the said Declaration was also read in which he

Claims a Right to the said House & Land founded upon the Common Right of

all Widows to Share or Part of the Deals Estate of their deceased Husbands confirmed

to them by the Laws & Constitutions of this Place as Settled by the Honᵇˡᵉ Company

which in this Case are so plain & Express that it is not in the Power of the Husband

to Debar by Will or otherwise the Widow of her Right to Part of the Deals Estate

after his Decease

The Original Will of the said Thoˢ Swallow & also Part of the Consultation 3

July 1722 & also the Laws for Limiting the Descent of Deals as Settled by the

Honᵇˡᵉ Company were read & it appearing Plain that the said Will was made

directly contrary to the said Laws & Constitutions & against the Usage & Custome

of this Place & the Jury which are for a Short time & being returned finds for the Defendant

allowing him the said two Acres of Land & that the House in the Country but

Confirms the Claimᵗˢ his Right to the House in the Valley it being Purchased

by his Father & given him by Will

The Inhabitants being Sensible & extreamly Pleased with the Liberty and

Indulgence with which they have been Since the late happy Change of Governmt so

as a Testimony of their Satisfaction took this Publick Opportunity to make their

Acknowledgements to the Governour in the following Paper presented to him by Mʳ

Powell foreman of the Jury seconded by them & the Compys Inhabitants Vizt

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governour

Sir

Wee the Inhabitants of the Island Sᵗ Helena Assembled at a General Quarter

Sessions of the Peace think Our Selves obliged both in Duty & Gratitude to Embrace

this Opportunity to return Your Worship Our most humble Thanks for the great Tenderness

& Indulgence Sith which Wee have been treated Since the Governmentˢ of this Place was

Invested in You, to the happy & Peaceable Change Wee find & that Wee call the Wisest Remains

of Our Liberty & Property which in many Instances by the late Violent & Arbitrary

Proceedings Sew destroyed by Force & in others rendered uncertain & Precarious and

Colgrave answered that he had none, nor ever thought he had any right or title to the land. He declared himself very sorry that he had ever taken part in the matter, and that he would never have made any claim had he not been put upon it and stirred to it by Mr Smith. He therefore voluntarily renounced and disclaimed for himself and his heirs forever all right and title to the land. In confirmation of this the court granted Captain Alexander a lease of the ground in the usual form, which was publicly read and dated the day of the present court. The court ordered it registered.

Richard Swallow senior, the plaintiff, exhibited a declaration against John Meyer, the defendant, setting out that two acres of freehold land in Sandy Bay, which he had held for five years past, had been forcibly and unlawfully detained and withheld from him by Meyer. Meyer had lately married the plaintiff's mother, Elizabeth Swallow, and grounded his claim to the land under the will of the plaintiff's deceased father, Thomas Swallow.

The defendant's answer to the declaration was also read. He claimed a right to the house and land, founded on the common right of all widows to a share or part of the real estate of their deceased husbands, confirmed to them by the laws and constitutions of the island as settled by the Company. In this case, he argued, it was plain that the husband could not debar the widow of her right to part of the real estate after his death.

The original will of Thomas Swallow, and the part of the consultation of 3 July 1723 relating to the laws for limiting the descent of estates as settled by the Company, were read. It appearing plain that the will was made directly contrary to those laws and constitutions, and against the usage and custom of the island, the court gave judgement partly for the defendant, allowing him the house in the country, and partly for the plaintiff, confirming his right to the house in the valley and the two acres of land, it being purchased by the father and given to him by will.

The inhabitants, being sensible and extremely pleased with the liberty and freedom they had enjoyed since the late happy change of government, presented the following paper to the Governor, delivered to him by Mr Powell, foreman of the jury, in testimony of their satisfaction and to make their acknowledgements to him.

The inhabitants of St Helena, assembled at a general court of the peace, held themselves obliged both in duty and gratitude to embrace this opportunity to return the Governor their hearty thanks for the great freedom and indulgence they had enjoyed since the late happy and welcome change of government. They set out that the settlement of the island and the security of their liberty and property, which in many instances under the late violent and arbitrary proceedings had been destroyed by force and in others rendered uncertain and precarious [continuation on the following matter].

Interpretations

Colgrave's collapse of his own claim reveals the pressure that lay behind the disputed title, his admission that he had been put upon and stirred to it by Mr Smith pointing to the former governor as the instigator. His voluntary renunciation for himself and his heirs, and the immediate grant of a lease to Captain Alexander in due form, closed the matter with a secure legal title. This shows the court used not merely to decide the dispute but to extinguish the claim permanently and vest the land beyond further challenge.

The Swallow case turned on the settled law of the island governing the descent of estates and the rights of widows, a body of local constitution the Company had established. The defendant's argument rested on the widow's common right to a share of her deceased husband's real estate, which the court weighed against the terms of the father's will. Reading the consultation of 3 July 1723 that fixed these laws shows how the island's own accumulated regulations, not merely English law, governed such disputes, the court binding a will to conform to the settled rules of inheritance.

The court's divided judgement demonstrates the careful balancing of competing legal claims rather than a simple award to one side. It allowed the widow's new husband the house in the country under the widow's right, while confirming to the son the valley house and the two acres his father had bought and left him by will. This apportionment shows the court reconciling the protection of a widow's statutory share with the son's inheritance of specifically purchased property, giving each party the part the law and the facts assigned to them.

Speculations

The court chose to bind Thomas Swallow's will to the island's settled law of descent, striking down its provisions where they conflicted, rather than upholding the father's expressed wishes. Honouring a testator's own disposition of his property was the natural course, since a will exists precisely to direct where an estate shall go. The court instead held the will invalid so far as it ran contrary to the constitutions the Company had settled on 3 July 1723, subordinating the father's intention to the fixed rules of inheritance. The record shows the reasoning in its reading of those laws: allowing wills to override the settled order of descent would have unravelled the protection those rules gave to widows and heirs alike, so the court preferred the certainty of the general law to the freedom of the individual testator.

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Wee loaded with Such hardships & Oppressions that Effectually Discouraged Our

Diligence & Industry & in a Short time must inevitably have proved Our Ruin. Our

Provision which is Our Chief Support & the Principal Mean by which Wee are enabled to

discharge Our Rent lay upon Our Hands & at the Same time Unfair Advantages were

taken of Our Inability to help Our Selves & to Compleat Our Missfortune Wee were denied

Liberty to Exchange or Buy Necessarys for the Subsistᵗˢ of Our Selves & Families, but

in the Midst of these Afflictions Wee were comfortably Revived by the Seasonable Accession

of Your Worship to the Government of this Island in whose Tenderness & Humanity Wee

Receive so much Confidence that Wee are entirely Free from all Apprehension of the like Severities

& doubt not but by a Dutefull Behaviour & Strict Observance & Regard to the Several

Orders & Recommendations lately given Us to Cultivate Peace & Good Neighbourhood One

among an other & to Employ Our Selves chearfully in the Improvement of Our respective

Estate & Plantations Wee Shall deserve Your Good Opinion & the Encouragementˢ

Your early gave Us & Still continue to Us. Wee heartily wish You all imaginable Success

& Prosperity & are

Sir

Your Most Obedient &

Most faithfull Servᵗˢ

John Desfountaine

Stephen Luffkin

Robert Gurling

John Long

Francis Tunge

Richard Mason

Richard Swallow Senʳ

James Byfeon

Thoˢ Greentree

Samuel Josey

William Seale

Isaac Wood 13

Frans Wrangham

Richard Beale

Gabriel Powell

Orlando Bagley Senʳ

Jonathan Doveton

Joshua Johnson

Richard Goodwin

Edmond Nicholls

Charles Steward

To which the Governour returned the following Answer vizt

Gentlemen

I cannot but receive with the highest Satisfaction Your kind &

Affectionate Letter, & tis a Pleasure to me to find that my Endeavours for the

Happyness & Prosperity of this Island hath given You Satisfaction & I Shall Seek

all Occasions to make a Suitable Return by doing every thing in my Power to make

You an Easey & happy People

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

The inhabitants' address continued that they had been loaded with such hardships and oppressions as effectually discouraged their diligence and industry, and in a short time must inevitably have proved their ruin. Their provisions, which were their chief support and the principal means by which they were enabled to discharge their rent, lay on their hands. At the same time unfair advantages were taken of their inability to help themselves, and to complete their misfortune they were denied the liberty to exchange or buy necessaries for the subsistence of themselves and their families. In the midst of these afflictions they had been comfortably revived by the timely coming of the Governor to the government of the island. In his prudence and humanity they had received much confidence, and they were entirely free from any apprehension of the like troubles. They would show this by their dutiful behaviour and strict observance of, and regard to, the several orders and recommendations lately given them to cultivate peace and good neighbourhood among themselves, and to employ themselves cheerfully in the improvement of their respective estates and plantations. They trusted they would deserve the good opinion and encouragement the Governor had early given them and still continued to them. They heartily wished him all imaginable success and prosperity. The address was signed as follows.

John Defountaine

Stephen Lufkin

Robert Durling

John Long

Francis Funge

Richard Mason

Richard Swallow senior

James Byfield

Thomas Greentree

Samuel Jephry

William Seale

Isaac Wood

Francis Wrangham

Richard Beal

Gabriel Powell

Orlando Bagley senior

Jonathan Dorsent

Joshua Johnson

Richard Goodwin

Edmund Nichols

Charles Steward

The Governor returned the following answer.

The Governor answered that he could not but receive the inhabitants' kind and affectionate letter with the highest satisfaction. It was a pleasure to him to find that his endeavours for the happiness and prosperity of the island had given them satisfaction, and he would seek all occasions to make a suitable return by doing everything in his power to make them an easy and happy people.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The inhabitants' address gives a rare view of the settlers' own grievances against the previous administration, which they charged with oppressions that had left their produce unsaleable and denied them the freedom to trade for necessaries. Their complaint that unfair advantages were taken of their inability to help themselves points to a monopoly or forced dealing that had trapped their provisions on their hands while they still owed rent. Presenting this through the foreman of the jury at the close of the court gave the grievance a formal and public character, tying the settlers' relief directly to the change of government under Byfield.

The address illuminates the political character of the transition from Governor Smith to Byfield, framed by the inhabitants as a deliverance from violent and arbitrary rule to security of liberty and property. Their emphasis on the freedom to buy and sell, and on cultivating their plantations without interference, reveals what they most valued in the new government: the removal of restrictions that had discouraged their industry. This shows how a change at the head of the island's administration was experienced by its people as a shift in the whole condition of their economic life.

The exchange of address and answer performed a public compact between governor and governed at the island's chief court. The settlers pledged dutiful behaviour and observance of the council's orders to cultivate peace and improve their plantations, while the Governor promised to do everything in his power to make them an easy and happy people. This formal mutual undertaking, entered on the record, bound both sides to a settled relationship, marking the consolidation of Byfield's authority on a basis of consent rather than the coercion the inhabitants ascribed to his predecessor.

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63

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 1 August 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation & Proceedings at the Sessions were read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Report that he has viewed the Land Petitioned for by Richᵈ Mason

& that Letting of it will not be prejudicial to the Neighbourhood & at the Same time

Measured it & finds that it contains two Acres

Orderd that a Lease of the Same be accordingly Granted to the said Mason

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Thursday 3 August 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Govʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Capt Goodwin Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly for

July last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as hereafter follow

According to Notice given 26ᵗʰ last Month Wee paid off the Garrison for the Month

of July last as Entred at length in the Journal folio 63 & 67

Orderd that the following Advertizement be Published vizt

By the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ & a Councill

An Advertizement

Whereas the Honᵇˡᵉ Company among other things have lately been

pleased to Direct that the Lists of Families Land Cattle & Rent & Revenues

Shall be annually Sent them from March to March as was formerly the Custom instead

of Settling those Accts yearly at September

These are therefore to require all Inhabitants having Families Land or Cattle

to bring or Send an Exact Acct thereof attested under their respective hands to the

Secretaries office at Plantation House between the Date hereof & the 20ᵗʰ instant

& Such who have turned Cattle upon the Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Waste are to give an Acct thereof

to Mʳ Richard Gorting within the time aforesaid in Order to make out the said Lists

to be Entered in the Books

These are farther to give Notice that the said Lists & Accts will be again made

up for the half Year Ending 26ᵗʰ March next but from that time forward from do to each

to March Yearly

Signed by Order

D Crispe

At a consultation held on Tuesday 1 August 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The previous consultation, and the proceedings at the court, were read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had viewed the land petitioned for by Richard Mason, and that letting it would not harm the neighbourhood. He had at the same time measured it and found it contained two acres. The council ordered a lease of the land granted to Mason accordingly.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Thursday 3 August 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward each delivered their monthly account for July, which were severally examined and approved as set out below.

Following the public notice given the previous month, the council paid off the garrison for July, as entered at length in the journal.

The council ordered the following notice published.

The notice set out that the Company had lately been pleased to direct, among other things, that the lists of families, land, cattle, rent and revenues be sent home annually reckoned from March to March, as was formerly the custom, instead of settling those accounts yearly at September.

The notice therefore required all inhabitants having families, land or cattle to bring or send an exact account of them, attested under their own hands, to the secretary's office at Plantation House between the date of the notice and the 29th of the month. Those who had taken Company waste land into their holdings were to give an account of it to Mr Richard Durling within the same time, so that the lists might be made out and entered in the books.

The notice further gave notice that the lists and accounts would be made up again for the half-year ending 26 March next, but from that time forward would run from March to March yearly.

Signed by order, by D. Crisp.

Interpretations

The change in the reporting period for the island's records, from a September reckoning to a March-to-March year, aligned the returns of families, land, cattle and revenue with the old-style start of the legal year on 25 March. Requiring inhabitants to render exact and attested accounts of their families and holdings gave the Company an annual census of the settlement's people and property. This served both to assess rent and revenue and to keep an accurate register of who held what, the foundation on which the Company's control of its land depended.

The direction that holders of Company waste land report to Richard Durling shows a particular officer charged with maintaining the record of leased ground. Because waste land was released to settlers by lease or tenancy to draw rent and direct cultivation, an accurate account of who had taken such ground was essential to collecting what was due and enforcing the planting obligations. Assigning this task to a named person centralised the record of a category of land that was constantly changing as new parcels were let.

The requirement that accounts be attested under the inhabitants' own hands placed responsibility for their accuracy on the settlers themselves. A signed return became a document the holder could be held to, guarding against false or evasive declarations of family, land or stock that might reduce the rent or revenue owed. This reflects the administrative method of the Company's government, binding each inhabitant by his own signature to the truth of what he reported, much as the earlier apprenticing bonds and land leases bound their parties by formal signed instruments.

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Account of the Honᵇˡᵉ Companies Stock of Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goates, Hoggs, Poultry, & Horses likewise what has been killed &c

besides the Encrease or Decrease from 25ᵗʰ June to 31º July 1727 following Vizt

Neat Cattle Bullocks

Neat Cattle Cowes

Neat Cattle Heifers

Neat Cattle Steer

Neat Cattle Yearlings

Neat Cattle Calves

Neat Cattle Bulls

Neat Cattle Totall

Sheep Ewes

Sheep Wethers

Sheep Lambs

Sheep Rams

Sheep Totall

Goates Ewes

Goates Wethers

Goates Kids

Goates Rams

Goates Totall

Hoggs Sowes

Hoggs Shoates

Hoggs Barrows

Hoggs Boars

Hoggs Piggs

Hoggs Totall

Poultry Turkeys

Poultry Fowles

Poultry Ducks

Poultry Geese

Horses Horses

Horses Mares

Horses Totall

Remains 25ᵗʰ June

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 58, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 47, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 246, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 30, Sheep Lambs 13, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 103, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 57, Goates Kids 65, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 315, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 5, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 2, Hoggs Totall 30, Poultry Turkeys 82, Poultry Fowles 72, Poultry Ducks 27, Poultry Geese 25, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Encreased from do to 31 July

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves 5, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 5, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids 10, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 10, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars 22, Hoggs Piggs 22, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys 20, Poultry Fowles 16, Poultry Ducks 2, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 58, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 52, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 261, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 30, Sheep Lambs 13, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 103, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 57, Goates Kids 75, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 325, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 14, Hoggs Barrows 5, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 24, Hoggs Totall 52, Poultry Turkeys 82, Poultry Fowles 92, Poultry Ducks 43, Poultry Geese 27, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Killed from do to do

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers 3, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall 3, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers 6, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 6, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 2, Hoggs Barrows 1, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs —, Hoggs Totall 3, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles 17, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Remains 31 July

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 58, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 52, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 261, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 27, Sheep Lambs 13, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 100, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 51, Goates Kids 75, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 319, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 12, Hoggs Barrows 4, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 24, Hoggs Totall 49, Poultry Turkeys 82, Poultry Fowles 75, Poultry Ducks 43, Poultry Geese 27, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 45888 ℔

Do deliverd to the Fort Blacks 9900

Do the Great Wood Blacks 6500

Totall Yams 62288 ℔

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing the increase or decrease, and what was killed and died, from 25 June to 31 July 1727 following.

Neat cattle

Remaining 25 June: bullocks 50, cows 58, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 47, bulls 3, total 246

Increased from that date to 31 July: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves 5, bulls -, total 5

Standing at: bullocks 50, cows 58, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 52, bulls 3, total 261

Killed from that date to this: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Remaining 31 July: bullocks 50, cows 58, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 52, bulls 3, total 261

Sheep

Remaining 25 June: ewes 57, wethers 30, lambs 13, rams 3, total 103

Increased from that date to 31 July: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Standing at: ewes 57, wethers 30, lambs 13, rams 3, total 103

Killed from that date to this: ewes -, wethers 3, lambs -, rams -, total 3

Remaining 31 July: ewes 57, wethers 27, lambs 13, rams 3, total 100

Goats

Remaining 25 June: ewes 187, wethers 57, kids 65, rams 6, total 315

Increased from that date to 31 July: ewes -, wethers -, kids 10, rams -, total 10

Standing at: ewes 187, wethers 57, kids 75, rams 6, total 325

Killed from that date to this: ewes -, wethers 6, kids -, rams -, total 6

Remaining 31 July: ewes 187, wethers 51, kids 75, rams 6, total 319

Hogs

Remaining 25 June: sows 8, shoats 14, boars 6, pigs 1, total 30

Increased from that date to 31 July: sows -, shoats -, boars -, pigs 22, total 22

Standing at: sows 8, shoats 14, boars 6, pigs 1, total 24 [as written]

Killed from that date to this: sows 2, shoats 1, boars -, pigs -, total 3

Remaining 31 July: sows 8, shoats 12, boars 4, pigs 1, total 24

Poultry

Remaining 25 June: turkeys 82, fowls 79, ducks 27, geese 25, total -

Increased from that date to 31 July: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks 20, geese 16, total -

Standing at: turkeys 82, fowls 92, ducks 43, geese 27, total -

Killed from that date to this: turkeys -, fowls 17, ducks -, geese -, total -

Remaining 31 July: turkeys 82, fowls 75, ducks 43, geese 27, total -

Horses

Remaining 25 June: horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Remaining 31 July: horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 45,888 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 9,900 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 6,500 pounds

Total yams, 62,288 pounds

Interpretations

This stock account opened with the closing figures of the previous statement, the neat cattle at 246 and the goats at 315, and shows the herd holding steady at the higher level reached through the spring. The neat cattle rose to 261 through calves born and the goats to 319 through fresh kids, confirming the recovery that had carried the stock well above the late-winter figures the reference records. The absence of any buying-in this month, unlike the heavy purchases of May and June, marks a return to natural increase as the source of growth.

The pig figures on the page do not balance in the standing line, where the sum is written as 24 against components that add to a different total. Following the rule that a stated total governs, the closing figure of 24 for 31 July is taken as it stands, the discrepancy left unreconciled as the manuscript presents it. Such small arithmetical inconsistencies were a normal feature of these hand-kept accounts, the clerk carrying forward the totals as written without the checking a modern ledger would apply.

The yam total of 62,288 pounds footed the account, the highest monthly figure in the run, split three ways between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood slaves. The heavy issue of 9,900 pounds to the fort slaves and 6,500 to the Great Wood reflects the growing labour force these stations required as cultivation and timber work expanded through the season. Tracking the feeding cost of each part of the slave workforce separately shows the close accounting the Company applied to the maintenance of its owned labour, the same instinct that had reshaped the slaves' rations from 1 March 1727.

88

65

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants viz between

26ᵗʰ June & 31º July 1727 vizt

67 3/4 Gallˢ Arrack

19 . 11 . 10½

1½ do Beer

2 . 6

140½ Sugar

3 . 10 . 3

39 Candy

4 . 9

17 Catt[ees] Tea

5 . 9

3 Soap

2 . 4

44 Soap

10 . 11 . 3

345 ℔ Bread

3 . 14 . —

296 Flower

5 . 1 . 3

46 Tobacco

6 . 5

12 Doz & 40 Pipes

2 . 9

1 ℔ Starch

2 . 9

5 Oz Indigo

5 . —

10 ℔ Red Lead

8 . —

16 ℔ Yellow Oaker

4

1 Barrill Lamb Black

1 . 15

1 Barrill Pitch

2 . 1 . 6

1 do Tar

4 . 8

14 ℔ Rozin

6 . 6

13 Sneakers

2 . 11 . 8

310 Small Cupps

3 . —

6 Cupps & Saucers

1 . 9

1 Tea Pott

6

1 White Shirt

1 . 6

10 Pˢ Cotton Stockings

3 . 6

3 Pˢ Ordry Long Cloth

4 . —

6 Pˢ Chittoe

13 . —

8 Pˢ blue

12 . 6

10 ℔ Wax

13 . 10½

8½ Yardˢ Durance

4 . 8

9 Yardˢ Flannell

5 . 4

4 Bunting

1 . 11 . 6

18 3/4 Yardˢ Kersey

7 . —

7 Soldiers Hatts

2 . 3

4 do Copper

12 . 6

5 Shoe thread

4 . 8

1 Large Common Prayer Book

18 . —

1½ Pˢ Thick Sit Nᵒ 1

7 . 6

19 Lines Sorted

10

4 Doz Hooks

2 . 7

1 Horn Comb

1 . 6

1 Ivory do

1 . 6

1 Shoe Knife

6 . 9

1 Pˢ Scisors

4 . 6

6 Pˢ Mens Stockings 3/6

10 . —

4 Knit do

6 . 9

1 Womens do

7 . 10

1 Girle do

14 . 6

11 Loopet Coates

6 . 6

1 Plain do

17 . 6

3 Pˢ Mens Calve Leath Shoos

16 . 8

3 do

2 do Spanish

Carried over

£ 106 . 4 . 8

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants between 26 June and 31 July 1727.

67⅓ gallons arrack, £19 11s 10½d

1½ ditto beer, 2s 6d

140⅓ pounds sugar, £3 10s 3d

89 candy, 4s 9d

17 catties tea, 3s 2d, 4d

34 pounds soap, £10 11s 3d

345 pounds bread, £3 14s 0d

296 pounds flour, £5 1s 3d

46 pounds tobacco, 6s 5d

12 dozen 40 pipes, 2s 9d

1 pound starch, 5s 0d

5 ounces indigo, 5s 6d

10 pounds red lead, 8s 0d

16 pounds yellow ochre, [...]

1 barrel lampblack, 4d

1 barrel pitch, £1 15s 0d

1 ditto tar, £2 1s 6d

14 pounds rosin, 4s 6d

12 sneakers, 6s 6d

310 small cups, £2 11s 8d

6 cups and saucers, 3s 0d

1 tea bottle, 1s 9d

1 white shirt, 5s 0d

10 pairs cotton stockings, £1 6s 0d

3 pieces Orlando long cloth, 3s 6d

6 pieces chintz, £4 6s 0d

2 pieces blue, 13s 0d

10 pounds wax, 12s 6d

8½ yards durance, £1 10s 10½d

2 yards flannel, 4s 8d

4 bunting, 5s 4d

15¾ yards kersey, £1 11s 6d

7 soldiers' hats, £1 6s 0d

4 ounces copper, 2s 3d

5 shoe thread, 12s 6d

1 large Common Prayer book, 4s 8d

1½ pieces thickset, numbered 1, 18s 0d

19 lines, sorted, 7s 2d

4 dozen hooks, 1s 6d

1 horn comb, 10d

1 ivory ditto, 2s 7d

1 shoe knife, 1s 6d

1 pair scissors, 1s 6d

6 pairs men's stockings, at 3s 6d, £1 4s 9d

4 knit ditto, 1s 10d

1 women's ditto, 6s 9d

1 girls' ditto, 7s 10d

11 looped coats, £16 4s 6d

1 plain ditto, £1 9s 6d

3 pairs men's calf leather shoes, 17s 6d

3 ditto, 16s 8d

2 ditto Spanish, [...]

Carried over, £106 4s 3d

Interpretations

The monthly collection recorded goods drawn from the Company warehouse by private inhabitants, carried over at £106 4s 3d before its continuation. The warehouse remained the island's only supplier of imported and manufactured goods, so this schedule measured the flow of such articles into private hands and the sterling owed for them. As in earlier months the account mixed provisions, spirits, textiles, hardware and preservative stores in a single running list, with arrack again the largest single charge at £19 11s 10½d.

Many of the goods came from the Company's Eastern and English trades and would be little known today. Chintz was a printed Indian cotton and long cloth a plain Coromandel one, while durance was a glazed English wool, kersey a coarse ribbed wool used to clothe slaves, and thickset a stout piled cotton for hard-wearing garments. The looped coats, entered in quantity at a substantial value, were ready-made outer garments, showing the store supplying finished clothing as well as the cloth to make it.

The preservative and marine stores again record the material needs of a settlement dependent on shipping and building. Pitch, tar and rosin were the waterproofing and sealing materials for boats and timber, while red lead and yellow ochre were paint pigments and lampblack a fine soot for ink and blacking. The sorted fishing hooks and lines supplied the island's own fishing, all articles that had to be imported and sold through the store because none could be produced on the island itself.

89

66

Brought Over

106 . 4 . 8

2 Pˢ Wom Calve Sº Shoos

8 . 6

1 Girle do

2 . 6

1 Dripping Pan

5 . 6

1 do

8 . 6

1 Patty Pan

4 . —

1 do

5 . —

2 Quart Sauce Pans

2 . 6

50 Lanthorn Leaves

8 . —

1 Tin Kettle

4 . 6

Iron Ware

1 Hole & Hatchet

3 . 8

1 Iron Cott Wᵗ 72 & 8

1 . 16 . —

3 Midling Cotts

1 . 6 . 6

1 Small do

4 . —

1 Shod Shovel

3 . 6

1 Helve

1 . —

3 Bolt Rope Nedles

7¼

1 Chest Lock

2 . 8

1 do

1 . 9

2 Pewter Basons

7 . 6

Nailes 2 ℔ 4º

2 . 2

4 ℔ 6º

3 . 4

4 ℔ 10

3 . —

1 ℔ 30º

1 . 2

1 ℔ Tack

1 . 2

1 ℔ Brads

1 . 3

16 . 7

Haberdashery Ware

4½ Oz China Silk

6 . 9

1 Pˢ Hold Tape

1 . 9

1 Pˢ Midling do

1 . —

8 Broad do

9 . 4

3 Oz thread at 10º

2 . 6

7 do 1/1

7 . 7

3 do 1/4

4 . —

1 do

9¼

1 do

3

7¼ ℔ Cold thread

1 . 9 . —

8 Yardˢ Ferretting

6 doz White Buttons

1 . 9

1 Gross do

3 . 4

4 Silk Laces

3 . 4

1½ Oz do

1 . 9

2 Wm do

2 . 8

2 Pˢ Bobbin

10½

1 do

4¼

26 Sailes Nedles

3 . —

Totall to Inhabts

£ 118 . — . 9½

Plantacon

4 Gallˢ Trayne Oyle

£ 1 . 4 . —

36 Rope

7 . 6

1 ℔ Shoe thread

9 . 6

12 Axle Blades

4 . 6

1 Iron Hook do

13 . 6

1 Large Gimblet

18 . —

12 Nedles

9 . 6

1 Large Watering Pott

1 Shoe Knife

Carried over

5 . 13 . —

122 . 13 . 9¼

Store goods sold to inhabitants, brought over, £106 4s 8d.

2 pairs women's calf leather shoes, 8s 6d

1 girls' ditto, 2s 6d

1 dripping pan, 5s 6d

1 ditto, 8s 6d

1 pasty pan, 4s 0d

1 ditto, 5s 0d

2 quart sauce pans, 2s 6d

50 lanthorn leaves, 8s 6d

1 tin kettle, 4s 6d

1 holed hatchet, 3s 8d

1 iron pot, weight 79 pounds 8 ounces, £1 16s 0d

3 middling pots, £1 6s 6d

1 small ditto, 4s 0d

1 shod shovel, 3s 6d

1 helve, 1s 0d

3 bolt rope and needles, 7½d

1 chest lock, 2s 8d

1 ditto, 1s 9d

2 pewter basins, 7s 6d

6 pounds 8d nails, 2s 2d

4 pounds 6d ditto, 3s 4d

4 pounds 10d ditto, 3s 4d

1 pound 32d ditto, 1s 2d

1 pound tack, 1s 2d

1 pound brads, 1s 3d, £16 7s 0d

Haberdashery ware

4½ ounces China silk, 6s 9d

1 pair gold tape, 2s 9d

1 piece middling ditto, 1s 0d

3 ounces thread, 9s 4d

3 ounces thread, at 10d, 2s 6d

7 ditto, at 1s 1d, 7s 7d

3 ditto, at 1s 4d, 4s 0d

1 ditto, 9½d

1 ditto, 3s 0d

7½ pounds coloured thread, £1 9s 0d

6 yards ferreting, [...]

6 dozen white buttons, 1s 9d

1 gross ditto, 3s 4d

4 silk laces, 3s 4d

1½ ditto, 1s 9d

2 ditto, 2s 8d

2 pieces bobbin, 10½d

1 ditto, 4½d

26 sail needles, 3s 0d, £4 5s 0d

Total to inhabitants, £118 0s 9½d

Plantation.

1½ gallons train oil, £1 4s 0d

36 hops, 7s 6d

1 pound shoe thread, 2s 6d

1 pound awl blades, 4s 6d

1 large gimblet, £1 13s 0d

12 helves, 18s 0d

1 large water pot, 9s 6d

1 shoe knife, [...]

Carried over, £5 13s 0d, £123 13s 9½d

Interpretations

This part of the account closed the inhabitants' collection at a total of £118 0s 9½d, then began the charges to the plantation. The tableware and kitchen goods in the list, dripping pans, pasty pans, sauce pans, pewter basins and iron pots, were the domestic articles a remote settlement could not make for itself, all drawn from the store. The lanthorn leaves, the horn plates that shielded a lantern flame, and the many grades of nails and tacks record the everyday materials of lighting and repair that only Company shipping could supply.

The haberdashery ware gathered the narrow tapes, threads and trimmings needed to make and mend clothing, sold by the ounce, yard and piece. China silk was a fine sewing silk from the Eastern trade, gold tape a decorative braid, ferreting and bobbin narrow woven tapes, and the buttons and silk laces the fastenings and finishings of garments. That such small and various articles were entered individually shows how completely the settlement depended on the store for goods it could not produce, down to a single ounce of thread.

The plantation charge began the issue of farming tools and materials the Company's own cultivation required. Train oil, rendered from whale or fish blubber, served for lamps and for dressing leather and tools, while the gimblet was a boring tool, the awl blades for working leather, and the helves the handles for axes and hoes. These implements were shipped in because none could be made on the island, tying the Company's farming directly to the supply carried by its ships, the same dependence that ran through every part of the store account.

90

67

Brought Over

123 . 13 . 9¼

Garrison

15 Catt[ees] Tea

£ 3 . —

4½ Gall Oyle

1 . 7

1 Bottle Sweet do

5 . 8

Charged to Docters own Diet

1 ℔ Brown thread

4

½ 4º Long Cloth

10 . —

1 Tin Kettle

6 . —

1 Stock Lock

6 . 8

4 . 13 . 8

Honᵇˡᵉ Comps Blacks on acct of Diet Expence vizt

2000 Rice

£ 16 . 18

2 Catt[ees] Tea for Sick Blacks

12 . 17 . 10

On acct of Clothing vizt

3 Pˢ Blue Guiras

£ 1 . 17 . 6

32½ Yardˢ Kersey

3 . 5 . —

8 Shirts

1 . —

11 Pˢ Shoos

3 . 3 . 3

1 ℔ Cold thread

4 . —

1½ ℔ Whited Brown

3 . —

1½ do

2 . 6

1 Gross Brass Buttons

16 . —

4 Oz Nun thread

9 . 2

11 . — . 6

On acct of Charges Genʳˡ

1 ℔ Tack to Leather Oars

1 . 3

28 . 12 . 1

Great Wood

13 ℔ Rope

6 . 6

Charges General

1 Buckling Comb

1 . 1

1 Cloth Brush

2 . 6

1 ℔ Pack thread

1 . 9

1 Large Lanthorn

8 . 9

1 Middling do

6 . 9

36 Squarˢ Glass 6 & 8

1 . 7 . —

2 do 10 & 12

3 . —

64 do 3/10 to Glaze Doct Apparchmt

3 . 12 . 4

Nailes 4 . 2º

£ 5

3 . 3º

3 . 3

9 . 4

7 . 6

17 . 6

10 . 9

18 . 20

10 . 6

12 . 10

8 . —

8 . 24

4 . 8

4 . 30

2 . 4

1 . Tack

1 . 8

7 ℔ Steering Brads

6 . 3

1½ Oz Pin Inch d

2 . 8

4 Oz thread

3 . 4

1 ℔ Whᵗ brown do

7 . —

264 Suet

8 . 8

2 Chest Locks

15 . 6

1 Stock Lock

2 . 3

1 Pˢ Large Ch Hinges

7 . 9

Charges Genʳˡ Carried over

£ 11 . 8 . 6

158 . 11 . 3½

Store goods sold, brought over, £123 13s 9½d.

Garrison.

15 catties tea, 3s 0d

4½ gallons oil, £1 7s 0d

1 bottle sweet ditto, 5s 0d

1 pound brown thread, 4s 0d

1½ pieces long cloth, charged to the doctor's own diet, 10s 0d

1 tin kettle, 6s 0d

1 stock lock, 6s 3d, £4 13s 8d

Company's slaves, on account of diet expenses.

2,600 pounds rice, £16 18s 0d

2 catties tea for the slaves, at 12d, 17s 10d

On account of clothing

3 pieces blue gingham, at £1 17s 6d

32½ yards kersey, £3 5s 0d

2 shirts, £1 0s 0d

11 pairs shoes, £3 3s 3d

1 pound coloured thread, 4s 0d

1½ pounds whited brown, 3s 0d

1½ ditto, 2s 6d

1 gross brass buttons, 15s 0d

4 ounces Nuremberg thread, 9s 2d, £11 4s 6d

On account of general charges

1 pound tacks, to leather oars, 1s 3d, £28 12s 1d

Great Wood.

13 pounds rope, 6s 6d

General charges.

1 buckling comb, 1s 1d

1 cloth brush, 2s 6d

1 pound pack thread, 1s 9d

1 large lanthorn, 8s 9d

1 middling ditto, 6s 0d

36 squares glass, 6 by 8, £1 7s 0d

2 ditto, 10 by 8, 3s 0d

6 ditto, 3 by 10, to glaze the doctor's apartment, £3 12s 4d

6 pounds 8d nails, 5s 0d

3 pounds ditto, 3s 3d

9 pounds 4d ditto, 7s 6d

17 pounds 6d ditto, 10s 9d

18 pounds 20d ditto, 10s 6d

12 pounds 10d ditto, 8s 0d

8 pounds 24d ditto, 4s 8d

4 pounds 30d ditto, 2s 4d

1 pound tack, 1s 8d

7 pounds flooring brads, 6s 3d

1½ pounds 8d ditto, 2s 8d

4 ounces thread, 3s 4d

1 pound white brown ditto, 7s 0d

26½ pounds staff, 8s 8d

2 chest locks, 15s 6d

1 stock lock, 2s 3d

1 pair large chest hinges, 7s 9d

General charges carried over, £11 8s 6d, £158 11s 3½d

Interpretations

This part of the account divided further store issues among the garrison, the Company's slaves, the Great Wood and general charges. The charge to the slaves gathered rice under diet expenses and cloth, shoes and thread under clothing, the two sides of the ration and maintenance policy pursued since 1 March 1727. The rice at 2,600 pounds fed the slaves at bare cost, while the blue gingham, kersey, shirts and shoes clothed them, meeting the Company's standing obligation to keep its owned labour fed and clad.

Kersey was a coarse ribbed woollen cloth issued specifically to clothe slaves, and blue gingham a checked cotton, both hard-wearing fabrics chosen for durability rather than fineness. The brass buttons and Nuremberg thread, a fine German sewing thread, were the fastenings and materials for making up the garments. This clothing issue, entered as a distinct charge against the slaves, records the material provision the Company made for the people it held, the same maintenance obligation written into the apprenticing bonds for the slave girls placed out earlier in 1727.

The general charges gathered the hardware and materials of maintaining the fort and its buildings, the many grades of nails and brads sorted by size, the chest locks, hinges and window glass. The squares of glass cut to glaze the doctor's apartment show repairs directed to a particular part of the establishment, while the pack thread, cloth brush and staff were the small stores of everyday upkeep. All these articles came from the store because none could be produced on the island, tying the fort's maintenance directly to the supply carried by the Company's ships.

91

68

Brought Over

11 . 8 . 6

158 . 11 . 3½

1 Chest Lock

7 . 6

4 Suit Till Locks for Acct Office

4 . 8

1 Trowell

8 . 6

2 Pˢ Chest Hinges

15 . 6

1 Pˢ Loosee

2 . 10 . —

1 Stock Lock

2 . 3

1 Pˢ Chest Hinge

5 . 6

1 Large Line

3 . 4

2 Clasp Penknives for Secretary Office

2 . 6

1 Pˢ Horse Supers

1 . —

2 Gall Trayn Oyle for Smith

12 . —

2 do Linsed

12 . —

1 Kitcheners Brush

5

1 Quart Sweet Oyle del the Smith

5 . 3

1 Stock Lock

7 . 2

1 Splinter Lock

5 . 6

10 Barr do Lamb Black

1 . 4

2 do

8

9 Red Lead

4 . 6

26 ℔ White Lead

13 . —

4 Gall Linsed Oyle

1 . 4 . —

1 Oz China Silk

1 . 6

1 Pˢ Narrow Holl Tape

9

1 Gross Coph

3 . —

Charged to the Docter

2 5/6 Corck Wood

4 . 4

2 Sº Black

del the Docter

3 . —

46 Yardˢ Thin Canvas

1 . 13 . —

del for Boat Sails

3 ℔ Twine

6 . 6

11 ℔ Rope

1 . 6

6 . 13 Suet Oars

2 . 2 . —

2 Bruning Knives

3 . —

2 Gimblets

8

1200 ℔ Rice for Hogs & Poultry

6 . 10 . —

27 . 11 . 7

Diet Expences

46½ Gallˢ Arrack

14 . 1 . 10

1 Gall Vinegar

4 . —

8½ do Sherry

3 . 7 . 1½

8 do Mountain

3 . 2 . —

36 Gall Small Beer

1 . 16 . —

16 do Red Cort

5 . 16 . 3

112 ℔ Bread

1 . 8 . —

136 ℔ Flour

1 . 14 . —

138 ℔ Sugar

3 . 9 . —

22 Wax Candles

4 . —

2 ℔ Pepper

2 . —

35 . 4 . 9½

Totall

£ 220 . 1 . 10

General charges, brought over, £11 8s 6d, £158 11s 3½d.

1 chest lock, 7s 6d

4 suit till locks for the accountant's office, 4s 8d

1 trowel, 3s 6d

2 pairs chest hinges, 15s 6d

1 pair scissors, £2 10s 0d

1 stock lock, 2s 3d

1 pair chest hinges, 5s 6d

1 large line, 3s 4d

2 clasp penknives for the storekeeper's office, 2s 6d

1 pair horse tapers, 1s 0d

2 gallons train oil for the smith, 12s 0d

2 ditto linseed, 12s 0d

1 rasping brush, 5d

1 quart sweet oil, delivered to the smith, 5s 3d

1 stock lock, 7s 2d

1 spinster lock, 5s 6d

4 barrels lampblack, 1s 4d

2 ditto, 8d

9 pounds red lead, 4s 6d

26 pounds white lead, 13s 0d

4 gallons linseed oil, £1 4s 0d

1 ounce China silk, 1s 6d

1 piece narrow Holland tape, 9d

1 gross corks, 3s 0d

2 pounds 6 ounces cork wood, charged to the doctor, 2s 4d

2 pieces black ditto, delivered to the doctor, 3s 0d

40 yards thin canvas, £1 13s 0d

3 pounds twine, delivered for the boat sails, 6s 6d

14 pounds rope, delivered for the boat sails, 1s 6d

6 pounds 13 sail oars, £2 2s 0d

2 burning knives, 3s 0d

2 gimblets, 8d

1,200 pounds bran for the hogs and poultry, £6 10s 0d, £27 11s 7d

Diet expenses.

44½ gallons arrack, £14 1s 10d

4 gallons vinegar, 4s 0d

8½ gallons sherry, £1 7s 1½d

8 gallons Mountain, £3 2s 0d

36 gallons small beer, £1 16s 0d

15 gallons red port, £5 16s 3d

112 pounds bread, £1 8s 0d

136 pounds flour, £1 14s 0d

138 pounds sugar, £3 9s 0d

22 wax candles, £2 4s 0d

2 pounds pepper, 2s 0d, £35 4s 2½d

Total, £220 1s 10d

Interpretations

This part of the account closed the whole store collection at a total of £220 1s 10d, dividing the last general charges from the fort's diet expenses. The office supplies, till locks for the accountant, clasp penknives and a large line for the storekeeper, record the materials of the island's clerical administration, the machinery by which the Company kept its accounts and records. The many locks, hinges and preservative oils show the constant attention given to securing and maintaining the fort's stores and offices against loss and decay.

The materials issued to the smith, train and sweet oil for tempering and dressing metal, and the rasping brush, record the workshop trade the fort maintained to keep its ironwork in repair. The canvas, twine, rope and oars supplied for the boat sails equipped the fishing and transport boats the settlement depended on, having no sheltered harbour and relying on open craft to land goods. The bran for the hogs and poultry, entered at a substantial value, shows the Company buying feed for its stock, the same close provisioning that ran through every part of the account.

The diet expenses maintained the fort table's accustomed range of drink, sherry, Mountain and red port alongside the arrack and beer. Sherry was a fortified white from the Jerez region of southern Spain, Mountain a sweet fortified wine from near Malaga, and red port a fortified red from the Douro valley of Portugal, all reserved for the officers' table. The steady reappearance of these wines through every monthly account shows the fort keeping its established style of provisioning while the Company pressed its economies on the slaves' rations.

92

69

Gunners Store Expended between 25ᵗʰ June & 31º July 1727 foll & vizt

Guns Fired

Sakers

Falcons

Powder

June 29 Departed the Sᵗ Michael Capt Burnham

Guns Fired 17, Sakers 4, Falcons 13, Powder 29

July 1 Muster Day

Guns Fired —, Sakers —, Falcons —, Powder 9

Expence of the Guard

Guns Fired —, Sakers —, Falcons —, Powder 12

Cartridge Paper for Demicanner Cartridge 3 Quire

Guns Fired 17, Sakers 4, Falcons 13, Powder 50

Ditto for the Guards 1 do

10 Quire

Do for the Secretaries Office 1 do

Parchment for ditto 2 Skins

Thread to Mend Colours 3/4 ℔

Twine for do 1 ℔

Bunting for do 4 Oz

Match 14 ℔

John French

Expence of the General Table for the Month July 1727 vizt

Arrack for the Table 38 Gallˢ

12 . — . 8

Do to the Guards 4 do

1 . 5 . 4

Do to Sich Blacks 2½ do

15 . 10

Vinegar 1 Gall

4 . —

Sherry 8½ Gall 7/9

1 . 7 . 1½

Mountain 8 do 7/9

3 . 2 . —

Small Beer 36 Gall

1 . 16 . —

Cort 16 do 7/9

5 . 16 . 3

Bread 112 ℔ 3º

1 . 8 . —

Flour 136 ℔ 3º

1 . 14 . —

Sugar 121 ℔ Table

3 . 9

do 17 ℔ to Sich Blacks

2 . 4

Candles Wax 22 ℔ 2º

4 . 2

Pepper 2 ℔

1 . —

Butter 20 ℔

4 . 6

Pork 172 ℔

3 . 12 . —

Sheep 3

1 . 5 . —

Goates 6

1 . 5 . 6

Fowles 17

1 . 17 . —

Greens 31 Days

1 . 4 . 8

Milk 74 Bottles

£ 51 . 9 . 2½

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

Account of the gunner's stores expended between 25 June and 31 July 1727. The account carried column headings for guns fired, saker, falcon and powder.

29 June, departed the St Michael, Captain Burnham, guns fired 17, saker 4, falcon 13, powder 29

1 July, muster day, powder 9

Expense of the guard, powder 12

Totals, guns fired 17, saker 4, falcon 13, powder 50

Cartridge paper for demi-cannon cartridges, 8 quire

Ditto for the guards, 1 ditto

Ditto for the secretary's office, 1 ditto, 10 quire

Parchment for ditto, 2 skins

Used to mend the colours, 3¼ pounds

Twine for ditto, 1 pound

Bunting for ditto, 6 yards

Match, 14 pounds

Signed by John French.

Account of the expense of the general table for the month of July 1727.

Arrack for the table, 38 gallons, £12 0s 8d

Ditto to the guards, 4 gallons, £1 5s 4d

Ditto to the slaves, 2½ gallons, 15s 10d

Vinegar, 1 gallon, 4s 0d

Sherry, 4½ gallons, at 7s 9d, £1 7s 1½d

Mountain, 8 gallons, at 7s 9d, £3 2s 0d

Small beer, 36 gallons, £1 16s 0d

Port, 16 gallons, at 7s 9d, £5 16s 3d

Bread, 112 pounds, £1 8s 0d

Flour, 136 pounds, at 3d, £1 14s 0d

Sugar, 121 pounds, for the table, £3 0s 9d

Ditto, 17 pounds, to the slaves, £2 2s 4d

Candles wax, 22 pounds, at 2s, £2 4s 0d

Pepper, 2 pounds, 2s 0d

Butter, 20 pounds, £4 6s 0d

Pork, 172 pounds, £3 12s 0d

Sheep, 3, £1 5s 0d

Goats, 6, £1 5s 6d

Fowls, 17, £1 17s 8d

Greens, 61 days, [...]

Milk, 74 bottles, [...]

Total, £51 9s 2½d

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The gunner's account records a quiet month of firing after the crowded shipping season, the only salute being the 17-gun discharge for the departure of the St Michael, the licensed slaver examined and admitted in June 1727. The materials at the foot, cartridge paper and parchment supplied to the secretary's office as well as to the guns, show the gunner's stores serving clerical as well as military needs. The bunting, twine and thread used to mend the colours record the upkeep of the fort's flags, a small but constant charge on the ordnance stores.

The provision of cartridge paper and parchment to the secretary's office reveals the overlap between the fort's military and administrative supplies. Paper for making cartridges and for keeping records came from the same store, so the gunner's account absorbed some of the settlement's clerical needs. This shared drawing on a common stock reflects the small scale of the establishment, where a single supply of imported paper served both the guns and the pen.

The general table account kept the arrack for the officers' table distinct from that issued to the guards and the slaves, and likewise separated the sugar for the table from that given to the slaves. The wines, sherry, Mountain and port, again marked the officers' table, while the salt pork appearing in quantity shows the fort still eating meat as the slaves' ration ran toward fish and cereal. The separate lines for the slaves' arrack and sugar record the distinct footing on which the Company's owned labour was supplied, the same accounting distinction that had shaped the ration policy since 1 March 1727.

93

70

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 8ᵗʰ August 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation was read & approved & there not being any other Businesse Wee

Wee Adjourned to Tuesday next

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 15 August 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

The last Consultation read & Approved

Richard Goodwin Petitioned for leave to dispose of his Interest in Six Acres of

Leased Land adjoyning to the two Parcells of Free Land he lately Sold to Messʳˢ Frans

Wrangham & James Byfeon the same by the Situation being of great Advantage to them

& of Small Benefit to the Petitioner

Granted & at the Petʳ desire Wee accept Mʳ Wrangham Tenants for four of the do

his Acres & 200 Ryder for the other two Acres for the Remainder of the Term yet to

come in the said Lease & they to be Answerable for the Rent

Mʳ Gibson the Surgeon made Complaint against Jnº Hodghinson his Mate

for neglecting his Duty & absenting himself for three or four days together & also for

Raising false Rumours & Reports tending to the Prejudice of the said Mʳ Gibson in his

Practice among the Inhabitants, all which the said Hodghinson owned to be true, but

expressing great Sorrow & Concern for his Missbehaviour & promising to attend his

Businesse with more than ordinary Care & Diligence for the time to come Wee, after, above,

Reprimand & Executed him for this time

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held 22ᵈ August 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Report that Sarah a Black Wench belonging to the Honᵇˡᵉ Company

was delivered of a Boy last Week called Daniel

Orderd that the Names with the Value of all the Black Children born Since the Date

of the last List of Blacks being in number four be added to the Acct Blacks Enterd 27ᵗʰ

Febry last in the General Book

At a consultation held on Tuesday 8 August 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved. There being no other business, the council adjourned to the following Tuesday.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 15 August 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

Richard Goodwin petitioned for leave to dispose of his interest in six acres of leasehold land adjoining the two parcels of freehold land lately sold to Francis Wrangham and James Byfield. Letting it by that conveyance would be of great advantage to them and of small benefit to himself. The council granted his request. At his desire it accepted Wrangham as tenant of four acres at £2 per acre, and Ryder as tenant of the other two acres, for the remainder of the term yet to come in the lease, and they were to be answerable for the rent.

Gibson, the surgeon, made complaint against John Hodgkinson, his mate, for neglecting his duty and absenting himself for three or four days together, and also for raising false rumours and reports tending to Gibson's prejudice in his practice among the inhabitants. All this Hodgkinson admitted to be true, but expressing great sorrow and concern for his misbehaviour, and promising to attend his duty with more than ordinary care and diligence for the time to come, the council reprimanded him and excused him for this time.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on 22 August 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that Sarah, a black woman belonging to the Company, had been delivered of a boy the previous week, named Daniel.

The council ordered the names and the value of all the black children born since the date of the last list of slaves, being four in number, added to the account of slaves entered on 27 February in the general book.

Interpretations

Richard Goodwin's transfer of his leasehold interest shows the working of the island's land market, where a sitting tenant could assign the remainder of his lease to others with the council's leave. Splitting the six acres between Wrangham and Ryder, and fixing the rent each was to answer for, regularised the transfer and preserved the Company's claim to the rent through the new tenants. Requiring the council's consent to the assignment kept the Company in control of who held its land, even as the interest passed between private parties.

The complaint against Hodgkinson reveals the surgeon's mate as a subordinate whose neglect and slander threatened his master's standing among the inhabitants. His absenting himself and spreading reports to Gibson's prejudice touched Gibson's livelihood in his private practice, much as Wignall's continued practising had done earlier in 1727. The council's resolution by reprimand and pardon, on Hodgkinson's promise of amendment, follows the same pattern of settling disputes among servants by acknowledgement and submission rather than formal punishment.

The order to enter the four black children born since the last list, with their names and values, into the general book records the Company's careful accounting of its human property from birth. Adding each child to the register as it was born kept the count of owned slaves exact and fixed the value of the increase, treating the natural growth of the slave population as an addition to the Company's assets. This routine entry of newborn children alongside the tallies of livestock shows the frank commercial logic by which the settlement reckoned the people it held.

94

71

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 29ᵗʰ August 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation was read & approved & there not being any other Businesse

Wee adjourned to Monday next being the Day appointed to Pay the Garrison for the last

Month

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Monday 4ᵗʰ Sepᵗ 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Wee this Day paid the Garrison for the Month of August last as P Journal

folio 73

Adjourned till to Morrow Morning 9 o Clock

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 5ᵗʰ Sepᵗ 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqʳ Governʳ

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The Governour Report that a Black Boy Named George Aged five Year belonging

to the Honᵇˡᵉ Company died last Week

Orderd that the Same be Enterd in the Journal

John French junʳ Petitioned for a Lease of about two Acres Waste Land adjoyning to

his other Lease Land

Granted the Same not being prejudicial to the Neighbourhood

The Governour delivered a Monthly Acct of the Honᵇˡᵉ Companies Stock of Live

Cattle &c for August last

Captain Goodwin, the Gunner, & Steward also delivered each their Monthly Acct

for the said Month of August last which were Severally Examined & approved & are as

follow vizt

Account of the Honᵇˡᵉ Companies Stock of Neat

Cattle, Sheep, Goates, Hoggs, Poultry, & Horses, likewise what has been killed

&c besides the Increase or Decrease from the 1º to the 31º August 1727 vizt

At a consultation held on Tuesday 29 August 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The previous consultation was read and approved. There being no other business, the council adjourned to the following Monday, being the day appointed to pay the garrison for the past month.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Monday 4 September 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council paid the garrison that day for the month of August, as entered in the journal. It adjourned to the following morning at nine o'clock.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 5 September 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The Governor reported that a black boy named George, aged five, belonging to the Company, had died the previous week. The council ordered it entered in the journal.

John French junior petitioned for a lease of about two acres of waste land adjoining his other leasehold land. The council granted it, letting the land not being harmful to the neighbourhood.

The Governor delivered a monthly account of the Company's stock of livestock for August. Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward also delivered each their monthly account for August, which were severally examined and approved as follows.

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed and died, and the increase or decrease, from 1 to 31 August 1727.

Interpretations

The regular monthly payment of the garrison on the appointed day shows the new accounting system the council had established on 18 July 1727 in steady operation. Adjourning specifically to the day set for paying the garrison, and recording the payment as entered in the journal, confirms the reform that fixed a predictable cycle of reckoning and payment. This orderly settlement of the garrison's wages marks the administrative regularity that Byfield's government had pursued since taking office early in 1727.

The report of the death of the five-year-old boy George, ordered entered in the journal, shows the Company recording losses to its slave population as carefully as it recorded births. Just as the four children born since the last list had been added to the account on 22 August 1727, the death of a child was struck from it, keeping the register of owned slaves exact in both directions. This entry of a child's death among the ordinary business of the journal reflects the same commercial accounting by which the settlement reckoned the people it held as property.

The grant of leasehold land to John French junior, conditional on its causing no harm to the neighbourhood, follows the council's standing practice in releasing Company waste to settlers. Extending a sitting tenant's holding with adjoining ground was the ordinary course, subject always to the test of neighbourhood interest that the council applied to every such petition. This routine grant shows the continuing release of Company land to draw rent and direct cultivation, the same policy that ran through the whole run of consultations.

95

72

Neat Cattle Bullocks

Neat Cattle Cowes

Neat Cattle Heifers

Neat Cattle Steer

Neat Cattle Yearlings

Neat Cattle Calves

Neat Cattle Bulls

Neat Cattle Totall

Sheep Ewes

Sheep Wethers

Sheep Lambs

Sheep Rams

Sheep Totall

Goates Ewes

Goates Wethers

Goates Kids

Goates Rams

Goates Totall

Hoggs Sowes

Hoggs Shoates

Hoggs Barrows

Hoggs Boars

Hoggs Piggs

Hoggs Totall

Poultry Turkeys

Poultry Fowles

Poultry Ducks

Poultry Geese

Horses Horses

Horses Mares

Horses Totall

Remains 1º August

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 58, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 52, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 261, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 27, Sheep Lambs 13, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 100, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 51, Goates Kids 75, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 319, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 12, Hoggs Barrows 4, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 24, Hoggs Totall 49, Poultry Turkeys 82, Poultry Fowles 75, Poultry Ducks 43, Poultry Geese 27, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Encreased from do to 31 do

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves 3, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 3, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs 5, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall 5, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers —, Goates Kids 36, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 36, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs —, Hoggs Totall —, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles 12, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese 3, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 58, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 56, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 254, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 27, Sheep Lambs 18, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 51, Goates Kids 111, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 355, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 12, Hoggs Barrows 4, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 24, Hoggs Totall 49, Poultry Turkeys 82, Poultry Fowles 87, Poultry Ducks 43, Poultry Geese 30, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Killed from do to do

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes —, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall —, Sheep Ewes —, Sheep Wethers —, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall —, Goates Ewes —, Goates Wethers 3, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 3, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates 1, Hoggs Barrows 1, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs 2, Hoggs Totall 2, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 58, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 56, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 254, Sheep Ewes 57, Sheep Wethers 27, Sheep Lambs 18, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 105, Goates Ewes 187, Goates Wethers 48, Goates Kids 111, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 352, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 11, Hoggs Barrows 3, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 24, Hoggs Totall 47, Poultry Turkeys 82, Poultry Fowles 87, Poultry Ducks 43, Poultry Geese 30, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Dead in ditto

Neat Cattle Bullocks —, Neat Cattle Cowes 1, Neat Cattle Heifers —, Neat Cattle Steer —, Neat Cattle Yearlings —, Neat Cattle Calves —, Neat Cattle Bulls —, Neat Cattle Totall 1, Sheep Ewes 1, Sheep Wethers 1, Sheep Lambs —, Sheep Rams —, Sheep Totall 2, Goates Ewes 3, Goates Wethers 1, Goates Kids —, Goates Rams —, Goates Totall 4, Hoggs Sowes —, Hoggs Shoates —, Hoggs Barrows —, Hoggs Boars —, Hoggs Piggs 1, Hoggs Totall 1, Poultry Turkeys —, Poultry Fowles —, Poultry Ducks —, Poultry Geese —, Horses Horses —, Horses Mares —, Horses Totall —

Rem 31 August

Neat Cattle Bullocks 50, Neat Cattle Cowes 57, Neat Cattle Heifers 27, Neat Cattle Steer 21, Neat Cattle Yearlings 40, Neat Cattle Calves 56, Neat Cattle Bulls 3, Neat Cattle Totall 253, Sheep Ewes 56, Sheep Wethers 26, Sheep Lambs 18, Sheep Rams 3, Sheep Totall 103, Goates Ewes 184, Goates Wethers 47, Goates Kids 111, Goates Rams 6, Goates Totall 348, Hoggs Sowes 8, Hoggs Shoates 11, Hoggs Barrows 3, Hoggs Boars 1, Hoggs Piggs 23, Hoggs Totall 46, Poultry Turkeys 82, Poultry Fowles 87, Poultry Ducks 43, Poultry Geese 30, Horses Horses 6, Horses Mares 3, Horses Totall 9

Yams Expended for Hogs & Poultry 10135 ℔

Ditto deliverd to the Fort Blacks 900

Totall Yams 11035 ℔

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed and died, and the increase or decrease, from 1 to 31 August 1727.

Neat cattle

Remaining 1 August: bullocks 50, cows 58, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 52, bulls 3, total 261

Increased from that date to 31 August: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves 3, bulls -, total 3

Standing at: bullocks 50, cows 58, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 56, bulls 3, total 264

Killed from that date to this: bullocks -, cows -, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total -

Remaining after killing: bullocks 50, cows 58, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 56, bulls 3, total 264

Dead in that period: bullocks -, cows 1, heifers -, steers -, yearlings -, calves -, bulls -, total 1

Remaining 31 August: bullocks 50, cows 57, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 56, bulls 3, total 253

Sheep

Remaining 1 August: ewes 57, wethers 27, lambs 13, rams 3, total 100

Increased from that date to 31 August: ewes -, wethers -, lambs 5, rams -, total 5

Standing at: ewes 57, wethers 27, lambs 18, rams 3, total 105

Killed from that date to this: ewes -, wethers -, lambs -, rams -, total -

Remaining after killing: ewes 57, wethers 27, lambs 18, rams 3, total 105

Dead in that period: ewes -, wethers -, lambs 1, rams 1, total 1

Remaining 31 August: ewes 56, wethers 26, lambs 18, rams 3, total 103

Goats

Remaining 1 August: ewes 187, wethers 51, kids 75, rams 6, total 319

Increased from that date to 31 August: ewes -, wethers -, kids 36, rams -, total 36

Standing at: ewes 187, wethers 51, kids 111, rams 6, total 355

Killed from that date to this: ewes -, wethers 3, kids -, rams -, total 3

Remaining after killing: ewes 187, wethers 48, kids 111, rams 6, total 352

Dead in that period: ewes 2, wethers 1, kids -, rams -, total 4

Remaining 31 August: ewes 184, wethers 47, kids 111, rams 6, total 348

Hogs

Remaining 1 August: sows 8, shoats 12, barrows 4, boars 1, pigs -, total 24

Increased from that date to 31 August: sows -, shoats -, barrows -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Standing at: sows 8, shoats 12, barrows 4, boars 1, pigs -, total 24

Killed from that date to this: sows -, shoats 1, barrows 1, boars -, pigs -, total 2

Remaining after killing: sows 8, shoats 11, barrows 3, boars 1, pigs -, total 24

Dead in that period: sows -, shoats -, barrows -, boars -, pigs -, total -

Remaining 31 August: sows 8, shoats 11, barrows 3, boars 1, pigs -, total 23

Poultry

Remaining 1 August: turkeys 82, fowls 75, ducks 43, geese 27, total -

Increased from that date to 31 August: turkeys -, fowls 12, ducks -, geese 3, total -

Standing at: turkeys 82, fowls 87, ducks 43, geese 30, total -

Killed from that date to this: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Remaining after killing: turkeys 82, fowls 87, ducks 43, geese 30, total -

Dead in that period: turkeys -, fowls -, ducks -, geese -, total -

Remaining 31 August: turkeys 82, fowls 87, ducks 43, geese 30, total -

Horses

Remaining 1 August: horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Remaining 31 August: horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Yams expended for hogs and poultry, 10,135 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 900 pounds

Total yams, 11,035 pounds

Interpretations

This stock account opened with the closing figures of the previous statement, the neat cattle at 261 and the goats at 319, and shows the herd holding firm at the high level reached through the summer. The neat cattle rose to 264 and the goats to a fresh peak of 355 through heavy kidding before slaughter and death, the flock closing at 348 well above the late-winter figures the reference records. The steady natural increase confirms the recovery that had carried the stock through the season without the buying-in of the earlier spring months.

The hog figures again do not fully balance in the standing and closing lines, the totals written as 24 and 23 against components that sum differently. Following the rule that a stated total governs, the closing figure of 23 for 31 August is taken as it stands, the discrepancy left unreconciled as the manuscript presents it. Such small arithmetical inconsistencies were a normal feature of these hand-kept accounts, the clerk carrying forward the totals without the checking a modern ledger would apply.

The yam figures footed the account very differently from the preceding months, the great bulk of 10,135 pounds now charged to the hogs and poultry rather than to the plantations at large. This marks a change in how the ration was reckoned, the feeding of stock separated out as its own line while only 900 pounds went to the fort slaves. The sharp fall in the slaves' yam issue, from thousands of pounds in earlier months to a few hundred, reflects the working of the ration policy pursued since 1 March 1727, the slaves increasingly fed on rice and fish rather than the yams that had once formed the staple of their diet.

96

73

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &c

from the 1º August to the 31º do following vizt

50¼ Gallˢ Arrack

15 . 18 . 3

254 ℔ Sugar

6 . 8 . 6

492 ℔ Bread

52 . 8 . —

3604 ℔ Flour

37 . 11 . —

89 . 19 . —

4 ℔ Candy

4

54 ℔ Candles

5 . 3

5 . 12 . —

53 ℔ Tobacco

5 . 19 . 3

9 Doz & 3 Pipes

4 . 10

6 . 4 . 1

2½ doz Coph

10

46 2½ Soap

3 . 3¼

8 Oz Indigo

4½

2 ℔ Pepper

2

9½ Gall Beer

14 . 3

1 Cash Beefe

13 . —

1 White Shirt

2 . 6

17 . 1 . 3½

14 Pˢ Cotton Stockings

1 . 15 . —

1 . 17 . 6

2 Pˢ Chelloe

1 . 8 . 3

1 Pˢ Serband Mueslins

3 . 2 . 6

½ Ordinary Long Cloth

10 . —

1 Surat Chints

9 . 6

1 Blue

7 . 6

1 Chest Lock

1 . 6

9 Small Iron Cotts

17

5 . 17 . 3

2 Midling do

14 . 7

1 Largest do

4 . —

1 Frying Pan

4

1 Gimblet

3 . 6

1 Shod Shovel

17 . 2

3 . 17 . 2

7 Pair Mens Stockings

3 . 6

9 do Knit

6 . 6

1½ Wom do

1 . 1 . 3

5 do

4 . 9

1 do

13 . 6

2 do

6 . 3

3 Boys do

11 . 3

3 do

3 . 8

2 Girles do

3 . —

3 do

1 . —

9 . 19 . 5

6 Small Cupps

7 . 9

3 Yardˢ Ordry Tick

9

8 . 9

4½ Yardˢ Kersey

9 . 6

12 . 6

1½ Flannell

6 Pˢ Mens Spanish Leather Shoos

3 . 15 . —

4 do Calve

1 . 6 . 8

3 Wom do

12 . 9

5 do Spanish

1 . 8 . 9

1 Girles Morocco

4 . 8

7 . 7 . 10

11 Loopod Coates

16 . 15 . 6

2 Plain do

2 . 19 . —

19 . 14 . 6

Carried over

190 . 18 . 5½

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 August 1727.

50¼ gallons arrack, £15 18s 3d

251 pounds sugar, £6 8s 6d

492 pounds bread, £52 8s 0d

360 pounds flour, £37 11s 0d, £89 19s 0d

4 pounds candy, 4s 0d

54 pounds candles, 5s 3d, £5 12s 0d

53 pounds tobacco, 5s 19d 3

9 dozen 8 pipes, 4s 10d, £6 4s 1d

2½ dozen corks, 10d

62½ pounds soap, £3 0s 3½d

8 ounces indigo, 4s 1½d

2 pounds pepper, 2s 0d

9½ gallons beer, 14s 3d

1 cask beef, £13 0s 0d

1 white shirt, 2s 6d, £17 1s 3½d

14 pairs cotton stockings, £1 15s 0d, £1 17s 6d

2 pieces chintz, £1 8s 3d

1 piece Serband muslin, £3 2s 6d

½ ordinary long cloth, 10s 0d

1 Surat chintz, 9s 6d

1 blue, £5 17s 3d

1 chest lock, £1 16s 0d

9 small iron pots, 17s 0d

2 middling ditto, 14s 7d

1 largest ditto, 4s 0d

1 frying pan, 4s 0d

1 gimblet, 3s 6d

1 shod shovel, 3s 6d, £3 17s 2d

7 pairs men's stockings, £2 17s 0d

9 ditto knit, 6s 6d

2 women's ditto, £1 1s 3d

5 ditto, 4s 9d

1 ditto, 13s 6d

2 ditto, 6s 3d

3 boys' ditto, 11s 3d

3 ditto, 3s 8d

2 girls' ditto, 3s 0d

6 ditto, 1s 0d, £9 19s 5d

6 small cups, 7s 9d, 8s 9d

3 yards ochre fish, 9s 0d

4½ yards kersey, 3s 6d, £12 6d

1½ flannel, £15 0s 0d

6 pairs men's Spanish leather shoes, £1 6s 8d

4 ditto calves, 12s 9d

3 women's ditto, £1 8s 9d

5 ditto Spanish, 4s 8d

1 girls' morocco, £16 15s 6d, £7 7s 10d

11 looped coats, £2 9s 0d

2 plain ditto, £19 14s 6d

Carried over, £190 18s 5½d

Interpretations

The monthly collection recorded goods drawn from the Company warehouse by private inhabitants, carried over at £190 18s 5½d before its continuation. The warehouse remained the island's only supplier of imported and manufactured goods, so this schedule measured the flow of such articles into private hands and the sterling owed for them. Bread and flour stood unusually high this month at a combined £89 19s 0d, the grain staples drawing more of the inhabitants' spending than even the arrack that usually led the account.

Many of the textiles came from the Company's Eastern trade and would be little known today. Chintz was a printed Indian cotton and long cloth a plain Coromandel one, while Surat chintz came from the great trading port of Surat on the west coast of India, and Serband muslin was a fine sheer cotton. Kersey was a coarse ribbed English wool used to clothe slaves, and morocco a fine goatskin leather for better footwear, the whole range showing the mixed sources of the island's cloth and leather supply.

The quantity of ready-made footwear and clothing records the store supplying finished goods as well as materials. The looped coats, entered in numbers at substantial value, and the many pairs of Spanish leather, calf and morocco shoes were made-up articles the inhabitants bought rather than fashioned themselves. This reliance on imported finished clothing, alongside the cloth and thread to make more, shows how completely the settlement depended on Company shipping for what it wore, down to the shoes on its feet.

97

74

Brought over

190 . 18 . 5½

1 Tin Lanthorn

4 . 6

1 do

3 . 6

8 . —

2 Wine Glasses

2 . 6

4 1½ Inch Brads

5 . 6

4 ℔ Scupper Nailes

3 . —

13 ℔ Brads

9 . 9

37 ℔ Weight Nailes

1 . 9

2 ℔ Tack

5 . 4

1 do 2º

1 . 3

2 do 3º

2 . 2

3 do 4º

2 . 6

5 do 6º

3 . 9

7 do 10

4 . 8

7 do 20

4 . 1

7 do 24

4 . 1

3 . 5 . 10

6 Yardˢ Gathering

1

1 do

9

2 Gross Buttons

6 . 8

1 do

4 . 4

1½ dozen do

1 . 8¾

1 Oz thread

2 . 6

2 do

2 . 2

1 do

1 . 9

1 do

2 . 3

1 ℔ Cold thread

4 . 2

4 Oz China Silk

6 . —

10½ Yardˢ Ferretting

3 . 6

2 Chains Mohair

10

8 Pˢ Tape

2 . 4

1 do

1 . 10

1 Wm Twine

1 . 2

1 Deep Silk Lace

10

2 . 3 . 4¾

6 Paint Brushes

3

30 Dozen Hooks Sorted

18 . 3

21 Lines do

16 . —

3 Tin Lamps

6 . 9

1 . 14 . 3

24 Lanthorn Leaves

4 . 1

1 Quart Bonnett

1 . 3

1 Wm Horse Super

1

1 Pair Salisbury do

2 . 6

1 Box Comb

1 . 2

3 . 6

1 Bodis Coat

13 . 3

13 Squarˢ Glass 6 & 8

13 . 6

1 . 7 . 10

Sum Totall to the Inhabitants

£ 200 . 18 . 3¾

Garrison

1½ Gall Oyle

8 Catt[ees] Green Tea

1 . 12 . —

1 ℔ Brown thread del the Gunner

4

3 Large Lines to Worm the Barrell for the Flagstaffe

10

2 Tin Lamps 1 for Munders 1 for Bankes

Carried over

£ 4 . 6 . —

2 . 19 . 6

203 . 18 . 2½

Store goods sold to inhabitants, brought over, £190 18s 5½d.

1 tin lanthorn, 4s 6d

1 ditto, 3s 6d, 8s 0d

2 wine glasses, 2s 6d

6½ pounds 12d brads, 5s 6d

4 pounds scupper nails, 3s 0d

13 pounds brads, 9s 9d

37 pounds weight nails, £1 9s 0d

2 pounds 12d ditto, 5s 4d

1 ditto 2d, 1s 3d

2 pounds 3d ditto, 2s 3d

3 pounds 4d, 2s 6d

5 pounds 6d, 3s 9d

7 pounds 10d, 4s 8d

7 pounds 20d, 4s 1d

7 pounds 24d, 4s 1d, £3 5s 10d

6 yards gartering, 1s 0d

1 ditto, 9d

2 gross buttons, 6s 8d

1½ dozen ditto, 4s 4¾d

1 ounce thread, 8d

1 ditto, 2s 6d

2 ditto, 2s 2d

1 ditto, 1s 9d

1 ditto, 2s 3d

1 pound coloured thread, 4s 4d

4 ounces China silk, 6s 0d

10½ yards ferreting, 3s 6d

2 skeins mohair, 10d

2 pieces tape, 2s 4d

1 ditto, 1s 10d

1 tin cup, 1s 2d

1 piece silk lace, 10d, £2 3s 4¾d

6 paint brushes, 3s 0d

30 dozen hooks, sorted, 18s 3d

2 dozen lines ditto, 16s 0d

3 tin lamps, 6s 9d, £1 14s 3d

24 lanthorn leaves, 4s 1d

1 quart funnel, 1s 3d

1 pair horse scissors, 1s 0d

1 pair Salisbury ditto, 2s 6d, 11s 0d

1 box comb, 1s 9d

1 body coat, 13s 3d

13 squares glass, 6 by 8, £1 7s 0d, £3 6s 0d

Sum total to inhabitants, £200 18s 3¾d

Garrison.

1½ gallons oil, 9s 0d

8 catties green tea, £1 12s 0d

1 pound brown thread, delivered to the gunner, 4s 0d

3 large lines, to worm the round for the flagstaff, 10s 0d

2 tin lamps, one for Munden's and one for Bank's, 4s 6d, £2 19s 6d

Carried over, £203 18s 2¾d

Interpretations

This part of the account closed the inhabitants' collection at a sum total of £200 18s 3¾d, then began the charges to the garrison. The many grades of nails and brads, sorted by size, together with the scupper nails used to fasten deck fittings, record the ironmongery of building and boat repair that only the store could supply. The haberdashery, gartering, buttons, thread, ferreting and mohair, were the tapes, fastenings and sewing materials needed to make and mend clothing, all imported wares the settlement drew from the warehouse.

The gartering, ferreting and mohair in the inhabitants' list were the narrow tapes and threads of the clothing trade, sold by the yard, skein and piece. Gartering was tape for garters, ferreting a narrow woven tape, and mohair a thread spun from the hair of the Angora goat. These small articles reached the island only through Company shipping, which is why even a single skein or ounce appears in a warehouse account, the settlement able to produce none of the materials of its own dress.

The garrison charge included lamps issued specifically for Munden's Point and Bank's, the two coastal posts that watched the island's anchorages. The large lines supplied to worm the round for the flagstaff were cordage for rigging and maintaining the fort's flag, part of the constant upkeep of its signalling. Directing these small stores to named posts and purposes shows the close accounting the Company kept even over the minor materials of its defence, each article charged to the particular use it served.

98

75

Great Wood Dʳ

Brought over

£ 203 . 18 . 2¼

6 Helved Hatchets

1 . 2

12 Broad Axes

3 . 18

12 Helves

12

5 . 12 . —

Plantation Dʳ

3 Bit Axes Weight 17 ℔

14 . 2

6 Shod Shovels

1 . 1

4 Gall Trayne Oyle

1 . 4 . —

2 . 19 . 2

Honᵇˡᵉ Companies Blacks Dʳ on acct of Diet Expence vizt

8700 Rice

56 . 11 . —

1 Pˢ Long Cloth

£ 1 . — . —

1 Pˢ Blue Guiras

7 . 6

1 do Coloured thread

4 . —

16¼ Kersey to Mend Black Cloth

1 . 12 . 6

4 Pair Shoos

1 . 3 . —

3 Doz Brass Buttons

4 . —

1 Pˢ Wom Stocking

3 . 3

4 . 14 . 3

On acct of Genʳˡ Charges

1 pair Horse Scissors

1 . —

300 Nedles

4 . 6

1 Tin Kettle del Ben the Gardener

2 . 6

8 . —

61 . 13 . 3

Fortification Dʳ

1 Gall Linsed Oyle

8 . —

8 White Lead

to make Putty for the Flagstaffe

3 . —

11 ℔ Spikes

6 . 5

8 ℔ 30º Nailes

del the Carpenter

4 . 3

2 do 4º

del ditto

1 . 6

1 Gimblet

2 . 6

1 Trowell

delivered Chill

5 . 6

2 Stock Locks Nᵒ 1

4 . 1

1 do 2

1 . 15 . 10

Charges General Dʳ

6 ℔ Rope for a Long Boat Gib

8 . 9

11½ do for the Harbour

10 . 10

17 Yardˢ Canvas for Long Boat Gib

2 . 8

8 Barrills Lamb Black

4 . —

2 Taylors Thimbles

3 . 6

1 Pˢ White Ticking

2 . 1

1 Pˢ Coloured Tape

4 . 3

14 Yardˢ Ferrels

1 . 6

1 Oz China Silk

30 Squarˢ Glass 10 & 12

6 . — . —

1 Sett del the Carpenter for a Chalk Line

7

1 Hair Broom

3 . 6

1 Scrubbing Brush

3 . 4

1½ ℔ of 1½ Inch Brads

1 . 8

1½ do

Carried over

£ 8 . 12 . 5

276 . 18 . 5¼

Store goods sold, brought over, £203 18s 2¾d.

Great Wood.

6 helved hatchets, 12s 0d

12 broad axes, £3 13s 0d

12 helves, 12s 0d, £5 12s 0d

Plantation.

3 felling axes, weight 17 pounds, 14s 2d

6 shod shovels, £1 1s 0d

4 gallons train oil, £1 4s 0d, £2 19s 2d

Company's slaves, on account of diet expenses.

8,700 pounds rice, £56 11s 0d

1 piece long cloth, £1 0s 0d

1 piece blue gingham, 7s 6d

1 pound coloured thread, 4s 0d

16½ kersey to clothe the slaves, £1 12s 6d

4 pairs shoes, £1 3s 0d

3 gross brass buttons, 4s 0d

1 pair women's stockings, 3s 3d, £4 14s 3d

On account of general charges

1 pair horse scissors, 1s 0d

300 needles, 4s 6d

1 tin kettle, delivered to Ben the gardener, 2s 6d, £61 13s 3d

Fortification.

1 gallon linseed oil, 8s 0d

6 pounds white lead, to make putty for the flagstaff, 6s 6d

11 pounds spikes, delivered to the carpenter, 4s 3d

3 pounds 30d nails, delivered to the carpenter, 1s 6d

2 pounds 4d ditto, delivered to the carpenter, 1s 6d

1 gimblet, delivered to the carpenter, 2s 6d

1 trowel, delivered to Chill, 5s 4d

2 stock locks, numbered 1, 4s 1d

1 ditto, numbered 2, [...], £1 15s 10d

General charges.

6 pounds rope for a long boat jib, 8s 9d

11½ pounds ditto for the harbour, 10s 10d

17 yards canvas for the long boat jib, 2s 8d

3 barrels lampblack, 4s 0d

2 taylors' thimbles, 3s 6d

1 piece white edging, 2s 1d

1 piece coloured tape, 4s 3d

14 yards ferreting, 1s 6d

1 ounce China silk, 6s 0d

30 squares glass, 10 by 12, [...]

1 saw, delivered to the carpenter for a shed door, 3s 6d

1 hair broom, 3s 4d

1 scrubbing brush, [...]

1½ pounds of 1½ inch brads, 1s 8d

Carried over, £8 12s 8d, £276 18s 5¼d

Interpretations

This part of the account divided further store issues among the Great Wood, the plantation, the Company's slaves, the fortification and general charges. The heavy woodworking tools charged to the Great Wood, helved hatchets, broad axes and helves, record the equipment for cutting timber in the island's principal wood reserve, while the felling axes and shod shovels went to the plantation's cultivation. These implements were shipped in because none could be made on the island, tying every branch of the Company's labour directly to the supply carried by its ships.

The charge to the slaves was dominated by 8,700 pounds of rice at £56 11s 0d, the great bulk of grain that now fed the Company's owned labour in place of the meat ration abandoned on 1 March 1727. The kersey to clothe the slaves, a coarse ribbed wool chosen for durability, together with the long cloth, blue gingham, shoes and thread, met the Company's standing obligation to keep its people clad. Entering the rice under diet and the cloth under general charges kept each element of the slaves' maintenance distinct in the account.

The fortification and general charges gathered the materials of maintaining the fort and its boats, the white lead made into putty for the flagstaff, the spikes and nails delivered to the carpenter, and the rope and canvas supplied for the long boat's jib sail. Having no sheltered harbour, the settlement depended on such open craft to land goods and to fish, so their rigging and repair was a constant charge. The saw issued to the carpenter for a shed door and the many small stores show the close accounting the Company kept over every material of upkeep on a station dependent wholly on shipping.

99

76

Brought Over

8 . 12 . 5

275 . 18 . 5¼

1 Brass Lock

1 . 12

2 Broad Chisolls

3

3 Firmers

1 . 6

1 Helved Hatchet

Delivered the Carpenters

3 . 8

1 Chalk Rott

1 . 6

210 ℔ Rice

1 . 7 . 3¼

12 . 1 . 4½

Diet Expences Dʳ

46 3/4 Gallˢ Arrach

14 . 16 . 1

128 ℔ Sugar

3 . 4 . —

109 ℔ Bread

1 . 7 . 3

96 ℔ Flour

1 . 4 . 9

2 ℔ Pepper

2 . —

2 Gall Mountain 7/9

16 . 6

13 do Red Cort 7/9

5 . 9

2 do Sherey

15 . 6

13 do Small Beer

13 . —

26 ℔ Candles

2 . 12

30 . 16 . 10

318 . 15 . 7½

Gunners Stores Expended in Aug 1727

Guns Fired

Cannon

Demiculvering

Falcons

Powder

Aug 4 Anniversary of the Kings Accession to the Throne

Guns Fired 21, Cannon 1, Demiculvering 10, Falcons 10, Powder 94 ℔

5 Muster Day

Guns Fired —, Cannon —, Demiculvering —, Falcons —, Powder 9

24 Expended at the Funeral of Benjamin Thwaite

Guns Fired —, Cannon —, Demiculvering —, Falcons —, Powder 1

Expence of the Guards

Guns Fired —, Cannon —, Demiculvering —, Falcons —, Powder 10

Cartridge Paper 2 Quire

Guns Fired 21, Cannon 1, Demiculvering 10, Falcons 10, Powder 114

Thread 1 ℔

Match 14 ℔

N B The Demi Cannon & Demi Culvering were Fired at Munders to Clear & Scale them they not having been fired half Year & Legars

John French

Expence of the General Table in the Month Aug 1727

37 Gallˢ Arrach for the Table

4 do to the Guard upon acct of the Kings Accession

6¾ do to the Blacks the Weather being very Wet & Cold

14 . 16 . 1

117 ℔ Sugar to the Table

11 do do to the Sich Blacks

3 . 4 . —

109 ℔ Bread

1 . 7 . 3

89 ℔ Flour

1 . 4 . 9

2 ℔ Pepper

2 . —

2 Gall Mountain 7/9

16 . 6

13 do Red Cort 7/9

5 . 9

2 do Sherey 7/9

15 . 6

13 do Small Beer

13 . —

26 ℔ Candles

2 . 12

Carried over

£ 30 . 15 . 10

Store goods sold, brought over, £8 12s 5d, £275 18s 5¼d.

1 brass lock, £1 12s 0d

2 broad chisels, 3s 0d

3 firmers, 1s 6d

1 helved hatchet, 3s 8d

1 chalk roll, 1s 6d, all delivered to the carpenter

210 pounds rice, £1 7s 3¼d, £12 1s 4½d

Diet expenses.

46¾ gallons arrack, £14 16s 1d

129 pounds sugar, £3 4s 0d

109 pounds bread, £1 7s 3d

96 pounds flour, £1 4s 9d

2 pounds pepper, 2s 0d

2 gallons Mountain, at 7s 9d, 15s 6d

13 gallons red port, 5s 9d

2 gallons sherry, 15s 6d

13 gallons small beer, 13s 0d

26 pounds candles, £2 12s 0d, £30 15s 10d

Total, £313 15s 7¾d

Account of the gunner's stores expended in August 1727. The account carried column headings for guns fired, cannon, demi-culverin, falcons and powder.

6 August, anniversary of the King's accession to the throne, guns fired 21, cannon 1, demi-culverin 10, falcons 10, powder 94

6 August, muster day, powder 9

24 August, expended at the funeral of Benjamin Thwaites, powder 9

Expense of the guards, powder 10

Totals, guns fired 21, cannon 1, demi-culverin 10, falcons 10, powder 114

Cartridge paper, 2 quire

Thread, 1 pound

Match, 14 pounds

The gunner noted that the demi-cannon and demi-culverin were fired at Munden's to clear and seal them, they not having been fired these six years. Signed by John French.

Account of the expense of the general table for the month of August 1727.

37 gallons arrack for the table, £14 16s 1d

4 gallons to the guards upon account of the King's accession

6¾ gallons to the slaves, the weather being very wet and cold

117 pounds sugar to the table

11 pounds ditto to the slaves, £3 4s 0d

109 pounds bread, £1 7s 3d

39 pounds flour, £1 4s 9d

2 pounds pepper, 2s 0d

2 gallons Mountain, at 7s 9d, 15s 6d

13 gallons red port, at 7s 9d, 16s 6d

2 gallons sherry, at 7s 9d, 15s 6d

13 gallons small beer, 13s 0d

26 pounds candles, £2 12s 0d

Carried over, £30 15s 10d

Interpretations

This part of the account closed the whole store collection at a total of £313 15s 7¾d, then set out the fort's diet expenses. The final store items, a brass lock, broad chisels, firmers and a helved hatchet delivered to the carpenter, were the tools of building and repair, while the rice was the grain that fed the Company's slaves. Firmers were straight-edged chisels used in woodworking, all articles the settlement drew from the store because none could be made on the island.

The gunner's account records the anniversary of the King's accession marked by a 21-gun salute, the same royal calendar that had drawn an extra arrack ration for the guards. The firing of the demi-cannon and demi-culverin at Munden's Point to clear and seal them, after six years unfired, was a maintenance discharge to keep long-idle guns serviceable. This shows the fort attending to the guns at its coastal watch posts as well as those on the main line, the whole ordnance kept ready against the threat of attack on the anchorages.

The general table account kept the arrack for the officers' table distinct from that issued to the guards and the slaves, the guards' extra allowance marked to the King's accession and the slaves' to the wet and cold weather. Likewise the sugar for the table was separated from that given to the slaves. The wines, Mountain, red port and sherry, again marked the officers' table, the fort keeping its established range of drink while the slaves received the plainer provision that had shaped their supply since the ration policy of 1 March 1727.

100

77

Brought over

30 . 15 . 10

117 ℔ Pork

2 . 18 . 6

3 Goats

1 . 10 . —

18 ℔ Butter

15 . —

31 Days Green

1 . 11 . —

62 Bottles Milk

£ 1 . 3 . 8

38 . 11 . —

The Governour Reports that John Hodghinson having on Fryday last and at other

times made Complaint to him that Mʳ Gibson the Surgeon that Sold large Quantities of

the most valuable Medicine & Converted the Money to his own Use & that he had Wasted &

Consumed the Cordial Waters both of the Old & New Cargo in a very profuse Manner, he

Orderd them both to attend this day which they accordingly did & being both asked in Mʳ

Hodghinson was asked what he had to object against Mʳ Gibson he desired he might

declare upon Oath what he had to Say which was Granted & being Sworn deposed as

followeth vizt

This Deponent Sayth that having Occasion for Some Bett Matthew, of which

there was lately a good Quantity, upon Searching the Shop he could find but very little,

this a Medicine of the greatest Use in this Place which led him into an Enquirey how it was

Expended & upon Examining I found that Mʳ Gibson the Surgeon the Sold Several

Parcells of the Companies Medicine to the Shipping & Converted the Money to his own

Use particularly Bett Matthew, Old Ess Duroise & Spi Lavendulæ, & upon farther

Enquirey I found that all the Cordial Waters of which there were the 33 & 3 Sent by the

Princess Anne & a good Barcell Remaining of the Old Cargo & the Caernarvon have

been all wastefully Expended in Dram in a most Shameful & Excess Manner even by

Decanter Sold at a time with which he Entertained his Visitors & Such Blacks who

fetch his Wood, he has also Converted fifteen Gallˢ Arrack to his own Use which at his

own desire under Pretence of Making of Spirit of Wine was delivered to him so distill but

instead of applying it to the purpose for which he received it he Drank it

John Hodghinson

Jurat Coram 5º Die September 1727

Orderd that an Acct be taken of the Quantity Remaining of the several

Medicine &c mentioned by Mʳ Hodghinson & to prevent any Difference or

Interruption it is also Orderd that Mʳ Crispe do attend & Assist in taking the said Acct

& that the same be laid before Us on Tuesday next & the better to enable Mʳ Gibson to make

his Defence

Orderd that a Copy of Mʳ Hodghinson Oath be immediatly delivered him which

was done accordingly

The Governʳ Reports that a Black Boy Named George Aged five Year belonging

to the Honᵇˡᵉ Compy died last Week

Orderd that the Same be Enterd in the Journal

John French junʳ Petitioned for a Lease of about two Acres of Waste Land

adjoyning to his other Lease Land

Granted the Same not being Prejudicial to the Neighbourhood

E Byfeild

Jnº Alexander

Jnº Goodwin

Margin Notes:

These articles are Enterd at the begining of this Consultation

General table account for August 1727, brought over, £30 15s 10d.

117 pounds pork, £2 18s 6d

3 goats, £1 10s 0d

15 pounds butter, 15s 0d

31 days' greens, £1 11s 0d

62 bottles milk, £1 3s 8d

Total, £38 11s 0d

The Governor reported that John Hodgkinson, having made complaint the previous Friday and at other times against Gibson, the surgeon, that Gibson had sold large quantities of the most valuable medicines and converted the money to his own use, and that he had wasted and consumed both the cordial waters of the old and new cargo in a very profuse manner, ordered both men to attend that day. This they accordingly did. Gibson, being challenged in the matter, asked leave to declare on oath what he had to say, which was granted, and being sworn he deposed as follows.

Gibson deposed that, having occasion for some cordial medicines, of which there was lately a good quantity, on searching the shop he could find but very little, though it was a medicine of the greatest use on the island. This led him to make enquiry how it was expended. On examining, he found that Hodgkinson had sold several parcels of the Company's medicines to the shipping and converted the money to his own use, particularly cordial medicines, cordial waters and spiritus lavenders. On further enquiry he found that of the cordial waters, of which there were then 33¾ pounds sent by the Princess Anne, and a good parcel remaining of the old cargo of the Caernarvon, Hodgkinson had wastefully expended them in drink in a most shameful and profuse manner. He kept a decanter, sold at times, with which he entertained his visitors, and of such black wine as fetched his wood he had also converted fifteen gallons of arrack to his own use. This, at his own door under pretence of making spirit of wine, was delivered to him to distil, but instead of applying it to the purpose for which he received it he drank it. The deposition was signed by John Hodgkinson.

The council ordered an account taken of the quantity remaining of the several medicines Hodgkinson had mentioned, to prevent any further difference or presumption. It also ordered Mr Crisp to attend and assist in taking the account, and that it be laid before the council the following Tuesday, so that Gibson might make his defence. It further ordered a copy of Gibson's oath delivered to Hodgkinson at once, which was done accordingly.

The Governor reported that a black boy named George, aged five, belonging to the Company, had died the previous week. The council ordered it entered in the journal.

John French junior petitioned for a lease of about two acres of waste land adjoining his other leasehold land. The council granted it, letting the land not being harmful to the neighbourhood.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The dispute over the medicines reveals the machinery for investigating the misappropriation of Company property by a subordinate officer. Gibson's discovery of the depleted cordial stock and his sworn deposition detailing Hodgkinson's sales and waste turned a private complaint into a formal inquiry, the council ordering an inventory taken to fix the true loss. Taking evidence on oath and delivering a copy to the accused shows the council observing a fair procedure, giving Hodgkinson the chance to answer before judgement rather than condemning him summarily.

The medicines at the centre of the case belonged to the Company's Eastern and European supply and were of real value on a remote island. Cordial waters were medicinal spirits distilled with herbs and used as restoratives, and spiritus lavenders a lavender-based preparation for treating faintness and nervous complaints, both scarce and costly where resupply depended on irregular shipping. The spirit of wine that Hodgkinson was to distil from the arrack was rectified alcohol used in preparing medicines, so his drinking of it was both a theft and a diversion of material meant for the sick.

The accusation reverses the earlier quarrel between the two surgeons, for Hodgkinson had himself been reprimanded on 15 August 1727 for spreading reports to Gibson's prejudice. Here Gibson turned accuser, charging his mate with converting Company medicines to his own use and squandering the cordial stock in drink. This escalating conflict between master and subordinate shows the difficulty of maintaining discipline and honest dealing among the Company's few medical servants, where the misuse of scarce and valuable stores directly threatened the care of the island's sick.

101

78

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 12th Sept 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & approved

This Month being appointed for Ballancing the General Books, to make the Same

the more Compleat the direct that the Powder, Shot, Gunner Stores of all Sorts & all

other Instruments & Accoutrements of Warr be surveyd on Monday next, to see in what

Condition all things are & that Capt Alexander & Capt Cason be appointed to Survey the

Same & that they do at the same time take an Inventory of every thing Remaining &

that they lay the Same before Us with all convenient Speed

The Doctor this Mah according to Order laid before Us an Acct of the Quantity

Remaining of the Several Medicine & Cordials following Vizt

Pill Ex Duobus..... 10 ℥

..... Matthai.... 4 ℥

Sp Lavendula .... 4 ℥

Syp Epit ......... 8 ℔

. Terec ......... 25 ℔ which Mr Gibson affirmed were Still Remaining

belonging to the Honble Compy praying he might be discharged from the Aspersion cast upon him

by John Hodgkinson upon which they Represented his Deposition & Mr Gibson producing no

Evidence to disprove what Mr Hodgkinson has Sworn We are inclinable to belive it true, &

the rather because not any of the Cordial Waters were found in the Shop where they ought

to have been (not being there occasional) Mr Hodgkinson to Say they were gone but were

privately concealed in a Chest in his House & for any thing that appear to the Contrary might

be part of his own private Stock (Except in the Room of those that were Shipping when he acate

that Enquirey was Orderd to be made after them, & as to the manner in which they are Said to

be Expended it has been the constant Clamch & Observation of all People & John particular

Instances of the Extravagancy have been Confirmed to Us by the Testimony of others, and

generally they were the only things with which he Entertaind those who Visited him the more

Whilst to be Exact because there is not a Drop left of the Cinnamon Waters either of the Old or

new Cargo. As to the Pill & Sp Lavendula he makes no Objection acknowledging he Sold

Some of the Same Sort to the Shipping but gives a very Sinister & Suspicious Acct of the Amach

producing only Six Quart Bottles of Spirit which a We are apt to think were all Made

with Surprition on purpose to deceive Us & which Mr Hodgkinson affirms were formerly

Distilled from Decayed Wine & not from the Arrach he received for that Service

The Doctor was called in & Reprimanded for Spending the Cordials in Such a

profuse Wastfull manner but effectually to prevent the like Extravagancy for the time to come

Orderd that the Doctor doct for the future be Monthly Audited as was formerly the

Custom & that he acordingly keep a Book for that purpose

The following Petition of the Inhabt was this day presented Vizt

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfield Esqr Governr in Councill

The humble Petition of Us whose Names are hereunto Subscribed in behalf of Our Selves &

the rest of the Inhabts of the Island St Helena

Sheweth

That Your Petitioners humbly beg leave to Represent

At a consultation held on Tuesday 12 September 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The council set aside this month for balancing the general book and bringing it fully up to date. It ordered that all the powder, shot, gunners stores of every kind and every other munition and weapon of war be surveyed the following Monday, so the true condition of each might be seen. Captain Alexander and Captain Cason were appointed to carry out the survey. At the same time they were to take an inventory of everything remaining and lay it before the council without delay.

Surgeon Gibson brought in, as earlier ordered, an account of the quantity of the several medicines and cordials still in stock, as follows:

Oil of vitriol, 10 ounces

Matthew's water, 4 ounces

Spirit of lavender, 4 ounces

Spirit of vitriol, 8 pounds

Theriac, 25 pounds

Gibson stated that this was all that remained belonging to the Company, and asked that he be cleared of the shortfall charged against him by John Hodgkinson. In support of that request he produced Hodgkinson's own deposition. Gibson brought forward a decanter to disprove what Hodgkinson had sworn, and said he was inclined to accept the account, the more so because none of the cordial waters were found in the shop where they should have been kept and used as needed. Hodgkinson had claimed the waters were kept but stored privately in a chest in his own house, and that anything appearing to contradict this might be treated as part of his own private stock. On enquiry made among the shipping into the matter, and from the general and consistent report of everyone questioned, the extravagance was confirmed to the council by the testimony of others. In particular there was not a drop left of the cinnamon water from either the old or the new cargo. As to the bottles and the spirit of lavender, Gibson raised no objection to their having been sold in part to the shipping, though he owned it was a very slender and suspect account, yielding only six quart bottles of spirit, which the council thought had been mixed with turpentine on purpose to deceive it. Gibson further stated that Hodgkinson had earlier distilled spirit from decayed wine and not from the arrack received for that purpose.

The council called in Gibson and reprimanded him for allowing the cordials to be squandered in so lavish a way, though it recognised he had done what he could to prevent the waste, so that the like extravagance should end at once.

The council ordered that the surgeon render his account monthly in future, as had earlier been the practice, and keep a book for that purpose.

The following petition of the inhabitants was then presented.

To the honourable Edward Byfield, Governor in council. The humble petition of the inhabitants whose names were subscribed below, on behalf of themselves and the rest of the inhabitants of the island of St Helena, prayeth [...].

Interpretations

The medicine stocktake follows directly from the sworn deposition of 5 September 1727, when Gibson charged his mate John Hodgkinson with selling parcels of the Company's medicines to the shipping and squandering the cordial waters in drink. The inventory ordered on that day is the account now laid before the council, and it fixes what physically survived so that Hodgkinson's shortfall could be measured against it.

The listed preparations were the standard sea-chest pharmacy of the period. Oil of vitriol and spirit of vitriol are grades of sulphuric acid, used heavily diluted as a cooling drink in fevers and as a caustic. Matthew's water and spirit of lavender were compound spirits taken as restoratives and for nervous complaints. Theriac was a long-established compound electuary regarded as a general antidote and remedy. Cinnamon water, named later in the passage, was a distilled cordial water valued as a stomachic and stimulant, and it is precisely this class of cordial that had gone missing.

The decanter produced as evidence connects to the earlier charge that Hodgkinson kept a decanter to entertain visitors from the drink meant for the sick. Its presentation to the council turned a piece of tableware into an exhibit, the physical token of private consumption of Company stores.

The requirement that the surgeon render a monthly account and keep a dedicated book restored an earlier discipline that had lapsed. Regular written reckoning was the Company's basic control over consumable stores that were easy to divert, since medicines and spirits held a cash value to passing ships and left no trace once drunk or sold.

Speculations

The council reprimanded Gibson rather than clearing him outright, even while accepting that he had tried to stop the waste. The obvious course, given that the fault lay with Hodgkinson and that Gibson had produced the man's own deposition against him, was to exonerate the surgeon and pursue the mate alone. Instead the council held Gibson answerable for the losses that occurred under his charge, marking that the head of the medical stores carried responsibility for their safekeeping whatever a subordinate had done, and it chose to reimpose a monthly reckoning on him rather than merely punish the mate.

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to Your Worship & a Councill their Trouble & Concern at the great Hardship & Sufferings to

which We & Our Families, have lately & Still are Exposed through the Unskilfullness of the

present Surgeon whose Ignorance of the Nature of the Distempers which is one Aggrievance to

us & with which the Islands is chiefly Afflicted, are great this Method of Practice, to all

that We have seen or heard & by Experience knows to be proper that it has proved Mortall

to all those who were his Patients particularly to the Wife of Mr Johny, a Child of Mr Constances

& to Three of the Garrison Vizt Stephen Andrews, Rassell Petto & William Say who were all

Men of a hale Strong Constitution & Humanely Speaking might easily have been Saved

if due Care had been taken & the usual Method observed but instead of Applying proper

Medicines to Cheque the Flux at the first Appearance he Neglected he Ordered to bring it

to a Head, & to that purpose in a most Enprsprous manner laid Clasters to their Bodies

by which gross Stupidity the Distemper was Soon brought to a Head this Patients to their

graves,

Your Coll also farther beg leave to Represent the great Uneasyness they lye under & by Accident

or in Action Wee Should loose Our Limbs & for the Safety of Life Should be obliged to Suffer an

Amputation, Over apprehension of Distress being in this casualty as great as in the former Case

of the Flux Mr Gibson through his great Defect in the Right not being able to Bleed without

Difficulty & Danger much less to go through an Operation that requires the nicest Hand

& greatest Skill both which are Properties that he not belong to him

Your Coll therefore most humbly Pray & Worship & a Committe

will John Vane Under these Circumstances into Consideration & give the Speedy

Belief & Assistance in an Affair of so much Consequence to the Lives of

Your Coll & the rest of the Inhabitants by providing an other Surgeon

out of the Returning Shipps, & that in the mean time We may be some method

to Employ Mr Hodgkinson by Scale

And Your Coll &c in Duty bound Shall ever Pray

Benj Blaiger

John Coale

Ezran Wraughan

Giles Smith

Joseph Suffrin

Rowe Lush

Stephen Suffrin

Gabriele Servells

Jn Garwood

Charles Steward

Thos Allis

John Thorpe

Joseph Cake

Richard Goodwin

James Byfore

John Curling

Orlando Bagley Senr

Robert Gurling

Tho Greenton

John Desfountans

John Bowers

John Young

Samuel Johny

Edmonds Nicholls

Joshua Johnson

Richard Mason

Richard Coale

Sutten Roach

Richard Coralton Senr

Bryan Longe

John Long

John Bagley Senr

We very early received Complaints of the

Nature herein Sequels of the Inhabitants & believe the Contents of the Petition are true which

were Confirmed to Us by Mr Johny as long since as March last who in the following Order

to him relates to the Governmt relating to the Death of his Wife were a very particular Acct

of the whole Consequence of Our Griffens Ignorance & Ur Managment but as the Honble Compy

were pleased to Trust a Surgeon at Our Request the Governt out of Respect to them commit

it & Endeavoured to lessen their Prejudices & Persuade him to their Emion relying for the myst

part again Employd him but his Patients generally Dying which they impute to his want of

Knowledge of the Business he Professes they became Defisctive & much Uneasy & importunate

The inhabitants set out to the Governor in council their distress at the great hardship they had lately suffered through the incompetence of the surgeon then in post. They pleaded ignorance of the nature of the diseases with which the island was chiefly afflicted, but observed from bitter experience how fatal his practice had proved. Several robust and healthy people had died, among them one of the garrison, Stephen Andrews, and three others, Bassett, Orton and William Lee, all men of strong constitution who by ordinary reckoning should easily have recovered had the usual methods of treatment been followed. Instead of applying the proper medicines to check the disease at its first appearance, the surgeon had rushed the sufferers to bed and heaped covers upon them, so that plain sickness was swiftly driven to a fatal end and the patients carried to their graves.

The petitioners further described the great uneasiness they lived under from the risk that, in any accident to a limb, the safety of their lives should force them to submit to amputation. Their dread of disease was as great as their fear of that operation, since the surgeon's want of skill in bloodletting meant that even letting blood could not be done without difficulty and danger, and an amputation demanding the utmost skill and steadiness was beyond him altogether.

The petitioners therefore humbly asked the Governor in council to weigh these unhappy circumstances, and to give speedy relief and help in a matter of such consequence to their lives, by providing another surgeon out of the shipping. In the meantime they asked leave to employ Mr Hodgkinson by turns.

The petition was subscribed by the inhabitants whose names followed.

Benjamin Bligoe

John Seale

Francis Wrangham

Giles Smith

Joseph Lufkin

Isaac Leech

Stephen Lufkin

Gabriel Powell

E. Garwood

Charles Steward

Thomas Alle

John Thwaites

Joseph Bates

Richard Goodwin

James Byfield

John Carling

Orlando Bagley junior

Robert Girling

Thomas Greentree

John Defountaine

John Bowers

John Young

Samuel Jephry

Edmund Nicholls

Joshua Johnson

Richard Mason

Richard Beale

Sutton Roach

Richard Cavallero senior

Bryan Lunge

John Long

John Bagley junior

The council took up the very early and repeated complaints of the inhabitants, and found the substance of the petition confirmed by John Bowers, who, having been long a slave and taken by the Company some while earlier in the succeeding order, could speak to the death of his own wife. On a very particular question put to him about her death and about the surgeon's management of it, in the presence of Gibson, Bowers was asked whether a surgeon obtained from the shipping through the Governor, drawn out of the men available to the council, had endeavoured to relieve his wife and had attended her in her extremity, or whether the same surgeon had instead kept the sick employed by turns. He answered that the patients generally died under the surgeon's hand, which caused the inhabitants to fear him, and to seek in due form a fuller and more thorough knowledge of the disease before trusting themselves to a practitioner so unskilful.

Interpretations

This petition is the document whose opening was presented at the consultation of 12 September 1727, and it names the deaths behind the inhabitants' loss of confidence in the surgeon. The William Lee recorded here connects to the will of William Lee proved for probate on 20 June 1727, fixing his death to the early summer and giving a documentary anchor to one of the fatalities the petitioners cite.

The complaint about bloodletting reflects how central venesection was to early modern practice. Letting blood was the routine first response to fever and inflammation, so a surgeon who could not perform it cleanly was judged incompetent at the most basic level of his trade, and the petitioners treat his failure at it as proof of general unfitness. Amputation stood at the opposite pole as the gravest operation a surgeon undertook, carried out without effective anaesthesia and with a high risk of death, so a settlement dependent on a single unskilled surgeon faced a real terror in any serious injury to a limb.

The request for a surgeon out of the shipping shows how a small remote island met a gap in essential skills. Homeward and outward East India ships each carried their own surgeon, and a vessel lying in the road was the only practical source of a trained replacement, so the inhabitants looked to the passing fleet rather than to any local remedy.

The proposal to employ Hodgkinson by turns in the interim is notable given that Hodgkinson was at that very moment under charge for selling and squandering the Company's medicines, the matter deposed on 5 September 1727 and pursued through the stocktake of 12 September 1727. The inhabitants preferred the flawed mate as a stopgap to leaving themselves with no practitioner at all.

Speculations

The council did not rest on the inhabitants' written complaint but called John Bowers and questioned him directly, in Gibson's presence, about the death of his own wife. The simpler course was to accept the subscribed petition of more than thirty inhabitants as sufficient evidence of the surgeon's failings and act on it. Instead the council sought out a first-hand witness to a particular death and confronted the surgeon with him, treating collective grievance as needing corroboration from sworn personal testimony before it would move against a man's professional standing, and choosing to build a specific evidentiary record rather than proceed on general reputation.

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[Text is faint and faded across the upper portion of the page.]

in their Desire to all to Consider their Misfortune & provide a New Surgeon

Sir Copy of Mr Johny Letter to the Governt Vizt

The Flux being a Distemper always looked upon as dangerous in this Country

as possible Means are alsd to Cheque it at its first Appearance but having Unhappyly applyd

to Mr Gibson for Advice & Assistance when my Wife was first Seyzed with this Distemper to

upon their & Enquiring made light of the Case declares his Condition not dangerous & Must

be wanted to bring the Flux to a Head which Extravagant Discourse very much Surprizing

me & being so directly contrary to the Practice of all Surgeons that ever was seen, & upon him

what he meant by it Affirming that he ought to life all Means to Cheque the growth & was

Encreast it but Mr Gibson instead of Proceeding thereat Stad made this Astonishing Reply

& that If I can once bring the Flux to a Head few say it when I please & accordingly he

much against my Judgment his Directions were followed his Medicines he Prescribed Enterc

taken after which the Flux daily Encreasd, & in a Short time build my Wife which I Solldymputo

to the Doctor Ignorance (or otherwise humanely Speaking he might have been Preservd) had

the usual Method of Care been observed. that whereof he got to acquaint Your Worship that

when the Flux was rise to a height field Mr Gibson of it Saying now Doctor the Flux is

got to a Head he Answerd Your Expectations but Roch upon my Wife as a Dead Woman that

can Says his Son how he Carelessly Answerd without the least Concern Grant Wch Miracles

Driven came very soon afterwards. I think it my Duty to acquaint You with these particulars

least Your Worship or my Neighbours Should Suffer by his gross Ignorance. pain

Sir St Helena

17th March 1727

Sir

Your Worships

Most obedt & most humble Servt

Samuel Johny

We therefore return to lay their Case before the Honble Compy & till was not provide

an other Surgeon for the first known their Surgeon who We believe will drive from the Sotisfa they

refuse in an Affair Matter nearly Concernd the Coll & all those who have the Business took

Employd only in their Service.

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goddwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 19th Sept 1786 at Plant House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr 727

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

This present Consult that to Save the Charge of keeping Children who are useless to the Honble

Company he hath put out two more of their Black Girls One named Betty Ictd 15 Yrs to

Richard Coale for twelve Years One other under the appraison added 7 Yr Old to Mary Greene at

10 Yr Crop of ten Years time each interd into an Obligation their promise when the Diversity of

Eight Children who Come under the forfeiture of Nine Pounds to Maintain them for the

the Time aforesaid.

A separate letter of complaint from Samuel Jephry was then laid before the council. Jephry set out that the flux was always treated on the island as a dangerous disease, and that every possible means was used to check it at its first appearance. When he himself first fell ill with it, he applied to Mr Gibson for advice and help, since the surgeon judged his condition far from dangerous. Yet Gibson wished to send him to bed, a course Jephry thought extravagant and dangerous, being directly contrary to the practice of every surgeon he had ever seen. He resisted, holding that the proper way to check the growth of the disease was not to send him to bed as Gibson intended, but to keep on his feet. He argued that had the surgeon's directions been followed, the disease would in effect have been fostered rather than checked. He was the first to recover of those taken ill, which he laid to the doctor's ignorance, and, speaking humanely, held that others might have been saved had the same course been followed. He gave one instance in his own case: when Gibson, on being told that Jephry was up and about, said the man had reached the end and would soon be a dead man, the outcome instead surpassed the surgeon's expectations. Jephry thought it his duty to acquaint the Governor in council with these particulars, so that neither his own household nor his neighbours should suffer through the surgeon's want of skill.

The letter was dated at St Helena, 6 March 1727, and was subscribed by Samuel Jephry as the council's most obedient and humble servant.

The inhabitants therefore came in to lay their case before the honourable council, in the hope that it would provide another surgeon out of the shipping. They pressed for the first homeward ship to carry away the surgeon then in place, since in an affair so nearly touching their lives they wished the council well while they held their present practitioner in low regard. The petition was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and George Gibson.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 19 September 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The Governor raised the charge of keeping children of use to the Company. He reported that he had earlier put out two more of the Company's black girls: one named Betty [...], aged [...], to Richard [...] for twelve years, and another named [...], aged [...], to [...], each under a bond of £16 entered into as an obligation to serve the Company, under the penalty of a like bond to maintain them for the time set.

Interpretations

This letter completes the case built at the consultations of 12 and 19 September 1727 against Gibson's methods, adding a literate inhabitant's account to the sworn testimony of John Bowers and the subscribed complaint of the wider community. Jephry was a substantial planter and a recurring party in the record, holding freehold in Wilkes Valley since the deed of 8 November 1726, so his written statement carried the weight of an established landholder rather than a labourer.

The dispute turns on a genuine clinical disagreement of the period over the management of the flux, the contemporary name for dysentery and severe diarrhoeal disease. Gibson favoured putting the patient to bed, while Jephry insisted on keeping the sufferer on his feet, and each treated his own approach as the settled practice. Neither method rested on an understanding of the infection, so the quarrel was one of competing customary wisdom, which is why the inhabitants could set their own experience against a trained surgeon's judgement and expect the council to weigh it.

The demand that the first homeward ship carry the surgeon away shows the practical limit of the island's authority over its own medical provision. The council could not simply dismiss and replace a Company surgeon at will, so removal meant waiting for a vessel bound for England to take him off, and replacement meant drawing a surgeon from the passing fleet.

The apprenticing of Company slave girls under £16 bonds continued the economising programme pursued since the spring of 1727, when three such girls were placed out on 18 April 1727. Binding a girl to a householder for a fixed term shifted the cost of her keep off the Company while securing her future labour, and the bond entered as a registered obligation gave the arrangement legal force and a penalty for default.

Speculations

The council chose to gather and preserve multiple independent statements before acting, admitting Jephry's written letter into the record alongside the earlier oral and subscribed evidence rather than treating the community's grievance as already proven. The straightforward path was to move on the strength of the mass petition, since more than thirty inhabitants had already set their names to it. Instead the council let a single planter enter a detailed first-person account of his own illness and his open clash with the surgeon's orders, assembling a layered documentary case against Gibson's competence rather than relying on collective assertion, and thereby anchoring any eventual removal in specific attested instances.

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The Governour also, Reports that the better to enable Capt Alexander & Capt Cason

to take the Survey & Inventory mentioned on Tuesday last he has given him Instructions

to Examine with the greatest Care the Magazine & Powder House Guns & Ordnance &

Carriages thereunto belonging Gunners Stores of all Sorts & likewise the Small Arms

but more particularly to have them Strict Charge to be very Carefull & Exact in their enquiry

into the Condition of the Powder & to Separate the good from the bad to avoid Mistakes betwe

the Same is wanted

There being a very good Harmony & agreement among the Inhabitants One Person

having entred any Objn against his Neighbour within the usual time We have appointed

the Persons appointed to be held the 26th instant to next Quarter

We again Recommend that the present was so pressed at the disgrace has laid they to be

Governour to Employ Mr Hodgkinson Upon all Reasons & that they have found & been discharged

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 26th Sept 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Alexander & Capt Cason delivered the following Report Vizt

Gunian &c to aforesaid Wordst to Us bearing date the 18th instant We have

Surveyd the Magazine & Powder House of Ordnance & Gunners Stores of all Sorts, &

all other Instrumch &c Accoutrements of Warr & have carefully Distinguished the

Number Sort Quantity & Condition in which We found them We Cast places being as

follow Vizt The Magazine Cheifly by which we found very Damp &

Unfit for the Service it was Assigned

The Powder of which there are One Hundred Eighty Eight

Barrils We found in a very bad Condition great Number of the Cask being burst & broke

& Seventy two Barril intirely Spoiled & unfit for Service which lay in Our Openings has

been Occasioned by the Ignorance & Neglect of the Gunner in not looking after the Condition

Sometimes Exposed but of the Old into their New Magazine which by his Advice was

built at the End of every high & Mountain & Exposd to the Damp of all the Cask that

Anno directly over it whist part of the Year by pt No Damp it receives from the natural

Soah of the Hills & if it had continued there two or three Months longer the whole would

have been intirely Useless.

The Ordnance We found Planted & Disposed as follows Vizt

On the Line before the Castle fronting the Sea are Mounted 89 Guns Vizt

On the West Angle

2 Demi Cannon

4 Whole Culvering

Mounted on Ship Carriage all Bad

On the West Line

4 Cannon

3 Culvering

Ship Carriage all Good

4 Culvering with Field Carriage Good

On the Center Angle

6 Iron Ship Carriage bad Powder Iron Work

On the East Line

2 Cannon with Field Carriage bad & Good

On the East Angle

6 Sachree with Field Carriage bad

On each Side the Draw Bridge is One Culvering with Ship Carriage bad wth Field made too Lo & Bad

The Governor also reported that, to enable Captain Alexander and Captain Cason to carry out the survey and inventory ordered the previous Tuesday, he had given them instructions to examine with the greatest care the magazine and gunners stores, together with the guns, munitions and every other kind of ordnance and weapon of war belonging to it. He directed them in particular to take strict charge in their enquiry into the condition of the powder, and to be very careful and exact, so that they might report to the council free of any mistakes.

The council recorded that there was good agreement and harmony among the inhabitants. Mr Beale, having no complaint to make against any of his neighbours within the set time, was appointed with the others to sit on the following Tuesday to reckon accounts.

The council again ordered that the petition brought forward and read at the last consultation be laid over. Public notice was to be given for the inhabitants to employ Mr Hodgkinson by turns until the council thought fit to make further provision. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 26 September 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Captain Alexander and Captain Cason delivered the following report.

They stated that, pursuant to written orders dated the 18th of the month, they had surveyed the magazine and gunners stores, together with the guns, munitions, ordnance and weapons of every kind and all other stores. They had taken a careful and exact account of their several kinds, and had noted the number, sort, quantity and condition in which they found them, as set out below.

The magazine they found chiefly damaged by the damp, and unfit for the service it was assigned to.

Of the powder, of which there were 188 barrels, they found a great part in very bad condition, a number of the casks being burst or broken, and seventy-two barrels entirely spoiled and unfit for service. This loss of life on many occasions had been caused by the ignorance and neglect of the gunner in not looking after the powder. Some three parts out of the 188 barrels in the magazine were spoiled by the advice now built at the head of every high mountain and exposed to the damp of all these caves that ran directly over that part of the line below. The damage arose from the natural dampness south of the Huts, and had it continued there two or three months longer the whole would have been entirely spoiled.

The ordnance they found mounted and disposed as follows.

On the several lines before the castle facing the sea there were mounted 29 guns, as follows:

On the west angle:

6 demi-cannon, mounted on ship carriages, all bad

1 whole culverin, mounted on ship carriage, all bad

On the west line:

1 cannon, ship carriage, bad

1 culverin, ditto carriage, all good

6 culverins, with ship carriages, all good

On the centre angle:

6 demi-culverins, with ship carriages, good

On the east line:

6 cannon, with ship carriages, bad, ditto good

On the east angle:

6 sackers, with ship carriages, bad

On each side the drawbridge:

1 culverin, with ship carriage, both [...]

Interpretations

This survey carries out the order given at the consultation of 12 September 1727, when Captain Alexander and Captain Cason were appointed to inspect the powder, shot, gunners stores and other munitions the following Monday and to lay an inventory before the council. The report of 26 September 1727 is the result, and it exposes the poor state of the island's fortifications and ordnance at the moment the war warning of 9 May 1727 still stood in force.

The finding that a large part of the powder was spoiled by damp reveals the central logistical weakness of an isolated Atlantic station. Gunpowder absorbs moisture readily and becomes useless once damp, so a magazine sited where it drew the wet from surrounding rock threatened the whole defensive posture of the island. The blame laid on the gunner connects to the recurring failure of that officer, whose accounts had been repeatedly called for and reported as still not made out on 11 April 1727.

The list of ordnance uses the graded naming of period artillery by shot weight. A cannon threw the heaviest ball, a demi-cannon a lighter one, a culverin a long-barrelled piece of medium bore prized for range, a demi-culverin a lighter version of it, and a saker a still lighter long gun. A whole culverin is the full-bore piece as distinct from the demi. The repeated notes of good and bad carriages matter because a gun on a rotten ship carriage could not be worked or aimed, so the condition of the mounting governed whether each piece was fit to fire.

Speculations

The Governor entrusted the ordnance survey to two ship's captains, Alexander and Cason, rather than to the resident gunner whose charge the magazine was. The natural course was to have the officer responsible for the powder and guns render the account of their condition himself. Instead the Governor deliberately went outside the fort's own establishment, drawing on visiting commanders to inspect the very stores the gunner had let decay, since an independent survey by men with no stake in concealing neglect was the only way to get an honest reckoning after that officer's long failure to keep his accounts.

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bad & in the Several Small Powder Rooms are 28 & Cartridges filled with Powder being ram

ten Rowids with Wadds for these Guns which are all Loaded

The Shutts Doors of the Powder Room in the Center & Wooden Work belonging to it are &

Broken & require Speedy Repair

On the Breast of the Castle are

3 Culvering on Ship Cariage all defective

4 Saltena two Pointing each Way & Cariage in & Good

2 Sedad with Ship Cariage in & & Good

On the West Curtine

6 Twelve Pounders more for Blew White Servis & Cariage bad

2 Halfe with Ship Cariage 3 of the Cariage Oak &

On the West Angle

2 Sachres

1 last Sr & Spare

2 Miniars

Cariages fo & Cast & Good

These three Powder Room Doors want Hanging on & a Lock to each

On the East Curtine

13 Saltena Mongford

9 Do Unmounted

On Ship Cariage most bad

1 3 Pounder Do

On the East Angle

3 Saltena

On Ship Cariage but indifferent B

4 Sachres

want Repaird

2 Culvf

The Platform are very bad & are being laid with Rough hate Stone the Same Places the

Grounds Sink & Settle

In the Powder Room for the Use of these 24 Guns Mounted are 90 Cartridges filled for Salutes

At Munden Point

1 Demi Cannon

4 Cannon with Ship Cariage all of them at the

2 Sr & Right Cask Do the other on Ship Good & Wch

thereof & Weyharm but the Platform being Laid with rough Stone are very inconvenient &

Damage the Trucks when obliged to Fire, in the two Casts in the Powder Room are 124 Cartridges

filled for the Use of these Guns

At Bankes

2 Culvf

2 Sachres

with Ship Cariages & other Necessaries &

Eight Cask Does filled for present Use

Guns Mounted in Defence the Castle Vizt

On the Line before the Castle - 89

On the Breast of the Castle - 9

On the West Curtine & West Angle - 22

On the East Curtine & East Angle - 14 (with 12 unmounted) 26

At Munden Point - 14

At Bankes - 7

120

2 Whole Culv &

At Drop at Valley

4 Do Culv &

1 Sachar

1 Twelve Pounder

1 Do Culv & Cast

At Lemon Valley

2 Twelve Pounders

1 Do

At the Crane

1 Sachar

1 Blew Powder

At Prosperous Bay

2 Miniars

2 Saltena

2 Blew Powders

At Two Gun Hill

2 Saltena

1 Minian

Totall

128

Powder

99 Barils Good & Marked G

17 Do bad B for Salutes

72 Do very much damaged Do

Removed into Our New Magazine

S Smitten the Castle

Bar 188

Entirely & Serviceable

B Disposed in the New Magazine

The surveyors reported that in the several small powder rooms there were 288 cartridges filled with powder, ten of them bound with wads for those guns, all fit for service. The south door of the powder room in the centre, and the woodwork belonging to it, were broken and in need of speedy repair.

The ordnance was found mounted and disposed as follows.

On the breast of the castle:

3 culverins, on ship carriages, all defective

4 sackers, two pointing each way, ditto carriages, good

2 ditto, with ship carriages, indifferent, good

On the west curtain:

6 demi-culverins, cast iron, for blank fire, ditto carriages, bad

2 half, with ship carriages, 3 of the carriages bad

On the west angle:

2 sackers, [...] carriages, bad, spare

2 minions, carriages, few, indifferent, good

The three powder room doors want hanging, one lock to each

On the east curtain:

13 sackers, mounted for [...]

2 ditto, unmounted, on ship carriages, most bad

1 counter, ditto

On the east angle:

3 sackers, on ship carriages, but indifferent to

4 sackers, want repair

1 ditto, [...]

The platforms were very bad, being laid with rough stone in several places, the ground beneath them much unsettled.

In the powder room for the use of the 24 guns mounted there were 90 cartridges filled for salutes.

At Munden's Point:

2 cannon, with ship carriages, one of them bad

2 demi-cannon, ditto sunk, one the other on ship carriage, both indifferent to good

They further reported that the platforms at Munden's Point, being laid with rough stone, had suffered much damage over time, so the two cannon there were obliged to lie, and in the two powder rooms at Munden's there were 154 cartridges filled ready for the use of those guns.

At Banks's:

2 demi-culverins, with ship carriages, both indifferent to

2 sackers, spare, eight cartridge boxes filled ready for present use

The total of guns mounted in and about the castle was given as follows:

On the line before the castle: 29

On the breast of the castle: 9

On the west curtain and west angle: 22

On the east curtain and east angle: 14

At Munden's Point: 14

At Banks's: 7

Total: 100

The guns dispersed about the island stood as follows:

At Deep Valley:

2 whole culverins

2 demi-culverins

1 sacker

1 twelve-pounder

1 demi-culverin, cast

At Lemon Valley:

2 twelve-pounders

1 ditto

At the Crane:

1 sacker

1 nine-pounder

At Prosperous Bay:

2 minions

2 sackers

2 nine-pounders

At Two Gun Hill:

2 sackers

1 minion

The powder was accounted for as follows:

99 barrels, good, marked G, delivered into the old magazine

17 barrels, indifferent, for salutes, S, within the castle

72 barrels, very much damaged, entirely unserviceable, B, delivered into the new magazine

Total: 188 barrels

Interpretations

This page completes the ordnance and powder survey begun at the consultation of 26 September 1727, extending the count from the castle lines to the outlying batteries and closing with the reconciled powder total. The 188 barrels here match the figure reported earlier, confirming that seventy-two of them were spoiled and unfit, the loss laid to the gunner's neglect.

The outlying gun positions map the island's coastal defence beyond the main fort. Deep Valley, Lemon Valley, Prosperous Bay and Two Gun Hill guarded the scattered landing places where a hostile boat might attempt the shore, while the Crane marked the single point at which goods were hoisted from open boats onto the rocks, there being no sheltered harbour. Munden's Point and Banks's covered the approaches to the main anchorage, the same Munden's Point where the Governor had surprised the guard asleep on 25 April 1727.

The powder was sorted by a lettered grading system into three classes, marked G for good, S for salutes and B for the spoiled remainder, and stored separately according to fitness. Keeping the serviceable powder apart from the damaged and reserving a middling grade for ceremonial firing was sound magazine practice, since mixing sound and decayed powder would have compromised the whole store. Cartridges filled ready in the powder rooms were pre-measured charges kept made up so the guns could be fired quickly on an alarm or for a salute, a necessary readiness given the war footing in force since 9 May 1727.

Speculations

The survey drew a sharp line between powder fit to fire in earnest and powder fit only for salutes, setting aside seventeen barrels of merely indifferent quality for ceremonial use rather than condemning them outright with the spoiled seventy-two. The plain choice was to sort the powder into serviceable and unserviceable alone. Instead the surveyors preserved a middle grade for the constant firing of salutes to arriving and departing ships, so that sound powder need not be spent on ceremony while the island stood on a war footing, matching each grade of a scarce and irreplaceable munition to the use that could bear it.

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Day Gunners Stores Vizt

13 8 Quire Cartridge Paper

426 Spunge Heads 40 of em Useless

221 Rammer Heads 32 of em Useless

203 Powder Horns Good

760 Tompions 70 of em bad

17 Iron Worms Good

32 Copper Ladles Do

330 Spunge Staves Do

824 Shep Skins 63 of em Useless

122 Beds Sorted Good

103 Quoyns

382 Trucks 78 of em Useless

163 Captouch Boxes 86 of em Useless

77 Parchment Skins 17 of em Useless

60 Coletores 40 of em Useless

36 Blunderbusses Serviceable

1400 Lead Shot Useull

2 Guns 1 Blerch & Furniture Do

1 Serg Weigh & Signal Do & flagge Sod & partly worn out

1300 Hand Spikes 128 of em bad

24 Formers Good

100 Linstocks Do

300 Priming Wires Do

99 Cartridge Cases 82 of em bad

4 Rope Hydes Ind & Good

391 Match Iron Shot, Stro Bomb Shells

640 Double Headed Do Good

10 Pistolls Good

3 Bandu Barrils Ind Good

F

Small Arms & Accoutrements &c in the Custody of Ensr Slaughter Vizt

11 Halberts 6 of em Ordinary

17 6 Buck Handled Do & Broth Serviceable

70 Wire Griped

114 Buff Belts Good

100 Grinadier Pouches Do

24 Do Useless

3 New Drums bad Good

3 Old Dinp Ind

271 Cheaving Bolts

1 Sword & belt & very Indifferent

10 Musquets Unserviceable

7 Ordenances

60 Musquets for the Guard at Prosperous Bay & Ordry Arms

7 Do for Do Use at Bankes

60 Do & new with Advoy nuck Slings & Fixed

90 Do in Use for the Guards

8 Pair Silck Colours

We are extremely Surprised to find that so large a Quantity of Powder Should be

intirely Spoiled & Serviceable Barrils were so much & maged as to be Sit only for Salutes

for the me to find that these are Numerous Errors more the Survey than are mentioned in the

Gunners Journall Nor who being interrogated about the present Commadment do come & Reap

more so that that he purposfully committed to Charge them & this to Our Person is too Egregious

however the Severely Chequed & Reprimanded him for this Unwarrantable Practice & it

being certain that his great Loss happned thro the Ignorance & Neglect of the said Gunner

who never Examined the Magazine Since the Building nor the Powder Since the removing

The surveyors then set out the day gunners stores, as follows:

13 quire of cartridge paper, 8 of them useless

426 sponge heads, 40 of them useless

221 rammer heads, 32 of them useless

203 powder horns, good

760 tampions, 70 of them bad

17 worm irons, good

22 copper ladles, good

330 sponge staves, 63 of them useless

824 sheepskins, good

122 budge barrels, sorted, good

108 ladle staves, sorted, good

382 sponges, 78 of them useless

163 cartouche boxes, 86 of them useless

77 parchment skins, 17 of them useless

60 palettes, 40 of them useless

36 blunderbusses, serviceable

1,400 lead shot, useless

2 guns, 1 block and furniture, ditto

1 large ensign, 2 signals, ditto, flags, good, partly worn out

1,809 handspikes, 129 of them bad

24 formers, good

100 linstocks, good

300 priming wires, good

99 cartridge boxes, 82 of them bad

6 hoop hooks, indifferent, good

331 match, serviceable

6,040 iron shot, 830 bomb shells

646 double-headed shot, good

10 pistols, good

3 bandoliers, indifferent, good

The surveyors set out a further list of small arms and munitions in the custody of Mr Slaughter, as follows:

11 halberds, 6 of them ordinary

176 buck-handled swords, both sorts, serviceable

70 wire cripes, useless

114 buff belts, good

100 grenadier breeches, good

24 [...], useless

3 new drums, dressed, good

3 old drums, indifferent

271 drawing bolts, good

1 [...], indifferent

10 muskets, unserviceable

7 [...], unserviceable, Company arms

6 muskets for the guard at Prosperous Bay, Company arms

7 ditto for ditto use at Banks's, Company arms

60 ditto, new, with bayonets, slung and fixed

90 ditto, in use for the guards

8 pairs of silk colours

The council recorded that it was surprised to find that so large a quantity of powder should be entirely spoiled and rendered unserviceable, being fit only for salutes. It noted that the surveyors found fourteen barrels more in the survey than the number entered in the gunner's journal, and that Mr [...], being obliged to account for the present management, had every reason to charge the loss to his own neglect. The council severely reprimanded and reproved him for his inexcusable practice and neglect, being certain that this great loss had arisen through the ignorance and neglect of the gunner, who had never examined the magazine since its building, nor the powder, since its removal.

Interpretations

This inventory completes the ordnance survey ordered at the consultation of 12 September 1727 and reported through 26 September 1727, listing the consumable and secondary gunnery stores after the guns and powder had been counted. The custody of a separate parcel of small arms by Mr Slaughter shows that weapons were held at more than one point on the island, distributed to the outlying guard posts at Prosperous Bay and Banks's as well as kept in central store.

Many of the listed items are the working furniture of muzzle-loading artillery. A sponge cleaned and damped the bore between firings, a rammer drove home the charge, a tampion plugged the muzzle against damp, a linstock held the slow match, a handspike levered the gun carriage, and a former shaped cartridges. A budge barrel was a covered powder barrel from which charges were drawn safely near the guns, and a cartouche box held made-up cartridges. Bomb shells were hollow explosive projectiles, distinct from solid iron shot, and double-headed shot was an anti-rigging round. The high proportion marked useless across these stores confirms the general decay the survey exposed.

The small arms reflect a mixed garrison and militia armament. Halberds were shafted staff weapons of an older kind, blunderbusses and bandoliers belonged to close defence, and grenadier breeches and silk colours were items of military dress and unit identity. The muskets fixed with bayonets and slung ready were the serviceable core of the island's firearms, set apart from the unserviceable pieces, while the muskets assigned by name to the Prosperous Bay and Banks's guards tie the store directly to the defensive watch maintained since the war warning of 9 May 1727.

The surplus of fourteen barrels of powder over the gunner's own record is the decisive administrative finding. A store that held more than the responsible officer had entered proved that his accounts were unreliable in both directions, and the council read the discrepancy, together with the spoiled seventy-two barrels, as final proof of the neglect for which his accounts had been called in vain since 11 April 1727.

Speculations

The council traced the ruin of the powder to a single specific failure, that the gunner had never once examined the magazine from the day it was built nor checked the powder after it was moved. The easier judgement was to record the spoiled barrels as general wastage or the misfortune of a damp climate. Instead the council fixed the loss on a nameable dereliction of routine inspection, holding that the damage was not the unavoidable effect of the island's dampness but the direct result of an officer who never carried out the basic duty of looking over his own stores, and it grounded the reprimand in that omission rather than in the mere fact of the loss.

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which is now two Year ago nor has not for many Years past either turned Dryed or Sifted any

Powder Assuming to Our great Amazement by way of Excuse that the tarring of it Spoiled it & yet

it being likewise certain that if this Survey had not been timely taken the Powder again

Removed into the Old Magazine the whole would have become Useless & the Island & this & been

deprived of the most necessary part of Defence & that so equally as bad as worst the Honble

Comp Shipping would have been Exposed to all Attempts of an Enemy We are therefore

humbly of Opinion that the said Gunner ought to be dismisst their Service, & the rather because

he has little knowledge or Insight in the Art he Professes & this Blow of Negligence so much

beyond Excellent or Example that it will admit of no Mitigation or Excuse & therefore Opin

that a Paragraph upon the Subject be inserted in the next General Letter, & that Mr Slaughter

be Recommended to the Honble Compy to Supply his Place who has been many Years upon

the Islands, always very Carefull & Diligent in his Duty, & by long Experience Sufficiently

Qualified for the Execution of this Trust.

Mr Gibson the Surgeon presented his Petition for leave to return to England, & not being

able to do the Duty Occasioned by a very great Weakness & Infirmity in his Limbs & joynts

Granted & Agrd to go agora Surgion by the first Opportunity & upon their

Occasion the Demanded the Repayment of the Charly Ordrd the Honble Compy Advanced himin

England as mentioned in the 3 Paragraph of their General Letter & Bornesse & are but to Our

great Surprize he denyd that he ever received any Such Sum however We have Stopt off the Bay

already becoms due to him thro his Salary by Rima to till Clear the whole, & Refer the Decision of this

Affair to them.

The Governour Reports that a Wench belonging to the Honble Compy called Betty was

delivered of a Boy Castleth Named Frank

Orderd that the said Boy be Entred in the Journal

Persuant to a Notice lately given the Inhabitants Assembled yesterday in Order to Choose

Parish Officers for the year Ensuing & they acordingly this day Presented

Capt John Goodwin

Ensn John Cazalt

John Bagley Senr

John Thwaites

for Church Wardens

Matthew Midge

Josph Hayes

Josph Suffly

Overseers for the East Division

Charles Steward

John Bowers

James Byder

Overseers for the West Division

Of whom We Chose Vizt

Capt John Goodwin

Ensn John Cazalt

Church Wardens

Charles Steward Overseer of the Highways for the No Division

Joseph Hayes ... Do for the East Do

James Byder Do for the West Do

Orderd that the Old Church Wardens & Overseers be Summoned to atten to on Thursday next

in Order to pass their Accts & that those newly Chosen be added at the same time to be Sworn

& Receive their Instructions

Orderd that the following Advertizement be Published

These are to give Notice that Thursday the 5th Octr next is Appointed for

holding an Orphans Court at Plantation House at 9 oClock in the forenoon at which time

all Guardians Executors & Trustees are to attend & give an accepted Acct in Writing of the

Real & Personal Estate belonging to Such Orph under their Care

Signed by Order

E Byfeild

D Cripplin Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a consultation held on Tuesday 26 September 1727 at Plantation House.

The council recorded that the powder had lain untended for two years, and that for many years past the gunner had never dried, aired or turned any of it. He attempted to excuse himself by claiming that airing it would have spoiled it. Yet it was equally certain that, had this survey not been made in good time, the whole store would have become useless, and the island and its defences would have been stripped of the most necessary means of protection, leaving it as ill guarded as if it had none at all. Company shipping would then have lain open to any attack by an enemy. The council held that the gunner ought to be dismissed from service, the more so because he had so little knowledge or skill in his trade. His neglect was so gross as to admit of no excuse or mitigation. The council therefore ordered that a paragraph on the matter be entered in the next consultation, and resolved that Mr Slaughter be recommended to the honourable Company to fill his place, being a man long resident on the island, always very careful and diligent in his duty, and by long experience well qualified for the office.

Mr Hodgkinson then presented a petition for leave to return to England, being unable to carry out his duty through a very great weakness and infirmity in his limbs and joints. The council granted him leave to take passage home by the first ship at the earliest opportunity. On this occasion the council demanded that he pay the sum charged by Mr Crisp, following the honourable Company's direction to him as set out in the ninth paragraph of their general letter by the Bonington. He was ordered to pay this at once. To the council's great surprise, he denied ever having received any such sum. The council nonetheless stopped the pay owing to him, drawing his salary by [...] to clear the whole, and left the outcome of this affair to them.

The Governor reported that a wench belonging to the honourable Company, called Betty, had been delivered of a boy called Frank. The council ordered that the boy be entered in the journal.

Pursuant to a notice given earlier, the inhabitants assembled the previous day to choose parish officers for the year following. Those present accordingly chose the following.

Captain John Goodwin, for churchwardens

Ensign John Bazett, for churchwardens

John Bagley junior, for churchwardens

John Thwaites, for churchwardens

Matthew Mudge, overseers for the east division

Joseph Hayse, overseers for the east division

Robert Insley, overseers for the east division

Charles Steward, overseers for the south and west division

John Bowers, overseers for the south and west division

James Ryder, overseers for the south and west division

Of these the council chose the following:

Captain John Goodwin, churchwardens

Ensign John Bazett, churchwardens

Charles Steward, overseer of the highways for the south division

Joseph Hayse, overseer of the highways for the east division

James Ryder, overseer of the highways for the west division

The council ordered that the old churchwardens and overseers be summoned to attend the following Tuesday to pass their accounts, and that those newly chosen attend at the same time to be sworn and to receive their instructions.

The council ordered that the following advertisement be published.

Notice was given that the following Tuesday, 3 October next, was appointed for holding an orphans court at Plantation House at nine in the forenoon, at which the guardians, executors and trustees were required to bring in a written account of the real and personal estate belonging to each orphan under their charge.

The record was subscribed by order of the council by Edward Byfield, D. Crisp, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This consultation closes the ordnance inquiry pursued since 12 September 1727 and disposes of the gunner, whose spoiled seventy-two barrels and unreconciled fourteen-barrel surplus had exposed his neglect. The recommendation of Mr Slaughter to the Company to succeed him ties directly to the small arms found in Slaughter's careful custody on the preceding pages, the council advancing the man who had kept his charge in order against the officer who had let the magazine decay.

The gunner's excuse that airing the powder would have spoiled it inverts the actual practice of magazine keeping. Gunpowder needed periodic turning and airing precisely to prevent the damp caking and separation that ruined it, so the claim revealed either ignorance of his trade or a cover for years of neglect, which is why the council treated it as aggravating rather than mitigating.

The demand that Hodgkinson pay a sum charged by Mr Crisp connects to the medicine inquiry of 5 and 12 September 1727, in which Crisp assisted in the inventory of the stock Hodgkinson had squandered. Stopping his salary to recover the debt shows the council's standard method of enforcing a monetary claim against a departing servant, withholding the pay in hand rather than pursuing him after he had sailed beyond reach. The reference to the ninth paragraph of the Company's letter by the Bonington shows the directors' instructions arriving embedded in general correspondence, each numbered paragraph carrying a distinct order the council was bound to execute.

The parish elections followed the settled pattern by which inhabitants nominated officers and the council selected from among them. Churchwardens managed parish relief and church affairs, while overseers of the highways maintained the roads by division, and the council's power to choose the final officeholders from the inhabitants' slate kept parish administration under its control.

The orphans court gave the small community a mechanism for protecting the property of fatherless children. Guardians, executors and trustees held such estates in trust and were compelled to render written accounts, so that land and goods left to minors could not be quietly absorbed by those who administered them, the same protective function served by the estates held for orphans noted in the land survey of 14 March 1727.

Speculations

The council chose to recover Hodgkinson's disputed debt by stopping the salary already owing to him rather than releasing him with the claim unsettled. The straightforward course, once he denied ever receiving the sum, was to let the contested matter rest or refer it home for the Company to pursue. Instead the council seized the one certain asset within its reach, the pay standing to his account, holding it against a debt he disowned, since a servant about to take ship for England would be past any practical enforcement the moment he left the road, and the wages in hand were the only security that would survive his departure.

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Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 3 Octr 1727 at Plant House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

Jasper Rowerloter

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

We having lately had the Benefit of an Extraordinary fine Season for this day

appointed Professed & Capt Alexander & Capt Cason & Jasper Rowerloter to be very Carefull & Exact in their enquiry

to Survey the Several Plantations belonging to each of the Inhabitants Exposed to the In

Writing with all convenient Speed the Names of all such Persons who neglected to Plant

Trees & Condition of their Woods, & Season they have Stock or likewise neglected to Plant

Wood & Enroze & to Come their laid Petition the time Limited Rassell Petto to & them by

Observe & Report to Us what Care hath been taken to preserve Such young Wood as hath been

of late Years Planted it being to no change to Plant Wood unless care be taken of it

afterwards & the Ground Suffered at proper Seasons

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held the 4th 5th & 6th Octr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Goodwin

Capt Alexander failed being ill

The last Consultation read & Approved

According to Notice lately given this Assembled on the days abovementioned & Perchend

with the Garrison & Inhabitants for the better Ballancing their Acct &

Approvd that by the Guns the have taken this time twelve Months, We were entirely Over

Confideerable Some have been Slack, since this time twelve Months & We wrote entirely Over

Endeavour to get in what they say that too costly all possible Speed, & at this Publick meeting

We again Refused to dispose of the Damaged Trunks, Casts & Powders but they are so many

much Damaged no Body would bid for them

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 10 Octr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

Capt Goodwin Absent being ill

The last Consultation read & Approved

We this day Examined & Passed the Accts of the last Church officers, & have Ap

proved Church Warden for the Year Ensuing & gave him the usual Instructions & the other

Capt Goodwin was Absent, all the likewise Sick to each of the Overseers

The Governours Reports that he hath put out an other of the Honble Companies

Black Girls called Margaret aged 6½ Years to Richard Mason for the Term of Eleven Years

upon the usual Conditions & there her Obligation acordingly, & that the & Black Wench

Jenny was delivered of a Boy last Week Named George the Same immediately Entred on Journall

Orlando Bagley Senr Petitioned for two Acres of the Honble Comp West Land, being

over hanging about Three Acres adjoyning to his Plantation in Barter Valley & alsd for about

three Acres more lying in the Same Valley the better to enable him to Support his numerous

Family

Orderd that Capt Goodwin do view the Said Parcels of Land & Report his Opinion

whether Sesting the Same will Prejudice the Neighbourhood or not

At a consultation held on Tuesday 3 October 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Having lately enjoyed the benefit of an unusually fine season, the council this day appointed Messrs Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham, Joshua Johnson and Benjamin Tidcombe to survey the several plantations belonging to each of the inhabitants named below. They were to set down in writing, in full detail, the names of those persons and the true condition of their deeds and leases, and to note who had neglected to plant wood and furze. This was because some, since their leases began, had been at pains to plant and improve their wood, while others had let their planting fall away and would have to renew it in the seasons that followed, the ground being fit for that purpose in the proper season. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on 4 and 6 October 1727 at Plantation House.

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

Captain Alexander [...] being ill.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Pursuant to the powder inquiry set out on the days already recorded, the council reckoned with the garrison and the inhabitants for the last quarter. It found, on balancing the accounts, that all the powder judged fit for service was sound and good, though a considerable quantity had been damaged. The council resolved to get into store all that could still be saved, and, at the earliest opportunity, to dispose of the damaged powder. It ordered the surveyors to value both the damaged and the sound powder, and to set a price for each grade. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 10 October 1727 at Plantation House.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander.

Captain Goodwin was absent, being ill.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Pursuant to the notice given at the last consultation on the choice of parish officers, the council swore in Bazett as churchwarden for the year following, and gave him his instructions. Captain Goodwin, though absent, was likewise chosen one of the overseers.

The Governor reported that he had put out one of the honourable Company's black girls, called Margaret, aged six and a half years, as an apprentice for the term of eleven years to [...] upon the usual conditions, and that he had drawn the bond accordingly. He also reported that a black wench called George had been delivered of a boy called George, both mother and child in good health, and that the boy was entered as a slave.

Orlando Bagley senior petitioned for two parcels of the honourable Company's waste land, complaining that his few acres, adjoining the Plantation in Cowles Valley, held only about three acres more lying in the same valley, the better to enable him to support his numerous family.

The council ordered that Captain Goodwin view the parcels of land and report his opinion on whether letting the same would harm the neighbourhood.

Interpretations

This run of short consultations continues the fencing and wood-planting supervision that had structured the council's dealings with tenants since the survey ordered on 17 January 1727. The fresh survey appointed on 3 October 1727 named a new commission that added Benjamin Tidcombe to the familiar viewers Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham and Joshua Johnson, renewing the general inspection the council had warned of in its notice of 30 May 1727. The purpose was to hold each tenant to the planting and fencing clauses of his deed or lease, distinguishing those who had improved their wood from those who had let it lapse.

The powder proceedings of 4 and 6 October 1727 carry forward the ordnance inquiry that condemned seventy-two barrels as spoiled and dismissed the gunner for neglect. The decision to salvage the sound powder, sell off the damaged, and have the surveyors value each grade shows the council converting a defensive audit into a matter of accounting, recovering what value it could from a ruined store rather than writing off the whole.

The apprenticing of Margaret at six and a half years for eleven years extends the economising policy pursued through 1727, matching the placements of 18 April 1727 and the earlier binding of Betty Green on 4 April 1727. Setting a young girl to a householder under a registered bond removed the cost of her keep from the Company while securing her labour for a long term.

The swearing of parish officers completed the annual cycle begun at the consultation of 26 September 1727, when the inhabitants nominated and the council selected the churchwardens and overseers of the highways.

Speculations

The council did not simply condemn and discard the damaged powder alongside the spoiled barrels, but ordered the surveyors to value the damaged and the sound stock separately and set a price for each. The obvious course, having already declared seventy-two barrels unserviceable, was to treat all the compromised powder as a total loss. Instead the council kept the merely damaged powder distinct from the wholly spoiled, seeking a buyer and a valuation for it, since even degraded powder held some residual worth on a remote island where every munition arrived by sea, and a graded sale would recover part of the cost that the gunner's neglect had otherwise thrown away.

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Charles Steward paid the Governour One Hundred Seventy One Pounds & No Crown

in Cassh Vote praying Bills of Exchange for the Same

Orderd that a Bill of Bills be acordingly drawn upon the Honble Company for the

Sum aforesaid & that the Same be Entred in Journall which was immediatly done & thereof

policed

We this Day held an Orphans Court as Appointed 26th last Month & Several

Persons attended & delivered an Acct of the Estate & Effects belonging to Such Orphans as are

under their Care which are as follow Vizt

Inventory of the Estate belonging to the Orphans of Henry Frances deceasd

Vizt

Land 13 Acres Free Land & 25 Acres of Leased Land

Cattle 1 Cow, 1 Heifer, 1 Calfe

Hoggs 6 Hogs Sorted 11 Pigs

Poultry 3 Doz Fowles Sorted, 5 Ducks

Yams 30000 Young & Old

Blacks 3 Men, 2 Women, 3 Boys, 1 Girle

Goates about 140 Young & Old

The Estate

Cr

To Sundry Acct Sum 11 5¾

By Sundry Acct £ 46 16 0

By Ball more Due £ 68 14 6¾

£ 114 11 5¾

1st October 1727

Errors Excepted

John Goodwin

Ezra Wrangham

Acct of Robinsons Orphans whole Estate Octr 9th 1727 Vizt

Land 25 Acres Leased Land & a House

Blacks 2 Men, 2 Wenches, 1 Boy, 1 Girle

Cattle 5 Cowes, 2 Steers, 1 Yearling, 4 Calves

Hoggs 6 Sows, 21 Shoates, 11 Piggs

Poultry 3 Gess, 7 Turkeys 16 Fowles, 6 Ducks

The Estate

Cr

To Sundry £ 12 10 1

By Sundry £ 36 6 6¾

Household Goods Vizt

2 Feather Beds, 4 Coverlids, 1 Feather Bed Sruga, 2 old Sloop Beds

1 old Patcht Quilt, 17 Ducks, 12 Bullenbears, 7 Cordo, 9 Naphins, 3 Table Cloths

1 old tempora, 1 Round Table, 1 Long Table, 10 Wooden Chaires, 1 large old Chest, 1 old Case

2 old Boxes, 1 large Chest, 1 Chest with Drawers, 1 Chest with 2 Drawers, 1 large Iron Pott

1 Small & old Wheat Pott, 1 Small Salt Bell, 1 Spit, 1 Frying Pan, 2 Pott Hangers & Rings

1 Tin Lamp & Funnels, 1 Flywater, 1 Board & Do, 30 & old Dish, 5 Small Dishes

30 old Pewter Plates, 2 Pewter Basons, 3 Chambo Potts, 1 Brass Ladle & Skimmer old

Charles Steward paid into the Governor £121 0s 0d in cash notes, asking for bills of exchange for the same. The council ordered that these be drawn on the honourable Company for the sum stated, and that the same be entered in the journal, which was done at once, the Governor being made debtor.

The council held an orphans court this day, as appointed at the last consultation on 26 September. Several guardians attended and delivered an account of the estates and effects belonging to the orphans under their charge, as follows.

Inventory of the estate belonging to the orphans of Henry Francis, deceased.

Land: 13 acres of freehold land and 25 acres of leasehold land

Cattle: 1 cow, 1 heifer, 1 calf

Hogs: 6 hogs, sorted, 11 pigs

Poultry: 3 dozen fowls, sorted, 5 ducks

Yams: 20,000, young and old

Blacks: 3 men, 2 women, 3 boys, 1 girl

Goats: about 110, young and old

The estate was reckoned as follows:

To sundry accounts, such, £16 16s 0d

By sundry accounts, £46 10s 0d

By debts due to it, £68 14s 6.25d

Total, £114 11s 5.25d

The account was dated 1 October 1727, errors excepted, and subscribed by John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham.

Account of Robinson's orphans, their whole estate, dated 3 October 1727.

Land: 25 acres of leasehold land and a house

Blacks: 2 men, 2 wenches, 10 boys, 1 girl

Cattle: 5 cows, 2 steers, 1 yearling, 4 calves

Hogs: 6 sows, 21 shoats, 11 hoggs

Poultry: 3 geese, 7 turkeys, 16 fowls, 5 ducks

The estate was reckoned as follows:

To sundry, £12 10s 0d

By sundry, £36 6s 6.25d

The household goods belonging to the orphans were listed as follows:

8 leather chairs

2 armchairs

1 couch

1 old settee

2 old tea tables

1 old spinet quilt

17 sheets

10 pillowcases

1 girdle

9 napkins

3 tablecloths

1 palempore

1 round table

1 long table

10 wooden chairs

1 large old chest

1 old chest

2 old boxes

1 large chest

1 chest with drawers

1 chest with 2 drawers

1 large iron pot

1 old iron pot

1 small pot

1 old meat bowl

1 small salt box

1 spit

1 frying pan

1 old handpress

1 tin lamp

2 funnels

1 old flasket

1 old iron pot

1 dirty old dish

5 small dishes

30 old pewter plates

3 pewter basins

3 chamber pots

1 brass ladle

1 skimmer, old

Interpretations

This orphans court executes the sitting appointed by the advertisement of 26 September 1727, at which guardians, executors and trustees were required to bring in written accounts of the estates held for minor children. The estates of Henry Francis and Robinson recorded here are the same held-for-orphan holdings noted among deceased tenants in the land survey reported on 14 March 1727, so this court gave a formal valuation to property the earlier survey had only listed.

The inventories reveal the mixed economy of a St Helena smallholding. Each estate combined freehold and leasehold land with cattle, hogs, goats, poultry and stored yams, the yam being the island's staple root crop grown to feed both people and stock. The slaves are entered as estate assets alongside the livestock, valued and inherited as property, which reflects how the orphans' wealth was held partly in the people bound to their land.

The household goods list shows the material furnishing of a modest colonial household. Among the plainer items sits a palempore, a large painted or printed cotton bedcover imported from the Coromandel coast of India through the Company trade, a piece of some value that marked a household with access to Eastern textiles. A spinet was a small keyboard instrument, and its presence points to a degree of gentility, while the quantity of pewter, iron cooking vessels and butter plates records the ordinary equipment of a dairy and kitchen.

The valuations enter each estate under the double heading of what it owed and what was owed to it, so that the net worth held in trust for the children could be fixed. This accounting protected the orphans by creating a documentary record against which guardians could later be held answerable, the same safeguard the court was established to provide.

Speculations

This passage records the routine rendering and valuation of two orphan estates, an accounting exercise carrying no decision in which an obvious course was passed over for another. The guardians brought in their inventories as required and the council entered them, with no choice visibly made between competing options. The Speculations test is not met, so no point is offered.

110

87

a Parcell of old Books, 1 Brass Candlestick & Snuffer, a Parcell of Earthen Ware

1 Silver Mug, 1 Silver Spoon, 1 Looking Glass, 1 Beer Glass filort, 1 old Sea Bottle, 1 China Dish

13 China Plates, 1 old Ivory Comb, 1 Great Tooth Comb, 1 Powdering Rubb

Richard Gurling

Richard Beale

Samuel Jepsey Indebted to Jane Flowers £ 16 15 0 & hath also One

Cow, One Calf & One Steer in his Possession belonging to her

Octr 10 1727

Saml Jepsey

Acct of the Estate belonging to John Nicholls Orphan Vizt

The whole Estate Amounts to to £ 727 18 10

the Estate Do to Sundry £ 24 5 0

Cleare Estate £ 703 13 10

Gabrel Servell

Joshua Johnson

The Governmt delivered a General & Acct of the Honble Compy Guns Stock of Cattle &c from

the 26 of February to the 30 of last Month, also a Monthly Acct of the Same for Septr last

& all Good & in likewise & likewise a Monthly Acct of these Goods Sold out in Septr last

The Gunner also presented a General & Acct of Guns & Stores from & 30th last was

Monthly Acct of the Expence & used in the said Month of Septr

The Steward delived an Acct of the Expence of the Genl Table in the said Month of Septr

all which were severally Examend & Approved Except the Gunners Care as follow Vizt

Expence of the General Table in Septr 1727

Cr

39 Fowls Ready for the Table

£ 3 7

10 Do to the Guests

10

6 Do to 24 Labouring Blacks the Weather being wet & Stormy 1 18

15 4

4 Goats Mountains 7/9

1 11

15 Small Beer

15

10 Do Beef 7/9

3 17 6

120 Do Sugar

3 16

110 Do Bread

1 9 9

111 Sugar

2 7 9

22 Candles

4

2 Copper

2

21 Bottles Oyle

6 3

46 Veale

1 3

2 Steers

2 8

117 Do Pork

2 13 6

12 Fowles

13

6 Ducks

12

26¼ Butter

1 5 9

30 Days Greens

1 10

60 Bottles Milk

1

£ 41 16

Gunners Stores Expended in the Month of Septr 1727

Powder

Delivered Ensr Allis

1

Expence of the Guard

10

Match 12th

11

John Trench

The remaining household goods of the orphans were listed as follows:

1 parcel of old books

1 brass candlestick and snuffers

1 parcel of earthenware

1 silver mug

1 silver spoon

1 looking glass

1 pair of glass flint

1 old teapot

1 china dish

13 china plates

1 old ivory comb

1 great tooth comb

1 powdering rubber

The account was subscribed by Richard Girling and Richard Beale.

Samuel Jephry acknowledged himself indebted to Jane Flowers in the sum of £16 16s 0d, and stated that he also held one cow, one calf and one steer belonging to her. This was dated 10 October 1727 and subscribed by Samuel Jephry.

Account of the estate belonging to John Nicholls, orphan.

The whole estate amounted to £27 13s 10d

The estate owed to sundry, £4 0s 0d

Clear estate, £23 13s 10d

The account was subscribed by Gabriel Powell and Joshua Johnson.

The Governor delivered a general account of the honourable Company's livestock stock from 26 February to the 30th of the last month, together with a monthly account of the same for September last, and an account of stores and goods sold in the same month. He also delivered a monthly account of the goods sold.

The gunner presented a general account of the guns and stores as at 30 September last, together with a monthly account of the expense in the same month of September.

The steward delivered an account of the expense of the general table in the same month of September. The council examined and approved all these accounts, except the gunner's account, as follows.

The expense of the general table in September 1727 was set out as follows:

39 gallons of arrack for the table, £7 [...]

Ditto to the guards, £10 [...]

6 ditto to the labouring blacks, the weather being wet and stormy, £1 13s 0d

4 gallons of Mountain wine, at 7s 9d, £1 11s 0d

15 gallons of red port, £0 15s 0d

10 ditto of beer, at 7s 9d, £3 17s 6d

120 pounds of sugar, £3 16s 0d

110 pounds of bread, £1 9s 9d

11 pounds of flour, £0 4s 9d

22 candles, £0 4s 0d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 2s 0d

21 bottles of oil, £0 6s 3d

46 fowls, £1 3s 0d

2 sheep, £0 4s 8d

117 pounds of pork, £2 13s 6d

12 fowls, £0 13s 0d

6 ducks, £0 1s 0d

26.5 pounds of butter, £1 5s 9d

30 days greens, £0 1s 0d

60 bottles of milk, £0 1s 0d

Total, £41 16s 0d

The gunner's stores expended in the month of September 1727 stood as follows:

Delivered to Mr Illis, powder 1 pound

Expense of the guard, powder 10 pounds

Match, 12 pounds

Total, powder 11 pounds

The account was subscribed by John French.

Interpretations

This page closes the orphans court of 3 October 1727 with the last of the household inventories and a third orphan estate, that of John Nicholls, before turning to the routine monthly accounts. The debt of Samuel Jephry to Jane Flowers, entered here with the livestock he held for her, records a private obligation brought before the council for registration, giving the creditor a documented claim secured against a substantial planter who held freehold in Wilkes Valley since 8 November 1726.

The listed goods again mix the plain and the imported. The silver mug and spoon, the china dish and plates, and the parcel of old books mark a household with some means and refinement, since silver plate and Chinese porcelain reached the island only through the Company's Eastern trade. A powdering rubber was a cloth or pad for applying hair powder, and the tooth and ivory combs were items of personal grooming that likewise signalled a degree of gentility.

The general table account records the food and drink consumed at the fort's common table, extended to sterling and separating the arrack issued to the table from that given to the guards and to the labouring slaves. The issue of six gallons of arrack to the slaves on account of wet and stormy weather shows spirits used as a working ration in hard conditions, a practical allowance distinct from the ordinary table supply. Arrack was the standard Eastern spirit of the Company trade, while the Mountain wine was a sweet Spanish white and the red port a Portuguese fortified wine, all imported drink set against locally produced greens, milk and poultry.

The gunner's account was again singled out for rejection while every other account passed, continuing the pattern that had run since 11 April 1727 and culminated in the survey and dismissal proceedings of September 1727. The council's refusal to approve it, standing alone among the approved accounts, marks the final administrative expression of the distrust that the powder inquiry had confirmed.

Speculations

The council approved every monthly account laid before it save the gunner's, singling that one out for rejection while passing the livestock, stores and table accounts together. The simple course, with a batch of routine accounts presented at once, was to approve or defer them as a group. Instead the council drew a deliberate line around the gunner's account alone, refusing it while accepting all the rest, since the powder survey of September 1727 had exposed his figures as unreliable and his stores as spoiled, and the council would not set its approval to the reckoning of the one officer whose neglect it had just resolved to punish by dismissal.

111

88

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants & ca

from the 1st to the 30th Septr Vizt

5½ Gns Arrack

19 15 10

99 Do Sugar

2 9 6

61½ Do Candy

3 1 6

5 11

116 Do Bread

1 9

486 Do Flour

6 1 6

7 10 6

7 Cattee Bohea Tea

2 2

46½ Candles

4 13

126 Do Soap

8 18 6

6 Do Starch

4 6

3 oz Indigo

1 6

13 19 6

27 Do Corks

9

346 Cordwood

9 4

11 4

140 Do Tobacco

16 15

39 Doz Pipes

19 6

16 14 6

8 Do Raw Thread

5

1 Do Twine

2 2

7 2

4 Horn Combs

3 4

1 Bee Do

1 2

2 Ivory Do

2

8 Do

3 6

1 Do

1 7

4 7

1 Bere Hall

8 4

1 Do

10 6

1 Sadd Do

1 2 6

8 Solivers Do

1 6

3 6 10

30 Bread

5

3 Pewter Chamber Potts

1 1

8½ Spoons

11 3

4 Dishes

18

2 Do

3 2

2 Do

16

2 Pr Salisbury Scissors

3 9 5

3 Horse Do

5

1 Choping Knife

3

2 Crumbing Do

2 6

2 Shoates

3

13 Butchers Do

2

24 Ipsecar Glass 6 & 8

6

1 1 6

2 Do

18

1 Ale Glass 8 & 10

9

1 Decanteer

2 6

6 Cruwets

2 6

1 Bell

6 3

4 11 3

1 Pr Bayes

8 3

1 Do

1 3 3

1 Cloth Brush

1 8 6

2 11 9

2 Pr Mens Shore Stockgs

16 6

9 6

3 Do Knit

16 6

1 Do

15 6

4 Boys

4 6

3 Do

7 9

1 Do

2 9

8 Pr Mens Shoes

7 9

10 Do

2 14 6

4 Girles

11

1 Do

2 4

2 Do

3 6

8 6 1

Carried over £

86 7 6

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from the 1st to the 30th of September, as follows:

12.5 gallons of arrack, £19 15s 10d

99 pounds of sugar, at 2s 9d, £6 9s 0d

61.5 pounds of candy, at 3s 1d, £5 11s 0d

116 pounds of bread, at 1s 9d, £7 10s 6d

486 pounds of flour, at 6s 1d, £7 10s 6d

7 catties of bohea tea, £2 2s 0d

46.5 candles, at 4s, £4 13s 0d

126 pounds of soap, at 8s, £8 18s 6d

6 pounds of starch, at 4s 6d, £0 4s 6d

3 dozen jugs, at 1s 6d, £13 19s 6d

2.5 dozen casks, at 9s, £0 9s 0d

2.5 hundredweight of cordwood, at 4s, £11 4s 0d

140 pounds of tobacco, at 15s, £15 15s 0d

3 quires of jug paper, at 19s 6d, £16 14s 6d

2 pounds of thread, at 5s, £0 5s 0d

1 pound of twine, at 2s 2d, £0 7s 2d

4 horn combs, at 3s 4d, £0 3s 4d

1 box comb, at 1s 4d, £0 1s 4d

2 ivory combs, at 2s, £0 2s 0d

6 ditto, at 3s 6d, £0 3s 6d

1 ditto, at 1s 7d, £0 4s 7d

1 box hilt, at 8s 4d, £0 8s 4d

1 ditto, at 10s, £0 10s 0d

1 saddle, ditto, at 1s 2d, £1 2s 6d

8 ladles, ditto, at 1s 6d, £3 6s 10d

30 pewter plates, at 1s 6d, £1 6s 0d

3 pewter chamber pots, at 1s, £0 5s 0d

2.5 spoons, at 11s 3d, £0 11s 3d

4 dishes, at 18s, £0 18s 0d

2 ditto, at 3s 2d, £0 3s 2d

2 pairs of Salisbury scissors, at 16s, £3 9s 5d

3 pairs, coarse, ditto, at 5s, £0 5s 0d

1 chopping knife, at 3s, £0 3s 0d

2 crimping knives, at 2s 6d, £0 2s 6d

2 shoats, ditto, at 2s, £0 2s 0d

13 butchers, ditto, at 6s, £1 1s 6d

24 sugar glasses, 6 and 8, at 18s, £0 18s 0d

2 ditto, at 8s 10d, £0 8s 10d

1 ale glass, at 2s, £0 2s 0d

1 decanter, at 2s 6d, £0 2s 6d

6 cruets, at 2s 6d, £0 2s 6d

1 bottle, at 6s 3d, £4 11s 3d

1 pair of bayes, at 3s 3d, £0 8s 3d

1 ditto, at 3s 3d, £1 3s 3d

1 clothes brush, at 3s 6d, £2 11s 0d

2 pairs of men's shoes, stockings, at 8s 6d, £0 4s 6d

3 ditto, knit, at 16s 6d, £0 16s 6d

1 ditto, at 15s, £0 15s 0d

4 boys, ditto, at 4s 6d, £0 4s 6d

3 ditto, at 7s, £0 7s 0d

1 ditto, at 4s 6d, £0 4s 6d

8 pairs of men's shoes, at 2s 9d, £2 9s 0d

10 ditto, at 3s, £3 14s 6d

4 girls, ditto, at 11s, £0 11s 0d

1 ditto, at 3s 4d, £0 3s 4d

2 ditto, at 3s 6d, £8 6s 1d

Carried over, £86 7s 6d

Interpretations

This account continues the monthly reckoning delivered at the consultation of 3 October 1727, setting out the storekeeper's sales of Company goods to the inhabitants across September. It follows the same form as the storekeeper's monthly accounts recovered earlier in the run, mixing provisions, drink, textiles, tools and tableware in a single running list, each line carrying its quantity and sterling value and the whole carried over to a further page.

The goods sold reflect the range of a Company warehouse supplying a remote settlement with what it could not produce. Bohea tea was a black tea from the Wuyi hills of Fujian, measured here in catties, the Chinese weight of about a pound and a third used throughout the China trade. Bayes was a coarse woollen cloth, and the Salisbury scissors were an English manufacture named for their place of origin, both carried out from England for sale to settlers who had no local source of cloth or ironware. The arrack heading the list was the standard Eastern spirit issued and sold throughout the island.

The mix of imported manufactures with locally relevant stores such as cordwood and jug paper shows the warehouse serving as the single point of supply for a community without shops. Cordwood was firewood cut to a measured length, sold by the hundredweight, while the horn, ivory and box combs, the pewter and glass ware, and the men's and boys' and girls' shoes and stockings supplied the ordinary domestic and personal needs of the inhabitants at fixed Company prices.

The account records sales on credit that entered the inhabitants into the Company's books as debtors, the same mechanism by which value moved on an island short of coin. Goods advanced from the warehouse were charged against each buyer, building the running debts that the quarterly reckonings with the inhabitants were held to settle.

112

89

Brought Over

86 7 6

3 Pr Mens Shoes 3/4

1 5

5 Do Calves Leathr

1 13 4

1 Do

5 9

6 Mens Calves

1 5 9

2 Do Spanish

11 8

1 Girles Calf

3 6

1 Do

1 10

1 Morocco

6

6 12 7

10 Yards Flannell

1 3 4

1 Do Scarlet Broad Cloth

1 5 6

5 Do Spanish Do

5 17 4

7 2 10

½ Pr Black & White Crape

1 19

1 Do Druex

3 3

19 Do Duroine

1 8 6

18½ Rusey

9

7½ Pr Threhut

7 1½

3 Yards Serge

7

7 12 7½

26 Pr Hobbs Sorted

14 7

51 Lines Do

1 10

2 4 7

3 Cag 16 feet Long

13

4 Tin Saile Pans

3 4

2 Do

3 6

2 Do

2 6

1 Porringer

7

1 Bottle

3 6

1 Do

3

1 1 1

18 Pr Chelloe

13 13

11 Do 373 Long Cloth

11

1 Sabra Chints

1

24 13

7 M 3d Nailes

7 7½

13 4d

10 6

14 6d

10 6

20 10d

10 6

30 Cleaving Brade

1 3

2 13 6

2 26 Nailes

10 7½

4 Pt Axes Weights 22¼

10

2 Maules 36

7 6

1 Spade

3 2

3 Chest Locks

2 6

1 Do

8

2 Box Irons & Heaters

1 5

1 Do

11 6

2 Do

10

2 Rock Levells

7 6

1 Iron Shovel

3 6

1 Pollack Hatchets

3

1 Do

6 6

1 Broad Ax

6

1 Stock Lock

14

2 Do

1 8

1 Splinton Lock

3

3 Gimblets

6

3 Heading Chizells

16 8

1 Grindr

6

1 Sett Closstore Locks

6 6

5 Padlocks

10

1 Prayeing Box

8 6

2 Do

10 8 11½

1 Fishing Iron Pott

150 11

Carried to folia 93

The store goods account continued from the previous page, brought over at £86 7s 6d, as follows:

Brought over, £86 7s 6d

3 pairs of men's shoes, at 3s 4d, £0 5s 0d

5 dozen calico, scarlet, £1 13s 4d

1 ditto, £0 5s 9d

6 men's calico, £1 5s 0d

2 ditto, Spanish, £0 4s 8d

1 Giles calf, £0 3s 6d

1 ditto, £0 1s 10d

1 morocco, £0 6s 0d

10 yards of flannel, £6 12s 7d

1 ditto, scarlet broadcloth, at 5s 6d, £1 3s 4d

5 ditto, Spanish ditto, at 17s 4d, £7 2s 10d

0.5 pounds of black and white crape, at 19s, £1 19s 0d

1 ditto, durance, £3 9s 0d

19 ditto of durance, at 8s 6d, £1 8s 6d

13.5 kersey, £0 9s 0d

0.5 pounds of ferret, at 7s 1.5d, £7 12s 7.5d

3 yards of serge, £0 7s 0d

26 boys, hooks, sorted, £0 4s 7d

51 lines, ditto, at 1s 10d, £2 4s 7d

3 canes, 16 feet long, £0 13s 0d

4 tin saucepans, £0 3s 4d

2 ditto, £0 4s 6d

2 ditto, £0 4s 6d

1 porringer, £0 3s 7d

1 kettle, £1 1s 0d

1 ditto, £1 1s 0d

18 pairs of chilloe, £13 13s 0d

11 pairs of long cloth, £11 0s 0d

1 Salem chints, £4 18s 0d

7 ditto, 3-inch nails, £0 7s 6d

13 ditto, 4-inch, £0 10s 6d

14 ditto, 6-inch, £0 19s 4d

20 ditto, 10-inch, £0 2s 0d

30 ditto, flooring brads, £2 13s 6d

2 dozen files, £0 3s 4d

4 pewter weights, 22.25 pounds, £0 10s 4d

2 mauls, 36 pounds, £1 7s 8d

1 spade, £0 2s 8d

3 chest locks, £0 2s 8d

1 ditto, £1 5s 0d

2 box irons and heaters, £0 11s 6d

1 ditto, £0 10s 0d

2 ditto, £0 7s 6d

2 mould shovels, £0 4s 6d

1 eger shovel, £0 3s 6d

1 hedging hatchet, £0 6s 6d

1 ditto, £0 3s 0d

1 broad axe, £0 3s 6d

1 stock lock, £0 1s 4d

2 ditto, £0 1s 8d

1 splinter lock, £0 3s 6d

2 gimlets, £0 16s 8d

2 heading chisels, £0 5s 6d

1 tinman, £0 10s 0d

1 pick, £0 5s 0d

1 quick furniture lock, £0 6s 6d

5 pickaxes, £0 10s 0d

1 paying box, £0 8s 6d

2 ditto, £10 8s 11.5d

1 fowling iron pot, £150 0s 11d

Carried to folio 93

Interpretations

This page carries forward the storekeeper's monthly sales account begun at the consultation of 3 October 1727, extending the running list of goods sold to the inhabitants across September from the earlier textiles and provisions into cloth, ironmongery and tools. The account is carried on to folio 93, showing the entry passing across leaves of the consultation book as a single continuous reckoning.

The textiles dominate the first part and represent the range of imported cloth the Company carried out for sale. Durance was a glazed durable worsted, kersey a coarse ribbed wool, serge a twilled wool, and flannel a soft woollen, all English woollens shipped to a settlement that produced none of its own. Against these sat Indian cottons of the Eastern trade: chilloe and long cloth were Coromandel cottons, Salem chints a printed calico from the Salem district, and crape a crimped fabric. Morocco was a fine goatskin leather, and Spanish leather a quality tanned hide, both used for shoes and covers.

The ironmongery and tools record the equipment of a farming and building community. The graded nails from three to ten inches, the flooring brads, the mauls, spade, axes, hatchets and chisels, and the various locks supplied the practical needs of settlers clearing ground and raising houses. A gimlet was a small boring tool, a maul a heavy hammer, and a hedging hatchet a tool for cutting and laying the stock-proof hedges the tenants were bound to plant.

The domestic ironware and tinware, the saucepans, kettles, porringer, box irons and heaters, furnished kitchens that had no local manufacture to draw on. Box irons were smoothing irons heated by a slug of hot metal placed inside, sold with their heaters as a set, and the whole class of goods shows the warehouse meeting the ordinary household demand of the inhabitants at fixed Company prices on credit.

113

90

General Acct of Gunners Stores from 26 Febry to 30th Septr 1727 Vizt

Remains 26th Febry 1726/7 Vizt

Recd betwixt 26th Febry & 30th Septr 1727

Expended betwixt 26th Febry & 30th Septr 1727

Ordnance &c Vizt

Acct of Extremains acordg to Survey taken 26th Septr 1727

Iron Ordnance

114

114

128

Iron Round Shott

6943

3

6940

6940

Double Headed Shot

646

Casks 8

646

646

Corn Powder

171 65

Barrils 11 14

9 168

60

188 Barrils

Match

408

391

Cartridge Paper

20 Ream 17 Quire

9 Ream 13 Quire

13

8 Quire

Spunge Staves

330

330

330

Spunge Heads

364

2

362

426

Rammer Heads

219

3

216

221

Powder Horns

208

208

203

Worms

17

17

17

Copper Ladles

22

22

22

Tompions

760

760

760

Sheep Skins

184

141

204

Beds

122

122

122

Quines

108

108

103

Cartouch Boxes

77

77

163

Trucks

264

2

262

332

Halberes

61

1

60

60

Blunderbusses

36

36

36

Pistolls

12

2

10

10

Bandu Barrils

12

9

3

3

Leade Shot

1276 Wt

37

1239 Wt

1400

Guns

2

2

2

Cyre

2

2

2

Blerch

1

1

1

Flags

2

1

3

3

Hand Spikes

191

2

189

189

Formers

24

24

24

Linstocks

100

100

100

Priming Wires

300

300

300

Cartridge Cases

92

92

92

Rope Hydes

4

4

4

Parchment Skins

79

60

60

Bomb Shells

10

19

10

10

White Sead

4

Gall 1

28

Oyle

Gall 1

Thread

28

3

Twine

28

28

Wine

Bunting

92 7/4

92 7/4

Signed

Jno Trench

General account of gunners stores from 26 February to 30 September 1727, as follows. The columns give, in order, the number remaining on 26 February 1727, the number received between 26 February and 30 September 1727, the number expended between 26 February and 30 September 1727, the number remaining on 30 September 1727, and the number now in store by the account of the survey taken on 26 September 1727.

Iron ordnance: remaining 114, received 0, expended 0, remaining 114, by survey 128

Iron round shot: remaining 6,943, received 0, expended 3, remaining 6,040, by survey 6,040

Double-headed shot: remaining 646, received 0, expended 8, remaining 646, by survey 646

Corn powder: remaining 171 barrels 65 pounds, received 11 barrels 14 pounds, expended 3 barrels 163 pounds, remaining 66 barrels, by survey 188 barrels

Match: remaining 408, received 0, expended 231, remaining 227, by survey 391

Cartridge paper: remaining 20 quire 17 pounds, received 0, expended 9 quire 18 pounds, remaining 13 quire 13 pounds, by survey 13 pounds

Sponge staves: remaining 330, received 0, expended 0, remaining 330, by survey 330

Sponge heads: remaining 361, received 0, expended 2, remaining 362, by survey 426

Rammer heads: remaining 219, received 0, expended 3, remaining 216, by survey 221

Powder horns: remaining 203, received 0, expended 0, remaining 203, by survey 203

Worms: remaining 17, received 0, expended 0, remaining 17, by survey 17

Copper ladles: remaining 22, received 0, expended 0, remaining 22, by survey 22

Tampions: remaining 760, received 0, expended 0, remaining 760, by survey 760

Sheepskins: remaining 184, received 0, expended 0, remaining 141, by survey 204

Budge barrels: remaining 122, received 0, expended 0, remaining 122, by survey 122

Ladle staves: remaining 108, received 0, expended 0, remaining 108, by survey 108

Cartouche boxes: remaining 77, received 0, expended 0, remaining 77, by survey 163

Trucks: remaining 254, received 0, expended 2, remaining 252, by survey 332

Palettes: remaining 61, received 0, expended 1, remaining 60, by survey 60

Blunderbusses: remaining 36, received 0, expended 0, remaining 36, by survey 36

Pistols: remaining 12, received 0, expended 2, remaining 10, by survey 10

Budge barrels: remaining 12, received 0, expended 9, remaining 3, by survey 3

Lead shot: remaining 1,276 pounds, received 0, expended 37, remaining 1,239 pounds, by survey 1,400

Guns: remaining 2, received 0, expended 0, remaining 2, by survey 2

Eyes: remaining 2, received 0, expended 0, remaining 2, by survey 2

Blocks: remaining 1, received 0, expended 0, remaining 1, by survey 1

Flags: remaining 2, received 1, expended 0, remaining 3, by survey 3

Handspikes: remaining 101, received 0, expended 2, remaining 180, by survey 180

Formers: remaining 24, received 0, expended 0, remaining 24, by survey 24

Linstocks: remaining 100, received 0, expended 0, remaining 100, by survey 100

Priming wires: remaining 300, received 0, expended 0, remaining 300, by survey 300

Cartridge boxes: r1emaining 99, received 0, expended 0, remaining 99, by survey 99

Hoop hooks: remaining 4, received 0, expended 0, remaining 4, by survey 4

Parchment skins: remaining 79, received 0, expended 19, remaining 60, by survey 60

Bomb shells: remaining 10, received 0, expended 19, remaining 10, by survey 10

White lead: expended 4 pounds

Oil: received 1 gallon, expended 1 gallon

Thread: expended 3 pounds

Twine: remaining 28, expended 28

Files: expended 0

Counting: remaining 9 quire 7.25 pounds, expended 9 quire 7.25 pounds

The account was subscribed by John French.

Interpretations

This is the gunner's general stocktake covering 26 February to 30 September 1727, the very account the council refused to approve at the consultation of 3 October 1727 while passing every other officer's reckoning. Set against the independent survey figures of 26 September 1727, it exposes exactly why the council distrusted it, since the gunner's own closing numbers and the surveyors' count diverge across many lines.

The powder discrepancy is the heart of the matter. The gunner's account closes at 66 barrels of corn powder, yet the survey found 188 barrels, the same surplus over the gunner's record that the council had already condemned as proof of his neglect on 26 September 1727. Corn powder was gunpowder pressed and broken into grains for even burning, and the gap between what the responsible officer recorded and what physically stood in the magazine was the decisive evidence against him.

The stores are the standard furniture of muzzle-loading artillery, counted here across a full accounting period. Worms drew a spent charge from the bore, tampions plugged the muzzle against damp, budge barrels held powder for drawing charges safely, and formers shaped cartridges. Double-headed shot was an anti-rigging round, and bomb shells were hollow explosive projectiles distinct from the solid iron round shot. The wide divergence between the gunner's remaining figures and the survey count across sponge heads, sheepskins, cartouche boxes and lead shot showed his stores were as loosely kept as his powder.

The presence of received and expended columns gave the account its audit function, since a store should reconcile as opening balance plus receipts less expenditure. Where the gunner's arithmetic failed to match the physical survey, the account lost its value as a record, which is why the council would not endorse it and had resolved to replace the officer who kept it.

114

91

You're right. Here is the matrix transcribed properly, with every figure paired with its column header.

Column headers in order: Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifer, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall Sheep: Ewes, Wethers, Lambs, Rams, Totall Goates: Ewes, Wethers, Kids, Rams, Totall Hoggs: Sows, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Pig, Totall Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

General Acct of the Honble Compy Stock of Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goates, Hoggs, Poultry, & Horses likewise what has been bought, killed

& Sold to Shipps died besides the Encrease or Decrease from 26th February 1726/7 to 30th Septr 1727 Vizt

Remns 26 Febry 1726/7

Bullocks - 11

Cowes - 61

Heifer - 14

Steers - 10

Yearlings - 20

Calves - 86

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

Shoates - 23

Barrows - -

Boars - 1

Pig - 14

Totall - 43

Turkeys - 99

Fowles - 100

Ducks - 7

Geese - 39

Horses - 5

Mares - 3

Totall - 8

Encreasd from do to do

Bullocks - 42

Cowes - -

Heifer - 4

Steers - 3

Yearlings - 20

Calves - 17

Bulls - 1

Totall - 50

Ewes - 6

Wethers - 7

Lambs - 14

Rams - -

Totall - 27

Ewes - 38

Wethers - 29

Kids - 106

Rams - 1

Totall - 173

Sows - 3

Shoates - 3

Barrows - 7

Boars - -

Pig - 22

Totall - 35

Turkeys - 4

Fowles - 65

Ducks - 38

Geese - 5

Horses - 1

Mares - -

Totall - 1

[second line of Encreasd row]

Bullocks - 23

Cowes - -

Heifer - 28

Steers - 8

Yearlings - 20

Calves - 17

Bulls - -

Totall - 96

Ewes - 6

Wethers - 7

Lambs - 14

Rams - -

Totall - 27

[running total line]

Bullocks - 76

Cowes - 61

Heifer - 46

Steers - 21

Yearlings - 40

Calves - 102

Bulls - 3

Totall - 349

Ewes - 58

Wethers - 31

Lambs - 35

Rams - 3

Totall - 127

Ewes - 197

Wethers - 79

Kids - 186

Rams - 6

Totall - 467

Sows - 8

Shoates - 26

Barrows - 7

Boars - 1

Pig - 36

Totall - 78

Turkeys - 103

Fowles - 165

Ducks - 45

Geese - 37

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Killed from do to do

Bullocks - -

Cowes - -

Heifer - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves - -

Bulls - -

Totall - -

Ewes - 1

Wethers - 4

Lambs - 1

Rams - -

Totall - 6

Ewes - 3

Wethers - 21

Kids - -

Rams - -

Totall - 24

Sows - -

Shoates - 8

Barrows - 5

Boars - -

Pig - -

Totall - 13

Turkeys - 14

Fowles - 50

Ducks - -

Geese - 6

Horses - -

Mares - -

Totall - 2

[running total line]

Bullocks - 76

Cowes - 61

Heifer - 46

Steers - 21

Yearlings - 40

Calves - 102

Bulls - 3

Totall - 349

Ewes - 57

Wethers - 27

Lambs - 34

Rams - 3

Totall - 121

Ewes - 194

Wethers - 58

Kids - 186

Rams - 6

Totall - 443

Sows - 8

Shoates - 18

Barrows - 7

Boars - 1

Pig - 36

Totall - 66

Turkeys - 89

Fowles - 115

Ducks - 37

Geese - 31

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Sold to Shipps in do

Bullocks - -

Cowes - 1

Heifer - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves - -

Bulls - -

Totall - 1

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Lambs - -

Rams - -

Totall - -

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Kids - -

Rams - -

Totall - -

Sows - -

Shoates - -

Barrows - -

Boars - -

Pig - -

Totall - -

Turkeys - -

Fowles - -

Ducks - -

Geese - -

Horses - -

Mares - -

Totall - -

Cattle Sheep Goates

Bullocks - 76

Cowes - 60

Heifer - 46

Steers - 21

Yearlings - 40

Calves - 102

Bulls - 3

Totall - 348

Ewes - 57

Wethers - 27

Lambs - 34

Rams - 3

Totall - 121

Ewes - 194

Wethers - 58

Kids - 186

Rams - 6

Totall - 443

Sows - 8

Shoates - 18

Barrows - 7

Boars - 1

Pig - 36

Totall - 66

Turkeys - 89

Fowles - 116

Ducks - 37

Geese - 31

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Hoggs Cut & Groomd in do

Bullocks - -

Cowes - -

Heifer - -

Steers - 5

Yearlings - 16

Calves - 58

Bulls - -

Totall - 79

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Lambs - 13

Rams - -

Totall - 13

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Kids - 68

Rams - -

Totall - 68

Sows - -

Shoates - 7

Barrows - -

Boars - -

Pig - 6

Totall - 13

[running total line]

Bullocks - 76

Cowes - 60

Heifer - 46

Steers - 16

Yearlings - 24

Calves - 44

Bulls - 3

Totall - 269

Ewes - 57

Wethers - 27

Lambs - 21

Rams - 3

Totall - 108

Ewes - 194

Wethers - 58

Kids - 117

Rams - 6

Totall - 375

Sows - 8

Shoates - 11

Barrows - 2

Boars - 1

Pig - 30

Totall - 52

Turkeys - 89

Fowles - 115

Ducks - 37

Geese - 31

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Dead from do to do

Bullocks - -

Cowes - 3

Heifer - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves - 1

Bulls - -

Totall - 4

Ewes - 5

Wethers - 2

Lambs - 3

Rams - -

Totall - 1

Ewes - 3

Wethers - 1

Kids - -

Rams - -

Totall - 4

Sows - -

Shoates - 1

Barrows - -

Boars - -

Pig - 7

Totall - 8

Turkeys - 6

Fowles - 14

Ducks - -

Geese - 1

Horses - -

Mares - -

Totall - -

[running total line]

Bullocks - 76

Cowes - 57

Heifer - 46

Steers - 16

Yearlings - 24

Calves - 43

Bulls - 3

Totall - 266

Ewes - 55

Wethers - 24

Lambs - 20

Rams - 3

Totall - 102

Ewes - 191

Wethers - 57

Kids - 117

Rams - 6

Totall - 371

Sows - 8

Shoates - 10

Barrows - 2

Boars - 1

Pig - 23

Totall - 44

Turkeys - 83

Fowles - 101

Ducks - 37

Geese - 30

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Stolen in ditto

Bullocks - -

Cowes - -

Heifer - -

Steers - -

Yearlings - -

Calves - -

Bulls - -

Totall - 1

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Lambs - -

Rams - -

Totall - -

Ewes - -

Wethers - -

Kids - -

Rams - -

Totall - -

Sows - -

Shoates - -

Barrows - -

Boars - -

Pig - -

Totall - -

Turkeys - 1

Fowles - 6

Ducks - -

Geese - -

Horses - -

Mares - -

Totall - -

Remns 30th Septr 1727

Bullocks - 76

Cowes - 57

Heifer - 46

Steers - 16

Yearlings - 24

Calves - 43

Bulls - 3

Totall - 265

Ewes - 55

Wethers - 24

Lambs - 20

Rams - 3

Totall - 102

Ewes - 191

Wethers - 57

Kids - 117

Rams - 6

Totall - 371

Sows - 8

Shoates - 10

Barrows - 2

Boars - 1

Pig - 23

Totall - 44

Turkeys - 82

Fowles - 96

Ducks - 37

Geese - 30

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 207,963

Ditto deliverd to the Fort Blacks 36,460

Ditto Great Woods Blacks 29,660

Totall Yams 273,986

General account of the honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was bought, killed, sold to ships and died, besides the increase or decrease, from 26 February 1726 to 30 September 1727. The columns run in order: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and the neat cattle total; ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and the sheep total; ewes, wethers, kids, rams and the goat total; sows, shoats, barrows, boars, pigs and the hog total; turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese and the poultry total; horses, mares and the horse total.

Remaining 26 February 1726:

bullocks 11, cows 61, heifers 14, steers 10, yearlings 20, calves 86, bulls 2, neat cattle total 203

ewes 52, wethers 24, lambs 21, rams 3, sheep total 100

ewes 169, wethers 60, kids 80, rams 5, goat total 294

sows 5, shoats 23, barrows 0, boars 1, pigs 14, hog total 43

turkeys 99, fowls 100, ducks 7, geese 39, poultry total 5

horses 3, mares 8

Increased from 26 February to 30 September:

bullocks 42, cows 0, heifers 4, steers 3, yearlings 8, calves 20, bulls 17, neat cattle total 50

and 23, and 28, and 8, and 20, and 17, and 96

ewes 6, wethers 7, lambs 14, rams 0, sheep total 27

ewes 38, wethers 29, kids 105, rams 1, goat total 173

sows 3, shoats 3, barrows 7, boars 0, pigs 22, hog total 35

turkeys 4, fowls 65, ducks 38, geese 5, poultry total 1

horses 1, mares 1

Killed from 26 February to 30 September:

bullocks 76, cows 61, heifers 46, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 102, bulls 3, neat cattle total 349

ewes 58, wethers 31, lambs 35, rams 3, sheep total 127

and 1, and 4, and 1

ewes 197, wethers 79, kids 186, rams 6, goat total 467

sows 8, shoats 26, barrows 7, boars 1, pigs 136, hog total 78

and 24, and 8, and 15

turkeys 103, fowls 165, ducks 46, geese 37, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Sold to ships from 26 February to 30 September:

bullocks 76, cows 61, heifers 46, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 102, bulls 3, neat cattle total 349

and 1

ewes 57, wethers 27, lambs 34, rams 3, sheep total 121

ewes 194, wethers 58, kids 186, rams 6, goat total 443

sows 8, shoats 18, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 136, hog total 66

turkeys 89, fowls 116, ducks 37, geese 31, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Cattle, sheep and goats cut and grown, and hogs cut and grown, from 26 February to 30 September:

bullocks 76, cows 60, heifers 46, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 102, bulls 3, neat cattle total 348

and 5, and 16, and 58

ewes 57, wethers 27, lambs 34, rams 3, sheep total 121

and 79, and 13, and 13

ewes 194, wethers 58, kids 185, rams 6, goat total 443

and 68, and 68

sows 8, shoats 18, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 136, hog total 66

and 7, and 6, and 13

Died from 26 February to 30 September:

bullocks 76, cows 60, heifers 46, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 44, bulls 3, neat cattle total 269

ewes 57, wethers 27, lambs 21, rams 3, sheep total 108

and 3, and 1

ewes 194, wethers 58, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 375

and 3, and 1

sows 8, shoats 11, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 30, hog total 52

and 1, and 7

turkeys 89, fowls 115, ducks 37, geese 31, poultry total 6

and 8, and 6, and 14

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Stolen from 26 February to 30 September:

bullocks 76, cows 57, heifers 46, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 43, bulls 3, neat cattle total 266

ewes 56, wethers 24, lambs 20, rams 3, sheep total 102

ewes 191, wethers 57, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 371

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 44

turkeys 83, fowls 101, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

and 1, and 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Remaining 30 September 1727:

bullocks 76, cows 57, heifers 46, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 43, bulls 3, neat cattle total 265

ewes 56, wethers 24, lambs 20, rams 3, sheep total 102

ewes 191, wethers 57, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 371

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 44

turkeys 82, fowls 96, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

The yams expended were accounted for as follows:

Yams expended at the several plantations, 207,968 pounds

Ditto delivered to the fort blacks, 36,460 pounds

Ditto to the Great Wood blacks, 29,660 pounds

Total yams, 273,986 pounds

Interpretations

This is the Company's general livestock stock account for the seven months from 26 February to 30 September 1727, the periodic tally the Governor delivered and the council approved at the consultation of 3 October 1727. It follows the standard form of these accounts, tracking each class of animal through opening number, increase, slaughter, sale to ships, animals cut and grown between categories, death and theft, to a closing number, with the yams expended footed at the end.

The account records the working of a victualling station whose main purpose was to provision passing East India ships. The heavy figures under killed and sold to ships show the island's stock being drawn down to supply the homeward fleet with fresh meat, the same fleets that had sailed in company through the summer of 1727. Sale to shipping was the economic reason the Company kept the stock, since fresh provisions were what a mid-ocean refreshment station existed to furnish.

The subdivision of each species reflects careful husbandry of a breeding stock. Neat cattle were the ordinary horned farm cattle, split into bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves and bulls, while wethers were castrated males and barrows castrated boars, the distinctions marking animals raised for breeding, growth or fattening. The line for animals cut and grown records beasts moved between categories as they were castrated or matured, a necessary adjustment to keep the running count accurate.

The yam totals measure the island's staple food crop, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood slaves. Yams fed both the people and the livestock, so the quantity expended tracked the true cost of maintaining the Company's establishment, and dividing it by station showed where the burden of feeding fell across the settlement.

115

92

Account of the Honble Compy Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry & Horses likewise what has been bought & killed besides

the Encrease or Decrease from the 1st to the 30th Septr 1727

Remns 1st Septr

Bullocks - 50

Cowes - 67

Heifer - 27

Steers - 21

Yearlings - 40

Calves - 66

Bulls - 3

Totall - 263

Ewes - 56

Wethers - 26

Lambs - 18

Rams - 3

Totall - 103

Ewes - 134

Wethers - 47

Kids - 111

Rams - 6

Totall - 348

Sows - 8

Shoates - 11

Barrows - 3

Boars - 1

Pig - 23

Totall - 46

Turkeys - 82

Fowles - 87

Ducks - 43

Geese - 30

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Bt from do to 30th do

Bullocks - 12

Lambs - 12

Encreasd from do to do

Bullocks - 14

Heifer - 19

Lambs - 33

Ewes [Goates] - 2

Wethers - 2

Kids - 7

Rams - 10

Totall - 23

Sows - -

Totall [Hoggs] - 40

Turkeys - 20

[running total line]

Bullocks - 76

Cowes - 57

Heifer - 46

Steers - 21

Yearlings - 40

Calves - 66

Bulls - 3

Totall - 298

Ewes - 56

Wethers - 26

Lambs - 20

Rams - 3

Totall - 105

Ewes - 191

Wethers - 57

Kids - 134

Rams - 6

Totall - 388

Sows - 8

Shoates - 11

Barrows - 3

Boars - 1

Pig - 23

Totall - 46

Turkeys - 82

Fowles - 107

Ducks - 43

Geese - 30

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Killed from do to do

Ewes - 1

Lambs - 1

Wethers [Goates] - 2

Fowles - 12

Ducks - 6

[running total line]

Bullocks - 76

Cowes - 57

Heifer - 46

Steers - 21

Yearlings - 40

Calves - 66

Bulls - 3

Totall - 298

Ewes - 55

Wethers - 26

Lambs - 20

Rams - 3

Totall - 103

Ewes - 191

Wethers - 57

Kids - 134

Rams - 6

Totall - 388

Sows - 8

Shoates - 10

Barrows - 2

Boars - 1

Pig - 23

Totall - 44

Turkeys - 82

Fowles - 95

Ducks - 37

Geese - 30

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Cattle & Goates Cut & Grown

Steers - 5

Yearlings - 16

Calves - 12

Totall - 33

Kids - 17

Totall [Goates] - 17

[running total line]

Bullocks - 76

Cowes - 57

Heifer - 46

Steers - 16

Yearlings - 24

Calves - 43

Bulls - 3

Totall - 265

Ewes - 55

Wethers - 25

Lambs - 20

Rams - 3

Totall - 103

Ewes - 191

Wethers - 57

Kids - 117

Rams - 6

Totall - 371

Sows - 8

Shoates - 10

Barrows - 2

Boars - 1

Pig - 23

Totall - 44

Turkeys - 82

Fowles - 95

Ducks - 37

Geese - 30

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Dead in ditto

Wethers - 1

Rams [Goates] - 4

Remns 30th Septr

Bullocks - 76

Cowes - 57

Heifer - 46

Steers - 16

Yearlings - 24

Calves - 43

Bulls - 3

Totall - 265

Ewes - 55

Wethers - 24

Lambs - 20

Rams - 3

Totall - 102

Ewes - 191

Wethers - 57

Kids - 117

Rams - 6

Totall - 371

Sows - 8

Shoates - 10

Barrows - 2

Boars - 1

Pig - 23

Totall - 44

Turkeys - 82

Fowles - 96

Ducks - 37

Geese - 30

Horses - 6

Mares - 3

Totall - 9

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 27,813

Do do to the Fort Blacks 9,500

Do do to Great Wood do 6,800

Totall Yams 44,113

Account of the honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was bought and killed, besides the increase or decrease, from the 1st to the 30th of September 1727. The columns run in order: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and the neat cattle total; ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and the sheep total; ewes, wethers, kids, rams and the goat total; sows, shoats, barrows, boars, pigs and the hog total; turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese and the poultry total; horses, mares and the horse total.

Remaining 1 September 1727:

bullocks 50, cows 67, heifers 27, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 66, bulls 3, neat cattle total 263

ewes 56, wethers 26, lambs 18, rams 3, sheep total 103

ewes 134, wethers 47, kids 111, rams 6, goat total 348

sows 8, shoats 11, barrows 3, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 46

turkeys 82, fowls 87, ducks 43, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Bought from 1 to 30 September:

bullocks 12, calves 12

Increased from 1 to 30 September:

bullocks 14, heifers 19

lambs 33

wethers 2

kids 2, rams 7, goat total 10, and 23, and 40

turkeys 20

Killed from 1 to 30 September:

bullocks 76, cows 57, heifers 46, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 66, bulls 3, neat cattle total 298

ewes 56, wethers 26, lambs 20, rams 3, sheep total 105

and 1, and 1

ewes 191, wethers 57, kids 134, rams 6, goat total 388

and 2

sows 8, shoats 11, barrows 3, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 46

and 1, and 1

turkeys 82, fowls 107, ducks 43, geese 30, poultry total 6

and 2, and 12, and 6

Cattle and goats cut and grown from 1 to 30 September:

bullocks 76, cows 57, heifers 46, steers 21, yearlings 40, calves 66, bulls 3, neat cattle total 298

and 5, and 16, and 12

ewes 55, wethers 25, lambs 20, rams 3, sheep total 103

and 33

ewes 191, wethers 57, kids 134, rams 6, goat total 388

and 17, and 17

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 44

turkeys 82, fowls 96, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Died from 1 to 30 September:

bullocks 76, cows 57, heifers 46, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 43, bulls 3, neat cattle total 265

ewes 55, wethers 25, lambs 20, rams 3, sheep total 103

and 1

ewes 191, wethers 57, kids 187, rams 6, goat total 371

and 4

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 44

turkeys 82, fowls 95, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Remaining 30 September 1727:

bullocks 76, cows 57, heifers 46, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 43, bulls 3, neat cattle total 265

ewes 55, wethers 25, lambs 24, rams 3, sheep total 102

ewes 191, wethers 57, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 371

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 44

turkeys 82, fowls 96, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

The yams expended were accounted for as follows:

Yams expended at the several plantations, 27,813 pounds

Ditto to the fort blacks, 9,500 pounds

Ditto to the Great Wood blacks, 6,800 pounds

Total yams, 44,113 pounds

Interpretations

This is the monthly livestock stock account for September 1727 alone, the shorter companion to the seven-month general account delivered at the same consultation of 3 October 1727. It uses the identical form, carrying each class of animal through opening number, purchase, increase, slaughter, animals cut and grown, and death, to a closing figure, with the month's yam consumption footed at the end.

The account shows the island continuing to draw down its stock to victual passing ships even in a single month. The purchase of twelve bullocks and twelve calves records the Company buying in cattle from the inhabitants to keep the supply up, while the numbers under killed measure the fresh meat furnished to the homeward fleet, the reason a mid-ocean refreshment station maintained a breeding herd at all.

The line for animals cut and grown tracks beasts reclassified as they were castrated or matured within the month, the adjustment that kept the running tally honest. Wethers were castrated sheep and barrows castrated boars, and moving an animal from one column to another as its condition changed was necessary to prevent the count drifting out of true, the very discipline the neighbouring gunner's account had failed to keep.

The September yam total of 44,113 pounds, set against the 273,986 pounds of the seven-month account, gives a measure of the monthly cost of feeding the establishment. Divided between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood slaves, it showed where the burden of the staple crop fell, the same threefold division used throughout these accounts to apportion the true expense of maintaining the Company's people and stock.

116

93

Brought from folio 89

150 11

6 Pr White Delotees

3

2 Bengall Sublts

8 4

11 White Shirts

1 7 6

3 Pr Cotton Stockings

7 6

10 Do Copper

10

5 13 4

50 Small Cupps

8 4

30 Do with Saucers

15

2 Tea Potts

7

2 Bowles

3

10 Sett Do

7 10

5 Sneakers

2 6

9 5 10

4 Earthen Corringers

1

1 Three Cant Cast

4

3 Quart ditto

9

2 1

1 Cash Bath

13

12 Groce Shirt Buttons

2

1 Groce do

3 4

8 Doz do

7

1 Pr Sope

9 6

9 do

1 Pr White Chilting

3

2 Bobbin

10½

3 do

1 1½

4 Do Thread

3 4

5 do

9 4

7 do

1 9

1 do

1 9

1 Fleushing do

7 4

6 Twine do

8 9

7 M Pins

16 8

72½ Do do

6 7

1½ Do Whited Brown Thread

10 6

7½ do

3 4½

½ do

47 Do Colonech Thread

2

20½ oz China Silk

1 10 9

8 Laces

2 6

7 Doz Thread Laces

7 6

6 Twisting do

10 4

40 Yards Points

8 9

3 Featering

8

1 Paper Buttons

3 6

3½ doz Coat Buttons

3

8 Rowes Wondain

3 12

24 Yards Edging

2 15 3

13 do

17 17 2

1 Cash Baw

1 1

2 Copper Stew Pans

2 17 10½

3 13 10½

2 Small Tea Kettles

1 4

18 Barrils Pitch

31 10

12 Do Tarr

25 10

22 Do Pitch

7 4

10 Do Rozin

7 6

57 9 10

Sum Totall to Inhabts

260 6¼

Garrison Do 3 Cattes Green Tea

1 12

Carried over £

261 12 6¼

The store goods account continued from folio 89, brought over at £150 0s 11d, as follows:

Brought from folio 89, £150 0s 11d

6 pairs of white gloves, £0 3s 0d

2 Bengal tablets, £0 8s 4d

11 white shirts, £1 7s 6d

3 pairs of cotton stockings, £0 7s 6d

10 ditto, copper, £0 10s 0d

50 small cups, at 8s 4d, £5 13s 4d

30 pounds, with saucers, £0 15s 0d

2 teapots, £0 7s 0d

2 bowls, £0 3s 0d

10 pots, ditto, £7 10s 0d

5 sneakers, at 2s 6d, £9 5s 10d

4 earthen porringers, £0 1s 0d

1 three-quart jar, £0 4s 0d

3 quart, ditto, at 9s, £2 1s 0d

1 wash bowl, £13 0s 0d

9 gross of shirt buttons, £0 2s 0d

1 gross, ditto, £0 3s 4d

6 dozen, ditto, £0 7s 0d

1 pair of tape, £0 1s 6d

9 ditto, £0 10s 0d

1 pair of white filleting, £0 3s 0d

2 bobbin, at 10.5d, £0 10s 0d

3 ditto, £0 1s 1.5d

4 ditto, thread, at 3s 4d, £0 3s 4d

5 ditto, £0 9s 4d

7 ditto, £0 1s 9d

1 ditto, £0 9s 9d

1 flourishing, ditto, £0 7s 4d

6 nuns, ditto, £0 8s 9d

7 M pins, £0 16s 8d

12.5 ounces, ditto, £0 6s 7d

0.5 pounds of white and brown thread, £0 10s 6d

7.5 ditto, £0 3s 4.5d

27 pounds of colour thread, at 2d, £1 10s 0d

20.5 ounces of China silk, £0 2s 6d

3 laces, £0 7s 4d

7 dozen thread laces, £0 10s 4d

6 ferreting, ditto, at 8d, £0 8s 9d

50 yards of ferret, £0 3s 6d

3 garting, £0 3s 6d

1 paper of buttons, at 15d, £3 15s 3d

3.5 dozen coat buttons, £2 15s 3d

8 rheum broadcloth, £17 17s 3d

24 yards of edging, at 1s, £1 1s 0d

10 ditto, at 17s 10.5d, £3 13s 10.5d

1 wash bowl, £1 4s 0d

2 copper stew pans, £0 10s 0d

2 small tea kettles, at 31s, £0 10s 0d

18 barrels of pitch, at 25s, £0 7s 4d

12 ditto, tar, at 7.5d, £57 9s 0d

22 pounds of pitch, £0 2s 6d

10 rosin, £0 2s 6d

Sum total to inhabitants, £260 0s 6.25d

Garrison, ditto, 3 catties of green tea, £1 12s 0d

Carried over, £261 12s 6.25d

Interpretations

This page closes the storekeeper's monthly sales account carried across folios 89, 93 and beyond, delivered with the other September reckonings at the consultation of 3 October 1727. It sums the sales to the inhabitants at £260 0s 6.25d and adds a small separate charge to the garrison for green tea, distinguishing the two classes of purchaser that the storekeeper's accounts always kept apart.

The goods again mix imported textiles, haberdashery and stores of the Company trade. Bengal tablets were a Bengal cotton, filleting a narrow woven tape, bobbin a spool-wound thread, and ferret a stout tape used for binding, all small textile wares carried out for a settlement with no local manufacture. The various threads, laces, edgings and buttons supplied the materials for making and mending clothes, and the paper of buttons and the coat buttons were the fastenings that no household could produce for itself.

The chinaware and earthenware record the tableware sold to inhabitants furnishing their homes. Sneakers were small drinking vessels, and the cups, saucers, teapots, bowls and porringers reflect the spread of tea drinking, the tea itself coming through the China trade in which the neighbouring garrison charge for green tea shows the same commodity supplied to the fort.

The pitch, tar and rosin at the foot of the list were the waterproofing and preserving stores of a maritime settlement. Pitch and tar sealed timber and rigging against the sea, and rosin was the pine-resin residue used in various trades, all sold by the barrel to a community that maintained boats and buildings against a damp Atlantic climate. The separation of the garrison charge from the inhabitants' total reflects the distinct accounting the Company kept for goods issued to its own establishment as against those sold to the settlers on credit.

117

94

Brought over

261 12 6¼

Plantation Do

1 Iron Pott Waight 68 lb

1 12 6

2 Skiming Dishes

1

1 Hand Saw

12

3 Broad Chizels

6 6

1 Broad Ax

6

2 Hatchets

9

1 Cagg

3 3

600 lb Blacks in acct of Diet Exp Do

4100 Rice

26 13

On acct of Clothing Vizt

576 Yards Rusey

57 12

58 Do Blew

21 1

9 Do Sabra Chints

4 1

7 Do 373 Long Cloth

7 4

11 Do Colonech Thread

2 4

100 Needles

1 6

2 Do Colld Tape

4 2

2 Do Whited Brown Thread

13 4

1 Do do

6 6

½ Do do

6 6

½ Do do

6

120 5 1

Diet Expences

48 Do Arrack

15 4

4 Goat Mountain

1 11

15 Do Small Beer

15

10 do Beef

3 17 6

120 Do Sugar

3 16

111 Do Flour

7 9

110 Do Bread

1 9 9

22 Do Candles

4

2 Do Copper

2

1 Double Case

5 3

30 9

Charges General Do

268 Do Flue delivd for the Hoggs & Poultry

2 7 10

Totall

417 9 2½

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 17th Octr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

Capt Goodwin Absent being ill

The last Consultation read & Approved

Mrs Dorothy & Giles Smith being ill on Tuesday last attended this day & desd the

following Acct of Disbursements out of the Estate belonging to the Orphans of Jam Draper decesd

to bad Giles Hewer for his Wifes Dividend in Good 31 11 9

Do Giles Smith for do in ditto 31 11 9

Do Jonathan Doctor in part of his Wifes Dividend in Good 4 14 0

69 18

The store goods account continued, brought over at £261 12s 6.25d, as follows:

Brought over, £261 12s 6.25d

Plantation, ditto:

1 iron pot, weight 62 pounds, £1 12s 6d

2 skimming dishes, £0 1s 0d

1 handsaw, £0 12s 0d

3 broad chisels, £0 6s 6d

1 broad axe, £0 6s 0d

2 hatchets, £0 6s 0d

1 spade, £0 2s 0d

Total, £3 3s 0d

600 pounds to the blacks on account of diet expenses, ditto:

4,100 pigs, £26 13s 0d

On account of clothing, ditto:

576 yards of kersey, £57 12s 0d

50 ditto, blue, £2 1s 0d

9 pounds of Salem chints, £4 1s 0d, taken out this month in order to get the blacks clothes made against the usual time of clothing them

7 pounds of long cloth, £7 2s 4d, taken out this month in order to get the blacks clothes made against the usual time of clothing them

11 pounds of colour thread, £0 1s 6d, taken out this month in order to get the blacks clothes made against the usual time of clothing them

100 needles, £0 4s 2d, taken out this month in order to get the blacks clothes made against the usual time of clothing them

2 pounds of colour tape, £0 13s 4d, taken out this month in order to get the blacks clothes made against the usual time of clothing them

2 pounds of white and brown thread, £0 6s 6d, taken out this month in order to get the blacks clothes made against the usual time of clothing them

1 ditto, £0 6s 6d

1 ditto, £0 6s 6d

1 ditto, £0 6s 6d

Total, £120 5s 1d

Diet expenses, ditto:

48 gallons of arrack, £15 4s 0d

4 gallons of Mountain wine, £1 11s 0d

15 ditto of small beer, £0 15s 0d

10 ditto of port, £3 17s 6d

120 pounds of sugar, £3 16s 0d

111 pounds of flour, £0 7s 0d

110 pounds of bread, £1 9s 0d

22 pounds of candles, £2 4s 0d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 2s 0d

1 double case, £0 5s 0d

Total, £30 9s 0d

Charges general, ditto:

269 pounds of office deal for the hogs and poultry, £2 7s 10d

Total, £417 9s 2.25d

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

At a consultation held on Tuesday 17 October 1727 at Plantation House.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander.

Captain Goodwin was absent, being ill.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Mr Dorsent and Giles Smith, being ill the previous Tuesday, attended this day and delivered the following account of disbursements out of the estate belonging to the orphans of James Draper, deceased.

Paid to Giles Smith for his half dividend, in goods, £31 11s 9d

To Giles Smith for ditto, in goods, £31 11s 9d

To Jonathan Doctor, in part of his wife's dividend, in goods, £4 14s 0d

Total, £67 18s 0d

Interpretations

This page closes the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for September 1727, delivered at the consultation of 3 October 1727, dividing the final charges among the plantation, the slaves, the fort table and general charges. It then opens the consultation of 17 October 1727, which returns to the orphans court business begun on 3 October 1727 by taking the account of the Draper estate.

The clothing charge for the slaves is the most substantial single item and shows the Company preparing the annual issue of clothing. Kersey was a coarse ribbed wool carried out from England expressly to clothe the slaves, and the note that the cloth, thread, tape and needles were drawn this month to have the garments made against the usual clothing time records the forward preparation of a bulk provision. The Salem chints and long cloth were Indian cottons of the Eastern trade, added to the woollen kersey to complete the material for the year's clothing.

The plantation tools and the diet expenses record the ordinary running of the establishment. The iron pot, saw, chisels, axes and spade equipped the plantation labour, while the arrack, wine, beer, port, sugar, bread and candles supplied the fort's common table, arrack being the standard Eastern spirit issued throughout. The office deal charged against general expenses for feeding the hogs and poultry shows even the stock's provisioning entered to its proper account.

The Draper orphan disbursement continues the protective function of the orphans court established on 26 September 1727. Paying out the dividends in goods rather than coin reflected the island's chronic shortage of money, so the children's shares of the estate were satisfied from the warehouse stock, and Jonathan Doctor received part of his wife's dividend as a married claimant to a portion of the inheritance.

Speculations

The council satisfied the orphans' dividends from the Draper estate in goods rather than in money. The natural way to divide an inheritance was to pay each share in cash. Coin was scarce on the island, where value moved through bills of exchange and warehouse credit rather than currency, so the council settled the dividends out of the Company's stock of goods, matching the form of payment to what the island actually possessed rather than to what the division of an estate would ordinarily require.

118

95

The Governour Reports that Mr Richard Goodwin intending to Build & being in very

great Necessity for want of Water without which he cant go on with his House he is very Desirous

to Purchase about two Acres of the Honble Compy Land called Carnes Gutte offering twenty five

Pounds Do Acre for the Same & as the said Parcell of Land are Scituated at the Bottom of all

their Plantations from whence the Water Discharges it Self into the Sea & cannot by any

Invention or Contrivance be brought or Convey'd to any other of their Land or Plantations, he

is of Opinion that it will be more benefucll to the Compy to Sell rather than keep it the Price

being much beyond the Value of this or the like Quantity of Land in any other Place, and

nothing but the great Advantage of the Situation & great Consequence to him the & Since

Moment to the Company could tempt him to give a Price so much exceeding the common Rate

& will allow Sufficient time to Dig the Yams & Cavious thereon Standing to they shall be Wanted for

the Ground is cleared

Wee are therefore of the Governours Opinion & Order that Capt Goodwin do Measure the

Same acordingly

Mr Gibson the Surgeon having refused the Payment of a just Debt of Five Pounds five

Shilling due to Mr Slaughter at the desire of the later he was Wee Examined to attend & after

a great deale of Shamefull Equivocation & denial of any such Debt his Promisory Note

Indorsed to Mr Slaughter was produced & upon the Conviction he Promised to Pay it, but

having Classified the Word so often in this Pattern Waters Mr Slaughter desired he might be

at Liberty to Prosecute his Suit in a Legall way of the Moneys not paid him to Day

There being Several Birds of a different Specie from those that frequent the Islands

lately come hither the Bodies of which are as large as a Pheasant, their Legs Long & Black

but their Claws open & not Webed like Sea Fowls, with Long Bills resembling those of a Snipe

but thicker & longer in proportion to the Bulk of their Bodies, which probably may Breed

here if not destroyd or Disturbed

Orderd that all Persons be publick be forbid by Advertizemt either to hile or Disturb

any of the said Birds or Bester any of their Eggs

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 24th Octr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin desiring to Assign about Six Acres of Land, he holds by Lease of the Honble

Company to his Brother Rd Goodwin We allow thereof & Aught him Grant for

the Same acordingly

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Measured the Land his Brother desires to

Purchase called Carnes Gutte & that they contain two Acres Half & in Consideration

of the Sum of Sixty five Pounds We have acordingly Conveyed the Same by Deed

to the said Rd Goodwin

Mr Simpson Complaind that Thos Clew had beat & bruized him about the Head & Temples

in a very dangerous manner with a large Stone they were both Examined & the Said Clew being the

aggressour & Mr Wounds appearing very deep & dangerous We Order that the said Clew

do Pay the said Simpson Twenty Shillings, that he do likewise Satisfy the Doctor for the

Cure

The Governor reported that Mr Richard Goodwin intended to build, and stood in great need of water, which he could not obtain near his house. He had therefore been at pains to purchase about two acres of the honourable Company's land called Carnes Gutt, offering twenty-five pounds for it. The parcel lay at the foot of all the plantations, at the point from which the water discharged itself into the sea, so that by no device or contrivance could it be carried to any other of the Company's lands or plantations. The Governor was of opinion that it was better to let the Company sell it than keep it, the price offered being much beyond the value of such a quantity of land in any other place. Nothing but the great advantage of the situation, of great consequence to Goodwin, made the sale of any moment to the Company, and it could tempt the council to grant a price much exceeding the common rate. The council allowed sufficient time to dig the yams and other roots then standing, until they should be wanted for the ground once cleared.

The council concurred with the Governor's opinion and ordered that Captain Goodwin measure the parcel accordingly.

Mr Gibson the surgeon refused payment of a debt of five pounds five shillings due to Mr Slaughter. At the request of the latter he was summoned to attend, and after a great deal of shameful evasion and denial of any such debt, his promissory note endorsed to Mr Slaughter was produced. On this proof he promised to pay the debt, but, having so often shifted his ground in the doctor's affairs, Mr Slaughter asked that he might be at liberty to pursue his suit in a separate action for the money, since it was not paid him that day.

The Governor reported that several birds of a different species had lately come within the bodies of water on the island, as large as a pheasant. Their legs were long and black, their claws open and not webbed like a sea fowl, with long bills resembling those of a snipe but thicker and longer in proportion to the bulk of their bodies. These birds would probably breed there if not destroyed or disturbed.

The council ordered that a notice be published forbidding any person, on pain of a penalty, to kill or disturb any of the birds, or to destroy any of their eggs.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 24 October 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Captain Goodwin asked to assign about six acres of land he held by lease of the honourable Company. The council allowed the assignment, and accepted his brother Richard Goodwin as tenant for the same accordingly.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the land his brother wished to purchase, called Carnes Gutt, and that it contained two acres and a half. In consideration of the sum of twenty-five pounds, the council conveyed the same by deed to Richard Goodwin.

Mr Simpson complained that Mr Clew had beaten and bruised him about the head and temples in a very dangerous manner with a large stone. The two were examined, and Clew, admitting the assault, and the wounds appearing very deep and dangerous, the council ordered that Clew pay Simpson twenty shillings, and further that he satisfy the doctor for the cure.

Interpretations

This run of consultations turns from the accounts of early October 1727 to the ordinary land, debt and disciplinary business of the council. The sale of Carnes Gutt to Richard Goodwin was carried through in two steps, the measurement ordered on 17 October 1727 and the deed executed on 24 October 1727 once Captain Goodwin returned the acreage at two and a half acres.

The reasoning behind the Carnes Gutt sale reveals how the council valued land by situation rather than extent. The parcel sat at the seaward foot of the plantations, where the fresh water ran off into the sea before it could be diverted to any other holding, so it commanded a price far above the common rate precisely because it controlled water that Goodwin needed to build. The council treated the loss of a water source it could not otherwise use as worth realising in cash, and the leave granted to dig the standing yams before clearing shows the practical care taken over a growing crop.

The Gibson debt continues the surgeon's troubled dealings recorded through the autumn of 1727. His endorsed promissory note to Slaughter was a written instrument transferring a debt, and Slaughter's request to sue separately shows a creditor securing the right to enforce the note in court when repeated promises of payment had failed, the same distrust of Gibson's word that had marked the medical complaints against his practice.

The order protecting the newly arrived birds is a rare instance of the council acting to preserve wildlife rather than dispose of property. The described birds, pheasant-sized with long black legs, unwebbed claws and long snipe-like bills, were wading birds new to the island, and the council forbade killing them or destroying their eggs to let them breed, a deliberate measure of conservation on a small isolated island whose fauna was easily driven off.

Speculations

The council resolved the assault of Simpson by Clew with a payment of twenty shillings to the victim and the cost of his cure, rather than by corporal or custodial punishment. A violent beating about the head with a stone, admitted by the assailant and leaving deep and dangerous wounds, might have drawn a heavier penalty on the body of the offender. Instead the council directed the injured man be compensated and his medical treatment paid for, treating the matter as a private wrong to be made good in money and care rather than a public crime to be punished, and fixing the offender's liability to the practical cost of the harm he had done.

119

96

Cure & that he do also hire a Person to Sist for the said Simpson all the time he is under

the Doctors Hand & his Family depending entirely upon his daily Labour for their Subsistance

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 31 October 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

We this day Executed a Lease to Richd Mason for two Acres of Land, & one other to

Messrs Cowlle Wrangham & Nicholls as Joynt Securyty for two Acres more

We Jasper Cowlle Wrangham, Johnson & Nicholls lately appointed to Survey the Woods

& Plantations belonging to the Inhabitants this day presented the following Report Vizt

Pursuant to a Warrant directed to Us bearing date 3 instant We have Surveyd

all the Lands & Plantations belonging to each of the Inhabitants & acording to Our Judgmt

below they have the Several Quantities of Wood & are Planted or Sowell, or Neglected so

to do as hereaftermend & Vizt

[column headers: Acres of Wood, Acres Sowed or Planted, Sowed, Furze Planted]

Capt John Alexander

Acres 7

Wood 7 ditto

Planted in part

William Allis

2

ditto

Planted in part

His Wood not Serviceable Cattle

Thos Allis

2

3 ditto

ditto

John Bowres

1½ a few Trees do

do

Ditto

Orlando Bagley Senr

7

5 ditto

ditto

Orlando Bagley Junr

None

ditto

None

Soile bad neither overgrown

John Bagley Senr

3½ a few Trees ditto

ditto

John Bagley Junr

47½ do

do

Richard Beal

3

4 do

do

Arthur Bradley

7

not all Sowed ditto

John Bradley

2½ Sowed

None

Joseph Bates

6½

4 do

Planted in part

Bridget Brazett

21

11 do

do

John Brazele

½

6 not all Sowed ditto

Frances Corne

11

7 Sowed

ditto

Grace Coulson

1

do

None

John Desfountains

9

4

Planted in part

Joseph Desfountains

16

7 Sowed

do

Hath Planted an Acre both on his Free Land & Vale forgz but the Soile being bad its all dead

Jonathan Doctor

16

7 Sowed

do

Draper Orphans

3

do

Samuel Doctor

1½

Sowed

do

John French Junr

None

7 do

do

John French Senr

6 not Sowed

None

Frances Fungr

1

do

Planted in part

Frances Orphans

3

5 Sowed

do

The council added, as a further condition of the assault case, that Clew also provide a person to fish for Simpson during the time he lay under the doctor's hand, his family depending entirely on his daily labour for their support.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 31 October 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The council this day executed a lease to Richard Mason for two acres of land, and another to Messrs Powell, Wrangham and Nichols as joint tenants for two acres more.

Messrs Powell, Wrangham, Johnson and Nichols, lately appointed to survey the several plantations belonging to the inhabitants, this day presented the following report.

Pursuant to a warrant directed to them, dated the 3rd of the month, they had surveyed the lands and plantations belonging to each of the inhabitants named below. They set out the several quantities of wood each had planted, and noted who had neglected the fencing and furze, as follows. The columns give, in order, the acres held, the wood planted, the state of the fencing, and the state of the furze.

Captain John Alexander, acres 8, wood 7, ditto fencing, planted in part furze

William Adds, acres 2, wood 1, ditto fencing, planted in part furze, his wood not sufficiently fenced

Thomas Allis, acres 2, wood 3, ditto fencing, ditto furze

John Bowers, acres 1.5, a few trees wood, ditto fencing, ditto furze, ditto

Orlando Bagley senior, acres 7, wood 3, ditto fencing, none furze

Orlando Bagley junior, acres none, wood ditto, none furze, soil bad, neither overgrown

John Bagley senior, acres 3.5, a few trees wood, ditto fencing, ditto furze

John Bagley junior, acres 4.5, wood 3, ditto fencing, ditto furze

Richard Beal, acres 3, wood 4, ditto fencing, ditto furze

Arthur Bradley, acres 7, wood not all fenced, ditto furze

John Bradley, acres 2.5, fenced, none furze

Joseph Bates, acres 6.5, wood 4, ditto fencing, planted in part furze

Bridget Bazette, acres 21, wood 11, ditto fencing

John Boyle, acres 1.5, wood 6, not all fenced, ditto furze

Frances Carne, acres 11, wood 7, fenced, ditto furze

Grace Coulson, acres 1, wood, none furze

John Defountaine, acres 9, wood 4, planted in part furze

Joseph Defountaine, acres, hath planted an acre both on his own and vale forge, but the soil being so ill it is all dead

Jonathan Doctor, acres 16, wood 7, fenced, ditto furze

Draper's orphans, acres 3, wood, ditto furze

Samuel Doctor, acres 1.5, fenced, ditto furze

John French junior, acres none, wood 7, ditto furze

John French junior, acres, wood 6, not fenced, none furze

Francis Funge, acres 1, wood, planted in part furze

Francis's orphans, acres 3, wood 5, fenced, ditto furze

Interpretations

This page completes the disciplinary order of 24 October 1727 against Clew and opens the fencing and wood survey reported at the consultation of 31 October 1727. The survey carries out the warrant of 3 October 1727, the renewed inspection appointed to Powell, Wrangham, Johnson and Nichols to hold each tenant to the planting and fencing clauses of his lease.

The added condition in the assault case reveals how the council weighed the practical consequences of injury on a subsistence economy. Because Simpson's family lived entirely on his daily labour, chiefly fishing, his incapacity threatened them with want, so the council compelled Clew not only to pay compensation and the cure but to supply a substitute fisherman for the period of recovery. This turned the penalty into a remedy for the real harm, protecting a household that had no reserve to fall back on while its provider was disabled.

The survey report applies the standard columns of the island's land inspections, recording each tenant's acreage, wood planted, fencing and furze. The tenants were bound by their deeds and leases to plant timber and furze and to keep their ground fenced, so the notes of neglect against particular holders identified those exposed to the forfeiture the council had repeatedly threatened, most recently in the notice underlying this very survey.

The recurring remarks on poor soil temper the enforcement with recognition of natural limits. The notes that Orlando Bagley junior's soil was bad and that Joseph Defountaine's planting had all died because the ground was so ill show the surveyors distinguishing wilful neglect from honest failure on barren land. Furze was gorse, a hardy shrub grown as fuel and as a stock-proof hedge, and its planting was tracked alongside timber because both served the island's need for enclosed and wooded ground, the same concern that had driven the survey of 14 March 1727.

120

97

[column headers: Acres of Wood on their Free Land, Acres of Wood on their Lease Land, Fenced, Furze Planted]

Danl Griffith

Acres of Wood on their Free Land - None

Acres of Wood on their Lease Land - None

Fenced - Not all Fenced

Furze Planted - None

Rob Gurling

Free - 9½

Lease - 5½

Fenced

Part

Tho Greentree

Free - 4

Lease - 4½

do

do

Rd Goodwin

Free - 7

Lease - ½

do

do

John Goodwin

Free - 16

Lease - 13

do

do

Elias Greentree

Free - 10

Lease - 12

do

do

Martin Harper

Lease - ¼

do

do

Joseph Hayes

Lease - 1

do

do

Grace Hayes

Free - 7

Lease - 1½

do

do

Tho Harper

Lease - 2½

do

has Planted Furze but the Soile being bad its dead

Tho Hodgkinson

Free - 1

Lease - 2

do

Planted in Part

Mary Harding

Free - 6

Lease - ½

do

do

Sutten Isaac

Free - 2½

Lease - 11

do

do

Joshua Johnson

Free - 2 [17?]

Lease - 1½

do

do

Samuel Jepsey

Free - 1½

Lease - ½

do

do

John Knop

Free - 5½

Lease - 2

do

do

Isaac Leech

Free - 1½

Lease - ½

do

do

Eben Leech

Lease - ½

not all Fenced

do

Tho Leech

Free - ½

Lease - ½

Fenced

do

John Long

Free - ½

Lease - 9

do

do

Stephen Suffrin

Free - 5½

Lease - 1

not all Fenced

do

Joseph Suffrin

Lease - 1¼

Fenced

do

Richard Mason

Lease - 2

do

do

Matthew Midge

Free - 2½

Lease - 1

do

do

His Wood not Sowed from Cattle

Elias Marsh

Free - 3½

Lease - 7½

do

do

Edmonds Nicholls

Free - 2½

Lease - 7½

do

do

Mary Nicholls

Free - 2½

Lease - 8

do

do

John Gurling

Free - 7½

Lease - 3

not all Fenced

None

Benj Wrangh Pledger

Free - 3

Lease - 4½

Fenced

Planted in Part

Benj Pledger

Free - 3

Lease - 4½

do

do

Gabriel Cowell

Free - 21

Lease - 10

do

do

Robinsons Orphans

Lease - 4

do

do

James Byder

Free - 13

Lease - ½

do

do

Wm Sedle

Free - 16

Lease - 1½

do

None

Soile bad its dead

John Seals

Free - 2

Lease - 1½

do

Planted in part

Rich Swallow Senr

Free - 1

Lease - 2

do

do

Giles Smith

Free - 2

not all Fenced

Soile Furze

Mary Thorne

Free - 4

Lease - 11

Fenced

Planted in Part

Charles Steward

Free - 4

Lease - 1½

do

do

Rd Tinsley

Lease - 3

do

do

John Thwaites

Free - ¼

The survey report continued, with the columns giving, in order, the acres of wood on freehold land, the acres of wood on leasehold land, the state of the fencing, and the state of the furze.

Daniel Griffith, freehold wood none, leasehold wood none, not all fenced, none furze

Robert Girling, freehold wood 9.5, leasehold wood 5.5, fenced, planted in part furze

Thomas Greentree, freehold wood 4, leasehold wood 4.5, fenced, ditto furze

Richard Goodwin, freehold wood 7, leasehold wood 1.5, fenced, ditto furze

John Goodwin, freehold wood 16, leasehold wood 13, fenced, ditto furze

Elizabeth Greentree, freehold wood 10, leasehold wood 12, fenced, ditto furze

Martin Harper, leasehold wood 0.25, fenced, ditto furze

Joseph Hayse, leasehold wood 1, fenced, ditto furze

Grace Hayse, freehold wood 7, leasehold wood 1.5, fenced, ditto furze

Thomas Harper, leasehold wood 2.5, fenced, ditto furze

Thomas Hodgkinson, freehold wood 1, leasehold wood, ditto fencing, has planted furze but the soil being bad it is dead

Mary Harding, freehold wood 6, leasehold wood 2, fenced, planted in part furze

Sutton Isaac, freehold wood 2.5, leasehold wood 11, fenced, ditto furze

Joshua Johnson, freehold wood 1.5, leasehold wood 1.5, fenced, ditto furze

Samuel Jephry, freehold wood 1.5, leasehold wood 1.5, fenced, ditto furze

John Insley, freehold wood 5.5, leasehold wood 2, fenced, ditto furze

Isaac Leech, freehold wood 1.5, leasehold wood 4, fenced, ditto furze

Eben Leech, leasehold wood 4, not all fenced, ditto furze

Thomas Leech, freehold wood 1.5, leasehold wood 1.5, fenced, ditto furze

John Long, freehold wood 1.5, leasehold wood 9, fenced, ditto furze

Stephen Lufkin, freehold wood 5.5, leasehold wood 1, not all fenced, ditto furze

Joseph Lufkin, leasehold wood 1.25, fenced, ditto furze

Richard Mason, leasehold wood, ditto fencing, ditto furze

Matthew Mudge, freehold wood 2.5, leasehold wood 1, fenced, ditto furze, the wood not fenced from cattle

Elizabeth Marsh, freehold wood 3.5, leasehold wood 7.5, fenced, ditto furze

Edmund Nicholls, freehold wood, leasehold wood 7.5, fenced, ditto furze

Mary Nicholls, freehold wood 2.5, leasehold wood 8, fenced, ditto furze

John Girling, freehold wood 7.5, leasehold wood 3, not all fenced, none furze

Stephen Girling Pledger, freehold wood 3, leasehold wood 4.5, fenced, planted in part furze

Benjamin Pledger, freehold wood 3, leasehold wood 10, fenced, ditto furze

Gabriel Powell, freehold wood 31, leasehold wood 4, fenced, ditto furze

Robinson's orphans, leasehold wood 4, fenced, ditto furze

James Ryder, freehold wood 14, leasehold wood 1.5, fenced, ditto furze

William Seale, freehold wood 1.5, leasehold wood, none furze, soil bad, it is dead

John Seale, freehold wood 1.5, leasehold wood, planted in part furze

Richard Swallow senior, freehold wood 2, leasehold wood 1.5, fenced, planted in part furze

Giles Smith, freehold wood 2, leasehold wood, not all fenced, little furze

Mary Thorne, freehold wood 4, leasehold wood 11, fenced, planted in part furze

Charles Steward, freehold wood 4, leasehold wood 1.5, fenced, ditto furze

Richard Insley, freehold wood 0.25, leasehold wood 3, fenced, ditto furze

John Thwaites, freehold wood 0.25, leasehold wood, fenced, ditto furze

Interpretations

This page continues the fencing and wood survey reported at the consultation of 31 October 1727, carrying the tenant-by-tenant returns of the commission appointed under the warrant of 3 October 1727. It splits each holder's wood between freehold and leasehold ground, the same distinction drawn in the earlier survey of 14 March 1727, and records the state of fencing and furze for every holding.

The largest wood-holders stand out as before. Gabriel Powell held thirty-one acres of wood on his freehold, and John Goodwin sixteen acres freehold with thirteen leasehold, marking the substantial planters whose ground carried most of the island's timber. These were the same men who served the council as surveyors and valuers, so the survey they returned measured their own holdings alongside their neighbours'.

The recurring notes on bad soil continue to separate genuine failure from neglect. Thomas Hodgkinson had planted furze but it died because the soil was bad, and William Seale's furze was likewise dead in poor ground, the surveyors marking where the land itself defeated the planting the leases required. The note against Matthew Mudge that his wood was not fenced from cattle identifies a particular fault, since unfenced young trees could be destroyed by grazing stock, defeating the purpose of the planting clause.

The survey served the enforcement of the tenants' obligations under their deeds and leases. Holders were bound to plant timber and furze and to keep their ground fenced, and the columns marking who had fenced, who had not all fenced, and who had planted furze only in part identified the defaulters liable to the penalties the council had threatened. Furze was gorse, grown both as fuel and as a stock-proof hedge, which is why its planting was tracked as closely as the timber the island needed for building and firewood.

121

98

[column headers: Acres of Wood on Free Land, Acres of Wood on Leased Land, Fenced, Furze Planted]

Mercy Whaley

Free - 2

Lease - 5

not all Fenced

None

Jane Wook

Free - 9

Lease - 2½

do

Planted in part

William Worrall

Free - 4½

Fenced

do

John Worrall

Free - 1

Lease - 7

do

do

Ezan Wrangham

Free - 21

Lease - 5

do

do

John Young

Lease - 1½

do

do

[column totals]

Free - 7½

Lease - 21

Free - 37½

Lease - 21

Free - 101¼

Lease - 141½

Free - 109½

Lease - 73

Free - 328¼

Lease - 235½

326¼

Ttl - 563 ¾

St Helena

31 Octr 1727

Signed

Gabriel Cowell

Jasper Wrangham

Joshua Johnson

Edmonds Nicholls

which being read & Examined We find that the Several Persons following have been Negligent

either in Planting Wood & Furze or Fencing their Lands Vizt

Richard Goodwin

John Bowers

E Marsh

Grace Coulson

John Brazele

Martin Harper

Frans Longe

Jno Bagley Jenr

Daniel Griffith

William Alis

Jno Knop

Eben Leech

Mary Harding

Wm Allis

Tho Leech

Jno Seale

Joseph Suffrin

Arthur Bradley

Stephn Pledger

Mary Thorne

John French Junr

Orlando Bagley

John Long

Orderd that each of the Persons abovementioned be Summoned to attend on Thursday next

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Thursday 3d Novr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Wee this day Assembled & paid the Garrison Wed for the last Month as Journal Fol 29/30

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 7th Novr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The two Consultations preceding were this day read & Approved

The Several Persons Orderd to attend this day made their Appearance acordingly

& were either Fined or Convised for the Reason following Vizt

Richard Goodwin Excusd upon Promise to have his full Proportion of Wood

next Year great part of his Lease Land having been Lately in his Possession

The survey report concluded, the columns giving, in order, the acres of wood on freehold land, the acres of wood on leasehold land, the state of the fencing, and the state of the furze.

Mercy Whaley, freehold wood 2, leasehold wood 5, not all fenced, none furze

Isaac Wood, freehold wood 9, leasehold wood 2.5, ditto fencing, planted in part furze

William Worrall, freehold wood 2.5, leasehold wood, fenced, ditto furze

John Worrall, freehold wood 1, leasehold wood 7, fenced, ditto furze

Francis Wrangham, freehold wood 21, leasehold wood 5, fenced, ditto furze

John Young, freehold wood, leasehold wood 1.5, fenced, ditto furze

The totals of the survey were given as follows:

Wood on freehold land, 37.5 acres

Wood on leasehold land, 21 acres

Further wood on freehold land, 101.25 acres

Further wood on leasehold land, 141.5 acres

Further wood on freehold land, 109.5 acres

Further wood on leasehold land, 73 acres

Total wood on freehold land, 320.25 acres

Total wood on leasehold land, 235.5 acres

Further total, 320.25 acres

Further total, 226.25 acres

Grand total, 503.75 acres

The report was dated at St Helena, 31 October 1727, and subscribed by Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham, Joshua Johnson and Edmund Nicholls.

On reading and examining the report, the council found the following persons negligent in planting wood and furze, or in fencing their lands:

Richard Goodwin

Grace Coulson

Francis Funge

Milton Seale

Mary Harding

Arthur Bradley

John French junior

John Bowers

John Boyle

John Bagley junior

John Seale

Stephen Pledger

Orlando Bagley senior

Elizabeth Marsh

Martin Harper

Daniel Griffith

Eben Leech

Thomas Leech

Joseph Lufkin

Mary Thorne

John Long

William Adds

The council ordered that each of the persons named above be summoned to attend the following Tuesday. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Thursday 3 November 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council assembled this day and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folio 29.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 November 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the records of the two preceding consultations.

The several persons ordered to attend this day made their appearance accordingly. Richard Goodwin excused himself on a promise to have his full proportion of wood planted next year, a great part of his leasehold land having lately come into his possession.

Interpretations

This page closes the fencing and wood survey reported at the consultation of 31 October 1727 and names the defaulters summoned for examination, then opens the enforcement at the consultation of 7 November 1727. The survey completed here is the return of the commission appointed under the warrant of 3 October 1727, the same body of surveyors who had made the earlier inspection reported on 14 March 1727.

The totals gathered at the foot of the survey measure the whole extent of planted wood on the island, divided between freehold and leasehold ground and running to a grand total of over five hundred acres. This aggregate gave the council a single figure for the timber the settlement had raised under the planting clauses of its leases, the resource that a treeless Atlantic island depended on for building and fuel and had to grow deliberately since it had little of its own.

The list of defaulters carries forward the enforcement pattern established through 1727, when the survey of 14 March 1727 produced the named defaulters fined on 18 April 1727. Summoning each negligent tenant to appear before the council was the first step toward the forfeiture their deeds and leases allowed, the threat held over those who failed to plant wood and furze or to fence their ground.

The excuse accepted from Richard Goodwin shows the council weighing the reason behind a default. Because a great part of his leasehold had only lately come into his hands, he had not yet had time to plant it, so his promise to make good the proportion the following year was allowed. This distinguished a recent tenant with a genuine reason from a long holder who had simply neglected the duty, the same discernment the surveyors had shown in noting where bad soil rather than idleness had defeated the planting.

122

99

John Bower Fined 1s

E Marsh, her Soile being bad Wood grows but indifferently but promising to Dung

her Land & be carefull for the future Excusd

John Brazele has Fenced good Part of his Land but his House being down & most

Stonelayers already hired he coudnt compleat it within the time but promising to finish it

Speedily Excused

Martin Harper having with his own Hands almost finished his Fence & promising

to compleat the rest as Soon as Possible, & also Plant Wood & Furze, Excusd

Frans Longe would have Compleated his Fence in time having already Laid out

Seventy Pounds upon that Acct were not the Stones at so great a Distance, & promising to

get it done out of hand & to Plant Seven or Eight Acres both Wood & Furze, Excusd

John Bagley Senr ignorantly imagining that Planting Wood upon his Free Land

would Excuse his Complement upon his Lease Land We forgave him this two but Ordered

him to Plant Wood upon his Lease Land alsd

Daniel Griffith having been three times disappointed by those People with whom

he had Contracted to fence his Land & a promising to do it immediatly Excusd

William Sedle not having been able to Stock all his Land time enough for the last

Season & promising to have his Complement of Wood next Year Excused

Jno Knop promising to be more Carefull for the future & having a numerous

Family Fined 5s only

Eben Leech fined 1s & farther threatend if he has not the Complemt of Wood next Year

Mary Harding fined 12 6 Promised to have her Complement next Great

William Allis fined only 5s alledging that he had very near his Complement

Tho Leech being negligent last Year & again this fined only 1s being poor

John Seale having through Ignorance Planted the Wood in Marshy Ground it all

died out promising to Plant again in better Soile, Excused

Joseph Suffrin having been so Excused upon promise to fence his Land Speedily

John Long having lost his Wood by the Goats & promising to Plant again, the

Excuse him

Arthur Bradley being very Ancient & having Fenced within a Trifle We Excuse

him having promise to compleat the rest firthwith

John Bruch Junr & his Family having been ill & no body to help him he coudnt entirely

Fence his Land within the time but it being almost done We Excuse him

Orlando Bagley Junr fined 1s & Ordered to fence & Plant Gunwood or other Trees

Mary Thorne being so & Ancient, Excusd, her Land being near Fenced which We

promise to compleat with all the Speed We can

Stephen Craise & lodger being poor & with theft Convised year promise to do in his 3d & 4th of Standr

Grace Coulson being older told Mr Doricton appeared & required Us that he had

formerly told her that her Lease Land which was very good & was Wooded when he first had it

was become quite Barren for want of Fence & Wood he Sutterd it to which she Replied that

she was an old Woman just going out of the World & didnt Care what became of it

Wee are therefore of Opinion that her Heirs ought to make Satisfaction for these Neglects

first to the full of its former Value yet Something Considerable be cause these Six Acres of

Land are entirely Spoiled being neither fit for Wood Tillage or Pasture

The Governr Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each a Monthly Acct

for October last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

The council recorded the outcome of each defaulter's examination, as follows:

John Bowers, fined 1s 0d

Elizabeth Marsh, whose soil was bad so that her wood grew but indifferently, was excused on promising to dung her land and be careful for the future.

John Boyle had fenced the good part of his land well, but his house being down and most of the stone already used, he could not complete the fence within the time. He was excused on promising to finish it speedily.

Martin Harper, having with his own hands almost finished his fence, was excused on promising to complete the rest as soon as possible and to plant wood and furze.

Francis Funge would have completed his fence in time, having already laid out twenty pounds upon it, had the stones not lain at so great a distance. He was excused on promising to get it done out of hand and to plant seven or eight acres with wood and furze.

John Bagley senior, ignorantly supposing that planting wood upon his freehold land would excuse his want upon his leasehold, was forgiven this once, but directed to plant wood upon his leasehold land as well.

Daniel Griffith, having been three times disappointed by the people with whom he had contracted to fence his land, was excused on promising to do it immediately.

William Seale, not having been able to fence his land in time enough for the last season, was excused on promising to have his complement of wood next year.

John Insley, fined 5s 0d, on promising to be more careful for the future and having a numerous family

Eben Leech, fined 1s 0d, and further threatened if he had not his complement of wood next year

Mary Harding, fined 12s 6d, promised to have her complement next year

Milton Adds, fined only 5s 0d, alleging that he had very near his complement

Isaac Leech, being negligent last year and again this, fined only 1s 0d, being poor

John Seale, having through ignorance planted the wood in mossy ground, had it all die out, and was excused on promising to plant again in better soil.

Joseph Lufkin, having been excused upon promise to fence his land speedily, and John Long, having lost his wood by the goats and promising to plant again, were both excused.

Arthur Bradley, being very aged and having fenced within a trifle, was excused on promising to complete the rest forthwith.

John French junior, his family having been ill and nobody to help him, could not entirely fence his land within the time, but it being almost done he was excused.

Orlando Bagley junior, fined 1s 0d, and ordered to fence and plant gumwood or other trees

Mary Thorne, being aged and infirm, was excused, her land being near fenced, on promising to complete it with all speed.

Stephen Girling Pledger, being poor and with a numerous family, promised to complete it next year, and was excused.

Grace Coulson, when the Governor's direction appeared and required that she had her wood planted, alleged that she had formerly been told her leasehold land, which was very good and well wooded when she first held it, was become quite barren for want of dung and had to be manured, at which she rejoiced that she was an old woman just going out of the world and did not care what became of it.

The council was therefore of opinion that her wood ought to be made satisfactory for this neglect, since to the value of some three or four acres it was entirely spoiled, being unfit for wood, tillage or pasture.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered each a monthly account for October last, which the council severally examined and approved, as follows.

Interpretations

This page records the examination of the fencing and wood defaulters summoned at the consultation of 31 October 1727 and heard at the consultation of 7 November 1727, carrying out the enforcement begun when the survey of the commission appointed on 3 October 1727 was read. The council took each named tenant in turn, weighing the excuse offered against the fault found by the surveyors.

The proceedings reveal how flexibly the council enforced the planting and fencing clauses of the leases. Most defaulters were excused on a promise to make good, and the fines imposed were small, from one shilling to twelve shillings and sixpence, scaled to the gravity of the neglect and the means of the holder. The repeated allowances for poverty, illness, age, a numerous family and stones lying too far off show the council treating the obligation as a spur to improvement rather than a trap for forfeiture, distinguishing wilful idleness from honest difficulty.

The recurring failures of wood in bad ground expose the real limits of cultivation on the island. John Seale's trees died in mossy ground, Grace Coulson's leasehold had turned barren for want of dung, and Elizabeth Marsh's wood grew only indifferently, each showing that planted timber failed where the soil could not sustain it. The remedy of dunging the land, promised by several, was the only means of restoring exhausted ground on a small island with no reserve of fresh soil to bring into use.

The loss of wood to goats, named in John Long's case, points to the constant conflict between the island's grazing stock and its young plantations. Goats browsed freely and destroyed unfenced saplings, which is why fencing and planting were bound together in the leases, since wood could not be raised on ground open to the Company's and the inhabitants' animals.

Speculations

The council chose to require Grace Coulson to make her neglected wood satisfactory rather than excuse her as it had excused nearly every other aged defaulter that day. The evident course, given her age and her land's admitted barrenness, was to grant her the same indulgence extended to Mary Thorne and Arthur Bradley. Her open declaration that she cared nothing for the land because she was an old woman leaving the world removed the promise of future improvement on which every other excuse rested, so the council held her wood answerable for the spoiled acres, treating her refusal to undertake any remedy, rather than her age or the poor soil, as the thing that forfeited the leniency the others received.

123

100

Account of the Honble Compy Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry & Horses likewise what has been bought & killed besides

the Encrease or Decrease from the 1st to the 30th Septr 1727

[headers: Bullocks · Cowes · Heifer · Steers · Yearlings · Calves · Bulls · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Lambs · Rams · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Kids · Rams · Totall | Sows · Shoates · Barrows · Boars · Pig · Totall | Turkeys · Fowles · Ducks · Geese | Horses · Mares · Totall]

Remns 1st Septr — Bullocks 50 · Cowes 67 · Heifer 27 · Steers 21 · Yearlings 40 · Calves 66 · Bulls 3 · Totall 263 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 26 · Lambs 18 · Rams 3 · Totall 103 | Ewes 134 · Wethers 47 · Kids 111 · Rams 6 · Totall 348 | Sows 8 · Shoates 11 · Barrows 3 · Boars 1 · Pig 23 · Totall 46 | Turkeys 82 · Fowles 87 · Ducks 43 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Bt from do to 30th do — Bullocks 12 | Lambs 12

Encreasd from do to do — Bullocks 14 · Heifer 19 | Lambs 33 | Ewes 2 · Wethers 2 · Kids 7 · Rams 10 · Totall 23 | Totall 40 | Turkeys 20

[running total] — Bullocks 76 · Cowes 57 · Heifer 46 · Steers 21 · Yearlings 40 · Calves 66 · Bulls 3 · Totall 298 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 26 · Lambs 20 · Rams 3 · Totall 105 | Ewes 191 · Wethers 57 · Kids 134 · Rams 6 · Totall 388 | Sows 8 · Shoates 11 · Barrows 3 · Boars 1 · Pig 23 · Totall 46 | Turkeys 82 · Fowles 107 · Ducks 43 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Killed from do to do — Ewes 1 · Lambs 1 | Wethers 2 | Fowles 12 · Ducks 6

[running total] — Bullocks 76 · Cowes 57 · Heifer 46 · Steers 21 · Yearlings 40 · Calves 66 · Bulls 3 · Totall 298 | Ewes 55 · Wethers 26 · Lambs 20 · Rams 3 · Totall 103 | Ewes 191 · Wethers 57 · Kids 134 · Rams 6 · Totall 388 | Sows 8 · Shoates 10 · Barrows 2 · Boars 1 · Pig 23 · Totall 44 | Turkeys 82 · Fowles 95 · Ducks 37 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Cattle & Goates Cut & Grown — Steers 5 · Yearlings 16 · Calves 12 · Totall 33 | Kids 17 · Totall 17

[running total] — Bullocks 76 · Cowes 57 · Heifer 46 · Steers 16 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 43 · Bulls 3 · Totall 265 | Ewes 55 · Wethers 25 · Lambs 20 · Rams 3 · Totall 103 | Ewes 191 · Wethers 57 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 371 | Sows 8 · Shoates 10 · Barrows 2 · Boars 1 · Pig 23 · Totall 44 | Turkeys 82 · Fowles 95 · Ducks 37 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Dead in ditto — Wethers 1 | Rams 4

Remns 30th Septr — Bullocks 76 · Cowes 57 · Heifer 46 · Steers 16 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 43 · Bulls 3 · Totall 265 | Ewes 55 · Wethers 24 · Lambs 20 · Rams 3 · Totall 102 | Ewes 191 · Wethers 57 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 371 | Sows 8 · Shoates 10 · Barrows 2 · Boars 1 · Pig 23 · Totall 44 | Turkeys 82 · Fowles 96 · Ducks 37 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 27,813

Do do to the Fort Blacks 9,500

Do do to Great Wood do 6,800

Totall Yams 44,113

Account of the honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the month of October 1727. The columns run in order: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and the neat cattle total; ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and the sheep total; ewes, wethers, kids, rams and the goat total; sows, shoats, barrows, boars, pigs and the hog total; turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese and the poultry total; horses, mares and the horse total.

Remaining 1 October 1727:

bullocks 76, cows 57, heifers 46, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 43, bulls 3, neat cattle total 265

ewes 56, wethers 24, lambs 20, rams 3, sheep total 103

ewes 191, wethers 57, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 371

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 44

turkeys 82, fowls 95, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Increased from 1 to 31 October:

yearlings 17

calves 3, and 20

lambs 4, rams 4

turkeys 20

Killed from 1 to 31 October:

bullocks 76, cows 57, heifers 46, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 46, bulls 3, neat cattle total 286

ewes 55, wethers 24, lambs 24, sheep total 106

and 1, and 1

ewes 191, wethers 57, kids 17, rams 6, goat total 371

and 2

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 44

and 1, and 1

turkeys 82, fowls 95, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Cattle grown from 1 to 31 October:

bullocks 76, cows 74, heifers 46, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 46, bulls 3, neat cattle total 286

and 17, and 47

ewes 54, wethers 23, lambs 24, sheep total 104

ewes 191, wethers 56, kids 17, rams 6, goat total 370

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 22, hog total 42

turkeys 82, fowls 95, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Died from 1 to 31 October:

bullocks 76, cows 74, heifers 29, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 46, bulls 3, neat cattle total 268

ewes 54, wethers 23, lambs 24, sheep total 104

and 1

ewes 191, wethers 56, kids 17, rams 6, goat total 370

and 8

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 22, hog total 42

turkeys 82, fowls 95, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Remaining 31 October 1727:

bullocks 76, cows 74, heifers 29, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 46, bulls 3, neat cattle total 268

ewes 54, wethers 23, lambs 24, rams 2, sheep total 103

ewes 191, wethers 56, kids 17, rams 6, goat total 370

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 20, hog total 40

turkeys 82, fowls 95, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

The yams expended for the hogs and poultry came to 8,317 pounds.

Interpretations

This is the monthly livestock stock account for October 1727, delivered with the other October reckonings at the consultation of 7 November 1727 and approved by the council. It follows the settled form of these accounts, carrying each class of animal through opening number, increase, slaughter, animals grown between categories, and death, to a closing figure, with the month's yam consumption for the stock footed at the end.

The account records the continuing draw on the herd to victual passing ships, the purpose for which the Company maintained its stock. The numbers under killed measure the fresh meat supplied, while the line for cattle grown tracks beasts reclassified as they matured or were castrated within the month, the adjustment that kept the running tally accurate. The reclassification of seventeen animals as cows shown under that line reflects heifers passing into the breeding herd as they came of age.

The species subdivisions follow the usual husbandry of the accounts. Wethers were castrated sheep and barrows castrated boars, and the separate columns for each class let the council track the breeding, growing and fattening stock apart. The steady figures across most classes show a herd held roughly level through the month, the losses to slaughter and death balanced by increase and by animals grown into the higher categories.

The yam total for October, confined here to the hogs and poultry at 8,317 pounds, measures the cost of feeding the Company's stock on the island's staple crop. Yams fed both people and animals, so the quantity expended on the hogs and poultry alone recorded one part of the true expense of maintaining the establishment, the same accounting of the staple that ran through every stock account in the run.

124

101

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered from the 1st to 31 Octr 1727

Vizt

30¼ Galls Arrack

9 3

215½ Do Sugar

15 19 3

63½ Do Candy

5 7 9

52 Do Flour

31 8

37 1 9

8 Do Bread

13

381 Do Soap

6

13 6

367 Do Tobacco

41 3 1

43 Pipes

41 3

3 Cattee Green Tea

8 7½

1 Do Bohea

1

8 7½

Haberdashery Ware

6

1 6

137 11 4½

5 Pr Holland Caps

5 10

1 Do

2

1 Do Bobbing

5½

3½ China Silk

4 10½

5 Col Thread

12½

3 M Pins

4

2 Do

2 4

7½ Yards Tapeling

8 6

1 12 8½

46 Do Madrap Pryce

13 17 3

27 Do Nicanee

Clks

20 19 3

4 Do Corry Long Cloth

2

29 4 11¾

14 Do Ymeling

14

7 Do Amel

14 14

30 14

12 Do Handkerchief

1 13 4

1 Ballampore

13 4

2 Bengan Quilts

8 2

11 Small Do

8 5

16 Coret Gingham

6

67 White Shirts

8 7 6

38 Chelloe Do

5 14

14 1 6

47 18 10

135 Pr Cotton Stockings

16 17 6

3 Copper

7½

1 Ivory Comb

1 2

2½ Raw Thread

2

1 4

1 oz Indigo

6

4 Starch

8 3

2 Barils Paint Black

3

4 Yards Flannell

9 4

4 Small Cupps

2 10

2 Do Chelloe

1 8 8

1 Do Raw Oyle

3

33 13 10

3 Small Coats

2 5

12 Doz Hooks Sorted

6 3

8 8

1 pair Mens Calves Leather Shoes

4

1 pr Girles do

3 6

7 6

12 Do Nailes

8 7

1 Chest Lock

2 8

1 Pr Bayes

1 3 3

1 Bible

6 8

4 Do Wistar 17/4

8 4

6 5 8

Sum Totall to Inhabts

247 16 8¼

The Honble

Collection of store goods sold and delivered from the 1st to the 31st of October 1727, as follows:

50.25 gallons of arrack, £3 3s 0d

216 pounds of sugar, £15 19s 3d

63.5 pounds of candy, £5 7s 2d

52 pounds of flour, £37 1s 9d

8 pounds of bread, £0 13s 0d

581 pounds of coffee, £0 13s 6d

367 pounds of tobacco, £41 3s 1d

5 dozen pipes, £0 4s 4.5d

5 catties of green tea, £1 8s 2d

1 ditto, bohea, £0 6s 0d

Sum of the above, £137 11s 4.5d

Haberdashery ware:

5 pairs of Holland tape, £0 5s 10d

1 ditto, bobbin, £0 3s 4.5d

3.5 pounds of China silk, £0 4s 10.5d

5 pounds of colour thread, £0 12s 6.5d

9 M pins, £0 1s 6d

2 ditto, £0 3s 4.5d

7.5 yards of edging, at 8s 6d, £1 13s 8.75d

46 pieces of Madras chintz, £13 17s 3d

27 pieces of Nicaneez, £20 12s 0d

6.5 pieces of every long cloth, £3 2s 0d

14 pieces of gingham, £14 14s 0d

7 ditto, £30 14s 0d

12 pieces of handkerchiefs, £1 13s 4d

1 palempore, £0 18s 4d

2 Bengal quilts, £0 8s 2d

11 ditto, £0 8s 5d

16 pieces of coarse gingham, £0 6s 0d

6 white shirts, £8 7s 6d

58 chilloe, £5 14s 0d, £14 1s 6d

135 pairs of cotton stockings, £16 17s 6d

3 pepper, £0 1s 2d

1 jerrycomb, £0 3s 0d

1 thimble, at 1s 2d, £0 1s 4d

2.5 pounds of colour thread, £0 6s 6d

1 ounce of indigo, £0 0s 6d

3 pounds of starch, £0 2s 3d

2 parcels of lampblack, £0 9s 4d

4 yards of flannel, £0 2s 10d

6 small cups, £1 8s 8d

2 pieces of chilloe, £0 3s 0d

2 pieces of Bengal silk, £33 13s 10d

5 small lines, £0 2s 5d

12 dozen hooks, sorted, £0 6s 3d, £0 8s 8d

1 pair of women's calve leather shoes, £0 4s 0d

1 pair of girls, ditto, £0 3s 6d, £0 7s 6d

12 pounds of nails, £0 8s 7d

1 chest lock, £0 2s 8d

1 pair of bayes, £1 3s 0d

1 bottle, £0 6s 8d

4 pieces of Elias, at 17.5d, £3 8s 4d, £6 5s 8d

Sum total to inhabitants, £247 16s 8.25d

Interpretations

This account is the storekeeper's monthly reckoning of Company goods sold to the inhabitants across October 1727, delivered with the other October accounts at the consultation of 7 November 1727. It follows the settled form of these accounts, opening with provisions and moving into a distinct section of haberdashery ware, each line carrying its quantity and sterling value to a sum total to the inhabitants of £247 16s 8.25d.

The textiles form the bulk of the value and represent the range of Indian cottons the Company carried out for sale. Madras chintz was a printed cotton from the Coromandel coast, long cloth and chilloe were plain Coromandel cottons, gingham a checked or striped cotton with a coarse variety noted separately, and a palempore a large painted cotton bedcover. Nicaneez was a striped Indian cotton, and the Bengal quilts and Bengal silk came from the Company's Bengal trade, all supplying a settlement that produced no cloth of its own.

The haberdashery section records the small wares of sewing and dress. Holland tape was a Dutch linen tape, bobbin a spool-wound thread, and the various colour threads, pins, thimbles and edgings furnished the materials for making and mending clothes. A jerrycomb was a coarse comb, and the cotton stockings, calve leather shoes and white shirts supplied the ready-made items of clothing that the inhabitants could not manufacture themselves.

The stores and provisions at either end of the list show the warehouse meeting the ordinary household needs of the community. Arrack was the standard Eastern spirit, and the sugar, candy, coffee, tobacco and green and bohea teas were consumable imports, while the indigo, lampblack and starch were domestic stores, indigo a blue dye, lampblack a fine soot for ink and blacking, all sold on credit at fixed Company prices to build the running debts the quarterly reckonings settled.

125

102

Brought over

247 16 8¼

The Honble Compy Blacks Do Vizt

On Acct of Diet Expence 6510 Do Rice£ 34 1 6

On Acct Clothing 1 Pr Shoes 5 9

On Acct of Charge Vizt

6 Doz Blacks Sorted£ 9

6 Twine 9 8

12½ Do Sope 10 7½

Deliverd the Blacks Sowing (Not the Fort Blacks)

6 Mens Coats 1 4

Grays to mend Shoes 6 Mens Do 4

For the other Blacks 1 Pr Raw Thread 2 6

2½ China Silk 10 7½

5 6 6

30 13 9

Fortification Do

156 Ropes for Shrouds for the Flagstaffe£ 3 17 6

Garrison Do

Jno Cattee Green Tea 8 4

17½ Gall Oyle 11 6

3½ Do Spikes 1 8½

4 Mahogany Light 3 12

24½ Candles 9

1 Do Cord Sowed Do the Simnin 1½

1 Do Do Nailes 10

Do Do Wigimen 6

3 Yards Story for Tabling the Flag 3 6

1 Do Grayes Coates 6

1 White Lead 6

7 Barrl Lamb Black 24

7 12 7½

Charges General Do

1 Do 2 Nails 1 3

1 5 1 7

8 4 4 1 18

14 6 10 6

8 8 5 4

13 10 14

10 20 12

6 24 8 4

6 Single 3 6

1 Locks 10 6

18 Locks 1 8

15 Cleaving Brade 10

35 Spikes 14 2

1 Yard Holland Duck 3 2

1 Paint Brush 11

1 Do 6

440 Do Rice for Poultry & Belgeans 3 6

140 Do Canvas (for Iron Bags) 6 4 6

1 Yard Story 6 4 6

30 Wollen Waste 15

10 White Lead 6

2 Barril Lamb Black 8

3½ Gall Linseed Oyle 19 6

4 Do Scarlet Cloth for Cushions 7 11

4 oz China Silk 6

2 Round & Ruling Pans 4

1 Do 2 10

5 Funnels 7 6

20 2 7

61 3 10½

247 16 8¼

The store goods account continued, brought over at £247 16s 8.25d, as follows:

Brought over, £247 16s 8.25d

The honourable Company's blacks, ditto:

On account of diet expenses, 5,210 pounds of rice, £34 1s 6d

On account of clothing, 1 pair of shoes, £0 5s 9d

On account of charges general, ditto:

6 dozen blocks, sorted, £0 9s 0d

6 lines, £0 9s 8d

12.5 pounds of soap, £0 10s 7.5d, delivered to those that fish

6 men, ditto, £0 1s 0d, black fishing

1 pair of women's shoes, ditto, £0 1s 0d, given to a woman

1 pound of thread, £0 2s 6d, for the other blacks

2.5 pounds of China silk, £0 2s 0d

Total, £10 7s 6d

Sum, £30 13s 9d

Fortification, ditto:

15 pounds of soap for shrouds for the flagstaff, £3 17s 6d

Garrison, ditto:

3 catties of green tea, £0 8s 4d

1.75 gallons of oil, £0 11s 6d

3.25 spikes, £0 1s 8.5d

4 mahogany logs, £0 3s 1.5d

24.5 candles, £0 9s 0d

1 pound of cord thread, ditto the minion, £0 9s 0d

1 ditto, nails, £0 5s 10d

3 ditto, ditto, black minion, £0 2s 6d

3 yards of ivory for tabling the flag, £0 3s 6d

1 pound of scraper cases, £0 0s 6d

1 white lead, £0 0s 6d

7 parcels of lampblack, £0 2s 4d

Total, £7 12s 7.5d

Charges general, ditto:

1 ditto, 2 nails, £0 1s 3d

1 ditto, 3-inch, £0 1s 7d

8 ditto, 4-inch, £0 1s 8d

14 ditto, 6-inch, £0 10s 6d

8 ditto, 8-inch, £0 5s 4d

13 ditto, 10-inch, £0 12s 0d

10 ditto, 20-inch, £0 8s 4d

6 ditto, 24-inch, £0 3s 6d

6 ditto, single, £0 10s 6d

1 ditto, tacky, £0 1s 3d

15 ditto, flooring brads, £0 10s 0d

35 spikes, £0 14s 2d

1 yard of Holland duck, £0 3s 2d

1 paint brush, £0 0s 11d

1 ditto, £0 0s 0d

5,240 pounds of rice for poultry and pigeons, £3 0s 0d

160 yards of canvas for shot bags, £6 14s 6d

1 shod shovel, ditto, £0 15s 0d

30 pounds of lampblack, £0 15s 0d

10 white lead, £0 5s 0d

2 barrels of lampblack, £0 8s 0d

3.25 gallons of linseed oil, £0 19s 6d

2.5 pounds of scarlet cloth for cushions, £2 11s 0d

4 ditto, China silk, £0 6s 0d

2 pound scraper cases, £0 4s 0d

1 ditto, £0 2s 10d

5 funnels, £0 7s 6d

Total, £20 2s 2d

Sum, £61 3s 10.5d

Sum total, £247 16s 8.25d

Interpretations

This page closes the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for October 1727, delivered at the consultation of 7 November 1727, dividing the remaining charges among the slaves, the fortification, the garrison and general charges. The account distinguishes the several establishments to which goods were issued, keeping the Company's own consumption apart from the sales to inhabitants that made up the earlier total.

The charge for the slaves records both their subsistence and their clothing. Rice was issued as a diet staple alongside the yams grown on the island, and the soap and shoes delivered to those set to fishing tie to the fishing programme the council had begun when it replaced the slaves' meat ration with fish on 1 March 1727. The small allowances of thread, shoes and China silk to particular slaves show the Company meeting individual needs from its stores.

The fortification and garrison charges equipped the island's defences and their upkeep. The soap for shrouds for the flagstaff and the ivory for tabling the flag maintained the signalling apparatus, while the cord, nails and lampblack for the minion served a light cannon of the ordnance the survey of September 1727 had found so decayed. Lampblack was a fine soot used for blacking ironwork against rust, a constant need in the damp Atlantic air.

The general charges gathered the miscellaneous stores of building, painting and boat work. The graded nails, spikes and flooring brads supplied construction, the canvas for shot bags and the shod shovel served the guns and ground work, and the linseed oil, white lead and paint brushes were the materials of painting and preserving. The scarlet cloth for cushions furnished the council's own seat, a small mark of the establishment's dignity set among the practical stores of a working settlement.

126

103

Brought Over

247 16 8¼

Charges General Brought over

Do Over 20 2 9

31 3 10½

1 Colourd Thread

2

2 Yards Flannell

4 8

10 Gall Arrack (Add to those first appointed to

3 3 6

6 Sugar Survey the Inhabts Plantations

3

3 large Quilts

6

3 Pr Bellows

1

1 Twine

4 4

1 Paint Brush

6

231 Do Ropd for the Long Boat

3 15 6

36 17 6

Plantation Do

6 Do 6 Nailes

3 6

3 20 Do

1 3

2 10 Do

1 4

6 Do Rope

3

2 Lines Fletch

2 10

3 Gall Oyle

2 3

1 Brass Lock

1 18

1½ Do Rope

1 7

1 Pr Pot Hinges

5

4000 Do Rice deliverd Plantation Blacks

30

36 13 4

Diet Expencies Do

49 Gall Arrack

15 12 4

43 Do Bread

2 14 9

120 Do Sugar

3 14 6

130 Do Flour

1 12 6

4 Goat Mountain 7/9 Pr Gall

1 11 3

140 Do Beef Sorted

5 12 4½

22 Do Candle

2 18

2 Do Copper

2

1 Double Case

5 3

33 18 0½

408 3¾

Sum Totall

405 16 9

Gunners Stores Expended in the Month

of October 1727 Vizt

Powder Expended for the Guards

13

Cartridge Paper for Cartridges & Fire

Abroad 18

2 Nailes 3

Candles 4 8¼

Spunge Staves for the Long Boat 1

Lamb Black 4 Barrils

1 Yellow Ocher

1 White Lead 14

Match 14

Signed

Jno Trench

The store goods account continued, brought over at £247 16s 8.25d, as follows:

Brought over, £247 16s 8.25d

Charges general, brought over, £61 3s 10.5d:

1 pound of colour thread, £0 2s 9d

2 yards of flannel, £0 1s 0d

10 gallons of arrack, delivered to those last appointed to survey the several plantations, £0 3s 6d

6 pounds of sugar, delivered to those last appointed to survey the several plantations, £0 3s 0d

5 large quilts, £0 6s 0d

2 pieces of galloon, £0 1s 0d

1 twine, £0 4s 4d

1 paint brush, £0 0s 6d

231 pounds of rice, delivered for the Great Wood blacks, £3 15s 6d

Total, £36 17s 6d

Plantation, ditto:

6 dozen nails, £0 3s 6d

3 ditto, 20-inch, £0 1s 3d

2 ditto, 10-inch, £0 1s 4d

6 pounds of rope, £0 3s 0d

2 lines, ditto, £0 2s 10d

2 gallons of oil, £2 3s 0d

1 brass lock, £0 1s 8d

1.5 pounds of rope, £0 1s 7d

1 pair of iron hinges, £0 0s 5d

4,000 pounds of rice, delivered to the plantation blacks, £30 0s 0d

Total, £36 10s 0d

Diet expenses, ditto:

40 gallons of arrack, £15 12s 4d

43 pounds of bread, £2 14s 9d

176 pounds of sugar, £0 14s 6d

130 pounds of flour, £1 12s 6d

16 gallons of Mountain wine, at 7s 9d per gallon, £1 11s 0d

16 pounds of candy, old sort, £5 12s 4.5d

2 pounds of candles, £2 18s 0d

1 double case, £0 2s 0d

1 double oil, £0 3s 0d

Total, £39 18s 0.75d

Sum total, £405 16s 9d

The gunner's stores expended in the month of October 1727 stood as follows:

Powder expended for the quarter, 13 pounds

Cartridge paper for cartridges to prime, 1 pound

Ditto, 1 pound

Nails, 3 pounds

Candles, 4 pounds

Sponge staves for the longboat, 1

Lampblack, 4 barrels

1 yellow ochre

White lead, 1 pound

Match, 14 pounds

The account was subscribed by John French.

Interpretations

This page closes the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for October 1727 with the last of the general, plantation and diet charges, and adds the gunner's stores expended in the month, all delivered at the consultation of 7 November 1727. The account gathers the several establishments to which goods were issued and closes at a sum total of £405 16s 9d for the month.

The arrack and sugar delivered to those last appointed to survey the several plantations record a small reward or allowance to the surveying commission, the same body of viewers whose fencing and wood report had just been read and enforced at the consultation of 7 November 1727. Supplying the surveyors with spirits and sugar from the stores acknowledged the labour of the inspection that the council relied on to hold its tenants to their planting obligations.

The large issues of rice to the slaves measure the cost of their subsistence. Four thousand pounds went to the plantation slaves and a further quantity to the Great Wood slaves, rice serving as a diet staple alongside the island's yams, so the storekeeper's account carried the feeding of the Company's labour force as a standing monthly charge. The rope, oil, hinges and locks for the plantation equipped the ground work and buildings of the Company's own farms.

The diet expenses furnished the fort's common table with imported drink and provisions. Arrack was the standard Eastern spirit, Mountain a sweet Spanish wine, and the sugar, bread, flour, candy and candles the ordinary supply of the establishment. The gunner's stores at the foot, with their powder, cartridge paper, match and blacking, record the small monthly consumption of the ordnance whose general decay the survey of September 1727 had exposed and whose keeper the council had resolved to replace.

127

104

Expence of the General Table in the Month of October 1727 Vizt

35½ Gall Arrack for the Table

11 4 10

9 Do to Labouring Blacks the Weather being Wet & Stormy

2 10 8

3 Do to the Sick Blacks

19

2½ Do to the Guard

15 10

130 Do Bread

1 14 9

141 Do Sugar

3 14 6

3 Do to the Sick Blacks

130 Do Flour

1 12 6

4 Goat Mountain

1 11

154½ Gall Old Beef

5 12 5½

20 Do Candle

2 18

2 Do Copper

2

1 Bottle Oyle

3 4

17½ Beef

2 3

70 Do Pork

1 15

2 Steers

2 8

11¼ Veal

10

1 Egg

6

6 Do Butter

6

60 Bottles Milk

1 11

31 Days Green

42 13 5½

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 14th November 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governr Reports that he hath put out an other of the Honble Compy Black Girles

named Bett Aged 5½ Year to James Byder for the Term of 12 Years under the usual Penalty

& Conditions

The Governour also Reports that he having received Information from the Overseer at the

Great Wood that James for Straight Bodied Trees had been Lately felled at that part called

the Flagstaff & Dead Wood he Ordered him to Watch & Observe who of & Saltons they were

that Cutt them down & that yesterday he Caught a Black Sallow Cutting them down

hired for that Purpose by Serjt Whaley & Tho Watt & that the Black Sallow belonging

to Robert Wallington had likewise done the Same for his Master, He issued a Warrant

to Search their Houses in which were found the wood Parcells of Green Wood following Vizt

In the House of Serjt Whaley 13 Peices

Serjt Wallington 7 do

Tho Watt 6 do which being done in open Defiance of former Order We

fined each of them Vizt

Robert Wallington being an old Offender£ 3 16

Serjt Whaley 1 16

Tho Watt 18 & threatend to dismiss them the

Comp Service if they ever did the like again but effectually to prevent this for the future

The expense of the general table in the month of October 1727 was set out as follows:

35.5 gallons of arrack for the table, £11 4s 10d

9 ditto to the labouring blacks, the weather being wet and stormy, £2 10s 8d

5 ditto to the sick blacks, £0 19s 0d

2.5 ditto to the guards, £0 16s 10d

130 pounds of bread, £1 14s 9d

141 pounds of sugar, £3 16s 6d

3 ditto to the sick blacks, £3 16s 6d

130 pounds of flour, £1 12s 6d

4 gallons of Mountain wine, £1 11s 0d

15.5 gallons of red port, £6 12s 6.5d

20 pounds of candles, £2 18s 0d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 2s 0d

1 bottle of oil, £0 3s 4d

1.5 pounds of beef, £0 2s 3d

70 pounds of pork, £1 15s 0d

2 sheep, £0 2s 8d

1 fowl, £0 10s 0d

1 hog, £0 0s 6d

6 pounds of butter, £0 0s 6d

60 bottles of milk, £0 1s 0d

31 days greens, £0 1s 0d

Total, £42 13s 5.5d

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

At a consultation held on Tuesday 14 November 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The Governor reported that he had put out another of the honourable Company's black girls, a female child aged six and a half years, to James Ryder for the term of twelve years, under the usual penalty and conditions.

The Governor also reported that, having received information from the overseer at the Great Wood that some fine straight-bodied trees had lately been felled at the part called the flagstaff and dead wood, he had ordered him to watch and observe who cut them down. The previous day the overseer caught a black fellow cutting down trees, hired for that purpose by Sergeant Whaley and Thomas Watts, and found that the black fellow belonging to Robert Wellington had likewise done the same for his master. He issued a warrant to search their houses, in which were found the following parcels of green wood.

In the house of Sergeant Whaley, 13 pieces

Sergeant Wellington, 7 ditto

Thomas Watts, 6 ditto

This being done in open defiance of the Governor's order, the council fined each of them as follows:

Robert Wellington, being an old offender, £3 16s 0d

Sergeant Whaley, £1 16s 0d

Thomas Watts, £0 0s 18d

The council threatened to dismiss them from the Company's service if they did the like again, but effectually to prevent this for the future.

Interpretations

This page closes the general table account for October 1727, delivered at the consultation of 7 November 1727, and opens the consultation of 14 November 1727 with a fresh apprenticing of a Company slave girl and a case of timber theft from the Great Wood. The apprenticing of a girl of six and a half years to James Ryder for twelve years continues the economising policy pursued through 1727, matching the earlier placement to Ryder recorded among the parish elections and the bonds entered since 18 April 1727.

The general table account records the food and drink of the fort's common table, separating the arrack issued to the table from that given to the guards and to the labouring and sick slaves. The nine gallons issued to the labouring slaves on account of wet and stormy weather, and the further quantity to the sick, show spirits used as a working ration in hard conditions and as a comfort in illness, distinct from the ordinary table supply. Arrack was the standard Eastern spirit, Mountain a sweet Spanish wine and red port a Portuguese fortified wine, set against locally produced milk, greens and meat.

The timber theft strikes at the island's most guarded resource. The Great Wood was the settlement's principal stand of native timber, and the felling of straight-bodied trees for building was a serious loss on an island that had to grow its own wood, the same scarcity that drove the planting clauses enforced against the tenants at the consultation of 7 November 1727. The masters hired slaves to cut the trees, so the offence lay with Whaley, Wellington and Watts rather than the men they employed.

The graded fines reflect the council's weighing of the offence. Robert Wellington was fined most heavily as an old offender, the penalties scaled to the number of pieces found and the record of the man, and the threat of dismissal from Company service held the ultimate sanction over servants who defied the Governor's protection of the wood. This use of a standing threat rather than immediate dismissal matched the council's general preference for warning and penalty over the harshest available remedy.

Speculations

The Governor met the suspected felling not by a general prohibition but by ordering the overseer to watch and catch the cutters in the act before moving against them. The straightforward course, on hearing that trees had been felled, was to issue a fresh warning against cutting in the Great Wood. Instead the Governor set the overseer to identify who was responsible and take them in the act, then searched their houses for the cut wood, building the direct evidence of the pieces found before imposing any penalty, so that the offenders were convicted on proof rather than reproved on suspicion, and the masters behind the hired slaves were reached rather than the men who wielded the axe.

128

105

Orderd that the following Advertizement be Published

Whereas the Honble Company have been at a very Charge & Expence in fencing

the Great Wood in Order to preserve it for the Genl Good of the Islands, yet Several

Persons, in Contempt & Defiance of the Antient Laws made for the Preservation thereof

have neverthelesse Lately Cutted & Convey'd away Several Straight Trees from that part called

the Flagstaff & Dead Wood, which if not Speedily prevented will destroy all the young Wood

there growing, by Cutting down Some, & Exposing the rest to the Bleakness of the Winds &

Weather

These are therefore to give Notice that from & after the date hereof no

Person whatsoever is to presume to Send their Blacks for Fuel to the Wood any other

way than by the Cattle Stream thence in to the Wood through the Great Gate, thereof & are

also to return the Same way, nor are they to give or Suffer any of their Servants to

carry or take with them any Bill or Catchet upon any Acct whatever, nor are they upon

any Pretence to Fell, Plucking, Destroy or Cutt down any Young Wood or other Trees, but

but take Such decayed Wood, & Such only, as is already fallen, as the Master or Owner

of Such Black or other Offenders in the Premises, will Answer the contrary at their

Perill

Signed by Order Cripl

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 21st Novr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Mrs Slaughter having Complained that Margaret the Wife of Wm Simpson

had given him very grosse & Abusive Language the was Summoned to attend, & it

appearing by the Testimony of Tho Harper, Michael Doveton, Henry Walsh &

Tho Leech, that She called him Villain, Tyrant, Blockhead & used Such other

Scurrilous Expressions the this time being a Woman only Convised her to ask Pardon

& promise to behave her Self well for the future which She acordingly did, but

Insulting an Officer for his Actions & Behaviour in Discharge of his Duty is

so dangerous & Unwarrantable that it ought to be farther Punished & if She ever

does the like again She Shall be Sure to meet with her Deserts

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The council ordered that the following advertisement be published.

The honourable Company had been at a great charge and expense in fencing the Great Wood to preserve it for the general good of the island. Yet several persons, in contempt and defiance of the ancient laws made for the preservation of that wood, had nevertheless lately felled and carried away several straight-bodied trees from the part called the flagstaff and dead wood. If not speedily prevented, this would destroy all the young wood growing there, by cutting down trees and exposing the rest to the bleakness of the wind and weather.

Notice was therefore given that from the date of the advertisement no person whatever might send his slaves for fuel to the wood by any way other than by the Huts, and from there into the wood through the great gate. They were to return the same way, and they were not to give or allow any of their servants to carry or take with them any bill or hatchet upon any account whatever. Nor were they, upon any pretence, to fell, pluck, destroy or cut down any young wood or other trees, but only to take such decayed wood and such alone as had already fallen. The masters or owners of such slaves or other offenders in the matter would answer for any breach at their peril.

The advertisement was subscribed by order of the council by D. Crisp, Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 21 November 1727 at the Company house.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Mr Slaughter complained that Margaret, the wife of Mr Simpson, had given him very gross and abusive language. She was summoned to attend, and it appeared by the testimony of Thomas Harper, Michael Doveton, Henry Welch and Thomas Leech that she had called him villain, tyrant, blockhead and fool, with other scurrilous expressions. Being a woman, the council for this time only ordered her to give a bond for her good behaviour for the future, which she accordingly did. It held that insulting an officer for his actions and conduct in the discharge of his duty was so dangerous and unwarranted that it ought to be further punished, and warned that if she did the like again she would be sure to meet with her deserts.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This page publishes the formal notice arising from the timber theft heard at the consultation of 14 November 1727 and then records a defamation case at the consultation of 21 November 1727. The advertisement converts the particular offence of Whaley, Wellington and Watts into a general regulation governing all access to the Great Wood, the island's guarded stand of native timber.

The regulation reveals how tightly the Company controlled its principal wood. By confining all fuel-gathering to a single route through the great gate at the Huts, and forbidding slaves to carry any bill or hatchet into the wood, the council removed both the opportunity and the means of felling living trees. The distinction drawn between decayed and fallen wood, which might be taken, and young or standing trees, which might not, protected the growing timber while still allowing the inhabitants their fuel, a careful balance on an island whose wood was a resource that could not be replaced quickly and stood exposed to the wind once thinned.

The defamation complaint shows the council protecting the standing of its officers. Margaret Simpson's abuse of Slaughter was treated not as a private quarrel but as an affront to an officer in the discharge of his duty, which the council held to be dangerous because it undermined the authority on which the small settlement's governance rested. The connection to the earlier assault case of 24 October 1727, in which her husband Simpson was the injured party, and to Slaughter's difficulty recovering his debt from Gibson, shows a recurring friction between the Slaughter household and its neighbours.

The bond for good behaviour was the council's chosen instrument of restraint. Requiring Margaret Simpson to enter a bond bound her under a financial penalty to keep the peace, a standard means of securing future conduct without immediate punishment, the same mechanism used to bind apprentices and defaulters throughout the run. The lenience shown because she was a woman, tempered by the warning of harsher treatment for any repetition, reflects the council's general pattern of measured penalty backed by a standing threat.

Speculations

The council punished Margaret Simpson's abuse of Slaughter with a bond for good behaviour rather than the heavier penalty it plainly thought the offence deserved. Having held that insulting an officer in the discharge of his duty was so dangerous and unwarranted that it ought to be further punished, the council might have imposed a fine or corporal penalty. Her sex moved the council to confine the punishment for this time only to a bond securing her future conduct, so that the danger to an officer's authority was met with a restraint on repetition rather than the full penalty, the leniency resting expressly on her being a woman rather than on any doubt of the offence.

129

106

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 28th Novr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Weather being Hazey this morning had an Alarm for the Long Boat

to the Leward of the Bridge which they Spied at Prosperous Bay took for a Sloop

The Governour Reports that with a diligence of fatigue & Frequent Inspection

he has kept the Bookeeper so Close to his Busifynesse that a New Sett of Books

of Accompts for the last Seven Months Vizt from 26th February to the 30th of

September 1727 are Ballanced & that he has taken Such Care to Refresh many

nueble & Extravagant Articles of Expence as have Reduced the Yearly Charge of

the Islands Some Thousands of Pounds & so Man in Catelyous

Orderd that for the Honble Companies more Speedy & greater Satisfaction an

Abstract of the Charge of the Islands during the Time Mr Byfield was Governour, &

also an Abstract of the Charge thereof Since the Time Edward Byfield Esqr has been

Governour be prepard & Clerk before Us as Trustees next in Order to be Separately

Sent with the Genl Letter in this Years Bookes

Capt Goodwin presented an Inventory of Goods & Stores Remaining Vizt last

last

Orderd that the Same be Examined with the Books

Capt Goodwin having paid the Governr the Sum of One Hundred Ninety

Seven Pounds ten Shillings in Cassh Notes & Dollars at 8 Pr do & desiring Bills

of Exchange for the Same

Orderd that a Sett of Bills of Exchange be acordingly drawn upon the Honble

Compy for the Sum aforesaid, & that the Same be Entred in the Journall Wm Fol 33

Adjourned till to Morrow Morning Eight oClock

in Order to Examine the Books & Inventory

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Wednesday 29th Novr 1727

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

We this Day Examined the Journals in Part

Adjourned till to Morrow Morning Eight oClock

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a consultation held on Tuesday 28 November 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The weather being hazy that morning, an alarm was raised for the longboat to the leeward of the roads, which the guard at Prosperous Bay took for a ship.

The Governor reported that, after much diligent thought and frequent inspection, he had kept the book-keeper so close to his business that the account books for the last seven months, from 26 February to the 30th of September 1727, were balanced. He had taken such care to retrench the many needless and extravagant articles of expense as had produced the speedy discharge of the island from many thousand pounds of debt in cash notes.

The council ordered that, for the honourable Company's more speedy and greater satisfaction, an account of the charge of the island during the time Mr Smith was Governor be drawn up, and also an account of the charge during the time Edward Byfield had been Governor. The Governor directed Mr Crisp to lay these before the council next Tuesday, in order to be sent home separately.

Captain Goodwin presented an inventory of the goods and stores remaining on the 30th of September last. The council ordered that the same be examined with the books.

Captain Goodwin, having paid into the Governor the sum of one hundred and ninety-seven pounds ten shillings in cash notes and dollars at eight shillings each, asked for bills of exchange for the same. The council ordered that these be drawn on the honourable Company for the sum stated, and that the same be entered in the journal, folio 29.

The council adjourned to the following morning at eight, in order to examine the books and inventory. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 29 November 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council this day examined the journal in part, and adjourned to the following morning at eight. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This page records two short consultations, that of 28 November 1727, which took the balanced accounts and ordered comparative statements of the two governorships, and that of 29 November 1727, which began examining the journal. The completed account books for 26 February to 30 September 1727 are the same seven-month reckoning that ran through the stock and store accounts approved across the autumn of 1727.

The Governor's report frames the whole autumn's accounting as a programme of retrenchment. Byfield had driven economy since taking office early in 1727, abolishing the slaves' meat ration on 1 March 1727, closing the limekiln on 21 March 1727 and apprenticing out slave children to save their keep, and here he presents the discharge of many thousands of pounds of debt in cash notes as the fruit of that policy. Cash notes were the island's paper currency, and reducing the Company's debt in them measured the practical saving his retrenchment had achieved.

The order for separate accounts of the Smith and Byfield governorships served the Company's oversight of its servants. Drawing up the charge of the island under each administration let the directors compare the cost of the two governments directly, and Byfield's willingness to set his own economical reckoning beside his predecessor's connects to the address of thanks the inhabitants had presented on 26 July 1727, contrasting his rule with the arbitrary proceedings of the previous administration.

The payment by Captain Goodwin in cash notes and dollars for bills of exchange shows the standard mechanism by which value moved off the island. Dollars valued at eight shillings each were Spanish coin, the common specie of the trade, and paying them into the Governor for bills drawn on the Company let a servant remit his money to England without shipping coin, the Governor being made debtor for the sum in the journal.

130

107

Att a Consultation held on Thursday 30th Novr 1727

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

We this day Finished Our Examination of the Journal & Order that it be

immediatly fairly Copied to be Transmitted to the Honble Compy

Adjourned till to Morrow Morning Eight oClock

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Fryday 1st Decr 1727

Present Edward Byfield Esqr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

We Spent this Day in Examining Part of the Ledger

Adjourned till to Morrow Morning Eight oClock

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Saturday 2d Decr 1727

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr & a Councill

Wee this day Finished the Ledger & began to Examine the Inventory of

Stores & Do Remaining 30th Septr last

Adjourned till Monday Morning Eight oClock

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Monday 4th Decr 1727

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Wee this day Compleated Our Examination of the Inventory & find it Agrees

with the Books

Orderd that the said Ledger & Inventory be also fairly Copied to be

likewise Sent to the Honble Compy

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 5th Decr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

At a consultation held on Thursday 30 November 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council this day finished its examination of the journal, and ordered that it be immediately copied fairly to be transmitted to the honourable Company. The council adjourned to the following morning at eight. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Friday 1 December 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council spent this day examining part of the ledger, and adjourned to the following morning at eight. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Saturday 2 December 1727 at Plantation House.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor, and council.

The council this day finished the ledger and began to examine the inventory of stores and goods remaining on the 30th of September last. The council adjourned to the following Monday morning at eight. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Monday 4 December 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council this day completed its examination of the inventory and found it agreed with the books. The council ordered that the ledger and inventory be also fairly copied and sent home to the honourable Company. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 5 December 1727 at Plantation House.

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

Interpretations

This page records a run of short daily consultations from 30 November to 5 December 1727, given over almost entirely to the methodical audit of the Company's books. The examination moved in sequence through the journal, the ledger and the inventory of stores remaining on 30 September 1727, each checked and then ordered fairly copied for transmission home.

The proceedings show the annual reckoning of a Company factory being closed and verified. The journal recorded transactions as they occurred, the ledger gathered them into accounts, and the inventory listed the physical stores, so examining all three in turn and confirming that the inventory agreed with the books tested whether the paper accounts matched what actually stood in the warehouse. This reconciliation was the core discipline of Company accounting, the same test that had exposed the gunner's stores as unreliable in the survey of September 1727.

The repeated order to have each set of records fairly copied and sent home reflects the Company's control of its distant servants through documentation. The directors in London governed by reviewing the accounts their factors transmitted, so a clean fair copy of the journal, ledger and inventory was the settlement's formal accounting to its masters, the means by which Byfield's economy and the island's condition would be judged. The care taken over this audit connects to the comparative accounts of the two governorships ordered on 28 November 1727, both prepared for the same scrutiny.

The daily adjournments to eight each morning show the council setting aside its ordinary land and disciplinary business to concentrate on the audit. Devoting a continuous run of consultations to the books alone marked the weight the council placed on rendering an accurate annual account, the labour that underlay Byfield's claim to have discharged the island of many thousands of pounds of debt.

131

108

The Six Consultations preceding was this day Read & Approved

The Abstract of the Charge of the Islands during the Time Mr

Smith was Governr, & also, Abstract of the Charge thereof Since the time

Edward Byfield Esqr has been Governr who this day laid before Us acording to

Order of Tuesday last which We immediatly Examined & this they Agree with the

Books from whence it appears that the Expence of the Islands is Sled Thousand two

Hundred & Eightyone Pounds Do Annum lesse than it Lately was, with which the mah

no doubt the Honble Company will be very well pleased

We having been very Busey for Several days past in Examining the Books &

Inventory We desire Copies the Genl who Wed by the Present fault told this Morning the

Particulars of which we Contend in Journall Foles 35 & 38

Capt Goodwin & Mr Doveton Do Do his last Will & Testament of

Grace Coulson Widow deceasd presented the said Will, & also a Codicill to the Same

desiring the Same might be provd which was acording & done & upon the Oaths of the said

Witnesses to the said Will & Codicill

They also presented an Inventory of the Estate of the said Grace Coulson

(which Mr Doveton who Executor Draed the Kaig & took the Care of her Effects received

upon Oath was no that Some to his Knowledge) as Valued & Appraised upon the

Oaths of Wm Fabr Gabriel Cowell & Frankis Wrangham, praying the said Will

might be Exproved & the Inventory Lodged in the Office

Orderd that the said Will be Approved & the Inventory Lodged in the Office acordingly

Richard Beale & James Harding Exers of the last Will & Testament of

John Harding deceasd, likewise delivered an Inventory of the Estate & Effects

the said John Harding as Valued & Appraised upon the Oaths of Jasper Ezan

Wrangham & Charles Stew and also praying that the same might be Lodged in the Office

Orderd that the Same be Received & filed acordingly

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 12th Decr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Capt Goodwin desird to become Tennant to the Honble Compy for about two Acres of

their Lease Land adjoyning to other of the Lease Land at the Head of Swanley Valley

Granted & Order that the Same be Ingrossed

Wm and Robt Story Craying Wake with Wickland for leave to dispose of their Effects

& Estate in Order to go off in hopes to better their Fortune in Consideration of Justice

Byger it & provide they Left Tidly their Just Debts with the Inhabitants

The Governour the Bookeeper Gunner & Steward delivered each a Monthly Acct for

Novr last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

The council read and approved the records of the six preceding consultations this day.

The abstract of the charge of the island during the time Mr Smith was Governor, and the abstract of the charge during the time Edward Byfield had been Governor, were this day laid before the council, as ordered. The council examined them at once and found them to agree with the books. From these it appeared that the expense of the island had been reduced by some thousand or two hundred pounds a year below what it lately was, with which the council had no doubt the honourable Company would be very well pleased.

Having been very busy for several days examining the books and inventory, the council ordered fair copies made and sent home, the particulars of which were contained in the journal, folio 35 and 38.

Captain Goodwin and Mr Doveton, executors of the last will and testament of Grace Coulson, deceased, presented the will, together with a codicil to it, asking that both be proved on the oaths of the witnesses. The witnesses to the will and codicil made their oaths accordingly.

The executors also presented an inventory of the estate of Grace Coulson, which Mr Doveton, one of the executors, on oath declared to be the whole of her effects that came into his hands. The appraisal was made on oath, the estate valued and appraised by James Gabriel Powell and Francis Wrangham. The council was asked that the will, codicil and inventory be registered and lodged in the office.

The council ordered that the will be proved and registered and the inventory lodged in the office accordingly.

Richard Beal and James Harding, executors of the last will and testament of John Harding, deceased, likewise delivered an inventory of the estate and effects. The council asked that the same be lodged, and the inventory being valued and appraised upon oath by James Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham and Charles Steward, they also asked that the same be lodged in the office.

The council ordered that the same be proved and registered accordingly. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 12 December 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Captain Goodwin asked to become tenant to the honourable Company for about two acres of his leasehold land, adjoining another parcel of land he held at the head of Swanley Valley. The council granted this and ordered the same to be registered.

William Adds and Henry Loveing Whaley asked leave to dispose of their estates in order to go off in health to better their fortunes in consideration of justice. The council granted this, provided they first settled their accounts with the inhabitants.

The Governor, the book-keeper, the gunner and the steward delivered each a monthly account for November last, which the council severally examined and approved, as follows.

Interpretations

This page closes the audit of the Company's books at the consultation of 5 December 1727 and turns to probate and land business at the consultation of 12 December 1727. The comparative abstracts of the Smith and Byfield governorships, ordered on 28 November 1727 and laid before the council here, completed the accounting record prepared for transmission home, confirming the reduction in the island's yearly charge that Byfield's retrenchment had achieved.

The probate of Grace Coulson's will connects directly to the fencing enforcement of the previous month. Coulson was the aged defaulter who, examined at the consultation of 7 November 1727, had declared herself an old woman leaving the world and careless of her barren land, and her death within weeks explains the resignation she had shown. A codicil was a later addition amending a will, and proving both on the oaths of the witnesses established their validity before registration.

The appraisal of both estates on oath by the council's regular valuers served the security of the probate record. Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham and Charles Steward were the same trusted inhabitants who valued land and stores throughout the run, and requiring the executors to swear that the inventory covered the whole of the deceased's effects guarded against concealment, giving heirs and creditors a sworn record of what the estate contained. Registering the will and lodging the inventory in the office preserved the documents against later dispute.

The requests of William Adds and Henry Loveing Whaley to sell up and leave show the council regulating departure from the island. A settler wishing to go had first to settle his accounts with the inhabitants, so that debts owed on the island were cleared before he sailed beyond reach, the same principle that governed the recovery of Hodgkinson's debt by stopping his pay when he sought to leave in the autumn of 1727.

132

109

Collection of Store Goods Sold to the Inhabitants & ca from the 1st to 30th Novr 1727

Arrack 40½ Gall

15 11 1¼

134 Do Sugar

4 19

3 Do Candy

3

4 15

53 Do Flour

18 3

2 Do Bohea Tea

14

12 Soap

6

1 Gall Raw Oyle

6

179 Do Cutt Tobacco

20 12 9

140 Sopes

8 10

20 8 7

2 Do Candles

4

2000 Rice

6 3

63 4

1 Do Chelloe

1 16 9

2 Do Gunderries

13

4 Do Corry Long Cloth

14

1 Do Gingham

7 6

1 Do Chelloe

4 4

18 10

4 Yards Flannell

9

1 Looking Glass with Swing Frame

9 6

4 oz Indigo

3

2 Yards Duance

3

1 Pr Mens Stockings

3 6

3 7 4

1 Small China Cupps

1

2 10

6 Yards Twisting

1

6 Featering

4

1½ oz China Silk

8 3

1½ Do Whited Brown Thread

3 6

13 Colonech Thread

14

1 oz Twine Thread

3

1 Pr narrow Holland Tape

9

1 4

6 Custor Spoons

2

10 Lines Sorted

8 4

10 7

1 Twisting Gimblog

1 3

1 Shod Finish

7 3

1 Padlock Catchit

3 8

1 Box Iron & Heater

12 6

2 Chizes

11

1 7 3

1 Thimble

2 7

1 Ivory Comb

7

1 9

4 Pr Mens Do Lea Shoes

6 6

1 Girles Calve Leather

6

9 3

8 M 4d Nailes

6

6 Do do

6

159 1 7¼

Sum Totall to the Inhabitants

Garrison Do 3 Cattee Green Tea

1 4

1½ Gall Sweet Oyle to the Smith

8

2

fit for no other Use

Charges General

12 Gall Linseed Oyle

3 12

10 Do Soap

1 3

28 White Lead

14

12 Barils Lamb Black

2 6

2 Two Chest Oyle

12 3

3 Stock Locks

6 6

3 Splinter do

1 4

1½ M 4d Inch Brade

1 8

1 Do 12 do

6 15

134 1 7¼

Collection of store goods sold to the inhabitants from the 1st to the 30th of November 1727, as follows:

Arrack, 40.5 gallons, £15 11s 1.25d

134 pounds of sugar, £4 19s 0d

3 pounds of candy, £0 3s 0d

53 pounds of flour, £4 15s 0d

2 pounds of bohea tea, £0 13s 3d

12 pounds of soap, £0 14s 0d

1 gallon of Batavia oil, £0 16s 0d

179 pounds of cut tobacco, £20 12s 9d

140 pounds of pepper, £0 16s 10d, £20 8s 7d

2 pounds of candles, £0 6s 0d

2,000 pounds of yams, £67 4s 0d

1 piece of fustian, £1 16s 9d

2 pieces of gunderries, £1 13s 0d

14 pieces of every long cloth, £14 0s 0d

1 piece of gingham, £0 7s 6d

1 piece of chilloe, £4 14s 4d, £19 10s 0d

4 yards of flannel, £0 9s 0d

1 looking glass with swinging frame, £0 9s 6d

4 ounces of indigo, £0 3s 0d

2 yards of durance, £0 3s 0d

1 pair of horn stockings, £0 3s 6d, £3 7s 4d

6 small China cups, £0 1s 0d, £2 10s 0d

6 yards of ferreting, £0 1s 3d

6 garting, £0 1s 3d

6 pieces of China silk, £0 8s 3d

1.5 pounds of white and brown thread, £0 3s 6d

3 pounds of colour thread, £0 13s 0d

1 ounce of nuns thread, £0 3s 0d

1 pair of narrow Holland tape, £0 2s 9d, £1 4s 0d

6 custard spoons, £0 8s 4d, £0 10s 7d

10 lines, sorted, £0 1s 3d

1 ferreting jerrycomb, £0 3s 0d, £0 7s 3d

1 shod shovel, £0 3s 8d

1 hedging hatchet, £0 12s 6d

1 box iron and heater, £0 11s 0d, £1 7s 2d

2 cutlasses, £0 2s 0d

1 thimble, £0 1s 7d

1 jerrycomb, £0 1s 9d, £0 1s 9d

4 pairs of women's shoes, £0 6s 2d, £0 9s 3d

1 pair calve leather, £0 5s 0d

6 dozen 4-inch nails, £0 1s 0d

6 ditto, ditto, £0 6s 0d

Sum total to inhabitants, £152 1s 7.25d

Garrison, ditto:

3 catties of green tea, £1 8s 0d

1.5 gallons of Batavia oil for the smith, £0 8s 0d, set for no other use, £2 0s 0d

Charges general, ditto:

12 gallons of linseed oil, £3 12s 0d

10 pounds of soap, £1 3s 0d

28 white lead, £0 14s 0d

12 barrels of lampblack, £0 2s 6d

2 chest locks, £0 13s 3d

3 stock locks, £0 6s 0d

3 splinter, ditto, £0 1s 4d

1.5 pounds of half-inch brads, £0 1s 8d

1 ditto, 1.5 ditto, £0 1s 0d

Sum, £6 15s 0d

Sum total, £134 4s 7.25d

Interpretations

This account is the storekeeper's monthly reckoning of Company goods sold to the inhabitants across November 1727, delivered with the other November accounts at the consultation of 12 December 1727. It follows the settled form, opening with arrack and provisions, moving through textiles and small wares, and dividing the closing charges among the inhabitants, the garrison and general charges.

The provisions and stores at the head show the warehouse supplying the community's consumable needs. Arrack was the standard Eastern spirit, and the sugar, candy, flour, bohea tea, tobacco and pepper were imported staples sold on credit. The two thousand pounds of yams valued at a substantial sum record the island's own root crop passing through the store, an unusual entry since yams were normally reserved for feeding the people and stock rather than sold.

The textiles again represent the mix of English and Indian cloth the Company carried. Fustian was a cotton-linen mix, durance a glazed worsted and flannel a soft wool, all English woollens and mixtures, while long cloth, chilloe and gingham were Indian cottons of the Eastern trade. Gunderries was a coarse Indian cotton, and the small wares of ferreting, garting, thread and tape furnished the materials of sewing and dress that no household could make for itself.

The garrison and general charges kept the Company's own consumption apart from the sales to settlers. The Batavia oil issued to the smith and set for no other use shows a store reserved to a particular trade, while the linseed oil, white lead and lampblack were the materials of painting and preserving against the damp Atlantic air. The graded locks, brads and tools supplied the building and security needs of the establishment, all charged to their proper account on the same monthly footing the council had kept through the year.

133

110

Brought Over

6 15 9

134 1 7¼

4 M 10d Nailes

2 8

4 6d

1 8

2 4d

1 9

1 Do Tacks

1 8

370 Do Rice for Poultry & Pidgeons

2 15 6

2 Large Iron

6 8

24 Squares Glass 8 & 10

1 4

1½ Do Cork Wick

6

10¼ Yd Twisting

3 6

16 Do Diaper Tape

3

1 do

1 6

6 do

7 6

12 6 10

Blacks Do on acct of Diet Expence 4352 Rice

32 12 9½

On acct of Clothing 1 Mans Salt

6

1 Shoe Thread

2 6

3 Doz Brass Buttons

2 3

32 18 7½

Plantation Do

76 Doz Hooks Sorted

2 18 8

64 Line do

1 17 5

10 oz China Silk

1 6

1 Twine

2 2

1 Coyle Rope No 22, Wt 1.1.22

2 18 7

24 Yd Sail Cloth

3 3 3½

3336 Do Rice

24 10 4¾

4 Gall Trying Oyle

4 4

492 oz Nailes

1 6

3 do do

1 6

37 9 6

Gunners & Naval Stores

1 Do Blue do for a Flag Bagg

10

6 White Lead

4

1 Gall Linseed Oyle

6

18 Twine

2 2

1 1 2

Diet Expences

41 Gall Arrack

12 19 8

3½ Do Mountain

1 5½

18½ Strong Beer

1 6 3

167 Do Bread

1 6 9

12 Gall Old Beef Sorted

4 13

18½ Do Flour

7

110 Do Sugar

2 12

1 Do Copper

2 6

19 Do Wax Candles

2 15

27 15 3½

Sum Totall 246 10 3½

Gunners Stores Expended in Novr 1727 Vizt

Powder

Munds Day

1 8

An Alarm

4 3 3

Expence of the Guards

10

1 Do Black Cloth for a Flag Bagg

4 2 7 30

1 Gall Linseed Oyle

6 Do Cork Sead

2 Quire Cartridge Paper

Spunge Heads 8

Ramming Heads

Lamp Iron 8

Match

Signed

Jno French

The store goods account continued, brought over at £134 4s 7.25d, as follows:

Brought over, £134 4s 7.25d

4 pounds of 10-inch nails, £0 2s 8d

4 pounds of 6-inch, £0 1s 8d

2 pounds of 4-inch, £0 1s 9d

1 pound of tacks, £0 1s 8d

370 pounds of rice for poultry and pigeons, £2 15s 6d

2 large lines, £0 6s 8d

24 square glasses, ditto, £1 4s 0d

1.5 pounds of hook lead, £0 1s 6d

10.25 yards of ferreting, £0 3s 6d

16 pieces of diaper tape, £0 3s 0d

1 ditto, £0 1s 6d

3 ditto, £0 7s 6d

Total, £12 6s 10d

Blacks, ditto:

On account of diet expenses, 4,352 pounds of rice, £32 12s 9.5d

On account of clothing:

1 pair of women's shoes, £0 6s 0.5d

1 pound of shoe thread, £0 2s 6d

3 dozen brass buttons, £0 2s 3d

Total, £32 18s 7.5d

Plantation, ditto:

7.6 dozen hooks, sorted, £2 18s 8d

6.4 large, ditto, £1 17s 5d

10 pieces of China silk, £0 1s 6d

1 twine, £0 2s 2d

1 copper boiler, number 22, weight 1 hundredweight 1 quarter 22 pounds, £2 18s 7d

2.5 dozen deal boards, £3 3s 3.5d

3,536 pounds of rice, £24 10s 4.5d

4 gallons of Batavia oil, £0 4s 6d

1,920 nails, £0 1s 6d

3 ditto, £0 1s 6d

Total, £37 9s 6d

Gunners and naval stores:

1.5 pieces of blue, ditto, for a flag, £0 10s 0d

6 white lead, £0 3s 0d

1 gallon of linseed oil, £0 6s 0d

1.5 twine, £0 2s 2d

Total, £1 1s 2d

Diet expenses:

41 gallons of arrack, £12 19s 8d

3.5 ditto of Mountain wine, £0 5s 9.5d

18.5 strong beer, £1 3s 0d

167 pounds of bread, £1 6s 9d

12 gallons of red port, £4 13s 0d

130 pounds of flour, £1 12s 0d

110 pounds of sugar, £2 15s 0d

1 pound of pepper, £0 1s 0d

10 pounds of wax candles, £0 8s 0d

Total, £27 15s 3.5d

Sum total, £216 10s 5.5d

The gunner's stores expended in November 1727 stood as follows:

Muster day, powder 10 pounds

Ship alarm, guns fired 4, powder 2, £2 2s 0d

Expense of the guards, powder 10 pounds

1 piece of black cloth for a flag, powder 4, guns fired 2, £2 2s 30d

1 gallon of linseed oil

6 pounds of hook lead

2 quire of cartridge paper

1 sponge head

1 priming wire, ditto 8

1 large twine, ditto 8

Match, ditto 8

The account was subscribed by John French.

Interpretations

This page closes the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for November 1727, delivered at the consultation of 12 December 1727, dividing the remaining charges among the inhabitants, the slaves, the plantation, the naval and gunners stores and the fort table, and adds the gunner's stores expended in the month. It gathers the several establishments the warehouse supplied and closes at a sum total of £216 10s 5.5d.

The large issue of rice to the slaves records their standing subsistence. More than four thousand pounds went to their diet, alongside the rice for the plantation, rice serving as a staple grain issued with the island's yams, so the feeding of the Company's labour force ran as a fixed monthly charge. The small allowances of shoes, shoe thread and brass buttons on account of clothing show the Company meeting the slaves' clothing needs from its stores.

The plantation and naval charges equipped the Company's farms and the island's boats and signals. The copper boiler, deal boards, hooks and lines served the plantation and fishing work, while the blue and black cloth for flags, the linseed oil and twine maintained the signalling apparatus by which the island communicated alarms. The fishing hooks tie to the fishing programme begun when the slaves' meat ration was replaced with fish on 1 March 1727.

The gunner's stores at the foot record the month's ordnance expenditure occasion by occasion. Powder was fired for the muster day and for a ship alarm, the same alarm noted when the longboat was mistaken for a ship at Prosperous Bay on 28 November 1727, and the cartridge paper, sponge head, priming wire and match were the small stores consumed in serving the guns. This continued the monthly accounting of the ordnance whose general decay the survey of September 1727 had exposed.

134

111

Expence of the General Table in November 1727 Vizt

33 Gall Arrack

10 9

3½ Gall Mountain

7½

18½ Gall Strong Beer

1 3

107 Do Bread

1 6 9

12 Gall Old Beef

4½

123 Do Flour

1 12

93 Do Sugar

2 6 6

1 Do Copper

1

2 Steep

1

3 Goates

1 10

163 Do Pork

3 19

3 Fowles

4

8½ Do Butter

8 6

30 Days

1 10

62 Bottles Milk

1

32 12 3½

15 Do Soap Coll in Collection Book to Charge Genl£ 1 3

5 Gall Arrack Do to Sick & Labouring Blacks

1 11 8

14 Do Sugar Do to Do

8 6

40 Do Candles

18

3 Gall Arrack for the Guard

19

5 15 6

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry Horses

[headers: Bullocks · Cowes · Heifer · Steers · Yearlings · Calves · Bulls · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Lambs · Rams · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Kids · Rams · Totall | Sows · Shoates · Barrows · Boars · Pig · Totall | Turkeys · Fowles · Ducks · Geese | Horses · Mares · Totall]

Remns 1st Novr — Bullocks 76 · Cowes 74 · Heifer 29 · Steers 16 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 46 · Bulls 3 · Totall 268 | Ewes 54 · Wethers 23 · Lambs 24 · Rams 2 · Totall 102 | Ewes 191 · Wethers 56 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 370 | Sows 8 · Shoates 10 · Barrows 1 · Boars 1 · Pig 20 · Totall 40 | Turkeys 82 · Fowles 95 · Ducks 37 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Encreasd in do — Calves 3 · Totall 3 | Horses 1 · Totall 1

[running total] — Bullocks 76 · Cowes 74 · Heifer 29 · Steers 16 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 49 · Bulls 3 · Totall 271 | Ewes 54 · Wethers 23 · Lambs 24 · Rams 2 · Totall 102 | Ewes 191 · Wethers 56 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 370 | Sows 8 · Shoates 10 · Barrows 1 · Boars 1 · Pig 20 · Totall 40 | Turkeys 82 · Fowles 95 · Ducks 37 · Geese 30 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Killed in do — Wethers 2 · Totall 2 | Ewes 1 · Wethers 2 · Totall 3 | Shoates 1 · Totall 2 | Fowles 3

[running total] — Bullocks 76 · Cowes 74 · Heifer 29 · Steers 16 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 49 · Bulls 3 · Totall 271 | Ewes 54 · Wethers 20 · Lambs 24 · Rams 2 · Totall 100 | Ewes 190 · Wethers 54 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 367 | Sows 7 · Shoates 9 · Barrows 1 · Boars 1 · Pig 20 · Totall 38 | Turkeys 82 · Fowles 92 · Ducks 37 · Geese 30 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Dead in do — Barrows 2 · Pig 2

Remns Ultmo 9br — Bullocks 76 · Cowes 74 · Heifer 29 · Steers 16 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 49 · Bulls 3 · Totall 271 | Ewes 54 · Wethers 20 · Lambs 24 · Rams 2 · Totall 100 | Ewes 190 · Wethers 54 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 367 | Sows 7 · Shoates 9 · Barrows 1 · Boars 1 · Pig 18 · Totall 36 | Turkeys 82 · Fowles 92 · Ducks 37 · Geese 30 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Yams Expended for the Hogs & Poultry 5,217

The expense of the general table in November 1727 was set out as follows:

33 gallons of arrack, £10 9s 0d

3.5 gallons of Mountain wine, £0 4s 7.5d

18.5 gallons of strong beer, £1 3s 0d

107 pounds of bread, £1 6s 9d

12 gallons of red port, £4 13s 0d

123 pounds of flour, £1 12s 0d

93 pounds of sugar, £2 6s 6d

1 pound of pepper, £0 1s 0d

2 sheep, £0 4s 0d

3 goats, £0 1s 6d

183 pounds of pork, £3 19s 0d

3 fowls, £0 4s 6d

8.5 pounds of butter, £0 8s 6d

30 days greens, £0 1s 0d

60 bottles of milk, £0 1s 0d

Total, £32 13s 3.75d

15 pounds of soap, entered in the collection book to charges general, £1 1s 3d

5 gallons of arrack, ditto, to the sick and labouring blacks, £1 11s 8d

16 pounds of sugar, ditto, to ditto, £0 8s 6d

40 pounds of candles, £0 18s 0d

3 gallons of arrack for the guard, £0 19s 0d

Total, £5 18s 5d

Account of the honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the month of November 1727. The columns run in order: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and the neat cattle total; ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and the sheep total; ewes, wethers, kids, rams and the goat total; sows, shoats, barrows, boars, pigs and the hog total; turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese and the poultry total; horses, mares and the horse total.

Remaining 1 November 1727:

bullocks 76, cows 74, heifers 29, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 46, bulls 3, neat cattle total 268

ewes 54, wethers 22, lambs 24, rams 2, sheep total 102

ewes 191, wethers 56, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 370

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 20, hog total 40

turkeys 82, fowls 95, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Increased from 1 to 30 November:

calves 3, neat cattle total 3

turkeys 1, poultry total 1

Killed from 1 to 30 November:

bullocks 76, cows 74, heifers 29, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 49, bulls 3, neat cattle total 271

ewes 54, wethers 22, lambs 24, rams 2, sheep total 102

and 2, and 2

ewes 191, wethers 56, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 370

and 1, and 2

sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 20, hog total 40

and 3, and 1, and 1

turkeys 82, fowls 95, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 6

and 3

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Died from 1 to 30 November:

bullocks 76, cows 74, heifers 29, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 49, bulls 3, neat cattle total 271

ewes 54, wethers 20, lambs 24, rams 2, sheep total 100

ewes 190, wethers 54, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 367

sows 7, shoats 9, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 20, hog total 38

and 2, and 2

turkeys 82, fowls 92, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Remaining 30 November 1727:

bullocks 76, cows 74, heifers 29, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 49, bulls 3, neat cattle total 271

ewes 54, wethers 20, lambs 24, rams 2, sheep total 100

ewes 190, wethers 54, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 367

sows 7, shoats 9, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 18, hog total 36

turkeys 82, fowls 92, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

The yams expended for the hogs and poultry came to 5,217 pounds. The grand total expended for the hogs and poultry came to 5,217 pounds.

Interpretations

This page closes the general table account for November 1727 and gives the monthly livestock stock account for the same month, both delivered at the consultation of 12 December 1727. The table account records the food and drink of the fort's common table, extended to sterling and separating the arrack for the table from that issued to the guards and to the sick and labouring slaves.

The issue of arrack and sugar to the sick and labouring slaves, entered here and cross-referenced to the collection book under general charges, shows spirits and sugar used as a working ration and a comfort in illness. This was a practical allowance distinct from the ordinary table supply, the same provision made in the wet and stormy weather of October 1727, and its entry under general charges rather than the table account marks the careful division the storekeeper kept between the two.

The livestock account follows the settled form, carrying each class of animal through opening number, increase, slaughter and death to a closing figure. The addition of a mare to the horse stock, shown by the rise from nine to ten, and the reclassification of calves as they matured record the ordinary movement of the herd. Wethers were castrated sheep and barrows castrated boars, the separate columns letting the council track the breeding and fattening stock apart, the discipline that kept the running tally accurate.

The November yam total of 5,217 pounds for the hogs and poultry measures one part of the cost of feeding the Company's stock. Yams fed both people and animals, so the quantity expended on the hogs and poultry recorded a standing monthly charge, the same accounting of the island's staple crop that ran through every stock account across the year and underlay Byfield's reckoning of the settlement's true expense.

135

112

Mr Gibson being Summoned to Answer to the Complaint of Joseph Bates for denying Payment

of a Debt contracted for necessaries with which the later Supplyed him, instead of Repeating he

Sent a Letter to the Governour desiring his Attendance might be excusd, pretending that the

Weakness in his Head & Limbs Was continued twas so great that he was not able to Stir, they

said Bates was therefore & Ford to go down & try to bring him to Acct by fair Means & he

acordingly went & being return not acquainted Us that he found Mr Gibson very well, as to his

Limbs Walking about as usual, but that he Plott the Slick him off & refused Paym & that

in the Dispute between them about this Matter he mentioned the Honble Company with great

Rudeness & Indecency Saying by way of Threat the Company too have put a Debt upon me of

Thirty Pounds but she handle us for it when I get to England

Orderd that the said Gibson do attend on Tuesday next all Causes Set a Side to

Answer for his Insolence & Contempt of the Honble Company, & to the Complaint of the said

Joseph Bates

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 19th Decr 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Marshall having this morning by Our Direction taken Geo Gibson Surgeon into

Custody he was brought before Us & being Confronted by Joseph Bates the later was

desird whether to Remember what Discourse passed between them on Tuesday last relating

to the Honble Company, to which he Replyed, & as perfectly well & am Healthy & desirous to

make Oath of it & acordingly made the following Affidavit Vizt

The Deposition of Joseph Bates taken upon Oath this 16 day Decr 1727

This Deponent Sayth that on Tuesday last in a Dispute that happened between him &

Geo Gibson Surgeon about a Debt the said Gibson took occasion to mention the Honble Company

with great Rudeness & Indecency Saying the Company too have put a Debt upon me of

Thirty Pounds but she handle them for it when I get to England

Jurat 16 Decr 1727

Coram me

E Byfeild

Joseph Bates

We therefore Unanimously Agreed & acordingly Ordered that the said Gibson for the

threatning Contemptuous Words abovementioned be allowed Salary no Longer than at present

We think he well deserves as well for a Neglect or Ingratitude he not having done any Duty

or taken the least Care of any of the Honble Compa Servants either Whole or & Slack So he very

frequently went by the Infirmary in his Way to his Corony Companions the Fishermen

The said Gibson was acquainted with this Resolution but & praying to be allowed

Provision for his necessary Subsistance during the time of his Short Continuance here We

Directed the Steward to Send him daily what is Sufficient for his Support

The Debt Claimd by Bates appearing to be justly due We Directed Payment acordingly but

it not being clear whether the Contract between the said Gibson & the Mate Hodgkinson was

Denying & the other Affirming that he was to have been first Satisfied for his former trouble on

Mr Gibson was summoned to answer the complaint of Joseph Bates for refusing payment of a debt contracted for necessaries with which Bates had supplied him. Instead of appearing, he sent a letter to the Governor asking that his attendance be excused, pleading that the weakness in his head and limbs continued so great that he was not able to stir. Bates was therefore obliged to go to him and try to bring him to account by fair means. He accordingly went, and, being nearly acquainted with him, found Mr Gibson very well, moving about his limbs as usual, but that he still shuffled with him and refused payment. In the dispute between them over the matter Gibson mentioned the honourable Company with great rudeness and indecency, saying they too had put a debt upon him of thirty pounds, though he would handle them for it when he got to England.

The council ordered that Gibson attend the following Tuesday, all excuses set aside, to answer for his insolence and contempt of the honourable Company, and to the complaint of Joseph Bates. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 19 December 1727 at Union Fort.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The marshal, having this morning by the council's direction taken George Gibson the surgeon into custody, brought him before the council. Being confronted by Joseph Bates, and reminded what disrespect he had shown between them the previous Tuesday relating to the honourable Company, to which he replied that he was perfectly well and healthy and willing to make oath of it, he accordingly made the following affidavit.

The deposition of Joseph Bates, taken upon oath this 16th day of December 1727. The deponent stated that on the previous Tuesday, in a dispute that arose between him and George Gibson the surgeon about a debt, Gibson took occasion to mention the honourable Company with great rudeness and indecency, saying the Company too had put a debt upon him of thirty pounds, though he would handle them for it when he got to England. This was sworn on 16 December 1727 and subscribed by Joseph Bates before Edward Byfield.

The council unanimously agreed and accordingly ordered that Gibson, for his threatening and contemptuous words against the honourable Company, be abated his salary no longer than they thought he well deserved, as well for neglect as ingratitude. He had not performed any duty or taken the least care of any of the honourable Company's servants, whether black or white, and had frequently gone by the infirmary in his way to his cronies and companions the fishermen.

The council acquainted Gibson with this resolution, but, begging to be allowed provision for his necessary subsistence during the time of his short stay, the council directed the steward to send him daily what was sufficient for his support.

The debt claimed by Bates appeared to be justly due. The council directed payment accordingly, but, it not being clear whether the contract lay between Gibson and his mate Hodgkinson, the one denying and the other affirming that he was to have been first satisfied for his former trouble, the council [...].

Interpretations

This page carries the long-running quarrel with Gibson the surgeon to its climax at the consultations of the previous week and of 19 December 1727. The complaint of Joseph Bates for an unpaid debt connects Gibson's professional failings, exposed in the medical complaints of the autumn of 1727, to a pattern of evasion over money, the same shuffling Slaughter had met when trying to recover his own debt from Gibson.

The proceedings reveal how the council treated an affront to the Company itself as graver than a private debt. Gibson's boast that he would handle the Company for the thirty pounds it had charged him, uttered with rudeness and indecency, was construed as insolence and contempt, and the council took the extraordinary step of having the marshal arrest him and bring him before it. Taking a sworn affidavit from Bates fixed the words in a formal record, the evidentiary discipline the council had shown throughout the surgeon's affairs.

The abatement of Gibson's salary combined punishment for the contemptuous words with censure of his neglect. The council recorded that he had done no duty and taken no care of the Company's servants, black or white, but passed the infirmary on his way to idle with the fishermen, so the reduction of his pay answered both his ingratitude and his failure to earn it. This links to the inhabitants' petition of September 1727, which had already sought his removal for incompetence and demanded a replacement from the shipping.

The council tempered the penalty with provision for Gibson's subsistence and confirmed the debt to Bates as justly due, showing its concern to do right by the creditor while punishing the debtor. The uncertainty over whether Gibson or his mate Hodgkinson was first to be satisfied ties the debt to the medicine inquiry of the autumn of 1727, in which Hodgkinson was charged with selling and squandering the Company's stores, leaving the two men's tangled claims for the council to resolve.

136

113

Acct of Mr Gibson before the Contract was to take Place, but in either Case Wobserve that the

Debt Claimd by Bates is justly due for the Contract is Good Hodgkinson debtd as Servant

to the other & is Brought for Money which Bates prodced is fully Deficance to him, & fit & Good

Mr Gibson has nothing to do with the Matter, We therefore Directed that to prepare their Witnesses if

they had any & attend again if they think proper in Order to decide this affair, & at the Same time

We acquainted Mr Gibson as We often did about three Months ago that if any of the Inhabi

tants in his Debt Refusd or Neglected to Pay him, upon Application to Us they should be

Summons & he have Wed done him

Yesterday Noon We had a Single Alarm & about Six aweeal the Bruise of Notes

from Madrap with Stores for the Use of the Islands as hereaftermentiond, & this Morning the

Captain came on Shore to whom We im & Slato & the following Orders relatd the Mast continued

to give to the Captain of every Ship the Momment We arrivd Wc & the Honble Company & undermend

their Last Instructions & Orders Vide folio 39 for a Copy of the Instructions & to the Captain

Selling Prices

Copy of Invoice & Promise of Sales Vizt

Rice 44 Bags of 200 Wet & Bag 44 & Do

Sated & Provisions Vizt

Sugar 22 Bags 373 1/9 5 4 a Bag 10 Do Cassh

99

Batavia Arrack 4 half Leag 8 Do 9 Do Cassh

36

105 22 22

Charges Merchandising

Gunney 24 Bags a Bag 5 Do 100

12

Twine & Marlin 5 18 & Cassh

9 7

Boat & Cooley

8 6

21 5

Bags 130 74

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 26th Decr 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The following Orders were deliverd Capt Machet on Wednesday last & We will give the

Rd Direction to every Captain till the Honble Compy think proper to alter or Change their Last

Instructions Vide folio 40 & Vizt

Vide folio 40 for a Copy of the Order to Issue in Ship upon Alarms

The Inhabitants having lived amically together for the Last & Vaction no considerable Contravercy

had happenid among them, We therefore have Adjourned the Sessions to the 26th of March next

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The council resolved the account with Gibson before the contract could take effect, but held in any case that the debt claimed by Bates was justly due. The obligation arose from the dealings between Gibson and Hodgkinson as fellow servants, and the record of money that Bates produced showed a genuine debt owed to him. The council held that Gibson had no answer to it, and directed him to bring forward any witnesses he had and to attend again if the council thought proper, so that the matter might be settled. At the same time it reminded Gibson that about three months earlier he had offered to pay any inhabitant he owed on application, and that any such creditor should be summoned to have satisfaction.

The previous noon an alarm was raised at the arrival of the Princess Amelia. The council delivered the following orders to the captain and directed him to move the vessel to the anchorage set out below. The next morning the captain came ashore to take his instructions, and the following orders relating to the fleet were addressed to the captain of every ship, ordered to be entered in the journal, folio 29, for a copy of the instructions given to the captain.

The council took the following store goods, valued as set out below:

Setting price, copy of invoice and Prince of Wales, ditto, £22 0s 0d

Rice, 2.5 bags of 200 pounds, 4 bags 6 pies, £44 8s 6d

Salted provisions, ditto:

Sugar, 22 bags of 79 pounds, £19 8s 4d, 8 bags 10 ditto candy, £6 3s 9.5d, £22

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, 8 ditto 9 ditto cask, £36 0s 0d, £105 0s 0d, ditto £22

Charges merchandising:

Gunny, 2.5 bags, at 8s 9d per 100, £0 2s 0d

Twine and wads, ditto, £5 1s 8d candy, £0 9s 7d

Boat and cooley, £8 6s 0d, £2 1s 5.75d

Total, £130 0s 7.25d

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 26 December 1727 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The council had given the following orders to Captain Marchet the previous Wednesday, and now gave the like direction to every captain until the honourable Company should think proper to alter or amend its last instructions, entered at folio 40 in the journal, for a copy of the order to leave in a ship on alarms.

The inhabitants had lived so harmoniously together this last year, with no considerable dispute arising among them, that the council adjourned the peace meeting to 26 March next.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This page closes the Gibson debt case begun at the earlier consultation and carries the council through the arrival of the Princess Amelia to the consultation of 26 December 1727. The resolution of the Bates debt confirmed the surgeon's liability while leaving the tangled question of his contract with Hodgkinson to be untangled, the same knot of competing claims that ran through the medicine inquiry of the autumn of 1727.

The council's record of Gibson's earlier offer to satisfy any inhabitant he owed shows it holding him to his own word. By recalling that he had professed willingness to pay his debts on application some three months earlier, the council exposed the hollowness of his present evasion over the Bates debt, using his prior undertaking against him as it built the case for the salary abatement imposed at the consultation of 19 December 1727.

The orders to the captain of the Princess Amelia and to every ship continue the wartime convoy discipline established since the war warning of 9 May 1727. The direction to move a newly arrived vessel to a set anchorage and to take instructions for conduct on alarms reflects the standing posture of defence, the same care to control shipping in the road that had governed the examination of suspect vessels through the summer of 1727. Referring the captains to the journal for a copy of the instructions kept the orders uniform across the fleet.

The adjournment of the peace meeting to 26 March 1728 for want of business marks the quiet close of the judicial year. The council recorded that the inhabitants had lived harmoniously with no considerable dispute, a contrast to the arbitrary rule of the previous administration that the inhabitants had praised in their address of 26 July 1727, and the deferral of the court to the following spring reflected the settled state Byfield's government had brought.

137

114

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 2 Janry 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Yesterday late in the afternoon We received the following Letter from Capt Bruchet Vizt

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfield Esqr Governr & a Councill of St Helena

Sir

Received the Favour of Yours of the 1st Decr by which I find Our Kings Masters Apprehensive it

Ware between England, Spaine & Holland on the one Side, & the Emperour of Spain on the other, & that&

You in obediance to their Commands acquaint me that You to put my Ship in the best Posture of Defence

that as possibly I must to Serve the Islands unlesse there be at least Six in Company

In Answer to that part which relates to my Stay here to make up the & Number of Six

Joynt Stay here to Us as that as it carries with it Such a great Expence & other Inconveniencies of parts

to an early Ship from Madrap that with Submission I cannot but look upon those Directions of the

Honble Company Calculated rather more for the Government of them to Neigh & onward Shipping

than for the Service of the, for as high Directions came by the Julia Grigsly Snow which Departure

from England as comfortable while Wave Sailed Content of the Honble Compys & Repaymond to the

Coast & Bay by which it is to be presumd they would have Sixth Ships Horses to Ham England

& Councill of Capt St George which would have prevented my going Dissatisfied on early Ships from

Madrap & Wardsmet only I had a very great Expence but the Bruise of a Single Ship also from

the Coast & Bay

Thys on my Deference why I apprehend those Directions can never be Disposd for & that this

Years early Ship from Madrap I am forwarding here any longer to make up the & Number of Six as there

is not a Possibility before three of any other Ships arriving here but the Madrap & Coronarese I here apprehend

it is that even either of them should be here I leave it & Gentlemen to Judge whose Frequency of you that this

Madrap I told from Sixth St Diente the later Ships & it proper to onward from the much certainly have

been with You here had he not either Refusd the Islands or Sailed in at the Cape Where I am in Meditation

of going Home with the Dutch Sugar Ships bring those so from a Number Egregiously Sixth from three

from Holland in the March of February, & so for the former as there having been so Years of his time

the last the last Coast & Baa Julia and in her so Small Apprehension admits from me that

it is to be hopd that this in either passed the Islands or Sailed at the Cape Where I when the Ship & Registration

with Capt St George

As I am in this Melachy Vexvation Joynt Stay here to Offer one Argument more which

of great Weight with me as I apprehend to be the early Ship from Madrap Equally as I apprehend forty five

what Wave already Claimd that these Princes can never be Disposd to Affect the Wc this early

Ship & this in a Class among Chester Party in folio 11 which especially Copy Sines, & Andif the said

Ship Watts by written Order from the said Company be detaind at St Helena to Stay for Convoy

or such Convoy those in either Two Peote & Item of the Demurrage no is before agreed on, but then follows

the Complaint & Wc, but no Allowance shall be made to the Owners nor to Us of their keeping Company

with any of Our detaining Ships & against the Kings Enemy have no plunty & I shipping & so with

they Ware between a Country & Wc keeping Company with their Returning Ships as Ware no But

title more to hope as Copiett any & Allowance of Demurrage as it be made to my Owners should I

Stay & otherwise be notably & so I Stay here to Support Company with the Returning Shipping

But with the other aforementioned Reasons added to the Prospect of Saving the Kings Subjects with

the generous Encouragement given by the Honble Court, did my being a Sixth Wed to Ship, & I may Deference

At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 January 1727 at the Company house.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The previous afternoon the council received the following letter from Captain Pyke, addressed to Edward Byfield, Governor, and the council of St Helena.

Pyke had received the Company's letter of the 15th of the month, which warned of an approaching war between England, France and Holland on the one part and the Emperor and Spain on the other. He was directed to require every ship's commander to put his vessel into the best posture of defence and, if possible, not to leave the island except in company.

In answer to that part of the letter relating to his own stay, and to the number of ships he had brought to that coast, Pyke set out at length the great inconvenience of carrying so many. Coming early from Madras, he had, on the Company's instructions, calculated it better to add the expense of three homeward ships than to risk the service. He had, on the same instructions, come by the coast of India to take up his diversions from England, and would probably have reached the coast by the way he intended. They would have taken those ships home from England, and the council at Fort St George would have prevented his going, so that he suffered not only an earlier passage from Madras and a very great expense but the loss of a single ship also, since he came the first thither.

Pyke urged that his instructions could never be disputed, since these very letters, coming early from Madras, directed him to make up the number of ships, and that the responsibility lay on those who gave the directions, not on him. The Ostend and Caernarvon ships wanted it, so that neither of them should lie there. Some Indiamen were fit to be gentlemen to judge in their present state, and that the Princess Amelia, sailing the later part of the year, on which he had thence certainly had time with those he had not either passed the island or sailed on at the Cape.

There were other reasons of dissatisfaction in going home with the Dutch sugar ships lying there in a year or two more remote, generally quick from home for Holland in the month of February, so in the afternoon there having been an hour of his time. He, with the best coast, left the fortifications in India, and rather as small apprehension arose, so that it was to be hoped he would either pass the island or be landed at the Cape when taken to the best disposition with Captain Pyke.

As far as his velocity of direction, Pyke began to offer one argument more, which, of great weight with him, appeared to be the early ship from Madras, equally as apprehended, forty-five, which those already claimed. The Princess Amelia was never so disposed to affect the Company's early ship. This was a class among charter party, entered at folio 11, which respectively, and, if the ship was fit to work with an order from the Company, was detained at St Helena, and stayed for convoy on that coast. Beyond twelve books and store of the diversions were before agreed on. But, these following the exception, if there were an allowance to be made to all owners, or a loss of their keeping company with any of the diversions of the ship, Pyke urged that in maintaining company with their returning ships or crews might take more to keep company, and an allowance of demurrage would be made to his owners. He would take letters or otherwise probably decline to stay here to keep company with the returning shipping.

With these reasons before him, in the prospect of saving the Company's ships, and with the generous encouragement given by the council, he did any being with those ships, in every reason [...].

Interpretations

This letter from Captain Pyke, laid before the council at the consultation of 2 January 1728, addresses the wartime convoy question that had governed the island's shipping since the war warning of 9 May 1727. Pyke was the officer appointed by the Company to succeed as governor, arriving on the Princess Anne on 17 February 1727 and having his commission proclaimed, though Byfield continued to act as governor throughout, so the letter reflects Pyke's separate authority over the fleet rather than the island's government.

The letter turns on the Company's instruction to keep homeward ships in company for mutual defence. With the threat of war between England, France and Holland against the Emperor and Spain, single ships risked capture, so the directors required commanders to sail only in convoy and in the best posture of defence, the same discipline the council had imposed on visiting captains in May 1727. Pyke's difficulty was that this order, set against his instructions to bring ships early from Madras, imposed heavy costs of delay and expense that he argued fell on those who gave the directions rather than on him.

The reference to demurrage exposes the commercial tension beneath the naval question. Demurrage was compensation paid to a ship's owners for delay beyond the agreed time, so holding a vessel at the island to wait for convoy meant a charge against the Company, and Pyke pressed that any such allowance for keeping company must be made good to his owners. The charter party entered in the journal was the contract of hire that fixed each ship's terms, the document against which such claims were measured.

The conflict of the Ostend trade lay at the root of the war Pyke prepared against. The breach with the Emperor arose from imperial support of the Ostend Company, a rival to the English and Dutch East India trade, so the ships Pyke sought to protect carried the very Eastern commerce the coming war threatened, and the council at Fort St George, the Company's presidency at Madras, stood behind the instructions that had shaped his voyage.

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115

hearty & Resolute to do their Duty in the Face of an Enemy, this with the Desire of my principall

Officers Rebe Encouraged me to a Resolution of Sailing for England the 1st Instant if the Interim

no Ships arrives here, & wait however for Your Worships & Commands, & Wc & Union, & when Yours

Refuse for my Ships Stay here I should Confirm You in fine my Self to When they will Please or

Iam

St Helena

1 Janry 1727/8

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs

Your Most obedt & humble Servt

Wm Machett

Sir

We yesterday late in the afternoon received Your Letter relating to the Directions which

by Order from the Honble Company We gave the last of last Month in which We hardest We Observe & that

those Directions in Our Opinion are they Plain & Positive & to continue in Force till Revoked by the Same

Power that gave them, & as to the Stomach You wish that no Orders about that Matter was Sent to the

Honble Compys Settlements in India by any of those Ships that were Dispatched after the Watch, the Company

have thought it Sufficient to Send their Instructions Directly hither because all their Shipping are

Dispatched from India to St Helena & from hence to England, & since they are Now they will all

receive the like Instructions & do the least Excuse of Common that if You Sail alone You must not only

Expose Your own Ship to Danger but hazard the loss of the Priviledge too, which Lastly Command

them Molest & injure one thing certain, & the Twenty Eighth of March Preceeding the Coming to & mistake

& & to the Case You desire out of Your Charter Party the most defers to be created from any thing

upon the Subject it being what is a safe Attack it, & as to the Justification of Your Self & Officers

& Company in Defence of Your Ship if You meet with an Enemy We are Sure it will always be Injured

in the Confidence the Company have Placed in Your Courage & Fortitude, but without doubt they Wont there

in great Danger & their Ship goes alone, to life to what Sail & so they purposely at a great Charge Dispatch

We hold with Orders to Us to Direct You not to leave the Islands unlesse there be at least Six or

a Company We are

Sir

St Helena

January 1728

To Capt William Machett

Your most humble Servts

E Byfeild

Jasper Alexander

John Goodwin

The Governr Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly

Acct for Decr last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow

Vizt

Gunners Stores Expended in Decr 1727 Vizt

[headers: Guns · Sachers · Minion · Falcons · Powder]

Mundays Day — Guns - · Sachers - · Minion - · Falcons - · Powder 10

An Alarm — Guns 4 · Sachers 2 · Minion 2 · Falcons 2 · Powder 6

Arrivall the Prince of Wales — Guns 9 · Sachers 3 · Minion - · Falcons 6 · Powder 18

Expence of the Guards — Guns - · Sachers - · Minion - · Falcons - · Powder 12

Match 14

Blue Bunting 13 Yards

Totall — Guns 13 · Sachers 3 · Minion 2 · Falcons 8 · Powder 46

Signed

Jno French

Pyke closed by pledging that his officers would do their duty in the face of an enemy, and that, with the desire of every principal officer under his command, he would be resolute in sailing for England. He asked to be informed of the intentions of any ship arriving there, and to be told how far he might command and consider the government's pleasure for any ship staying, so that he might govern himself accordingly. The letter was dated at St Helena, 1 January 1728, and subscribed by William Marchet as the council's most obedient and humble servant.

The council answered as follows. It had received his letter the previous afternoon relating to the directions given by order of the honourable Company, and its opinion was that his instructions were in every respect the same as those in the council's own commission, and that the council was to continue in force. It had received the same power that governed the council, so that no order about the matter was sent to the honourable Company's settlements in India by way of those ships that were dispatched after the packet. The Company had brought sufficient to send the instructions directly to their servants and their shipping dispatched from India to St Helena and thence to England, so that when they saw the packet they should receive the like instructions. As to the case of one of the Princess Amelia, the council saw no cause to alter what was not only enough to expose the ship to danger but hazarded the loss of the package too, which the council thought unreasonable. Nor did it consider itself under any obligation, and it had promised faithfully that the ship might not be about the middle of March, according to the Company's orders.

The council held, as to that part of the letter concerning the early ship, that it must defer to be excused from conferring upon the subject, it being what it might think best, as to the Princess Amelia, the birthright of the ship's officers and the commander in defence of that ship if she met with an enemy. The council was in duty always to answer the confidence the Company had placed in the officers' courage and conduct. Yet it did not doubt they would there run into great danger from an enemy alone, so as to write what they did as purposely at a great charge to dispatch her. It therefore held that they should not depart from the island unless there be at least three of the Company's ships in company.

The letter was dated at St Helena, 2 January 1728, addressed to Captain William Marchet, and subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin as the council's most humble servants.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered each a monthly account for December last, which the council severally examined and approved, as follows.

The gunner's stores expended in December 1727 stood as follows. The columns give, in order, guns fired, sackers, minions, falcons and powder.

Muster day, guns fired 0, sackers 0, minions 0, falcons 0, powder 10 pounds

Ship alarm, guns fired 4, sackers 0, minions 2, falcons 2, powder 6 pounds

Arrival of the Princess of Wales, guns fired 9, sackers 3, minions 0, falcons 6, powder 18 pounds

Expense of the guards, guns fired 0, sackers 0, minions 0, falcons 0, powder 12 pounds

Match, 14 pounds

Blue bunting, 13 yards

Total, guns fired 13, sackers 3, minions 2, falcons 8, powder 46 pounds

The account was subscribed by John French.

Interpretations

This page completes Captain Marchet's letter of 1 January 1728 and gives the council's reply of 2 January 1728, both turning on the convoy discipline required since the war warning of 9 May 1727. The council's decisive ruling was that no ship should leave the island unless at least three Company vessels sailed in company, the same condition it had imposed on visiting commanders in May 1727 and now enforced against a captain pressing to sail early.

The exchange reveals the tension between the Company's commercial and defensive interests. A commander had every reason to hurry his cargo home ahead of rivals, since an early ship commanded the best market, but a single vessel in wartime was prey to any enemy cruiser. The council held the defensive instruction to be binding and refused to release the ship, judging that hazarding both the vessel and the packet she carried was unreasonable whatever the commercial cost of delay.

The gunner's stores account records the month's firing occasion by occasion, distinguishing the classes of gun discharged. Sackers were light long guns, minions lighter still, and falcons the smallest of the pieces, the same graded ordnance the survey of September 1727 had counted and largely condemned. Powder was expended for the muster day, for a ship alarm and for the salute on the arrival of the Prince of Wales, and match, the slow-burning cord used to fire the guns, was consumed alongside it.

The blue bunting entered among the stores was flag cloth, used for the signal flags by which the island communicated with shipping in the road. Maintaining the signalling apparatus mattered acutely on a war footing, since the alarms recorded in this very account depended on flags and guns to warn the island and to summon the inhabitants to their posts with their male slaves, as the council had ordered on 9 May 1727.

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116

Acct of the Honble Compys Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goats Hogs Poultry & Horses likewise what has been killed & Sold to Ship Princess of Wales

besides the Encrease or Decrease for the Month of Decr 1727

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry Horses

[headers: Bullocks · Cowes · Heifers · Steers · Yearlings · Calves · Bulls · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Lambs · Rams · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Kids · Rams · Totall | Sows · Shoates · Barrows · Boars · Pigs · Totall | Turkeys · Fowles · Ducks · Geese | Horses · Mares · Totall]

Remns 1st Decr 1727 — Bullocks 76 · Cowes 74 · Heifers 29 · Steers 16 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 49 · Bulls 3 · Totall 271 | Ewes 54 · Wethers 20 · Lambs 24 · Rams 2 · Totall 100 | Ewes 190 · Wethers 54 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 367 | Sows 7 · Shoates 9 · Barrows 1 · Boars 1 · Pigs 18 · Totall 36 | Turkeys 82 · Fowles 92 · Ducks 37 · Geese 30 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Encreased in Decr — Bullocks 1 · Calves 2 · Totall 3 | Ewes 2 | Ewes 2 · Wethers 28 · Kids 14 · Totall 42 | Sows 3 · Shoates 2 · Pigs 5 · Totall 10 | Turkeys 6 · Ducks 4 · Geese 3

[running total] — Bullocks 77 · Cowes 74 · Heifers 29 · Steers 16 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 51 · Bulls 3 · Totall 274 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 20 · Lambs 24 · Rams 2 · Totall 102 | Ewes 218 · Wethers 68 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 409 | Sows 10 · Shoates 11 · Barrows 1 · Boars 1 · Pigs 23 · Totall 46 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 92 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Killed in ditto — Bullocks 1 (Bought) | Wethers 1 · Totall 2 | Ewes 1 · Kids 3 · Totall 3 | Shoates 1 · Barrows 1 · Totall 2 | Fowles 11

[running total] — Bullocks 76 · Cowes 73 · Heifers 29 · Steers 16 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 51 · Bulls 3 · Totall 272 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 24 · Rams 2 · Totall 101 | Ewes 218 · Wethers 65 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 406 | Sows 10 · Shoates 10 · Boars 1 · Pigs 23 · Totall 44 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 81 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Sold to Ship Princess Wales — Bullocks 1 (Bought) · Totall 5

Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Cutt & Grown in do — Bullocks 75 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 16 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 51 · Bulls 3 · Totall 267 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 24 · Rams 2 · Totall 101 | Ewes 218 · Wethers 65 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 406 | Sows 10 · Shoates 10 · Boars 1 · Pigs 23 · Totall 44 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 81 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

[Cutt & Grown figures] — Steers 1 · Calves 1 | Lambs 2 · Totall 2 | Kids 42 · Totall 42 | Pigs 5 · Totall 5

[running total] — Bullocks 75 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 51 · Bulls 3 · Totall 266 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 99 | Ewes 218 · Wethers 65 · Kids 75 · Rams 6 · Totall 364 | Sows 10 · Shoates 10 · Boars 1 · Pigs 18 · Totall 39 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 81 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Dead in ditto — Wethers 4 · Kids 5 · Rams 1 · Totall 10 | Shoates 1 · Totall 1

Remns 31st Decr 1727 — Bullocks 75 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 51 · Bulls 3 · Totall 266 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 99 | Ewes 214 · Wethers 60 · Kids 70 · Rams 5 · Totall 354 | Sows 10 · Shoates 10 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 38 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 81 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Yams Expended for the Hogs & Poultry 4,310

Account of the honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed and sold to the ship Prince of Wales, besides the increase or decrease, for the month of December 1727. The columns run in order: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and the neat cattle total; ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and the sheep total; ewes, wethers, kids, rams and the goat total; sows, shoats, barrows, boars, pigs and the hog total; turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese and the poultry total; horses, mares and the horse total.

Remaining 1 December 1727:

bullocks 76, cows 74, heifers 29, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 49, bulls 3, neat cattle total 271

ewes 54, wethers 20, lambs 24, rams 2, sheep total 100

ewes 190, wethers 54, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 367

sows 7, shoats 9, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 18, hog total 36

turkeys 82, fowls 92, ducks 37, geese 30, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Increased in December:

bullocks 1, calves 2, neat cattle total 3

ewes 2, sheep total 2

goat total 2, ewes 28, wethers 14, goat total 42

sows 3, shoats 2, pigs 5, hog total 10

turkeys 6, ducks 4, geese 3

Total: bullocks 77, cows 74, heifers 29, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 274

ewes 56, wethers 20, lambs 24, rams 2, sheep total 102

ewes 218, wethers 68, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 409

sows 10, shoats 11, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 46

turkeys 88, fowls 92, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Killed in December:

bullocks 1, 1 bought

ewes 2, lambs 1

ewes 1, kids 3, goat total 3

shoats 1, boars 1, pigs 2, hog total 11

Total: bullocks 76, cows 73, heifers 29, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 272

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 24, rams 2, sheep total 101

ewes 218, wethers 65, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 406

sows 10, shoats 10, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 44

turkeys 88, fowls 81, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Sold to the ship Prince of Wales:

bullocks 1, 1 bought

sheep 5

Total: bullocks 75, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 267

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 24, rams 2, sheep total 101

ewes 218, wethers 65, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 406

sows 10, shoats 10, boars 1, pigs 23, hog total 44

turkeys 88, fowls 81, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Cattle, sheep, goats and hogs cut and grown in December:

steers 1

lambs 1, rams 2

kids 2, goat total 42, and 42

pigs 5, hog total 6

Total: bullocks 75, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 24, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 266

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 218, wethers 65, kids 76, rams 6, goat total 364

sows 10, shoats 10, boars 1, pigs 18, hog total 39

turkeys 88, fowls 81, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Died in December:

ewes 4, wethers 5, kids 1, goat total 10

shoats 1, pigs 1

Total: bullocks 75, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 24, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 266

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 214, wethers 60, kids 70, rams 5, goat total 354

sows 10, shoats 10, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 38

turkeys 88, fowls 81, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Remaining 31 December 1727:

bullocks 75, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 24, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 266

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 214, wethers 60, kids 70, rams 5, goat total 354

sows 10, shoats 10, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 38

turkeys 88, fowls 81, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

The yams expended for the hogs and poultry came to 4,310 pounds.

Interpretations

This is the monthly livestock stock account for December 1727, delivered with the other December reckonings at the consultation of 2 January 1728 and approved by the council. It follows the settled form of these accounts, carrying each class of animal through opening number, increase, slaughter, sale to shipping, animals cut and grown between categories, and death, to a closing figure, with the month's yam consumption for the stock footed at the end.

The account names the Prince of Wales in its very heading as the ship supplied, an unusual specificity that ties the stock directly to the vessel whose arrival the gunner's account of December 1727 recorded with a nine-gun salute. Selling fresh meat to a homeward East Indiaman was the purpose for which the Company maintained its herd, and the bullock and five sheep sold to her measure the practical service the island rendered to the fleet.

The increase columns record a substantial addition to the goat stock, twenty-eight ewes and fourteen wethers, reflecting the reclassification of kids grown into adult animals rather than fresh breeding within the month. Wethers were castrated males and barrows castrated boars, and the line for animals cut and grown tracks beasts moved between categories as they were castrated or matured, the adjustment that kept the running tally accurate across the year.

The December yam total of 4,310 pounds for the hogs and poultry continues the standing monthly charge of feeding the Company's stock on the island's staple crop. Yams sustained both people and animals, so the quantity expended recorded one part of the true expense of the establishment, the same accounting that ran through every stock account of the year and underpinned Byfield's claim to have reduced the island's charge.

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Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered in the the

first to the 31st Decr 1727 Vizt

133½ Galls Arrack

43 5 10

340 Do Sugar

13 10

32 Do Candy

1 12

13 Do Bread

3 3

203 Do Flour

2 10 9

97 Do Cutt Tobacco

10 15 3

16 Pipes

3

1 Cattee Bohea Tea

3 4½

14 Do Copper

2 2

1 Do Corks

4½

18 Do Corn Powder

4

9 Gall Oyle

2 8

2 Pr Chelloe

8 8

2 Madrass Chints

2 6

2 Sabroh

2 8

2 Gingham

10

1 Do Cotton Stockings

9 6

3 Pr Corry Long Cloth

3 6

1 Do Wood

11 3

6 Yards do

3

1 Do

1 9

1 do

1 9

1 Silk

1 3

6 Cupps & Saucers

1

3 Small Cupps

2

1 Ropp Bell

10

1 Wine do

2 Solivers do

6 6

1½ Do Ribban

6

½ Do Whited Brown Thread

6½

5 Do Colonech Thread

6 2

7½ Yd Twisting

10 6

½ oz China Silk

4 8

4 Do Colourd Tape

3 8

2 oz Narrow do

3 8

2 Coloured do

1½

1 Bobbin

7

1 M Pins

6 4

3½ Do do

3 4

1 Doz Twisting Laces

1

4 Doz Thread Laces

5

Yards Silk Lace

13 Skains Modrin

3 9

46 Lines Sorted

13

24 Doz Hooks do

10 9

1 Childrs Coats

7

12 M 20d Nailes

12 9

18 10d do

12 9

17 6d do

5 6

6 4d do

66 17 8½

40 M Cleaving Brads

Carried over

109 18 6½

Collection of store goods sold and delivered from the 1st to the 31st of December 1727, as follows:

132.5 gallons of arrack, £43 5s 10d

340 pounds of sugar, £13 10s 0d

32 pounds of candy, £1 12s 0d

13 pounds of bread, £0 3s 3d

203 pounds of flour, £2 10s 9d

97 pounds of cut tobacco, £10 15s 3d

16 pipes, £0 3s 0d

19 catties of bohea tea, £3 12s 3d

14.5 green tea, £0 4s 2d

1 pipe, £0 3s 0d

1 pound of gunpowder, £0 4s 6d

5 gallons of oil, £0 6s 0d

2 pieces of chilloe, £1 8s 6d

2 Madras chintz, £1 2s 6d

2 gingham, £0 6s 0d

1 nightgown, £0 15s 0d

2 gingham, £0 5s 6d

1 pair of cotton stockings, £0 3s 6d

3 pieces of every long cloth, £0 5s 6d

1 pair of shoes, ditto, £0 11s 3d

6 yards, ditto, £0 1s 3d

1 ditto, £0 1s 3d

1 ditto, £0 1s 3d

1 silk, £1 1s 3d

6 cups and saucers, £0 2s 0d

3 small cups, £0 10s 0d

1 large hilt, £0 1s 6d

1 wine, ditto, £0 6s 6d

2 saddles, ditto, £0 1s 0d

1.5 pieces of ribbon, £0 6s 0.5d

0.5 pounds of white and brown thread, £0 3s 0d

5 pounds of colour thread, £0 12s 6.5d

7.5 yards of garting, £0 10s 0d

0.5 ounces of China silk, £0 1s 8d

4 pounds of colour tape, £0 3s 8d

2 narrow, ditto, £0 3s 8d

2 coloured, ditto, £0 3s 8.5d

1 bobbin, £0 1s 2d

1 M pins, £0 1s 6d

1.5 M, ditto, £0 1s 6d

1 dozen jerrycomb laces, £0 4s 1d

1.5 thread laces, £0 1s 5d

1 gross of silk lace, £0 3s 9d

15 thumb needles, £0 13s 0d

16 lines, sorted, £0 10s 9d

24 dozen hooks, ditto, £0 7s 0d

1 childbed coat, £0 12s 0d

12 pounds of 20-inch nails, £0 12s 9d

18 pounds of 10-inch, ditto, £0 6s 0d, £66 12s 8.5d

17 pounds of 8-inch, ditto, £109 18s 6.5d

6 pounds of 6-inch, ditto

6 pounds of 4-inch, ditto

40 pounds of flooring brads

Carried over, £109 18s 6.5d

Interpretations

This account is the storekeeper's monthly reckoning of Company goods sold to the inhabitants across December 1727, delivered with the other December accounts at the consultation of 2 January 1728. It follows the settled form of these accounts, opening with arrack and provisions and moving through textiles, haberdashery and ironmongery, the running total carried over to a further page.

The very large quantity of arrack heading the list, more than twice the usual monthly sale, reflects the season. The Christmas period fell in the island's summer, and the inhabitants drew heavily on the Company's spirits, arrack being the standard Eastern spirit sold and issued throughout the settlement at fixed prices on credit.

The textiles again mix Indian cottons with small wares of dress. Chilloe and long cloth were plain Coromandel cottons, Madras chintz a printed cotton of the same coast, and gingham a checked or striped cotton, all carried out by the Company for a settlement that produced no cloth. The ribbons, tapes, threads, laces, pins and needles supplied the materials of making and mending, while the childbed coat was a garment for a woman in confinement, a rare and specific entry among the general stock.

The graded nails and flooring brads at the foot of the list served the building work of the settlement. Sold by weight and sorted by length from four to twenty inches, they equipped the raising and repair of houses on an island that had to import every piece of ironwork, the same class of goods that ran through every storekeeper's account of the year.

141

118

Brought Over

109 18 6½

6 Wine Glasses

3

3 do

3 9

2 Cruet

2 6

26 Squares Glass

2 2

14½ Do Broad Cloth

14 10¼

½ Yard Duroine

2 4

½ Do Kersey

4 8

13 Barils Lamb Black

1 4

1 Pewter Porringer

1 6

3 Calve Leather Shoes

13 6

1 Straining Dish

1 6

4 Do Raw Thread

10 6

6 Lines Caper

6 8

1 Small Lanthorn

3 6

1 Lamp

3 6

1 Butchers Knife

2 6

2 Wire do

2

1 do

2 6

1 Pr Cask Garnets

4 6

1 Stock Lock

4 1

1 Iron Cask & Case do

6 1

4 Box Iron & Heaters

10 1

1 do

12 6

1 Chest Lock

1 2

1 Splinter Lock

4

18 10 2

Sum Totall to the Inhabits

128 2

Garrison Do

13 Cattee Tea

2 12

1½ Gall Sweet Oyle to the Smith fit for no other Use

8

3

Plantation Do

26 Do Rope Iron

18

10 Iron Cases

1 10

2 Hoes Old Congo

5

6 Hoes

6

2 M 4d Nailes

1 8

2 6d do

1 6

2 10d do

1 4

1 Case Knives Effective No 1

3 6

1 Coyle Cordage Same Size & Cover Do Skiff

1 16 6

1 Coyle do Bunter

1 12 6

1 Small Cordage Same Size & Cover Do 12 Style

2

40 Do Rice deliverd the Blacks

30 10 6

41 1 6

The Great Wood Do 6 Hoes

8

Naval Gunners & Garryson Stores Do

14 Yards Blue Bunting

1

The Honble Compys Blacks Diet of Distinguish

6400 Do Rice

40 14 6

6 Doz Lines

2 2

10 Hooks Sorted

2 8

Do the Fishermen

6 Purchase Knives

3

1 Pr Mens Stock On acct of Clothing

2 2

44 4 4

Carried over

209 16 10

The store goods account continued, brought over at £109 18s 6.5d, as follows:

Brought over, £109 18s 6.5d

6 wine glasses, £0 3s 0d

3 ditto, £0 3s 9d

2 cruets, £0 2s 6d

26 squares of glass, £0 2s 0d

1.5 yards of broadcloth, £0 12s 0d

0.5 yards of durance, £0 2s 0d

0.5 pieces of chilloe, £1 10s 0d

13 barrels of lampblack, £0 1s 6d

1 pewter porringer, £0 1s 6d

3 calve leather hides, £0 13s 6d

1 straining dish, £0 1s 6d

4 pounds of shoe thread, £0 10s 6d

5 quire of paper, £0 6s 8d

1 small lanthorn, £0 3s 6d

1 lamp, £0 3s 0d

1 butcher's knife, £0 2s 6d

2 ditto, £0 2s 0d

1 ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 pair of case garnets, £0 4s 6d

1 stock lock, £0 4s 1d

1 iron chest, weight 3, ditto, £0 6s 1d

1 pair of iron heaters, £0 10s 0d

1 ditto, £0 12s 6d

1 chest lock, £0 1s 9d

1 splinter lock, £0 4s 0d, £18 10s 2d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £128 2s 0d

Garrison, ditto:

13 catties of tea, £2 12s 0d

1.5 gallons of sweet oil, ditto, for the smith, set for no other use, £0 8s 0d

Total, £3 0s 0d

Plantation, ditto:

36 pounds of rope, yarns, £0 18s 0d

10 iron cases, £1 10s 0d

2 pieces of old congo, £0 5s 6d

6 hoes, £0 6s 0d

2 pounds of 4-inch nails, £0 1s 8d

2 pounds of 6-inch, ditto, £0 1s 6d

2 pounds of 10-inch, ditto, £0 1s 4d

1 case of knives, mark number 1, £0 3s 6d, for the fishermen

1 large copper stove, bar and cover, £1 16s 6d, ditto for the fishermen

1 large ditto, boiler, £1 12s 6d

1 small copper stove, bar and cover, £2 4s 6d

40 pounds of rice delivered to the blacks, £30 10s 6d

Total, £41 1s 6d

The Great Wood, ditto:

2 hoes, £0 8s 0d

Naval, gunners and garrison stores, ditto:

14 yards of blue bunting, £0 1s 0d

The honourable Company's blacks, on account of diet expenses:

6,400 pounds of rice, £40 14s 6d

6 dozen lines, £2 12s 8d

10 hooks, sorted, £1 12s 8d, for the fishermen

6 butcher's knives, £0 2s 0d

1 pair of women's shoes, on account of clothing, £0 2s 0d

Total, £44 4s 4d

Carried over, £209 16s 10d

Interpretations

This page continues the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for December 1727, delivered at the consultation of 2 January 1728, closing the sales to the inhabitants and dividing the remaining charges among the garrison, the plantation, the Great Wood, the naval and gunners stores and the slaves. It gathers the several establishments the warehouse supplied, the running total carried to a further page.

The provision of fishing gear runs through the account and marks the continuing programme begun on 1 March 1727, when the council replaced the slaves' meat ration with fish. The lines, hooks, knives and copper stoves supplied to the fishermen equipped that labour, and the boilers and stoves point to the fish being cooked or preserved in quantity, the practical apparatus of feeding the Company's people from the sea rather than from salted meat shipped at great cost.

The large issue of rice to the slaves records their standing subsistence, some six thousand four hundred pounds on account of diet alongside the further quantity charged to the plantation. Rice served as a staple grain issued with the island's yams, so the feeding of the Company's labour force ran as a fixed monthly charge, the single heaviest item in the establishment's regular expense.

The garrison, plantation and naval charges equipped the working parts of the settlement. Sweet oil was reserved to the smith and set for no other use, the hoes served the plantation and the Great Wood, and the blue bunting was flag cloth for the signals by which the island communicated with shipping and raised its alarms, a standing need under the war footing in force since 9 May 1727.

142

119

Charges Genll Do Brought Over£

209 16 10

16 Do Soap

1 2 9

6 Galls Linseed Oyle

2 8

26 White Lead

8

24 Barils Lamb Black

8

1 Sett Do Locks

5

1 Iron with 12 Ribb

5

1 Straping Dish

5

2 Gimblets

1 5

1 do Do the Armourer

1

1 Iron Cloth on 3 Gall

14 7

1½ Do Tacks

10

2 4d Nailes

1 6

2 6d

1 6

1 Chopping Knife

1 3

1 Cullender

2 6

1 Iron Stew Sauce Pan

6 6

1 Dredging Box

6 3

1 Pewter Sauce Pan

4

1 Large Line

3

1 Yard White Bunting

3

2 Large Horn Lanthornes

13 4

2 Copper Do

13 8

4 Yards Hopsings

3

11 Trenchers

8

400 Do Rice do for the Poultry & Pidgeons

3

11 11 2

Diet Expences Do

89½ Gall Arrack

28 6 10

3½ Do Mountains

2 2 7½

3½ Do Horsey

1 7 10

10 Do Strong Beer

7 9 6

15 Do Old Beef

6 4

200 Do Sugar

5 4

87 Do Bread

1 1 9

164 Do Flour

1 7 6

20 Do Candle

2 3

2 Do Copper

40 3 4

Sum Totall£

270 11 4

Expence of the Genl Table in Decr 1727 Vizt

55½ Gall Arrack for the Table

16 18 10

7 Do Mountain

2 2 9

5½ Do Horsey

1 19 9

42 Do Strong Beer

2 9 6

10 Do Old Beef

6 4

2½ Do Copper

3

27 Do Bread

1 8 4

164 Do Flour

1 12 6

2 Do Copper

3 6

510 Do Beef

7 1

154 Do Pork

3 7 4

1 Sheep

1 4

3 Goates

1 10

1 Fowles

16 6

10 Do Butter

10

31 Days Greens

11

62 Bottles Milk

1 8

Expence of the Table in Decr Amounting to

60 17

Journal 16

The store goods account continued, brought over at £209 16s 10d, as follows:

Brought over, £209 16s 10d

Charges general, ditto:

16 pounds of soap, £1 2s 9d

6 gallons of linseed oil, £2 8s 0d

26 white lead, £0 8s 0d

24 barrels of lampblack, £0 5s 0d

1 stock for locks, £0 5s 0d

1 iron chest with 12 ribs, £0 5s 0d

1 straining dish, £0 1s 6d

2 gimlets, £0 1s 6d, delivered to the armourer

1 ditto, £0 1s 6d, delivered to the armourer

1 iron chest, 3 gallons, £0 14s 7d

1.5 pounds of tacks, £0 1s 10d

2 pounds of 4-inch nails, £0 1s 6d

2 pounds of 6-inch, ditto, £0 1s 6d

1 chopping knife, £0 3s 0d

1 cullender, £0 2s 6d

1 two-quart sauce pan, £0 3s 6d

1 dredging box, £0 2s 6d

1 quarter sauce pan, £0 4s 0d

1 large line, £0 3s 0d

1 yard of white bunting, £0 3s 0d

2 large horn lanthorns, £0 13s 4d

2 catties of tea, £0 13s 8d

4 yards of hessians, £0 2s 4d

1 turnstile, £0 3s 8d

422 pounds of rice for the poultry and pigeons, £3 0s 0d

Total, £11 11s 2d

Diet expenses, ditto:

30.5 gallons of arrack, £28 6s 10d

3.5 gallons of Mountain wine, £2 2s 1.5d

3.5 ditto of sherry, £1 7s 0d

10 ditto of strong beer, £1 19s 6d

16 gallons of red port, £6 4s 0d

209 pounds of sugar, £5 4s 0d

87 pounds of bread, £1 1s 0d

164 pounds of flour, £1 7s 6d

20 pounds of candles, £2 3s 0d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 3s 0d

Total, £40 3s 6d

Sum total, £270 11s 4d

The expense of the general table in December 1727 was set out as follows:

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

3.5 pounds of Mountain wine, £2 2s 0d

3.5 ditto of sherry, £1 7s 0d

10 ditto of strong beer, £1 19s 6d

16 gallons of red port, £6 4s 0d

3 ditto of galigan, £0 11s 0d

27 pounds of bread, £1 18s 0d

164 pounds of flour, £2 3s 6d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 3s 6d

510 pounds of beef, £3 7s 1d

154 pounds of pork, £1 4s 8d

1 sheep, £0 10s 0d

3 goats, £0 16s 6d

1 fowl, £0 11s 0d

10 ducks, £0 11s 0d

31 days greens, £0 1s 8d

60 bottles of milk, £0 1s 8d

Total, £60 17s 0d

The expense of the table in December amounted to the sum entered at folio 16 of the journal.

Interpretations

This page closes the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for December 1727 with the general charges and diet expenses, and gives the expense of the general table for the same month, both delivered at the consultation of 2 January 1728. The account divides the establishment's consumption from the sales to inhabitants, closing at a sum total of £270 11s 4d for the month.

The general charges gather the miscellaneous stores of the fort and its trades. The gimlets delivered to the armourer equipped the man who maintained the small arms, the lanthorns and bunting served the signalling and watch, and the soap, linseed oil, white lead and lampblack were the materials of cleaning, painting and blacking ironwork against the damp Atlantic air. Hessians was a coarse cloth, and the rice charged for the poultry and pigeons carried the feeding of the fort's birds to its proper account.

The general table account records the food and drink of the fort's common table, extended to sterling. The unusually large quantity of arrack and the addition of sherry and galigan, a Spanish wine of Galicia, alongside the usual Mountain and red port reflect the Christmas season, which fell in the island's summer. The heavy issue of beef and pork against the locally produced sheep, goats, fowls, ducks, greens and milk shows the establishment drawing on both imported salt provisions and the island's own stock.

The parallel entry of diet expenses in the storekeeper's account and the separate general table account illustrates the double accounting the council maintained. The storekeeper charged the goods out of the warehouse, while the steward reckoned what was actually consumed at the table, so the two records checked one another, the same reconciliation discipline that the audit of the journal, ledger and inventory had applied to the Company's whole establishment across the preceding weeks.

143

120

16 Do Soap

1 2 8

20 Do Candles

2

66 Do Sugar to Blacks Xmas

1 13

33 Galls Arr to Do it being usual at Xmas

10 9 10

8 Gall Do to the Guard

16 3 8

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Wednesday 3 Janry 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as Journal

folio 40 & 45, & in the Evening We had an Alarm for a Single Ship

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Thursday 4th Janry 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

This Morning arrived the Stanhope Capt Wm Y Cutt from Bombay but

last from the Cape to whom We immediatly deliverd the Same Orders as the

before gave to Capt Machet Enterd in Consultation 19th of last Month

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on on Saturday 6th January 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governt

John Alexander

John Goodwin

We yesterday deliverd Capt Cutt the usual Orders to have in his Ship

upon a Alarm the form of which is Enterd in Consultation 26th Decr last

Mr Cowell having paid the Governour the Sum of One Hundred & Thirty

Seven Pounds Seven Shillings & Six Pence in Cassh & Notes desiring Bills of

Exchange for the Same

Orderd that a Sett of Bills of Exchange be acordingly drawn upon the

Honble Company for the Sum aforesaid

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The general table account concluded as follows:

16 pounds of soap, £1 2s 8d

20 pounds of candles, £0 2s 0d

66 pounds of sugar to the blacks at Christmas, £1 13s 0d

33 gallons of arrack to the blacks, it being usual at Christmas, £10 9s 10d

3 gallons, ditto, to the guard, £0 12s 10d

Total, £16 3s 8d

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

At a consultation held on Wednesday 3 January 1728 at Union Fort.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The council assembled this day and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 40 and 45. That evening an alarm was raised for a single ship. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Thursday 4 January 1728 at Union Fort.

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

The Stanhope, Captain William Cott commander, arrived that morning from Bombay, last from the Cape. The council at once delivered to him the same orders it had earlier given to Captain Marchet, entered in the consultation of the 19th of the previous month. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Saturday 6 January 1728 at Union Fort.

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

The council delivered to Captain Cott the previous day the usual orders to heave in his ship upon alarms, the form of which is entered in the consultation of 26 December last.

Mr Powell paid into the Governor the sum of £137 6s 0d in cash notes, asking for bills of exchange for the same. The council ordered that a set of bills of exchange be drawn on the honourable Company for the sum stated. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This page closes the general table account for December 1727 and records three short consultations at the opening of January 1728. The Christmas allowance of sugar and arrack to the slaves, entered here as customary, marks one of the few recorded moments when the Company's people received something beyond their working ration, a fixed seasonal indulgence rather than a discretionary gift.

The orders delivered to Captain Cott of the Stanhope continue the convoy discipline established since the war warning of 9 May 1727 and applied to Captain Marchet at the consultation of 19 December 1727. Every arriving commander received the same instructions to heave in on alarms and to sail only in company, so a vessel coming from Bombay by way of the Cape was brought at once into the island's defensive scheme.

The alarm raised for a single ship on the evening of 3 January 1728 shows the watch functioning under that scheme. A lone sail approaching in wartime could be an enemy, so the guns and flags summoned the island to its posts, the same vigilance that had produced the false alarm over the longboat at Prosperous Bay on 28 November 1727.

Mr Powell's payment of cash notes for bills of exchange follows the standard mechanism by which an inhabitant remitted money to England. Cash notes were the island's paper currency, and exchanging them for bills drawn on the Company let a settler transfer value across the sea without shipping coin, the Governor being made debtor for the sum in the journal, the same transaction Captain Goodwin had made on 28 November 1727.

144

121

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday the 9th January 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

On Sunday Evening the 7th instant the Stanhope & Princess of Wales Sailed

hence for Great Brittain

The Bills of Exchange Granted to Mr Cowell the 6th instant have as usual been

Enterd in Journal Folio 46

Mr Crane Surgeon of the Princess of Wales having Sometime last Week tenderd a Paper

to the Governour containing as he Said an Acct of Debts due to Mr Gibson from the Inhabts

but the Same not being Entered the Governour directed it, but the Same time told Mr Crane that

he did not do any Publick Business without first Consulting the Gentlemen of Committe, & that

We constantly Assemble every Tuesday in Order to decide Such Disputes as may happen, at

which time if Mr Gibson would Apply himself or Send his Acct for a Person should be taken

into Consideration, & this We often told him & particularly to Councille to the Estate, but he

has not yet thought proper either to Appear or Send his Acct

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 16th January 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Reports that observing the Plantation House to be very much exposd

to the Weather especially the Windward Part of it & that the Garden lay quite open & the Ground

it was intended over run with a great Number of Wild Fig Trees, the Roots of which were so

far Spread & Extended that the Growth of any thing was Spoiled, & not any Fruit left that

was good, he therefore thought it would be a good & Serviceable Piece of Oecconomick Charge, he could

Build a Wall quite round it, & Clear the Ground from all Trash & Rubbish, & he acordingly

attempted it & with great Labour & Fatigue he has not only Cutt down the Fig Trees &

destroyed their Roots which afforded a store of Firewood which brings from their Head Rents

& Sown in front of the House of Twenty two Large Apple Trees which already bear, & also

Cleared the Ground of all Wild Trees Dug & Trenched the Soile with a great deale of

fresh good Mould & Planted great Quantities of Greens, Roots & Fruits of various

Sorts, but hath likewise built a Wall of One Hundred & five Rods Two Foot thick, in

enclosing this Head Quarters & Ground very apt for the Protection both of

Greens & Roots, & of this Wall Twenty three Rods are next to the Windward, made

Seventeen Foot Half high propelly to Shelter the House which is of a large Iron

in Building from the Violence of the Wind & the & Damp of the Trees & naturally borne

with a Slip of Free Rock from Seventeen foot & half to Thirteen foot high, all the rest

is Two Foot & half, & that it might be all of a Row & the whole be made as Compleat

as Possible, he with great Paines & Difficulty has brought the Water from Marias

Spring

At a consultation held on Tuesday 9 January 1728 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

On Sunday evening the 7th of the month the Stanhope and Princess of Wales sailed from the island for Great Britain.

The bills of exchange granted to Mr Powell on the 6th of the month were entered as usual in the journal, folio 49.

Mr Crane, the surgeon of the Princess of Wales, had some time earlier tendered a paper to the Governor listing sums due to him from Gibson from the island. The sums not being verified, the Governor deferred it, but at the same time told Mr Crane that he did not dispose of any public business without first consulting the gentlemen of the council, and that the council met regularly every Tuesday to decide such disputes as might arise. He advised Crane to apply himself and send his account to that office, which would be taken into consideration, and told him he was welcome to attend the council on that day, but he had not yet thought proper either to appear or send his account.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 January 1728 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The Governor reported that, observing the Plantation House to be very much exposed to the weather, especially the windward part of it, and that the garden lay quite open and gone to ruin, and was overgrown with a great number of wild ivy trees, the roots of which were so far spread and extended that the growth of anything was spoiled and not only left barren, he had therefore thought it would be a piece of good service, and of little charge, to build a wall quite round it and to clear the ground from all trash and rubbish. He had accordingly attempted it, with great labour, and had not only cut down the ivy trees and destroyed their roots, which affected them, but had grubbed up seventeen hundred plants and now in front of the house twenty-two large apple trees, which were already bearing. He had also cleared the ground of all the wood, now dug and enclosed the site with a great deal of fresh ground, manured and planted a great quantity of greens, roots and fruits of various sorts. He had further, with the same labour, built a wall of one hundred and five feet back, with mould enclosing four thousand nine hundred yards of ground, very apt for the protection both of greens and roots. For this wall, twenty-three feet six inches next to the windward, he had made seventeen feet and a half high proportionably to shelter the house, which cost a large sum in building from the balance of the wet weather, and, being of the same materials borne with a slope of nine feet back from seventeen feet and a half to thirteen feet high, all the rest is ten feet and a half, so that it might be at ease and the whole be made as complete as possible. With great pains and difficulty he had brought the water from Marcus Spring.

Interpretations

This page records the consultations of 9 and 16 January 1728, the first disposing of a further claim against Gibson the surgeon and the second recounting the Governor's rebuilding of the Plantation House garden.

The claim of Mr Crane, surgeon of the Princess of Wales, adds another creditor to the tangle of debts surrounding Gibson, whose evasions had already occupied the council through the complaints of Slaughter and Joseph Bates in December 1727. The Governor's insistence that he would settle no public matter without the council, and his direction that Crane bring his account before the regular Tuesday meeting, shows Byfield deliberately refusing to act on his own authority, a pointed contrast to the arbitrary proceedings of his predecessor that the inhabitants had condemned in their address of 26 July 1727.

The garden works reveal the practical difficulty of cultivation on the island's exposed windward slopes. The wall was built expressly to shelter the ground from the prevailing wind that had left the garden ruined and barren, and its graded height, tallest on the windward side and stepped down in a slope behind, was designed to break the wind rather than merely to enclose. Grubbing up the ivy trees was necessary because their spreading roots exhausted and choked the soil, defeating any planting.

The bringing of water from Marcus Spring completes the improvement, since a walled and manured garden was useless without irrigation. Water was the scarce resource that governed cultivation on the island, the same consideration that had made the small parcel at Carnes Gutt worth twenty-five pounds to Richard Goodwin on 24 October 1727 because it commanded a stream running to the sea. The Governor presents the whole undertaking as a service of little charge, framing it within the economising programme by which he had reduced the island's expense through 1727.

145

122

Spring & made proper Conveyancies to carry it to all Parts of the Garden, which was

be of great Advantage, & what is as pleasing a Circumstance as any of the rest, He

hath done all this in a very Short Space of & such times as the Blacks could be Spared

from the Plantations & without any Charge or Expence, the little Long Guild upon

their Year ago to Serve a few old Decayed Apple & Mulberry Trees cost the Honble Compy

a good Sum, two White Men having been Employed about it at Large Wages for Sometime

besides the Labour of their own Blacks

The Gentlemen of Councill are of Opinion that this is a very necessary and

Commendable Piece of Service & what has been long wanted, & are extreamly glad to

find that Such considerable Alterations have been perfected in so Short a time, much

beyond their Expectation, & are the more agreeable to them because done without Charge

The Wall they have frequently viewed & the Building of it is a High to the Windward

both the House & the Garden will be Secured from the Damage they used to receive

from the Bleakness of the Weather, & by the great Benefit of a fine Stream of Water

which by the Governrs particular Care & Direction hath been brought into the Garden

they make no doubt but the Fertility will equall if not Exceed any other Spott upon

the Islands, & the a principal Means to Supply Shipping with Plenty of that Sort

of Refreshment which is usually most acceptable to them

William Allis & Mary Harding Widow with Petitioned Praying leave to Assign

Such Lands as they hold by Lease of the Honble Compy the former to Danl Doveton &

the later to James Harding

Granted the Said Doveton & Harding being responsible People & able to Pay

the Rent thereof to the Honble Compy

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 23 January 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Reports that in Consideration of the Sum of Five Pounds to be annually pd

the Honble Company he hath Granted a Lease to Capt French Junr to keep a Publick

House & that & Rent the Same to be Charged to his Acct in the Books

Capt Goodwin & Mr Doveton Executors of an Acct of the Sale of the Estate late of

Grace Coulson deceasd, Praying the Same might be Registered

Orderd that the Same be Registered acordingly

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

The Governor had made proper conveyances to carry water to all parts of the garden, which was of great advantage, and a pleasing circumstance as any of the rest. He had done all this in a very short space of time, at such times as the slaves could be spared from the plantations, and without any charge or expense, since the little grove built some years ago to serve a few old decayed apple and mulberry trees cost the honourable Company a good sum, two white men having been employed about it at large wages for some time, besides the labour of their own slaves.

The gentlemen of the council were of opinion that this was a very necessary and commendable piece of service, and what had long been wanted, and were extremely glad to find that such considerable alterations had been completed in so short a time, much beyond their expectation, and the more agreeable to them because done without charge. The wall they had frequently viewed, and its building of stone brought to the windward, both the house and the garden, with the present protection from the damage they used to receive from the bleakness of the weather, and by the great benefit of a fine stream of water which by the Governor's particular care and direction had been brought into the garden. They had no doubt but its fertility would equal, if not exceed, any other spot upon the island, and be a principal means to supply the shipping with plenty of that sort of refreshment which is usually most acceptable to them.

William Adds and Mary Harding, widow, both petitioned for leave to assign such lands as they held by lease of the honourable Company, the former to Jonathan Doveton and the latter to James Harding.

The council granted this, Doveton and Harding being responsible people and able to pay the rent to the honourable Company. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 23 January 1728 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The Governor reported that, in consideration of the sum of five pounds to be annually paid by the honourable Company, he had granted a licence to Captain French junior to keep a public house, and asked that the same be charged to his account in the books.

Captain Goodwin and Mr Doveton presented an account of the sale of the estate late of Grace Coulson, deceased, asking that the same be registered.

The council ordered that the same be registered accordingly. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This page completes the Governor's account of the Plantation House garden works, given at the consultation of 16 January 1728, and records the business of 23 January 1728. The council's approval of the garden turns on two things it valued above all: that the improvement cost the Company nothing, and that it would furnish the fresh greens and roots that homeward ships most wanted.

The comparison with the earlier grove exposes the economy Byfield claimed. That older work had employed two white men at large wages besides the Company's slaves, and had produced only a few decayed apple and mulberry trees, while the present undertaking used slave labour spared from the plantations at no additional charge. This framing fits the retrenchment Byfield had pursued since taking office, the same policy that closed the limekiln on 21 March 1727 and replaced the slaves' meat ration with fish on 1 March 1727.

The council's remark that the garden would supply the shipping with refreshment names the island's whole commercial purpose. St Helena existed as a victualling station for the East India trade, and fresh vegetables were what scurvy-ridden crews wanted most after months at sea, so a productive garden served the Company's shipping as directly as the livestock accounted for each month.

The assignment of leases required the council's consent because the Company remained the landlord. Approving Doveton and Harding as responsible people able to pay the rent shows the council testing the substance of an incoming tenant before allowing a transfer, protecting its rent roll. The licence granted to French junior for a public house continues the regulation of retail liquor begun on 18 April 1727, when the council first imposed charges on those selling drink.

146

123

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 30th January 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Mr Cowell Presented his Petition Setting forth that in Consultation of the

21st of October 1678 & also by a Certificate dated 11th Novr following & Signed

by the then Governour & Councill both which were this day Produced & read, it appears

that John Coulson deceasd had a Grant of a Parcell of Grounds in James Valley in

Order to Build as much Backwards as would make a Garden, & that he acordingly

built a House thereon, & that having Lately Purchased the Said House of the Children

of the Widow Grace Coulson deceasd & not being able to finde any Deeds relating thereto

which thro' Age great & Infirmity he believes is either Lost or destroyed, humbly

Prayed We would Grant him a new Deed the better to Secure his Title to the Premisses

Orderd that a fresh Deed be prepared & Executed acordingly on Tuesday next

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Saturday 3d February 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governt

John Alexander

John Goodwin

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as Journal

folio 50 & 52

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 6th Febry 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The two preceeding Consultations were this day read & Approved

We this Executed & delivered Mr Cowell a New Deed for the Ground belonging to the

House he lately bought of the Executors of Grace Coulson deceasd in James Valley

acording to the Order of Councill on Tuesday last

Yesterday about two in the Afternoon We had a Single Alarm & this Morning arrived

the Carnarvon Capt Ingles from Bencoolen (of hers Capt Thwaites died) but last from

the Cape to whom We immediatly deliverd the Honble Compys Orders as & Consultation

19th Decr last

The Governour Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Acct for January last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are

as follow Vizt

At a consultation held on Tuesday 30 January 1728 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Mr Powell presented his petition, setting out that by the consultation of 21 October 1678, and by a certificate dated 11 November following, signed by the then Governor and council, both of which were this day produced and read, it appeared that John Coulson, deceased, had a grant of a parcel of ground in James Valley in order to build, and as much backwards as would make a garden, and that he accordingly built a house on it. Having lately purchased the house from the executors of the widow Grace Coulson, deceased, and not being able to find any deed relating to it, which through great age and infirmity had become either lost or destroyed, he asked that the council grant him a new deed the better to secure his title to the property.

The council ordered that a fresh deed be prepared and executed accordingly the following Tuesday. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Saturday 3 February 1728 at Plantation House.

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

The council assembled this day and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folio 52. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 6 February 1728 at Union Fort.

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

The council read and approved the records of the two preceding consultations.

The council this day executed and delivered to Mr Powell a new deed for the ground belonging to the house he lately bought from the executors of Grace Coulson, deceased, in James Valley, according to the order of the council of the previous Tuesday.

The previous afternoon about two an alarm was raised for a single ship, and that morning the Caernarvon, Captain Ingles commander, arrived from Bencoolen, Captain Thwaites having died on the voyage, last from the Cape. The council at once delivered to him the honourable Company's orders, as set out in the consultation of 19 December last.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered each a monthly account for January last, which the council severally examined and approved, as follows.

Interpretations

This page records three consultations from the close of January into February 1728, the first replacing a lost title deed, the second paying the garrison, and the third receiving a newly arrived ship into the island's wartime scheme.

The Powell deed shows how the council reconstructed a title when the original document had perished. Powell proved his claim by producing the consultation record of 21 October 1678 and the certificate of the following November, papers half a century old, and the council accepted these as sufficient evidence to grant a fresh deed. This connects to the death of Grace Coulson, whose will was proved on 5 December 1727 and whose estate was sold and registered on 23 January 1728, the property now passing to a new owner with a secure title.

The survival of a chain of council records reaching back to 1678 reveals the practical value of the consultation book as the island's registry. Without a functioning land registry, the council's own minutes served as the permanent record of every grant, so a purchaser whose deed had rotted could still establish his right from the entries the council had kept, the same protective function that lay behind the constant orders to register bills of sale, wills and leases throughout the run.

The arrival of the Caernarvon under Captain Ingles, her original commander Captain Thwaites having died on the passage from Bencoolen, brought another vessel under the convoy orders first issued on 9 May 1727 and given to every arriving captain since. The alarm raised for a single sail the previous afternoon shows the watch working as designed, since a lone ship in wartime might be an enemy, and the same instructions delivered to Captain Marchet on 19 December 1727 were now handed to Ingles.

147

124

Account of the Honble Compy Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry & Horses likewise what has been Killed, Sold to

Ship Stanhope & One young Horse Sold to Gabriel Cowell besides the Encrease or Decrease for the Month of January 1727 Vizt

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry Horses

[headers: Bullocks · Cowes · Heifers · Steers · Yearlings · Calves · Bulls · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Lambs · Rams · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Kids · Rams · Totall | Sows · Shoates · Boars · Pigs · Totall | Turkeys · Fowles · Ducks · Geese | Horses · Mares · Totall]

Remains 1st January — Bullocks 75 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 51 · Bulls 3 · Totall 266 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 99 | Ewes 214 · Wethers 65 · Kids 70 · Rams 5 · Totall 354 | Sows 10 · Shoates 10 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 38 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 81 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Encreased from do to 31 do — Calves 12 · Totall 12

[running total] — Bullocks 75 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 63 · Bulls 3 · Totall 278 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 99 | Ewes 214 · Wethers 65 · Kids 70 · Rams 5 · Totall 354 | Sows 10 · Shoates 10 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 38 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 81 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Killed from do to do — Ewes 2 · Wethers 3 · Kids 1 · Totall 6 | Shoates 2 · Totall 2 | Fowles 5

[running total] — Bullocks 75 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 63 · Bulls 3 · Totall 278 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 99 | Ewes 212 · Wethers 62 · Kids 69 · Rams 5 · Totall 348 | Sows 10 · Shoates 8 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 36 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 76 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Sold to Ship Stanhope — Bullocks 3 · Totall 3

[running total] — Bullocks 72 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 63 · Bulls 3 · Totall 275 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 99 | Ewes 212 · Wethers 62 · Kids 69 · Rams 5 · Totall 348 | Sows 10 · Shoates 8 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 36 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 76 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 7 · Mares 3 · Totall 10

Sold Gabl Cowell one young Horse — Horses 1 · Totall 1

Remns 31st January — Bullocks 72 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 63 · Bulls 3 · Totall 275 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 99 | Ewes 212 · Wethers 62 · Kids 69 · Rams 5 · Totall 348 | Sows 10 · Shoates 8 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 36 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 76 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Potatoes from the Great Wood deliverd the Honble Compys Blacks & Enterd

to the Credit of the said Wood in Ledger Folio 129

89 Bushell

Yams Expended for the Hogs & Poultry

4200

Account of the honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed, sold to the ship Stanhope, and one young horse sold to Gabriel Powell, besides the increase or decrease, for the month of January 1728. The columns run in order: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and the neat cattle total; ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and the sheep total; ewes, wethers, kids, rams and the goat total; sows, shoats, boars, pigs and the hog total; turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese and the poultry total; horses, mares and the horse total.

Remaining 1 January 1728:

bullocks 75, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 24, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 266

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 214, wethers 65, kids 70, rams 5, goat total 354

sows 10, shoats 10, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 38

turkeys 88, fowls 81, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Increased from 1 to 31 January:

calves 12, neat cattle total 12

Total: bullocks 75, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 24, calves 63, bulls 3, neat cattle total 278

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 214, wethers 65, kids 70, rams 5, goat total 354

sows 10, shoats 10, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 38

turkeys 88, fowls 81, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Killed from 1 to 31 January:

ewes 2, wethers 3, kids 1, goat total 6

shoats 2, hog total 2

fowls 5

Total: bullocks 75, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 24, calves 63, bulls 3, neat cattle total 278

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 212, wethers 62, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 348

sows 10, shoats 8, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 36

turkeys 88, fowls 76, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Sold to the ship Stanhope:

bullocks 3

lambs 3

Total: bullocks 72, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 24, calves 63, bulls 3, neat cattle total 275

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 212, wethers 62, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 348

sows 10, shoats 8, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 36

turkeys 88, fowls 76, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 10

Sold to Gabriel Powell, one young horse:

horses 1, horse total 1

Total: bullocks 72, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 24, calves 63, bulls 3, neat cattle total 275

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 212, wethers 62, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 348

sows 10, shoats 8, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 36

turkeys 88, fowls 76, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Remaining 31 January 1728:

bullocks 72, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 24, calves 63, bulls 3, neat cattle total 275

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 212, wethers 62, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 348

sows 10, shoats 8, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 36

turkeys 88, fowls 76, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 7

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

The potatoes brought from the Great Wood and delivered to the honourable Company's slaves came to 89 bushels, entered to the credit of that wood in ledger T, folio 129. The yams expended for the hogs and poultry came to 4,200 pounds.

Interpretations

This is the monthly livestock stock account for January 1728, delivered with the other January reckonings at the consultation of 6 February 1728 and approved by the council. It follows the settled form of these accounts, carrying each class of animal through opening number, increase, slaughter, sale and death to a closing figure, with the feeding of the stock footed at the end.

The account names both purchasers in its heading, the ship Stanhope and Gabriel Powell, an unusual specificity that ties the stock directly to identifiable buyers. Three bullocks and three lambs went to the Stanhope, which had arrived from Bombay on 4 January 1728 and sailed for Britain on 7 January 1728, so the sale falls precisely within her stay and measures the fresh provisions the island furnished to a homeward East Indiaman.

The sale of a young horse to Gabriel Powell shows the Company disposing of breeding stock to a private inhabitant. Powell was the island's largest wood-holder and one of the council's regular surveyors and valuers, and a horse was a substantial asset on a settlement where the horse stock stood at only nine or ten animals in all, so this was a notable transfer of a scarce resource into private hands.

The entry of eighty-nine bushels of potatoes from the Great Wood, credited to that wood in the ledger, marks the first appearance of potatoes in these accounts alongside the customary yams. The Great Wood was cultivated as well as timbered, and crediting the crop to its own account let the council measure what the wood produced against what it cost, the same accounting discipline applied to every part of the establishment. The yams expended on the hogs and poultry continue the standing monthly charge of feeding the Company's stock on the island's staple root.

148

125

Gunners Stores Expended in January 1727 Vizt

[headers: Guns Fired · Culvering · Sachers · Minion · Falcons · Powder]

1727 Janry 3 An Allarm — Guns Fired 4 · Culvering - · Sachers - · Minion 2 · Falcons 2 · Powder 6

4 Arrived the Stanhope — Guns Fired 9 · Culvering - · Sachers 3 · Minion - · Falcons 6 · Powder 18

6 Muster Day — Guns Fired - · Culvering - · Sachers - · Minion - · Falcons - · Powder 10

7 Departed the Stanhope & Princess of Wales — Guns Fired 18 · Culvering 3 · Sachers 4 · Minion - · Falcons 11 · Powder 48

Fixing & Repairing Grenadier Pouches — Powder 11

Expence of the Guards — Powder 12

Totall — Guns Fired 31 · Culvering 3 · Sachers 7 · Minion 2 · Falcons 19 · Powder 105

Cartridge Paper for Guards & Secretarys Office 3 Quire

Sheep Skins 1

Lamblack 12 Barils

Saile Needles round 12

Twine 1

Match 16

Signed

Jno French

Expence of the General Table in January 1727 Vizt

43¼ Gall Arrack for the Table

13 13 11

1¾ Gall Sherry

9 8¼

13½ Ports

5 4 7¾

16 Gall Strong Beer

1 2 6

1 Bottle of Oyle

3 4

134 Do Sugar

3 7

80 Do Bread

1

144 Do Flour

1 16

65 Do Beefe

16 3

110 Do Pork

2 15

5 Goates

2 10

1 Kid

6

5 Fowles

7 6

12 Do Butter

12

31 Days Greens

1 11

63 Bottles Milk

1 8

36 15 5¾

6½ Gall Arrack to the Guard being New Years Day£ 2 1 2

10 Do Sugar & Do ditto upon the Same Acct

5

16 Do Candles

1 12

15 Do Soap

1 4 3

4 19 5

Collection of Store

The gunner's stores expended in January 1728 stood as follows. The columns give, in order, guns fired, demi-culverins, sackers, minions, falcons and powder.

3 January, an alarm: guns fired 4, demi-culverins 0, sackers 0, minions 2, falcons 2, powder 6 pounds

4 January, arrival of the Stanhope: guns fired 9, demi-culverins 1, sackers 3, minions 0, falcons 6, powder 18 pounds

6 January, muster day: powder 10 pounds

7 January, departure of the Stanhope and Princess of Wales: guns fired 18, demi-culverins 3, sackers 4, minions 0, falcons 11, powder 48 pounds

Fixing and repairing grenadier pouches: powder 11 pounds

Expense of the guard: powder 12 pounds

Total: guns fired 31, demi-culverins 3, sackers 7, minions 2, falcons 19, powder 105 pounds

Cartridge paper for the guards and secretary's office, 3 quire

Sheepskins, 1

Lampblack, 12 barrels

Sail needles, round, 12

Twine, 1 pound

Match, 16 pounds

The account was subscribed by John French.

The expense of the general table in January 1728 was set out as follows:

43.25 gallons of arrack for the table, £13 13s 11d

1.75 gallons of sherry, £0 9s 8.25d

13.5 gallons of port, £5 4s 7.25d

16 gallons of strong beer, £1 2s 6d

1 bottle of oil, £0 3s 4d

134 pounds of sugar, £3 7s 0d

80 pounds of bread, £1 1s 0d

144 pounds of flour, £1 16s 0d

65 pounds of beef, £0 16s 3d

110 pounds of pork, £2 15s 0d

5 goats, £2 10s 0d

1 kid, £0 6s 0d

5 fowls, £0 7s 6d

12 pounds of butter, £0 12s 0d

31 days greens, £1 11s 0d

60 bottles of milk, £0 1s 8d

Total, £36 15s 5.25d

6.5 gallons of arrack to the guard, it being New Year's Day, £2 1s 2d

10 pounds of sugar, delivered to the same account, £0 5s 0d

16 pounds of candles, £1 12s 0d

15 pounds of soap, £1 1s 3d

Total, £4 19s 5d

Interpretations

This page gives the gunner's stores and the general table account for January 1728, both delivered at the consultation of 6 February 1728. The gunner's account records the month's firing occasion by occasion, and its detail confirms the arrivals and departures noted in the consultations, the Stanhope saluted on her arrival of 4 January 1728 and again with the Prince of Wales on their departure of 7 January 1728.

The graded columns name the classes of gun discharged for each occasion. Demi-culverins were medium long guns, sackers lighter, minions lighter still and falcons the smallest, the same ordnance the survey of September 1727 had counted and largely condemned as decayed. The heaviest expenditure of powder, forty-eight pounds for the double departure, shows the ceremonial cost of the convoy system, since each ship leaving in company drew its own salute.

The grenadier pouches repaired in the month were the cartridge cases carried by grenadiers, and the powder charged against that work was probably spent in testing or proving the mended equipment. The sail needles, twine and lampblack among the stores served the making and maintenance of flags, canvas and blacked ironwork, the ordinary consumables of a fort keeping its equipment against the damp Atlantic air.

The New Year's Day allowance of arrack and sugar to the guard, entered separately from the ordinary table account, matches the Christmas indulgence recorded for the slaves in December 1727. These fixed seasonal issues were customary rather than discretionary, marking the few points in the calendar when the establishment received something beyond its working ration.

149

126

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants & ca from

the 1 to the 31 January 1727 Vizt

137 Do Candy

6 11

883 Bread

11

218 Do Soap

15 8 9

400 Ropes

19 2

26 Do Candles

2 6 6

13 oz Indigo

6 6

5 Do Starch

3 9

4 Barils Lamblack

1 4

28 Do Red Lead

6

25 Do White Lead

12 6

17¼ Gall Raw Oyle

5 3 6

1½ Baril Tarr

1 1 3

12 Do Copper

12

30 Small Cupps

5

24 Do with Saucers

12

1 Sett Bowles

15

8 White Shirts

5 Do Cotton Stockings

1 6

5 Do Madrass Gingham

12 6

7 Do Doselles

1 17 6

9 Bengall Quilts

3 10 6

14 Do Chelloe

1 17 6

1½ Do Bengall Taffety

10 8

1 Do Madrass Chints

16

1 Cotton do

1 3

1 Twisting Long Cloth

1 7

2 oz Colld Silk

1 9

2 do do

1 10

4 Yards Broad Cloth a 14/6

2 19 6

4½ Scarlett

13 9

9½ Raw Thread

4 0

1 Ivory Comb

7

1 do

7

2 do

2 8

1 do

1 2

1 Thimble

1 2

7½ Yd Thin Canvas

6 3

2 Large Common Prayer Books

16 6

10 Doz Hooks Sorted

9 4 6

4 Lines

3 6

3 Tin Lamps

5 7

3 Coffee Potts

3 6

2 do

3 6

1 Porringer

7

1 Sauce Pan

10

1 do

2 9

1 do

2 3

2 Pate Pans

2 6

1 Small Pudding Pan

2 6

1 Dripping Pan

8 6

1 Pewter Bason

2 6

1 do

4 3

2 Doz Spoons

9

6 Plates

13 7

1 Dish

4 7

1 do

3 3

1½ M 2d Nailes

1 10½

41 3d

10 6

57 4d

7 6

78 6d

2 18 6

2 8d

2 6

89 10d

1 19 4

4 20d

10 4

8 24d

4 8

23 30d

4 3 8

1 ½ Inch Brade

3 8

1 ¼ Inch do

7 8

Carried over£

90 6 1½

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from the 1st to the 31st of January 1728, as follows:

137 pounds of candy, £6 11s 0d

883 pounds of bread, £11 0s 0d

218 pounds of soap, £15 8s 10d

460 pipes, £0 19s 2d

26 pounds of candles, £2 6s 6d

13 ounces of indigo, £0 6s 6d

5 pounds of starch, £0 3s 9d

4 barrels of lampblack, £0 1s 4d

28 pounds of red lead, £0 12s 6d

25 pounds of white lead, £0 12s 6d

17.5 gallons of Batavia oil, £5 3s 6d

1.5 barrels of tar, £1 1s 3d

12 pounds of pepper, £0 12s 0d

30 small cups, £0 5s 0d

24 pounds with saucers, £0 6s 6d

1 set of bowls, £0 12s 0d

8 white shirts, £0 15s 0d

5 pairs of cotton stockings, £1 12s 6d

5 pieces of Madras gingham, £1 17s 6d

7 pieces of dosuties, £3 6s 0d

9 Bengal quilts, £1 17s 6d

14 pieces of chilloe, £10 6s 8d

1.5 pieces of Bengal taffety, £1 16s 0d

1 piece of Madras chintz, £1 1s 3d

1 cotton, ditto, £1 7s 0d

1 twisting long cloth, £1 1s 0d

2 dozen pieces of tape, £0 10s 0d

2 ditto, £0 6s 0d

4 yards of broadcloth, at 14s 6d, £2 18s 0d

0.5 pounds of scarlet, £1 13s 9d

0.5 pounds of shoe thread, £1 6s 0d

1 jerrycomb, £0 4s 7d

1.5 ditto, £0 2s 7d

2 ditto, £0 2s 8d

1 ditto, £0 1s 2d

1 thimble, £0 2s 8d

7.5 yards of thin canvas, £0 6s 3d

2 large common prayer books, £0 9s 6d

10 large books, sorted, £0 15s 6d

4 lines, £0 5s 7d

3 tin lamps, £0 3s 6d

3 coffee cloths, £0 3s 6d

2 ditto, £0 3s 6d

1 porringer, £0 1s 2d

1 sauce pan, £0 1s 10d

1 ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 ditto, £0 2s 3d

2 patty pans, £0 2s 6d

1 short pudding pan, £0 2s 6d

1 dripping pan, £0 2s 6d

1 pewter basin, £0 2s 6d

1 ditto, £0 4s 3d

2 dozen spoons, £0 9s 0d

6 plates, £0 10s 7d

1 dish, £0 4s 1d

1 ditto, £0 3s 1d

1.5 pounds of 2-inch nails, £0 1s 10.5d

41 pounds of 3-inch, ditto, £0 10s 6d

57 pounds of 4-inch, ditto, £0 7s 6d

78 pounds of 6-inch, ditto, £2 18s 6d

2 pounds of 8-inch, ditto, £2 18s 6d

29 pounds of 10-inch, ditto, £1 19s 4d

4 pounds of 20-inch, ditto, £0 10s 4d

8 pounds of 24-inch, ditto, £0 4s 8d

23 pounds of 30-inch, ditto, £0 13s 8d

1 half-inch brad, £0 3s 8d

1 quarter-inch, ditto, £0 7s 8d

Carried over, £90 6s 1.5d

Interpretations

This account is the storekeeper's monthly reckoning of Company goods sold to the inhabitants across January 1728, delivered with the other January accounts at the consultation of 6 February 1728. It follows the settled form of these accounts, running from provisions and stores through textiles and household ware into graded ironmongery, the total carried over to a further page.

The textiles again represent the Company's Eastern trade. Chilloe, long cloth and dosuties were Coromandel cottons, Madras chintz a printed cotton of the same coast, Madras gingham a checked cotton, and Bengal taffety a Bengal silk, all carried out for a settlement that produced no cloth. Bengal quilts were padded coverlets of the same trade, and the broadcloth and scarlet were English woollens shipped against the island's cooler weather on the high ground.

The household ware records the ordinary furnishing of settler kitchens. The patty pans, pudding pan, dripping pan, sauce pans, porringer and pewter basins, plates and dishes were the equipment of cooking and serving, none of it manufacturable on the island. The two common prayer books and the ten sorted books among the goods are a rare entry of printed matter, showing the warehouse supplying the community's religious and literate needs alongside its material ones.

The graded nails, sold by weight and sorted by length from two to thirty inches, together with the brads, served the building work of the settlement. Red and white lead, lampblack, tar and Batavia oil were the materials of painting, preserving and waterproofing, constant necessities in a damp Atlantic climate where every piece of ironwork and timber needed protection against rust and rot.

150

127

Brought over£

90 6 1½

4 Pr Mens Spanish Leather Shoes

1 13 4

2 Do Calve do

13 4

2 Do Womens Calve

3 6

3 Girles

10 6

1 Boys

5 3

2 do

8

2 Mens Lasts

2 2

2 Pr Womens Stockings

6

1 do

4 3

1 do

6 9

4 Youths

14

1 do

2 6

2 do

4 8

1 mens

7 6

1 Girles

2 9

1 Padlock

6 10

1 Iron Handglass

4 8

48 Squares 6 & 8

1 16

1 Pr Bayes

1 3 3

1 Chest Lock

1 9

1 do

5 8

1 do

4 6

1 Stock Lock

8 3

1 do

4 1

1 Rimb Lock

10 6

1 do

8 3

2 do

10

1 Suit Sad Locks

5 4

3 Splinter Locks

9

2 Pr Hinges

2 6

1 Box Iron & Heaters

2 10

4 do

1 8

1 Hatchets

3 4

1 do Halverds

3 8

1 do do

1

1 Hoshu

2 6

1 Trowell

2 6

1 Sugar Shovel

3 6

1 Rat Shovel

7 1

1 Frying Pan

3 13

2 Iron Potts

5 6

1 Pr Tongs

5 6

1 Butchers Knife

1 3

1 Torbrish Penknife

1

1 Shoe Knife

3 6

1 Nain Skreen

16 3

5 Solivers Hatts

1 11 6

3 Felt do

6 3

1 Boys Hatts

8 3

1 do

3 1 6

6 do

3 2 6

6 Mens do

1 6

48 Yds Twisting

3 10

39 oz China Silk

9

7 M Pins

4

1 M do

9 4

2 M do

14 8

11 M do

2 4

2 M do

2 4

1 oz Thread

15

8 Do Coloured do

3 2

3½ Doz Thread Laces

10

1 Bass Silk ditto

9

1 Pr Narrow Holland Tape

2 6

7 Broad do

2 6

1 Diaper do

3 6

1 do

1 10

4 Bobbin

124 6 1½

The store goods account continued, brought over at £90 6s 1.5d, as follows:

Brought over, £90 6s 1.5d

4 pairs of men's Spanish leather shoes, £1 13s 4d

2 pairs of calve, ditto, £0 13s 4d

2 pairs of women's calve, ditto, £0 3s 6d

3 girls, ditto, £0 10s 6d

1 boys, ditto, £0 5s 3d

2 ditto, £0 8s 0d

2 men's lasts, £0 2s 2d

2 pairs of women's stockings, £0 6s 0d

1 ditto, £0 4s 3d

1 ditto, £0 6s 9d

4 youths, ditto, £0 14s 0d

1 ditto, £0 2s 6d

2 ditto, £0 4s 8d

1 mens, ditto, £0 7s 6d

1 girls, ditto, £0 2s 9d

1 flasket, £0 6s 10d

1 large hourglass, £0 4s 8d

48 squares of glass, at 6s 8d, £1 10s 0d

1 pair of bayes, £1 3s 3d

1 chest lock, £0 1s 9d

1 ditto, £0 5s 8d

1 ditto, £0 6s 3d

1 stock lock, £0 3s 3d

1 ditto, £0 4s 1d

1 rimmed lock, £0 10s 6d

1 ditto, £0 8s 3d

2 ditto, £0 10s 0d

1 suit of table locks, £0 5s 4d

3 splinter locks, £0 2s 6d

2 hinges, £0 9s 6d

1 box iron and heaters, £2 10s 0d

4 ditto, £0 1s 8d

1 hatchet, £0 3s 3d

1 ditto, coloured, £0 3s 8d

1 ditto, ditto, £0 1s 0d

1 hoe, £0 2s 6d

1 trowel, £0 2s 6d

1 sugar shovel, £0 3s 6d

1 shod shovel, £0 7s 1d

1 frying pan, £3 13s 0d

2 iron pots, £0 5s 6d

1 pair of tongs, £0 5s 6d

1 butcher's knife, £0 1s 3d

1 turboys penknife, £0 1s 0d

1 shoe brush, £0 3s 6d

1 hair brush, £0 16s 3d

5 soldiers hats, £1 11s 6d

2 felt, ditto, £0 6s 3d

1 boys hats, £0 8s 3d

1 ditto, £3 1s 6d

6 ditto, £3 2s 6d

6 mens, ditto, £1 10s 0d

48 yards of ferreting, £0 3s 10d

3 ounces of China silk, £0 1s 9d

2 M pins, £0 1s 9d

1 M, ditto, £0 9s 4d

11 M, ditto, £0 14s 8d

2 M, ditto, £0 2s 4d

1 ounce of thread, £0 2s 4d

8 pounds of coloured, ditto, £1 15s 0d

3.5 dozen thread laces, £0 3s 0d

1 gross of silk laces, ditto, £0 1s 10d

1 pair of narrow Holland tape, £0 2s 9d

7 broad, ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 diaper, ditto, £0 3s 6d

1 ditto, £0 1s 10d

4 bobbin, £124 6s 1.5d

Interpretations

This page continues the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods sold to the inhabitants across January 1728, delivered at the consultation of 6 February 1728. It carries the running list from the provisions and ironmongery of the previous page into footwear, hats, locks, tools and haberdashery, the total rising to £124 6s 1.5d.

The footwear and stockings show the warehouse clothing the whole community by age and sex. Spanish leather was a quality tanned hide and calve leather a finer skin, and the shoes were sold separately for men, women, girls, boys and youths, together with lasts, the wooden forms on which a shoe was shaped or repaired, so an inhabitant might mend his own footwear. The soldiers hats among the general stock mark the garrison's clothing drawn from the same store as the settlers'.

The locks and ironwork record the security and building needs of the settlement. A stock lock was a heavy lock mounted on a wooden block, a rimmed lock a case lock fixed to the surface of a door, and a splinter lock a lighter fastening, each suited to a different quality of door. The box iron and heaters were smoothing irons heated by a slug of metal placed inside, and the shod shovel, hoe, trowel, hatchets and iron pots equipped the ordinary work of digging, building and cooking.

The haberdashery at the foot furnished the materials of sewing and dress. Ferreting was a stout tape, bobbin a spool-wound thread, and the Holland and diaper tapes were Dutch linen and figured tapes, all sold alongside pins, threads, silks and laces to households that made and mended their own clothes. The large hourglass and the squares of glass are the practical furnishings of a settlement importing every manufactured article across the sea.

151

128

Brought over£

124 6 1½

4 Doz Brass Buttons

2

7½ Do Coat

7 6

5 Skains Mohair

3

60 Pr Marth Ochen Gardening

9

1 Ribbon

9 4

1 Edging

3 3

1 do

1 9 2

63 Gall Strong Beer

4 14 6

Sum Totall to Inhabts

135 5 9½

Garrison Do 8 Cattee Tea

1 12

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores

1 Do Twine

2 2

12 Barils Lamblack

4 6

12 Round Saile Needles

7 8

Honble Companies Blacks Do

On acct of Diet Expences

3000 Do Rice

22 10

On acct of Cloathing

4¾ Doz Brass Buttons

3 6

On acct of Charges General

1 Doz Hooks

1 4

1 Large Line

3 4

22 17 2¼

Charges General Do

2 Gall Linseed Oyle

12

26 White Lead

5 3 6

1 Cotton Yarn

8 4

2 Barils Lamblack

18 4

4 Pewter Dishes 4/7

6 4 4

2 do 3/7

12

4 Doz Plates

2 17 3

6 Spoons

3 9

6 M 20d Nailes

4 6

12 10d

5 10

6 6d

2 2

6 M 4d Tack

2 8

1 Splinter Lock

7 6

1 Chest Lock

10 6

6 Halves

8 3

2 Rock Shovels & to the Fort Gardener

1 Brass Simmer

16

3 Do Candlesticks

8 3

1 Powder Canister & Stand

2 1 3

320 Do Rice deliverd the Pidgeons & Poultry

15 Do Soap

14 6 6

Plantation Do Vizt

1 Iron Thread

2 6

1 Stock Lock

4 6

2 do

6

3 Pr Cask Garnets

13 6

2 Sugar Shovels

4 6

6 Halves

6

4 M 30d Nailes

7 8

1 Do ½ Inch Brade

1

2400 Do Rice for the Plantation Blacks

18

20 18 9

Diet Expences Do

49 Do Arrack

45 3 4

1¾ Gall Sherry

9 8¼

13½ Do Ports

5 4 7¾

15 Gall Strong Beer

1 2 6

1 Bottle Oyle

3 4

144 Do Sugar

3 12

80 Bread

1

144 Do Flour

1 16

16 Do Candles

1 12

30 15 2¼

226 3 2

Capt Goodwin

Jno Alexander

E Byfeild

The store goods account continued, brought over at £124 6s 1.5d, as follows:

Brought over, £124 6s 1.5d

4 dozen brass buttons, £0 2s 0d

7.5 pounds of coat, ditto, £0 7s 6d

5 sesame mohair, £0 1s 3d

60.5 pounds of moth-eaten garting, £0 1s 9d

1 ribbon, £0 9s 4d

1 edging, £0 3s 3d

2 ditto, £1 9s 2d

63 gallons of strong beer, £4 14s 6d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £135 5s 9.5d

Garrison, ditto:

8 catties of tea, £1 12s 0d

Naval, gunners and garrison stores:

1 pound of twine, £0 2s 2d

12 barrels of lampblack, £0 4s 6d

12 round sail needles, £0 7s 8d

The honourable Company's blacks, on account of diet expenses:

3,000 pounds of rice, £22 10s 0d

On account of clothing:

4.75 dozen brass buttons, £0 3s 6.25d

On account of charges general:

1 dozen hooks, £0 1s 4d

1 large line, £0 3s 4d

Total, £22 17s 2.25d

Charges general, ditto:

2 gallons of linseed oil, £0 12s 0d

16 white lead, £0 5s 3d

1 cotton yarn, £0 3s 6d

2 barrels of lampblack, £0 8s 4d

6 pewter dishes, at 17s, £0 18s 4d

2 ditto, at 5s, £0 6s 4d

4 ditto, at 9s, £0 12s 4d

3 dozen plates, £2 17s 4d

6 spoons, £0 3s 3d

6 pounds of 20-inch nails, £0 3s 9d

12 pounds of 10-inch, ditto, £0 3s 6d

6 pounds of 6-inch, ditto, £0 4s 6d

6 pounds of 4-inch, ditto, £0 5s 10d

2 pounds of tacks, £0 2s 6d

1 splinter lock, £0 2s 8d

1 chest lock, £0 2s 8d

6 hoes, £0 7s 6d

2 shod shovels, £0 10s 6d, delivered to the fort gardener

1 brass simmer, £0 8s 3d

3 candlesticks, £0 15s 0d

2 spades, snuffers and stand, £1 5s 3d

520 pounds of rice delivered for the pigeons and poultry, £2 8s 0d

15 pounds of soap, £1 1s 3d

Total, £14 6s 6d

Plantation, ditto:

1 pound of shoe thread, £0 2s 6d

1 stock lock, £0 2s 6d

2 ditto, £0 4s 6d

3 pounds of coarse garnets, £0 6s 6d

2 sugar shovels, £0 13s 6d

6 hoes, £0 15s 0d

4 pounds of 30-inch nails, £0 6s 0d

1 quarter-inch brads, £0 7s 8d

2,400 pounds of rice for the plantation blacks, £18 0s 0d

Total, £20 18s 9d

Diet expenses, ditto:

49 gallons of arrack, £15 3s 1d

1.75 gallons of sherry, £0 9s 8.25d

13.5 gallons of port, £5 1s 2.5d

1 bottle of oil, £0 3s 4d

144 pounds of sugar, £3 12s 0d

80 pounds of bread, £1 1s 0d

144 pounds of flour, £1 16s 0d

16 pounds of candles, £2 1s 0d

Total, £30 15s 2.75d

Sum total, £226 3s 2d

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

Interpretations

This page closes the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for January 1728, delivered at the consultation of 6 February 1728, dividing the remaining charges among the inhabitants, the garrison, the naval and gunners stores, the slaves, the plantation and the fort table. It gathers the several establishments the warehouse supplied and closes at a sum total of £226 3s 2d for the month.

The shod shovels delivered to the fort gardener connect directly to the Plantation House garden works the Governor reported on 16 January 1728, when he described walling, clearing and planting the ground and bringing water from Marcus Spring. The account thus records the tools issued for that very undertaking, and the hoes and spades charged to the plantation and general accounts equipped the same programme of cultivation.

The large issues of rice to the slaves record their standing subsistence, three thousand pounds on account of diet and a further two thousand four hundred to the plantation slaves. Rice served as a staple grain alongside the island's yams and the potatoes newly brought from the Great Wood, so the feeding of the Company's labour force remained the heaviest single charge in the establishment's regular expense.

The entry of moth-eaten garting among the goods sold is a candid admission of damaged stock. Garting was garter tape, and its sale despite the damage shows the storekeeper disposing of spoiled goods rather than writing them off, the same practical economy that had governed the sale of the damaged powder ordered in October 1727.

152

129

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 13th February 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

On Wednesday last We deliverd Capt Ingles the usual Orders to have in upon Alarms the

form of which is Enterd in Consultation 26th Decr last

Mr Gibson having desired to return to England & the Garrison & Inhabitants

becoming daily more & more earnest with Us to provide an other Surgeon We have acordingly

Entertained Mr Benjamin Alsop late of the Carnarvon at Three Pounds Do Month who

has had great Opportunities to perfect himself in his Business having Served his Apprentice

ship his Time with Mr Warner of Westminster & the other half with Mr Corn of St Thomas's

Hospitall by whom & Mr Lee he was Recommended to Capt Thwaites who as well as the

present Captain & Officers were very well Satisfied with his Skill & Diligence & so well

pleased with other Part of his Behaviour that they were very Unwilling to Part with

him & with great Reluctancy consented to his Stay

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 20th February 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Daniel Griffith Petitioned Praying leave to go off in Order to Settle in Some Part

of India

Granted first Settling his Acct with the Inhabitants

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a consultation held on Tuesday 13 February 1728 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The previous Wednesday the council delivered to Captain Ingles the usual orders to heave in his ship upon alarms, the form of which is entered in the consultation of 26 December last.

Mr Gibson having asked leave to return to England, and the garrison and inhabitants becoming daily more and more earnest with the council to provide another surgeon, the council accordingly engaged Mr Benjamin Alsop, late of the Caernarvon, at three pounds a month. He had enjoyed great opportunities to perfect himself in his profession, having served his apprenticeship half his time with Mr Warner of Westminster and the other half with Mr Torn of St Thomas's Hospital, by whom he was recommended to Captain Thwaites and Mr Lee. The council was as well satisfied with his skill and diligence as the present captain and officers, who were very well pleased with every part of his behaviour, so that they were very unwilling to part with him and consented to his stay with great reluctance.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 20 February 1728 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Daniel Griffith petitioned for leave to go off the island in order to settle in some part of India.

The council granted this, provided he first settled his accounts with the inhabitants. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This page brings the long affair of Gibson the surgeon to its resolution at the consultation of 13 February 1728, more than five months after the inhabitants first petitioned for his removal in September 1727. His request to return to England came only after the council had abated his salary for contempt and neglect on 19 December 1727 and after his creditors had pursued him through the autumn, so the departure closes a case built on medical incompetence, unpaid debts and open insolence toward the Company.

The engagement of Benjamin Alsop shows the council at last securing the qualified replacement the inhabitants had demanded. The petition of September 1727 had asked expressly for a surgeon out of the shipping, and Alsop came from the Caernarvon, which had arrived on 6 February 1728. His training was set out in detail because it answered precisely the complaint against Gibson, that he lacked the skill to let blood or perform an amputation, whereas Alsop had served a full apprenticeship divided between a Westminster practitioner and St Thomas's Hospital, one of London's principal teaching infirmaries.

The council's care to record that the Caernarvon's officers parted with Alsop only with great reluctance served to establish his worth. A ship's surgeon was essential to a vessel on a long voyage, so a commander's unwillingness to release him testified to his competence more persuasively than any certificate, and the council entered that testimony as its warrant for the appointment at three pounds a month.

The requirement that Daniel Griffith settle his accounts with the inhabitants before leaving for India applies the same principle the council enforced against every departing settler. Debts owed on the island had to be cleared before a man sailed beyond reach, the same condition attached to William Adds and Henry Whaley on 12 December 1727 and the reason the council had stopped Hodgkinson's pay in the autumn of 1727.

153

130

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 27 Febry 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Reports that having received Notice that Several Blacks were

run away from their Masters & that many more were expected of the like Design

he therefore wrote the following Letter to the Captain Vizt

Sir

I have just this Moment received Information from Several of the Inhabitants

that they have lost Some of their Blacks who they believe have Same Intention to get

privately on Board of the Ship & that they Suspect great Numbers of them do

concurr in the like Design, & therefore desire I would give Strict Charge to Your

Officers to keep a good look out & least they in the Night Month make Some Attempt

upon the Ship & to look for they have more than once made this part of their Scheme

I also desire if there be any at this time on Board You will Send them on Shore forth

& also any to come on Board upon any pretence whatever

I am

Sir

Your humble Servt

Febry 26th 1727

To Capt Ingless Comdr of the Ship Carnarvon

E Byfeild

Orderd that Notice be given to the Inhabitants to bring in their Acct

of Families Lands Cattle &c by the 20 of next Month in Order to prepare

the usuall Lists to be transmitted to the Honble Company & that they do each

attend on the 30 following in Order to Pay their Rents for the Last half Year

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Att a Consultation held on Monday 4th March 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

We this Day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as

Journal Folio 58 & 60

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a consultation held on Tuesday 27 February 1728 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The Governor reported that he had received notice that several slaves had run away from their masters, and that many more were suspected of the same design. He therefore wrote the following letter to the captain.

The council had that morning received information from several of the inhabitants that they had lost some of their slaves, who they believed had gone in the hope of getting privately on board his ship. Since the council suspected that great numbers of them were concerned in the design, it thought fit to give him strict charge to his officers to keep a good watch, lest they in the night should make some attempt upon the ship or life, since they have more than once made this part of their scheme. It asked that, before they be any of them at any time on board, he would order them on shore and forbid any to come on board upon any pretence whatever. The letter was dated 26 February 1728, addressed to Captain Ingles, commander of the ship Caernarvon, and subscribed by Edward Byfield as his humble servant.

The council further ordered that notice be given to the inhabitants to bring in their lists of families, land, cattle and the like by the 20th of the following month, in order to prepare the usual lists to be transmitted to the honourable Company, and that they each attend on the 20th following in order to pay their debts for the last half year.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

At a consultation held on Monday 4 March 1728 at the Company house.

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

The council assembled this day and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 58 and 60. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

This page records the council's response to an attempted mass escape by slaves at the consultation of 27 February 1728, and the routine payment of the garrison on 4 March 1728. The escape attempt reveals the constant pressure beneath the island's economy, since the settlement depended wholly on slave labour and every visiting ship offered a route away.

The letter to Captain Ingles of the Caernarvon shows how a passing vessel became a threat to the slave system. A ship bound for England or India was the only means of leaving the island, so slaves sought to stow away, and the council required the commander to set a night watch and to refuse any of them aboard on any pretence. The reference to a threat against the ship or the lives of its crew, and to such attempts having been made more than once, indicates the council feared not merely stowaways but a seizure of the vessel.

The order for the annual lists carries out the Company's direction of 3 August 1727, which required the returns of families, land, cattle, rent and revenue to be reckoned from March to March rather than at September. This was the first full application of the new cycle, and requiring the inhabitants to bring in their attested accounts by a fixed day let the council prepare the consolidated lists for transmission home.

The linked requirement that the inhabitants attend to pay their debts for the last half year shows the council settling the running credit built up through the storekeeper's monthly sales. Goods advanced from the warehouse were charged against each buyer, so the half-yearly reckoning called in those balances, tying the annual returns and the debt collection into a single administrative moment.

154

131

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 5th March 1727 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The two preceding Consultations were read & Approved

Margaret Storey Widow presented her Petition Praying to go off the Islands to

Bencoolen

Granted first Settling all Accts with the Inhabitants

Mr Byder having lost Four, Mr Cowell One, & Mr Compton two Slaves who

in a fit of Despair one Day last Week Slip'd a Cable belonging to Capt Goodwin

& put out to Sea & not having been Since heard of We Suppose are Drowned & they

having applyed to Us to prevent Accidents of this Nature for the time to come

Orderd that for the future all Persons having Boats or Hawse in Boats

4 4 4 4 do immediatly at their Return from Fishing Secure their Sailes &

Oars & that Such Persons as Shall Neglect to do are liable to be Sued for Damages

if through their Disobedience any Loss Should hereafter happen & that Notice

hereof be given by Advertizement

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Accts for February last which were Severally Examined & Approved &

are as follow

Expence of the Genll Table in February 1727

41 Gall Arrack

12 19 8

2 Do Sherry 7/9

15 6

15 Do Ports

5 16 3

3½ Do Mountaine

3 5 10½

19½ Small Beer

19 6

5 Do & Strong Do

3 5

130 Do Sugar

3 5

164 Do Flour

1 2 9

91 Do Bread

1 2 9

2 Do Copper

2 6

105 Do Beef

1 7 3

220 Do Pork

5 10

1 Sheep

8

4 Goates

2 8

4 Ducks

7 6

17½ Do Butter

17 6

29 Days Greens

1 9 8

58 Bottles Milk

44 15 5½

Expence of the Table in Febry amounting to

3 Gall Arrack to the Guards

12 8

3 Do to Sick & Labouring Blacks

1 11 8

9 Do Sugar to Do

4 6

20 Do Candles

2

12 Do Soap

17

5 5 8

Febry 1727 Gunners Stores Expended in February 1727

[headers: Guns · Sachers · Minion · Falcon · Powder]

3 Muster Day — Guns - · Sachers - · Minion - · Falcon - · Powder 10

5 An Allarm — Guns 4 · Sachers - · Minion 2 · Falcon 2 · Powder 6

6 Arrived the Carnarvon — Guns 9 · Sachers 3 · Minion - · Falcon 6 · Powder 18

Expence of the Guards — Guns - · Sachers - · Minion - · Falcon - · Powder 12

Totall — Guns 13 · Sachers 3 · Minion 2 · Falcon 8 · Powder 46

Cartridge Paper 1 Quire

Match 30

Jno French

Collection

At a consultation held on Tuesday 5 March 1728 at Plantation House.

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

The council read and approved the records of the two preceding consultations.

Margaret Storey, widow, presented her petition for leave to go off the island to Bencoolen. The council granted this, provided she first settled all her accounts with the inhabitants.

Mr Ryder had lost four slaves, Mr Powell one and Mr Umpston two, all belonging to Captain Goodwin, who in a fit of despair one day the previous week had put out to sea in a boat, and, not having been heard of since, were supposed to be drowned. The inhabitants applied to the council to prevent accidents of this nature in future.

The council ordered that for the future every person who kept boats or shares in boats immediately secure their sails and oars on their return from fishing, and that any person who neglected to do so should be liable to be sued for damages if through their disobedience any loss should happen afterwards. It further ordered that notice of this be given by advertisement.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered each a monthly account for February last, which the council severally examined and approved, as follows.

The expense of the general table in February 1728 was set out as follows:

41 gallons of arrack, £12 19s 8d

2 gallons of sherry, at 7s 9d, £0 15s 6d

15 gallons of port, £5 16s 3d

3.5 gallons of Mountain wine, £0 5s 10.5d

19.5 gallons of small beer, £0 19s 6d

7 gallons of strong beer, £0 3s 5d

130 pounds of sugar, £3 5s 0d

164 pounds of flour, £1 2s 9d

91 pounds of bread, £1 2s 9d

2 pounds of pepper, £1 7s 3d

206 pounds of beef, £1 5s 10d

220 pounds of pork, £0 8s 0d

1 sheep, £0 8s 0d

4 goats, £0 8s 0d

4 ducks, £0 7s 6d

17.5 pounds of butter, £0 9s 3d

29 days greens, £0 9s 8d

58 bottles of milk, £0 9s 8d

Total, £44 16s 5.25d

2 gallons of arrack to the guards, £0 12s 8d

5 gallons, ditto, to the sick and labouring blacks, £1 11s 8d

2 pounds of sugar, ditto, £0 1s 6d

20 pounds of candles, £0 2s 0d

12 pounds of soap, £0 17s 0d

Total, £5 5s 8d

The gunner's stores expended in February 1728 stood as follows. The columns give, in order, guns fired, sackers, minions, falcons and powder.

3 February, muster day: powder 10 pounds

5 February, an alarm: guns fired 4, sackers 0, minions 2, falcons 2, powder 6 pounds

6 February, arrival of the Caernarvon: guns fired 9, sackers 3, minions 0, falcons 6, powder 18 pounds

Expense of the guard: powder 12 pounds

Total: guns fired 13, sackers 3, minions 2, falcons 8, powder 46 pounds

Cartridge paper, 1 quire

Match, 30 pounds

The account was subscribed by John French.

Interpretations

This page records the drowning of seven slaves who put out to sea in a boat, and the council's regulation in response, at the consultation of 5 March 1728. Coming a week after the escape attempt reported on 27 February 1728, when slaves were suspected of trying to board the Caernarvon, the loss of these men in a boat almost certainly forms part of the same movement, an attempt to flee the island by sea that ended in death.

The council's response addresses the means rather than the cause. By requiring every boat owner to secure sails and oars on returning from fishing, and making him liable in damages for any loss arising from his neglect, the council removed the equipment by which slaves might take a boat. The fishing fleet had grown out of the programme begun on 1 March 1727, when the slaves' meat ration was replaced by fish, so the very boats the Company had fitted for feeding its people had become the instrument of their escape.

The financial framing of the order is telling. The council held the boat owners liable in damages to the slaves' masters rather than imposing a public penalty, treating the loss of seven slaves as an injury to property for which one inhabitant might sue another. This kept the matter within the law of private compensation, the same approach taken when Clew was ordered to pay Simpson for his injuries on 24 October 1727.

The gunner's account records the month's firing occasion by occasion, the salute for the Caernarvon's arrival on 6 February 1728 matching the consultation record, and the alarm of the previous day. Sackers, minions and falcons were the graded light guns of the island's ordnance, the same pieces the survey of September 1727 had counted and largely found decayed.

155

132

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabts

from the 1 to the 26th of Febry 1727

102 Do Sugar

2 11

16 Do Candy

15

132 Do Soap

9 7

6 Doz Pipes

8

12 Pr Chelloe

8 17

6 Doselles

3

3½ Long Cloth

3 10

16 Rice

1 17 6

7 Do Cotton Stockings

7 6

4 Do Starch

2 6

25 Do White Lead

18 6

25 Do Red Lead

12 6

6 oz Indigo

1 6

12½ Gall Oyle

3 15

1 Doz Bobs

5 5

2 Nonwer Cofers

9

1 Pr Womens Stockings

4

3 do

10 6

3 Doz do

2 6

6 Pewter Plates

4 6

4 Porringers

4 6

1 Doz Spoons

14 6

1 Pr Brass Candlesticks

3 6

1 Pr Snuffers

2 6

7 Doz Hooks Sorted

2 6

11 Lines

2 6

15 Small Cupps

2 6

12 Do with Saucers

2 6

6 Doz Corks

2 11 6

1½ Do Buckshot

3 8

1 do

12 4

8 Yards Duroine

3 8

24 Red Ink

1 2

1½ Flannell

1 6 8

4 Norwich Stuff

2 4

2 Small Bedding Pans

5 8 6

1 Middling Dripping Pan

4 1

4 Slop Basins

1 3 6

2 Quire Paper

1 3 6

1 M 2 Nailes

7 6

8 3d

5 6

18 10d

14 8

8 20d

4 8

8 30d

1 2

1 M 3d Inch Brade

1 8

1 Earthen Powdering Pott

4 6

3 Do Milk Pans

7 6

2 Man Roast Pans

7 6

60 Do Starch

3

3 oz Copper

3 3

1 Bod Shovel

3 6

1 Frying Pan

5 2

6 Formers

2 6

1 Paring Chizzell

1 6

1 Shaking do

1 6

1½ Whited brown Thread

3 6

3 Cold do

12

1 oz Thread

1 7 9¼

10 Yard Edging

1 3

1 Yard Ribbon

1 3

1½ oz English Silk

6 9

2½ China do

2

7 Yds Twisting

9

1½ Thread Lace

2

1 Narrow do

2

1 M Pins

57 10 2½

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from the 1st to the 26th of February 1728, as follows:

102 pounds of sugar, £2 11s 0d

16 pounds of candy, £0 15s 0d

132 pounds of soap, £9 7s 8d

6 dozen pipes, £0 3s 0d

13 pieces of chilloe, £8 17s 0d

6 dosuties, £3 3s 0d

3.5 long cloth, £3 10s 0d

16 pipes, £1 17s 6d

7 pairs of cotton stockings, £0 17s 6d

1 pound of starch, £0 1s 6d

25 pounds of white lead, £0 12s 6d

25 pounds of red lead, £0 12s 6d

8 ounces of indigo, £0 1s 6d

15.5 gallons of oil, £3 15s 6d

1 jerrycomb, £0 5s 6d

2 morocco cases, £0 6s 0d

1 pair of women's stockings, £0 4s 0d

3 ditto, £0 10s 6d

3 dozen, ditto, £0 2s 6d

6 pewter plates, £0 6s 6d

4 porringers, £0 4s 6d

1 dozen spoons, £0 14s 6d

1 pair of brass candlesticks, £0 3s 6d

1 pair of snuffers, £0 2s 6d

7 dozen hooks, sorted, £0 2s 6d

11 lines, £0 2s 6d

15 small cups, £0 2s 0d

12 pounds with saucers, £2 11s 0d

6 dozen corks, £0 3s 0d

1.5 pounds of muskets, £0 19s 0d

1 ditto, £3 2s 0d

8 yards of durance, £0 12s 0d

26 bed tick, £0 2s 6d

15 flannel, £1 2s 4d

4 pieces of Norwich stuff, £0 6s 4d

2 small pudding pans, £0 5s 8d

1 middling dripping pan, £0 4s 6d

4 hourglasses, £0 2s 0d

2 quire of paper, £1 3s 6d

1 pound of 3-inch nails, £0 7s 6d

5 pounds of 6-inch, ditto, £0 5s 6d

18 pounds of 10-inch, ditto, £0 4s 8d

8 pounds of 20-inch, ditto, £0 1s 2d

8 pounds of 30-inch, ditto, £0 1s 8d

1 pound of half-inch brads, £0 1s 6d

1 earthen powdering pot, £0 4s 6d

3 ditto, milk pans, £0 7s 6d

2 three-quart pans, £0 13s 0d

60 pounds of starch, £0 3s 0d

3 ounces of pepper, £0 3s 6d

1 mould shovel, £0 3s 6d

1 frying pan, £0 5s 2d

5 formers, £0 6s 6d

1 paring chisel, £0 1s 6d

1 heading, ditto, £0 1s 2d

0.5 pounds of white and brown thread, £0 3s 6d

3 coloured, ditto, £0 12s 0d

1 ounce of thread, £0 1s 9.5d

10 yards of edging, £0 1s 3d

1 yard of ribbon, £0 1s 3d

1.5 ounces of English silk, £0 6s 9d

2.5 China, ditto, £0 2s 9d

7 yards of ferreting, £0 2s 4d

1.5 thread laces, £0 2s 4d

1 narrow, ditto, £0 2s 4d

1 M pins, £0 2s 4d

Total, £57 10s 2.5d

Interpretations

This account is the storekeeper's monthly reckoning of Company goods sold to the inhabitants across February 1728, delivered with the other February accounts at the consultation of 5 March 1728. It follows the settled form, running from provisions and textiles through household ware and haberdashery to a total of £57 10s 2.5d, notably lower than the preceding months.

The textiles again mix Indian cottons with English woollens. Chilloe, long cloth and dosuties were Coromandel cottons, durance a glazed worsted, and Norwich stuff a worsted cloth from the Norfolk weaving trade, all carried out for a settlement that produced no cloth. Bed tick was the stout cloth used for mattress and pillow covers, and the flannel a soft woollen for the cooler high ground of the island.

The kitchen and household ware records the ordinary furnishing of settler homes. Earthen powdering pots were vessels for salting and preserving meat, and the milk pans, pudding pans and dripping pan were the equipment of a working dairy and kitchen, all imported since the island had no pottery or metalworking of its own. A former was a tool for shaping, and the paring and heading chisels served carpentry.

The morocco cases and English silk mark the small luxuries available alongside the necessities. Morocco was a fine goatskin leather, and its appearance in the same account as tar, nails and starch shows the warehouse serving the whole range of the community's wants, from the plainest tools to items of some refinement, all sold on credit at fixed Company prices against the half-yearly debts the council had just ordered called in.

156

133

Brought Over£

57 10 2½

Garrison Do

8 Cattees Tea

1 12

1½ Gall Oyle deld the Armourer

3

1 15

Honble Compys Blacks

On acct of Diet Expences

3070 Do Rice

23 6 6

On acct of Clothing

1 Small Quilt deliverd Jack Butcher

4 1

On acct of Charges General

10½ Doz Lines Sorted

4 6 6

80 Doz Hooks Sorted

3 10 8

2½ oz China Silk

3 9

31 10 6

Plantation Do

1 Felling Ax

3 4

36 Do Rope

18

1 M 6d to

4

2000 Do Rice deld for Plantation Blacks

15 13 6

16 16 10

Charges General

2 Gall Linseed Oyle

12

15 Barils Lamblack

4

1 Saints Brush

5

1 Small Iron

5 8

40 10d Nailes

1 8 8

23 4d

6 8

23 6d

8 3

61 20d

1 3 6

6 Do Rivets

4 6

21 Do Spike & Waight Nailes

4 2¼

10 Do Props

5 6

1 Chest Lock

11 2

1 Pr Door Hinges No 3

2 3

1¼ oz China Silk

1 3

296 Do Rice deld for the Pidgeons & Poultry

2 3 6

42 Do Soap

17

9 7 9¼

Diet Expences

48 Gall Arrack

15 4

2 Do Sherry

15 6

15 Do Ports

5 16 3

8½ Do Mountain

3 5 10½

19½ Do Small Beer

19 6

15 Do Strong Beer

4 6

132 Do Sugar

3 9 6

162 Do Flour

1 2 9

91 Do Bread

2

20 Do Candles

2

2 Do Copper

36 18 10½

Sum Totall£

153 9 2¾

Account of the Honble

Compys Stock of Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goates, Hoggs, Poultry &

Horses likewise what has been killed & Sold to Ship Carnarvon besides

the Encrease or Decrease from the 1st to the 29th Febry 1727

Vizt

The store goods account continued, brought over at £57 10s 2.5d, as follows:

Brought over, £57 10s 2.5d

Garrison, ditto:

8 catties of tea, £1 12s 0d

1.5 gallons of oil, delivered to the armourer, £0 3s 0d

Total, £1 15s 0d

The honourable Company's blacks, on account of diet expenses:

3,070 pounds of rice, £23 6s 6d

On account of clothing:

1 small quilt, delivered to Jack the butcher, £0 4s 1d

On account of charges general:

10.5 dozen lines, sorted, £4 6s 6d

80 dozen hooks, sorted, £3 10s 8d

2.5 ounces of China silk, £0 3s 9d

Total, £31 10s 6d

Plantation, ditto:

1 felling axe, £0 3s 4d

36 pounds of rope, £0 18s 0d

1 line, 8-inch, ditto, £0 4s 0d

2,090 pounds of rice, delivered for the plantation blacks, £15 13s 6d

Total, £16 16s 10d

Charges general, ditto:

2 gallons of linseed oil, £0 12s 0d

15 barrels of lampblack, £0 4s 5d

1 saint's cross, £0 3s 5d

1 small saw, £1 3s 8d

40 pounds of 10-inch nails, £0 6s 8d

23 pounds of 4-inch, ditto, £0 6s 3d

23 pounds of 20-inch, ditto, £1 5s 6d

61 pounds of 6-inch, ditto, £0 4s 6d

2 barrels, ditto, £0 4s 9.5d

21 pounds of spike and weight nails, £0 5s 6d

10 pounds of rope, £0 11s 2d

1 chest lock, £0 2s 3d

1 pair of hinges, number 3, £0 2s 3d

1.25 ounces of China silk, £2 3s 6d

298 pounds of rice, delivered for the pigeons and poultry, £0 17s 0d

42 pounds of soap, £9 7s 9.25d

Total, £9 7s 9.25d

Diet expenses, ditto:

48 gallons of arrack, £15 4s 0d

2 pounds of sherry, £0 15s 6d

15 ditto of port, £5 16s 3d

3.5 ditto of Mountain wine, £0 5s 10.5d

19.5 ditto of small beer, £0 19s 6d

15 ditto of strong beer, £0 3s 5d

139 pounds of sugar, £3 9s 6d

164 pounds of flour, £1 2s 9d

91 pounds of bread, £1 2s 9d

20 pounds of candles, £2 3s 0d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 3s 0d

Total, £36 18s 10.5d

Sum total, £153 9s 2.25d

Account of the honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed and sold to the ship Caernarvon, besides the increase or decrease, from the 1st to the 29th of February 1728.

Interpretations

This page closes the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for February 1728, delivered at the consultation of 5 March 1728, dividing the remaining charges among the garrison, the slaves, the plantation, general charges and the fort table, and opens the livestock account for the same month.

The heavy provision of fishing lines and hooks to the slaves is the most striking entry, more than ten dozen lines and eighty dozen hooks charged to general expenses. This equipment served the fishing programme begun on 1 March 1727 when the meat ration was replaced with fish, and the scale of the issue takes on a grim aspect beside the report of the same consultation, that seven slaves had put out to sea in a boat and were supposed drowned. The council was re-equipping the fishery in the very month it lost the men who worked it.

The quilt delivered to Jack the butcher shows the Company clothing individual slaves by name from its stores. Such personal issues appear throughout these accounts alongside the bulk provision of kersey and cotton, marking the practical care taken of particular workers whose trades made them valuable to the establishment.

The rice issues to the slaves and the plantation, more than five thousand pounds in all, continue the standing subsistence charge that ran through every monthly account. The felling axe and rope charged to the plantation, and the nails, saw, hinges and locks under general charges, equipped the ordinary building and clearing work, while the linseed oil and lampblack preserved ironwork and timber against the damp Atlantic air.

157

134

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry Horses

[headers: Bullock · Cowes · Heifers · Steers · Yearlings · Calves · Bulls · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Lambs · Rams · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Kids · Rams · Totall | Sowes · Shoates · Boars · Pigs · Totall | Turkeys · Fowles · Ducks · Geese | Horses · Mares · Totall]

Remns 1st Febry 1727 — Bullock 72 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 24 · Calves 63 · Bulls 3 · Totall 275 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 99 | Ewes 212 · Wethers 62 · Kids 69 · Rams 5 · Totall 348 | Sowes 10 · Shoates 8 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 36 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 76 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Encreased from do to 29th do — Yearlings 2 · Calves 8 · Totall 10 | Fowles 16

[running total] — Bullock 72 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 26 · Calves 71 · Bulls 3 · Totall 285 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 19 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 99 | Ewes 212 · Wethers 62 · Kids 69 · Rams 5 · Totall 348 | Sowes 10 · Shoates 8 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 36 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 92 · Ducks 41 · Geese 33 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Killed from do to do — Wethers 1 · Totall 1 | Ewes 1 · Wethers 3 · Totall 4 | Shoates 1 · Totall 1 | Fowles 4

[running total] — Bullock 72 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 26 · Calves 71 · Bulls 3 · Totall 285 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 18 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 98 | Ewes 211 · Wethers 59 · Kids 69 · Rams 5 · Totall 344 | Sowes 10 · Shoates 7 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 35 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 92 · Ducks 37 · Geese 33 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Sold to Ship Carnarvon — Bullock 3 · Totall 3

[running total] — Bullock 69 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 26 · Calves 71 · Bulls 3 · Totall 282 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 18 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 98 | Ewes 211 · Wethers 59 · Kids 69 · Rams 5 · Totall 344 | Sowes 10 · Shoates 7 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 35 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 92 · Ducks 37 · Geese 33 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Cattle Grown in do — Calves 2 · Totall 2

Remns Ultmo Febry — Bullock 69 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 26 · Calves 69 · Bulls 3 · Totall 280 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 18 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 98 | Ewes 211 · Wethers 59 · Kids 69 · Rams 5 · Totall 344 | Sowes 10 · Shoates 7 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 35 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 92 · Ducks 37 · Geese 33 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 10,550

Do deliverd to the Fort Blacks 1,600

Do deliverd the Great Wood Blacks 1,650

Totall Yams 13,800

The columns run in order: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and the neat cattle total; ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and the sheep total; ewes, wethers, kids, rams and the goat total; sows, shoats, boars, pigs and the hog total; turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese and the poultry total; horses, mares and the horse total.

Remaining 1 February 1728:

bullocks 72, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 24, calves 63, bulls 3, neat cattle total 275

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 212, wethers 62, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 348

sows 10, shoats 8, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 36

turkeys 88, fowls 76, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Increased from 1 to 29 February:

yearlings 2, calves 8, neat cattle total 10

fowls 16

Total: bullocks 72, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 26, calves 71, bulls 3, neat cattle total 285

ewes 56, wethers 19, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 99

ewes 212, wethers 62, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 348

sows 10, shoats 8, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 36

turkeys 88, fowls 92, ducks 41, geese 33, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Killed from 1 to 29 February:

wethers 1, sheep total 1

ewes 1, wethers 3, goat total 4

shoats 1, hog total 1

ducks 4

Total: bullocks 72, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 26, calves 71, bulls 3, neat cattle total 285

ewes 56, wethers 18, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 98

ewes 211, wethers 59, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 344

sows 10, shoats 7, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 35

turkeys 88, fowls 92, ducks 37, geese 33, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Sold to the ship Caernarvon:

bullocks 3, neat cattle total 3

Total: bullocks 69, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 26, calves 71, bulls 3, neat cattle total 282

ewes 56, wethers 18, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 98

ewes 211, wethers 59, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 344

sows 10, shoats 7, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 35

turkeys 88, fowls 92, ducks 37, geese 33, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Cattle grown from 1 to 29 February:

calves 2, neat cattle total 2

Total: bullocks 69, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 26, calves 69, bulls 3, neat cattle total 280

ewes 56, wethers 18, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 98

ewes 211, wethers 59, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 344

sows 10, shoats 7, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 35

turkeys 88, fowls 92, ducks 37, geese 33, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Remaining 29 February 1728:

bullocks 69, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 26, calves 69, bulls 3, neat cattle total 280

ewes 56, wethers 18, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 98

ewes 211, wethers 59, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 344

sows 10, shoats 7, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 35

turkeys 88, fowls 92, ducks 37, geese 33, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

The yams expended were accounted for as follows:

Yams expended at the several plantations, 10,550 pounds

Ditto delivered to the fort blacks, 1,600 pounds

Ditto delivered to the Great Wood blacks, 1,650 pounds

Total yams, 13,800 pounds

Interpretations

This is the monthly livestock stock account for February 1728, delivered with the other February reckonings at the consultation of 5 March 1728. It follows the settled form, carrying each class of animal through opening number, increase, slaughter, sale to shipping and animals grown between categories, to a closing figure, with the month's yam consumption footed at the end.

The three bullocks sold to the Caernarvon tie the account directly to the ship that had arrived on 6 February 1728 under Captain Ingles, the same vessel whose surgeon Benjamin Alsop the council engaged on 13 February 1728 and whose commander was warned against runaway slaves on 26 February 1728. Supplying fresh beef to a homeward East Indiaman was the purpose for which the Company maintained its herd, and this single transaction shows the victualling function at work.

The account uses 29 February as its closing date, since 1728 was a leap year, an ordinary detail that nonetheless fixes the reckoning precisely. The line for cattle grown records calves reclassified as they matured, the adjustment that kept the running tally accurate, while wethers were castrated sheep and barrows castrated boars, the separate columns letting the council track breeding and fattening stock apart.

The yam totals divide the island's staple crop between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood slaves, the same threefold apportionment used throughout these accounts. Yams fed both people and animals, so the quantity expended measured the true cost of maintaining the Company's establishment, and dividing it by station showed where the burden of feeding fell across the settlement.

158

135

Att a Consultation held on Fryday 8th March 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

The last Consultation read & Approved

Yesterday at two in the Afternoon We had a Single Allarm & this Morning

about Eleven oClock arrived the Amos & Mary Capt Ralston Comdr

from England, who deliverd Us a Packett from the Honble Compy which Wee

immediatly Opend & read through

Orderd that the Bill of Loading be delivered Capt Goodwin, that all

possible Assistance be given the Capt to deliver the Cargo Consigned to Us within

the time Limited by Charter Party, that Mr Cripple do constantly attend at the

Water Side & that he do carefully Observe what & how many Boates are each Day

delivered, what Surf or other Accidents do happen, & that he do every Evening

Lodge an Acct thereof in the Secretarys Office in Order to be Enterd in Consultation

& that the following Letter be immediatly deliverd the Captain Vizt

Sir

We desire You will Send on Shore with all the Expedition that is possible

all Such Goods & Merchandizes as are on board Your Ship Consigned to Us from

the Honble Company, & if You want any Assistance to quicken Your Delivery

We Shall be glad to Serve You We are

Sir

St Helena 8th March

1727

Yr Most humble Servts

E Byfeild

Jo Alexander

J Goodwin

D Cripps

It having Pleased Almighty God to call to his

Mercy his late Majesty, it is therefore Orderd that his present Majesty

George the Second be Proclaimed King of Great Britain France &

Ireland &c to Morrow Morning with all the Solemnity becoming the

the Occasion

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 12th March 1727 at Union

Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

The last Consultation read & Approved

This Evening the Carnarvon Sailed hence for England

On Saturday last his Majesty was Proclaimed King of Great Britain &c

at the Head of the Garrison under Arms with the usual Solemnity upon Such

Occasions, at which were present the Governr & Councill & all other Officers & Servts

in the Compys Service & most of the Inhabitants

James Jepsey not having any Settlement here Petitioned for Leave

to go to his Parents in India

Granted first Clearing Accts with the Inhabitants

At a consultation held on Friday 8 March 1728 at Union Fort.

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

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The previous afternoon about two an alarm was raised for a single ship, and that morning about eleven the Anne and Mary, Captain Ralston commander, arrived from England. He delivered a packet from the honourable Company, which the council opened and read at once.

The council ordered that the bill of lading be delivered to Captain Goodwin, and that every possible assistance be given the captain to deliver the cargo consigned to the council within the time set by the charter party. Mr Crisp was to attend constantly at the waterside and to observe carefully how many boats were delivered each day, and what surf or other accident might happen. Every evening he was to lodge an account of this in the secretary's office, to be entered in the consultation. The council further ordered that the following letter be delivered to the captain at once.

The council asked him to land ashore with all possible speed every one of the goods and merchandise aboard his ship consigned to it by the honourable Company, and offered to give any assistance he might want to quicken the delivery. The letter was dated at St Helena, 8 March 1728, and subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp as the council's most humble servants.

It having pleased Almighty God to call to his mercy the late Majesty, the council ordered that his present Majesty George the Second be proclaimed King of Great Britain, France and Ireland the following morning with all the solemnity befitting the occasion.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 12 March 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The Caernarvon sailed home for England this evening.

The previous Saturday his Majesty was proclaimed King of Great Britain at the head of the garrison, under arms, with the usual solemnity upon such occasions. The Governor and council were present, together with all the other officers and servants in the Company's service, and most of the inhabitants.

James Vosey, not having any settlement here, petitioned for leave to go to his parents in India. The council granted this, provided he first cleared his accounts with the inhabitants.

Interpretations

This page records the news of the King's death reaching St Helena at the consultation of 8 March 1728, and the proclamation of George the Second. The packet came aboard the Anne and Mary from England, and the council acted at once, proclaiming the new King the following morning at the head of the garrison under arms, an assertion of continuity of allegiance on an island four months' sail from London.

The timing shows how slowly news travelled to a mid-ocean station. George the First died on 11 June 1727, so the island had been governed for nine months in the name of a King already dead, and every act of that period had been performed under an authority that had passed. The immediate proclamation with full ceremony, the garrison drawn up and the inhabitants assembled, was the formal means by which a remote settlement transferred its allegiance and made the succession visible to its people.

The arrangements for the Anne and Mary's cargo reveal the practical difficulty of landing goods at St Helena. With no sheltered harbour, everything came ashore by open boat to the rocks, so surf could stop the work for days, and the charter party fixed a time within which the cargo had to be delivered before demurrage fell due. Ordering Crisp to attend the waterside and record each day's boats and every interruption created the evidence the Company would need if the delay ran beyond the contracted term.

The requirement that James Vosey clear his accounts before sailing for India applies the same rule enforced against every departing settler through the winter, most recently Daniel Griffith on 20 February 1728 and Margaret Storey on 5 March 1728. Debts owed on the island had to be settled before a man passed beyond the council's reach.

159

136

The Wife of Arthur Bradley deceasd was this day proved before Us upon

the Oaths of the Witnesses thereto, Richard Beale, Richard Tinsley &

Jno Cazhorpe

Orderd that the Selling Price be immediatly Fixed and

Annexed to the Invoice of the Goods the Honble Company have been Pleased to

Send Us from England in order to be transmitted by the first Ship

Conformable to the Honble Companies Pleasure We Direct that the

Inhabitants have Notice given them on Saturday next of the last order they

have given Us concerning Such as have been Careless or Negligent in

Planting or Fencing their Lands with Wood & Furze

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

Att a Consultation held on Saturday 16th March 1727 at Plantation House

The last Consultation read & Approved

Yesterday Evening We Compleated a Copy of the Invoice with the

Selling Price in the Margin against each particular Article

We this day fixed the Selling Price upon the following Damaged

Goods Vizt

1386 Peices Bonambaguey Chints at 7/6 Do Peice

4 oz Coloured do at Do Yards

The 27 Peices of Nicanees have been all Sold, Since taking the last

Inventory at 5 4

This Morning the following Advertizemt was Published

Whereas the Honble Company have been Pleased to take

into their Consideration the Evil Consequences which will Certainly

attend the late Decrease of Wood, & to Express their great Dislike

of Such as have been Negligent & Remiss in an Affair that so

Intimately Concerns the Welfare & Prosperity of this Place, & to prevent

so much a misery for the Time to come the Establishmt of the Islands

& Neglect, they Direct that the following Order be put in Execution

against all Persons who are Negligent in Fencing & Planting

their Lands with Wood & Furze, Vizt

That Such as want to renew any Lands on the Expiration of their

Lease have no new Lease Granted without Paying a Large Fine first

for their Said Neglect which ought to be a Considerable Part of the whole

Worth of their Said Lands, Lett them know this before hand to

quicken them & it dont put it in Execution as aforesaid

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

The will of Arthur Bradley, deceased, was proved this day before the council on the oaths of the witnesses Richard Beale and Richard Insley, and the executors were sworn.

The council ordered that the selling price be fixed at once and annexed to the invoice of the goods the honourable Company had been pleased to send from England, to be transmitted by the first ship.

In accordance with the honourable Company's directions, the council ordered that notice be given to the inhabitants the following Saturday of the orders it had earlier given concerning those who had been careless or negligent in planting and fencing their lands with wood and furze.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

At a consultation held on Saturday 16 March 1728 at Plantation House.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor, and council.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The previous evening the council completed a copy of the invoice, with the selling price entered in the margin against each particular article.

The council this day fixed the selling price on the following damaged goods:

1,386 pieces of Guinea Bonambaguey chintz, at 7s 6d per piece

4 ounces, ditto, broken, at 4s per yard

The twenty-seven pieces of Nicaneez had all been sold since the taking of the last inventory, at 5s 8d each.

That morning the council published the following advertisement.

The honourable Company had been pleased to consider the ill consequence that would certainly attend the late decrease of wood, and to express its great dislike of those who had been negligent and remiss in a matter that so intimately concerned the welfare and prosperity of the island. To prevent so much anxiety for the time to come, and the probable want of fuel, and in the light of that neglect, the council directed that the following order be put into execution against all persons who were negligent in fencing and planting their lands with wood and furze.

Those who wanted to renew any lands on the expiry of their leases were to have no new lease granted without paying a large fine, first for their earlier neglect, which ought to be a considerable part of the market worth of their said lands. The council let them know this beforehand, to quicken them so that it need not be put into execution as stated.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

Interpretations

This page records the probate of Arthur Bradley's will, the pricing of the Company's newly landed cargo, and a sharp escalation of the wood-planting enforcement at the consultation of 16 March 1728. Bradley was the aged tenant excused his fencing default on 7 November 1727 on a promise to finish the work, and his death within four months closes that thread.

The pricing of the cargo from the Anne and Mary shows the mechanism by which the Company controlled trade on the island. The directors sent goods with an invoice, and the council fixed a selling price against each article in the margin before the goods entered the warehouse, so that inhabitants bought at rates set by the council rather than by any market. Bonambaguey chintz was an Indian printed cotton and Nicaneez a striped Indian cotton, both textiles of the Eastern trade, and even damaged goods were priced for sale rather than written off.

The new penalty for neglect of wood marks a decisive hardening of policy. Through 1727 the council had summoned defaulters, reprimanded them and imposed small fines, most excusing themselves on promises. Now the Company itself had intervened, and the council announced that any tenant seeking to renew his lease would first pay a fine amounting to a considerable part of the land's market value, a penalty falling not on the moment of default but at the point where a tenant most needed the council's favour.

The reasoning behind the escalation names the island's real vulnerability. A settlement with no coal and little timber depended entirely on wood grown on the spot for fuel and building, so the steady decrease of wood threatened the community's survival, and the council frames the coming want of fuel as the danger the Company most feared. The threat of the fine was published in advance expressly to spur the tenants into planting, so that it need never be enforced.

160

137

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 19th March 1727 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Cargo of the Amos & Mary being Small & the Water Smooth all the time

We Unloaded her in Six Days as & the following Particulars Vizt

1727 March 9th 4 Long Boates were deliverd

11 4 do do

12 6 do do

13 4 do do

14 2 do do

15 1 do do

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Examined the Goods that are come on Shore

& finds they Answer the Bills of Loading

We this Day Signed Our Letters to the Governr & a of the Honble Compys Severall

Settlements in India & this afternoon We dispatched Capt Ralston for Bencoolen

& acordingly took his Receipts for the Packetts

Mary Edwards Orphan made Complaint to Us that her Master Saml Leech

& his Wife to whom She was bound Apprentice have a very desperate & rough usuage frequently

by the Sailors, & very Rudeness & Insults they often have her Exposed to on apprehensive

of being Ruined if She be continued Longer with them, & therefore We must took her

Case into Consideration, & it appearing that what She Told was truth & that She

has been used & in Severall other pertiments contrary to the Conditions of her Indenture

We therefore Cancelled them & deliverd her to the Care of her Brother acepting her

both their desire who has Engaged to Indemnify the Parish from any Charge upon

her Accountt

Mr Slaughter Claimed a Debt of £4, & do due to him from the Estate of

John Harding deceasd, praying an Order for the Payment thereof, & it appearing

upon the Examination of Witnesses on both Sides & the Accts that produced that

so much was justly due to him

Orderd that the Estate be Charged with the said Debt & that the Same

be paid at a convenient time

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

At a consultation held on Tuesday 19 March 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The cargo of the Anne and Mary being small and the water smooth all the time, the council unloaded her in six days, as follows:

9 March, 4 longboats were delivered

11 March, 4 longboats

12 March, 6 longboats

13 March, 4 longboats

14 March, 6 longboats

15 March, 1 longboat

Captain Goodwin reported that he had examined the goods that came ashore, and found they answered the bill of lading.

The council this day signed its letters to the Governor and council of the honourable Company's several settlements in India, and that afternoon dispatched Captain Ralston for Bencoolen, taking his receipt for the packet.

Mary Edwards, an orphan, complained to the council that her master Samuel Leech and his wife, to whom she was bound apprentice, kept a very disorderly house. She was frequently beaten by the sailors lodging there, and, in fright, they often bore her exposed to apprehension of being ruined if she continued longer with them. The council took her case into consideration, and it appearing that what she told was truth, and that the house had been used as an inn on such other pretences contrary to the conditions of her indenture, the council cancelled the indenture and delivered her to the care of her brother, accepting her at both their desire, who had engaged to indemnify the parish from any charge upon her account.

Mr Slaughter claimed a debt of £19 0s 0d due to him from the estate of John Harding, deceased, asking an order for the payment of it. On examination of the papers on both sides, and the account produced, it appeared that so much was justly due to him.

The council ordered that the estate be charged with the debt, and that it be paid in convenient time.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

Interpretations

This page records the discharge of the Anne and Mary's cargo, the dispatch of the Company's Indian correspondence, and two matters of private justice at the consultation of 19 March 1728.

The daily record of longboats carries out the order given on 8 March 1728, when Crisp was set to attend the waterside and note every boat and every interruption from surf. Goods came ashore at St Helena only by open boat to the rocks, since the island had no sheltered harbour, so the smooth water noted here was a stroke of fortune that allowed the whole cargo to land within the term fixed by the charter party, sparing the Company any claim for demurrage.

The release of Mary Edwards from her indenture shows the council acting as guardian of a bound apprentice against her own master. An indenture bound a child to a household for a term of years on defined conditions, and Samuel Leech had broken those conditions by running what amounted to a sailors' lodging house where the girl was beaten and exposed to sexual danger. Cancelling the indenture and placing her with her brother, on his undertaking to keep her off the parish, protected both the child and the parish purse.

The requirement that the brother indemnify the parish reveals the financial logic beneath the protection. Parish relief fell on the inhabitants through the churchwardens, so a girl left without support would become a charge on the community, and the council would release her only once someone bound himself to bear her keep, the same mechanism used when Mrs Shave was ordered to maintain the Aldrich boy at her own cost on 4 October 1726.

The Slaughter debt against the Harding estate continues the settlement of accounts following John Harding's death, whose inventory was appraised and registered on 5 December 1727. Charging a proved debt against an estate before its distribution to heirs was the ordinary course of probate, protecting creditors ahead of legatees.

161

138

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 26th March 1728 at Union

Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr &c

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

The last Consultation read & Approved

There not being any Busyness the Sessions appointed to be held as

Yesterday was again Adjourned to the 25th June next

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

Att a Consultation held on Saturday 30th March 1728 at Union

Castle

Present

Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

On Wednesday 27th instant the Ship James & Mary Sailed hence for

Bencoolen

According to Order of the 27th Febry last We this Day Assembled &

Reckoned with the Inhabts for their Rents & Reventies for the last half

Year but the Shipping not being arrived Severall of the People made great

Complaint for want of Money not having yet been able to Sell any thing

but promise to Pay it betwixt this & September next & We will take Care

that they do so, the Sums paid & Remaining are as follow Vizt

Received£ 218 3 6

Remains£ 112 16 3

330 18 9

This Day all the Honble Compys Blacks past before Us One by One

& We founde their Number Right at which time the Nine Children putt

out to the Inhabitants were also brought of whom We enquired about

their Usage & Clothing & they all Said they were well treated by their respective

Masters & Mistresses

E Byfeild

Jn

At a consultation held on Tuesday 26 March 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

There being no business for the meeting appointed to be held the previous day, it was again adjourned to 25 June next.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

At a consultation held on Saturday 30 March 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

On Wednesday the 27th of the month the ship Anne and Mary sailed for Bencoolen.

Following the order of 27 February last, the council assembled this day and reckoned with the inhabitants for their rents and revenues for the last half year. The shipping not yet having arrived, several of the people made great complaint for want of money, not having been able to sell anything, but promised to pay between then and September next. The council would take care that they did so. The sums paid and remaining stood as follows:

Received, £218 3s 6d

Remains, £112 16s 3d

Total, £330 18s 9d

The council this day mustered all the honourable Company's slaves, calling them before it one by one, and found their number right. The nine children put out to the inhabitants were also brought, and the council enquired about their usage and clothing. All of them said they were well treated by their respective masters and mistresses.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield.

Interpretations

This page records the adjournment of the quarterly court, the half-yearly reckoning with the inhabitants, and the muster of the Company's slaves at the consultation of 30 March 1728.

The reckoning carries out the order of 27 February 1728, which required the inhabitants to bring in their lists and attend to pay their debts for the half year. The complaint that they had no money because the shipping had not arrived exposes the whole basis of the island's economy, since inhabitants earned coin chiefly by selling provisions and stock to visiting East Indiamen, and a season without ships left them unable to convert their produce into cash. Two-thirds of the sum due was paid and the remainder deferred to September, the council accepting the delay because the fault lay with the trade rather than the tenants.

The muster of the slaves one by one repeats the discipline of the review of 13 March 1727, when every slave was called individually and recorded. Counting them confirmed that none had absconded, a check of particular weight after the escape attempt reported on 27 February 1728 and the seven slaves supposed drowned in a boat on 5 March 1728, both of which had shown the council how easily its people might be lost.

The inspection of the nine apprenticed children carries the council's oversight beyond its own establishment into the households that held them. These were the Company slave girls and children bound out under registered bonds through 1727 to save the cost of their keep, and bringing them before the council to ask about their usage and clothing gave the arrangement a form of supervision, an annual check that the masters were performing the conditions of the bonds they had entered.

The adjournment of the quarterly court for want of business marks the second such deferral, following the adjournment ordered on 26 December 1727 when the council recorded that the inhabitants had lived harmoniously. A judicial calendar with nothing to try measured the settled state of the island under Byfield's government.

162

139

Men Slaves Employed at the Great Wood

[column headers: Names · Ages · Employment · Qualification]

Muta — Ages 28 · Employment Labourer · Qualification Good

Harry — Ages 27 · Employment do · Qualification Healthy

Jupiter — Ages 35 · Employment do · Qualification Indt

James — Ages 37 · Employment do · Qualification Good for little

Dick — Ages 34 · Employment do · Qualification do

Blackheath — Ages 30 · Employment do · Qualification Indt

Cremona — Ages 32 · Employment Stonelayer · Qualification Good

Simon — Ages 25 · Employment do · Qualification do

Dick — Ages 32 · Employment do · Qualification do

Davis — Ages 28 · Employment Labourer · Qualification do

Tigerhill — Ages 28 · Employment do · Qualification do

Stephen — Ages 37 · Employment Stonelayer · Qualification very good

Plato — Ages 31 · Employment Labourer · Qualification Good

Pompey — Ages 31 · Employment do · Qualification Indt

Jerry — Ages 28 · Employment do · Qualification Healthy

Jommey — Ages 26 · Employment do · Qualification Good

James — Ages 25 · Employment do · Qualification do

Moses — Ages 30 · Employment do · Qualification Good for little

Harry — Ages 24 · Employment do · Qualification Good

Cato — Ages 29 · Employment do · Qualification Indt

Jack Pirate — Ages 29 · Employment do · Qualification Good

Simon — Ages 32 · Employment do · Qualification do

Cloice — Ages 40 · Employment do · Qualification do

Will — Ages 20 · Employment do · Qualification do

Lewis — Ages 29 · Employment do · Qualification do

Leo — Ages 28 · Employment do · Qualification do

John Figura — Ages 37 · Employment do · Qualification do

Mahomet — Ages 36 · Employment do · Qualification do

Joseph — 29 — Ages 37 · Employment do · Qualification do

Men Slaves Employed at Perkins Plantn

[column headers: Names · Ages · Employmt · Qualification]

Augustus — 1 · Ages 37 · Qualification Good

Men Slaves Employed at Handicrafts

Abdella — Ages 33 · Employment Taylor · Qualification Indt

Ally — Ages 36 · Employment Smith · Qualification Good

Boston — Ages 39 · Employment Taylor · Qualification Good

Daniel — Ages 27 · Employment do · Qualification Indt, Lame

Dumplin — Ages 33 · Employment Smith · Qualification Good

Dick — Ages 16 · Employment Carpenter · Qualification Healthy

Jack — Ages 32 · Employment Carpenter · Qualification Good

Blackwall — 8 · Ages 36 · Employment Sawyer · Qualification do

1 Boy Jim — Ages 10 · Employment Carpenter

1 Ditto Gabriel — Ages 9 · Employment Cooper

1 Do Frank — Ages 8 · Employment Butcher

Men Slaves Employed constantly in the Yawles

& Long Boat in Fishing Vizt

Leander — Ages 32 · Qualification Good

Daniel — Ages 25 · Qualification do

Mark — Ages 27 · Qualification do

Corydon — Ages 27 · Qualification Healthy

Scipio — Ages 32 · Qualification Good

Som — Ages 27 · Qualification do

Martin — Ages 29 · Qualification do

Toney — Ages 27 · Qualification do

Harry Rammer — Ages 25 · Qualification do

Frank — Ages 34 · Qualification do

Dutch — 11 · Ages 27 · Qualification do

Men Slaves at the Grand Plantation Vizt

Machet — Ages 32 · Employment Milkman · Qualification Indt

Joe — Ages 18 · Employment Green Boy · Qualification do

Lewis — Ages 31 · Employment attends Water Courses · Qualification do

Sauney — Ages 25 · Employment Labour in Plantacon · Qualification do

Esau — Ages 23 · Employment do · Qualification Healthy

Favonius — Ages 23 · Employment do · Qualification Good

Harry Green — Ages 21 · Employment do · Qualification Indt

Sandwich Exchanged for George — Ages 19 · Employment do · Qualification Good

Sam More — Ages 18 · Employment do · Qualification do

Dick Price — Ages 32 · Employment do · Qualification do

Hannibal — Ages 37 · Employment do · Qualification do

Charles — Ages 25 · Employment Overseer

Sam — Ages 33 · Employment Butcher · Qualification Very Good

Jack — Ages 33 · Employment do · Qualification do

Benjamin — Ages 25 · Employment Labr in Plantn · Qualification Good

Harry — Ages 36 · Employment Tanner · Qualification very good

Belwards Jack — Ages 29 · Employment Looks after Poultry · Qualification Indt

Peter — Ages 35 · Employment Milkman · Qualification Good

Frank — Ages 37 · Employment Looks after Pasture · Qualification Good

Matthew — Ages 26 · Employment Labr in Plantacon · Qualification do

Diamond — Ages 20 · Employment do · Qualification do

Drake — Ages 42 · Employment do · Qualification do

Stepney — Ages 27 · Employment do · Qualification do

Jack Cook — Ages 37 · Employment do · Qualification do

Will — Ages 27 · Employment do · Qualification do

Robin — Ages 30 · Employment do · Qualification do

Porteus Jack — Ages 28 · Employment do · Qualification Very Indt

Ben — Ages 31 · Employment Fetches Water · Qualification do

Caleb — Ages 23 · Employment Attends the Doctor · Qualification do

Cloice — Ages 30 · Employment Labr · Qualification do

The 5 Blacks following Lodge at the Plantacon House but are

chiefly Employed at Perkins in looking after the Plantation &

keeping the Fences in Repair

Peter — Ages 37 · Qualification Good, Indt

Sam — Ages 23 · Qualification Good

Hector — Ages 32 · Qualification do

Islington — Ages 34 · Qualification do

Will Benjar — 35 · Ages 27

Men Slaves Employed in the Garden in the Country

Noah — Ages 30 · Qualification Indt

Adam — Ages 27 · Qualification Healthy

Horsham — Ages 32 · Qualification Healthy

Ben — Ages 34 · Qualification Good

Daniel — Ages 37 · Qualification Indt

Limehouse — Ages 25 · Qualification Good

Madagascar Dick — 7 · Ages 25 · Qualification do

Men Slaves Employed in the Fort Garden

Chatham — Ages 27 · Qualification Good

Benjamin — Ages 47 · Qualification Very Good

Montox — Ages 31 · Qualification Good

Harry — Ages 28 · Qualification do

Taffey — 5 · Ages 29 · Qualification do

Men Slaves Employed in the Kitchen

Mercury — Ages 30 · Qualification Indt

Jaunsty — Ages 26 · Qualification do

Balla — 3 · Ages 31 · Qualification Very Good

Men Slaves Waiters in the House

Long Caesar — Ages 25 · Qualification Good

Short Caesar — 2 · Ages 33 · Qualification Very Good

Men Slaves Empld in looking after the Cattle

Blake — Ages 27 · Qualification Indt

Mingo — 2 · Ages 42 · Qualification do

Men Slaves Employd in looking after the Hogs &c

Barrow — Ages 41 · Qualification Very Indt

Sambo — 2 · Ages 37 · Qualification do

One Slave Employed in looking after the Horses

Toney — 1 · Ages 26 · Qualification Good for little

Muster of the honourable Company's men slaves, taken by name, age, employment and rating of fitness, grouped by station.

Men slaves employed at the Great Wood:

Muta, aged 28, labourer, good

Harry, aged 27, labourer, healthy

Jupiter, aged 35, labourer, indifferent

James, aged 37, labourer, good for little

Dick, aged 34, labourer, good for little

Blackheath, aged 30, labourer, indifferent

Cremona, aged 38, stonelayer, good

Simon, aged 25, stonelayer, good

Dick, aged 32, stonelayer, good

Davis, aged 28, labourer, good

Tigerhill, aged 28, labourer, good

Stephen, aged 37, stonelayer, very good

Plato, aged 31, labourer, good

Pompey, aged 31, labourer, indifferent

Jerry, aged 28, labourer, healthy

Jemmey, aged 26, labourer, good

James, aged 25, labourer, good

Moses, aged 30, labourer, good for little

Harry, aged 24, labourer, good

Cato, aged 29, labourer, indifferent

Jack Pirate, aged 29, labourer, good

Simon, aged 32, labourer, good

Cloice, aged 40, labourer, good

Will, aged 20, labourer, good

Lewis, aged 29, labourer, good

Leo, aged 28, labourer, good

John Figura, aged 37, labourer, good

Mahomet, aged 36, labourer, good

Joseph, aged 37, labourer, good

Total, 29 men

Men slaves employed at Perkins plantation:

Augustus, aged 37, good

Total, 1 man

Men slaves employed at handicrafts:

Abdella, aged 33, tailor, indifferent

Ally, aged 36, smith, good

Boston, aged 39, tailor, good

Daniel, aged 27, tailor, indifferent, lame

Dumplin, aged 33, smith, good

Dick, aged 16, carpenter, healthy

Jack, aged 32, carpenter, good

Blackwall, aged 36, sawyer, good

Total, 8 men

1 boy, Tim, aged 10, carpenter

1 boy, Gabriel, aged 9, cooper

1 boy, Frank, aged 8, butcher

Men slaves employed constantly in the yawls and longboat in fishing:

Leander, aged 32, good

Daniel, aged 25, good

Mark, aged 27, good

Corydon, aged 27, healthy

Scipio, aged 32, good

Tom, aged 27, good

Martin, aged 29, good

Toney, aged 27, good

Harry Rammer, aged 25, good

Frank, aged 34, good

Dutch, aged 27, good

Total, 11 men

Men slaves at the Grand Plantation:

Machet, aged 32, milkman, indifferent

Joe, aged 18, green boy, indifferent

Lewis, aged 31, attends water courses, indifferent

Sauney, aged 25, labourer in plantation, indifferent

Esau, aged 23, labourer in plantation, healthy

Favonius, aged 23, labourer in plantation, good

Harry Green, aged 21, labourer in plantation, indifferent

Sandwich, exchanged for George, aged 19, labourer in plantation, good

Sam More, aged 18, labourer in plantation, good

Dick Price, aged 32, labourer in plantation, good

Hannibal, aged 37, labourer in plantation, good

Charles, aged 25, overseer, good

Sam, aged 33, butcher, very good

Jack, aged 33, butcher, very good

Benjamin, aged 25, labourer in plantation, good

Harry, aged 36, tanner, very good

Belward's Jack, aged 29, looks after poultry, indifferent

Peter, aged 35, milkman, good

Frank, aged 37, looks after the pastures, good

Matthew, aged 26, labourer in plantation, good

Diamond, aged 20, labourer in plantation, good

Drake, aged 42, labourer in plantation, good

Stepney, aged 27, labourer in plantation, good

Jack Cook, aged 37, labourer in plantation, good

Will, aged 27, labourer in plantation, good

Robin, aged 30, labourer in plantation, good

Porteus Jack, aged 28, labourer in plantation, very indifferent

Ben, aged 31, fetches water, very indifferent

Caleb, aged 23, attends the doctor, very indifferent

Cloice, aged 30, labourer, very indifferent

The five slaves following lodge at the Plantation House but are chiefly employed at Perkins in looking after the plantation and keeping the fences in repair:

Peter, aged 37, good, indifferent

Sam, aged 43, good

Hector, aged 32, good

Islington, aged 31, good

Will Benjar, aged 27, good

Total, 5 men

Men slaves employed in the garden in the country:

Noah, aged 30, indifferent good

Adam, aged 27, healthy

Horsham, aged 32, healthy

Ben, aged 34, good

Daniel, aged 37, indifferent

Limehouse, aged 25, good

Madagascar Dick, aged 25, good

Total, 7 men

Men slaves employed in the fort garden:

Chatham, aged 27, good

Benjamin, aged 47, very good

Montok, aged 31, good

Harry, aged 28, good

Taffey, aged 29, good

Total, 5 men

Men slaves employed in the kitchen:

Mercury, aged 30, indifferent

Jaunsby, aged 26, indifferent

Bella, aged 31, very good

Total, 3 men

Men slaves who are waiters in the house:

Long Caesar, aged 25, good

Short Caesar, aged 33, very good

Total, 2 men

Men slaves employed in looking after the cattle:

Blake, aged 27, indifferent

Mingo, aged 42, indifferent

Total, 2 men

Men slaves employed in looking after the hogs:

Barrow, aged 41, very indifferent

Sambo, aged 37, very indifferent

Total, 2 men

One slave employed in looking after the horses:

Toney, aged 26, good for little

Total, 1 man

Interpretations

This muster carries out the review recorded at the consultation of 30 March 1728, when the council called every one of the Company's slaves before it individually and found their number right. It repeats the form of the earlier review of 13 March 1727, listing each person by name, age, employment and a rating of fitness, and grouping them by the station where they laboured.

The distribution of men across the stations maps the whole working economy of the Company's establishment. The Great Wood took the largest body, twenty-nine men cutting timber and laying stone, reflecting the priority the council placed on the island's threatened woodland. The Grand Plantation held the agricultural core with its milkmen, butchers, tanner, overseer and field labourers, while the handicrafts group supplied the tailors, smiths, carpenters, cooper and sawyer on whom every repair depended.

The eleven men constantly employed in the yawls and longboat record the fishing programme begun on 1 March 1727, when the council replaced the slaves' meat ration with fish. That this remained a standing establishment a year later shows the policy had held, and the loss of seven slaves in a boat reported on 5 March 1728, only weeks before this muster, falls precisely on the men of this class.

The ratings of fitness served a hard economic purpose. Marking a man good, indifferent, healthy or good for little let the council measure the working value of its labour force and identify those whose age or infirmity had reduced their usefulness. The boys of eight, nine and ten already set to carpentry, coopering and butchery show children apprenticed to trades within the establishment, the same policy of putting young slaves to productive use that had driven the apprenticing of girls to inhabitants through 1727.

163

140

Men Slaves Employed in the New Plantation Vizt

[column headers: Names · Ages · Employment · Qualification]

Ned — Ages 33 · Employment Stonelayer · Qualification very Good

Will — Ages 30 · Employment Labr in Plantn · Qualification Good

Ovey — 3 · Ages 39 · Employment do · Qualification Indt

Women Slaves Employed in the Grand Plantacon

Grace — Ages 29 · Employment Works in Plantn · Qualification Indt

Abigaile — Ages 31 · Employment do · Qualification do

Catherine — Ages 32 · Employment Washes for Servts · Qualification do

Bess — Ages 31 · Employment Works in Plantn · Qualification do

Sarah Daniel — Ages 26 · Employment do · Qualification do

Magdalena — Ages 29 · Employment Fetches Wood · Qualification do

Nanney — Ages 29 · Employment Works in Plantation · Qualification do, Lame

Rebecca — Ages 27 · Employment Fetches Wood · Qualification Good

Sarah Robin — Ages 33 · Employment do · Qualification Good for nothing

Priscille — Ages 29 · Employment Works in Plantn · Qualification Indt

Sarah Barrow — Ages 18 · Employment do · Qualification do

Margaret Stepney — Ages 31 · Employment do · Qualification Good for nothing

Betty Tim — Ages 32 · Employment Washerwoman · Qualification Good

Margaret — Ages 27 · Employment do · Qualification ditto

Patty — Ages 18 · Employment Works in Plantn · Qualification do

Bridget — Ages 31 · Employment Fetches Wood · Qualification Indt

Dinp — Ages 27 · Employment Looks after Poultry · Qualification do

Agnes — Ages 25 · Employment Apt to Dairy Maid · Qualification do

Alice — Ages 27 · Employment Looks after Poultry · Qualification do

Ellen Leo — Ages 29 · Employment Works in Plantn · Qualification do

Sarah Alley — Ages 29 · Employment Washerwoman · Qualification Good

Moll Grier — Ages 29 · Employment do · Qualification do

Old Moll — Ages 52 · Employment do · Qualification do

Short Mary — Ages 22 · Employment do · Qualification do

Faber — Ages 27 · Employment Dairy Maid · Qualification very Good

Betty Ben — Ages 32 · Employment Washerwoman · Qualification Good

Jenney — Ages 27 · Employment Works in Plantn · Qualification Indt

Ellen — 28 — Ages 29 · Employment do · Qualification Good

Women Slaves Employd in the House

Betty Tom — Ages 25 · Employment Mend Linnen · Qualification Good

Great Ellen — Ages 36 · Employment Ordeing & Clean the House · Qualification Very Good

Grace — 3 · Ages 31 · Qualification Good

Women Employed in Making & Mending Cloths

who also Work in the Plantation at proper times

Sarah — Ages 27 · Qualification Healthy

Mercy — Ages 27 · Qualification Very Good

Betty Myers — Ages 39 · Qualification Indt

Mercy Benjamin — 4 · Ages 27 · Qualification Good

Women Employed in the Skullery & Assistant to the

Kitchen

Sarah — Ages 23 · Qualification Indt

Inigo — 2 · Ages 26 · Qualification do

Men Superannuated

Will

Antonio

Balla

Toney Myers

Mason

Toney

Novaro

Mordue — 8

Women Superannuated

Mercy

Casamire

Welchey

Old Sarah — 4

Boys

Morris — 6

Jack — 3

Dick — 1¾

Will — 1/6

Moses — 4

Phill — 8

Toney — 12

Sam Morris — 15

Jack — 5

Tom — 9

Will — 4

Charles — 2½

Ned — 4

Jack Puding — 11

Harry — 3

Stepney (formerly called Stephen) — 5

Frank — 7

Tim — 10

Gabriel — 9

Jack Pert — 11

Pompey — 13

Robin — 11

James — 7

Phill — 3½

Harry — 10

Jaunsey — 9

Daniel — 7

George — 5

Frank — 29 — 6

Girles

Mercy — 10

Margaret — 6

Betty — 8

Margaret — 9

Betty — 7

Fahrney — 2/6

Margaret — 2¼

Betty — 5½

Bridget — 2

Margaret — 4

Nanney — 3

Ellen — 3

Grace — 1¾

Sarah — 4

Ellen — 1¾

Betty — 5

Mary — 2

Magdalena — 2½

Catherine — 3

Margaret — 5

Betty — 13¼

Nanney — 8

Margaret — 11 mo

The 9 following are put

out to the Inhabts Vizt

Sarah — 9 — To Mr Brazett

Mary — 8 — To Mr French

Nanney — 9 — To Mr Gurling

Betty Grier — 15 — To Jno French Junr

Margaret — 8 — To Rd Mason

Margaret — 7 — To Jas Ryders

Cat — 6 — Rd Tinsley

Betty — 5½ — Mary Thorne

Magdalena — 10

32

Particular Totalls Vizt

Men at the Great Wood — 29

Do at the Grand Plantacon — 35

Do at Perkins — 1

Do Employed in Handicrafts — 8

Do Employed in Fishing — 11

Do Employd in the Country Garden — 7

Do in the Fort Garden — 5

Do in the Kitchen — 3

Do in the House Waiters — 2

Do looking after Cattle — 2

Do looking after Hogs — 2

Do looking after Horses — 1

Do in the New Plantation — 3

Do Superannuated — 8

117 Men

Women at the Grd Plantn — 28

Do in the House — 3

Do Sometimes Employed at their Needle & Sometimes in Plantn — 4

Women in the Scullery &c — 2

Do Superannuated — 4

41 Women

29 Boys

32 Girles

219

N B Since Ballancing the Books at Sept last

the Number is Encreased One

Men slaves employed in the New Plantation:

Ned, aged 33, stonelayer, very good

Will, aged 30, labourer in plantation, good

Ovey, aged 39, labourer in plantation, indifferent

Total, 3 men

Women slaves employed in the Grand Plantation:

Grace, aged 29, works in plantation, indifferent

Abigail, aged 31, works in plantation, indifferent

Catherine, aged 32, washes for servants, indifferent

Bess, aged 31, works in plantation, indifferent

Sarah Daniel, aged 26, works in plantation, indifferent

Magdalena, aged 29, fetches wood, indifferent

Nanney, aged 29, works in plantation, indifferent, lame

Rebecca, aged 27, fetches wood, good

Sarah Robin, aged 33, fetches wood, good for nothing

Priscilla, aged 29, works in plantation, indifferent

Sarah Barrow, aged 18, works in plantation, indifferent

Margaret Stepney, aged 31, works in plantation, good for nothing

Betty Tom, aged 32, washerwoman, good

Margaret, aged 27, washerwoman, good

Patty, aged 18, works in plantation, good

Bridget, aged 31, fetches wood, indifferent

Dinah, aged 27, looks after poultry, indifferent

Agnes, aged 25, apprentice to dairy maid, indifferent

Alice, aged 27, looks after poultry, indifferent

Ellen Leo, aged 29, works in plantation, indifferent

Sarah Alley, aged 29, washerwoman, good

Moll Gower, aged 26, washerwoman, good

Old Moll, aged 52, washerwoman, good

Short Mary, aged 22, washerwoman, good

Faber, aged 27, dairy maid, very good

Betty Ben, aged 39, washerwoman, good

Jenney, aged 27, works in plantation, indifferent

Ellen, aged 29, works in plantation, good

Total, 28 women

Women slaves employed in the house:

Betty Tom, aged 25, mends linen, good

Great Ellen, aged 36, orders and cleans the house, very good

Grace, aged 31, orders and cleans the house, good

Total, 3 women

Women employed in making and mending clothes, who also work in the plantation at proper times:

Sarah, aged 27, healthy

Mercy, aged 27, very good

Betty Myers, aged 39, indifferent

Mercy Benjamin, aged 27, good

Total, 4 women

Women employed in the scullery and as assistants to the kitchen:

Sarah, aged 23, indifferent

Inigo, aged 26, indifferent

Total, 2 women

Men superannuated:

Will

Antonio

Balla

Toney Myers

Aston

Toney

Navaro

Mordue

Total, 8 men

Women superannuated:

Mercy

Casamire

Melchey

Old Sarah

Total, 4 women

Boys:

Morris, aged 6

Jack, aged 3

Dick, aged 1.75

Will, aged 1.5

Moses, aged 4

Chill, aged 3

Toney, aged 12

Sam Morris, aged 15

Jack, aged 5

Tom, aged 2

Will, aged 4

Charles, aged 2.5

Ned, aged 4

Jack Puding, aged 11

Harry, aged 3

Stepney, formerly called Stephen, aged 5

Frank, aged 7

Tim, aged 10

Gabriel, aged 9

Jack Pert, aged 11

Pompey, aged 13

Robin, aged 11

James, aged 7

Chill, aged 3.5

Harry, aged 10

Jaunsey, aged 9

Daniel, aged 7

George, aged 5

Frank, aged 6

Total, 29 boys

Girls:

Mercy, aged 10

Margaret, aged 6

Betty, aged 8

Margaret, aged 9

Betty, aged 7

Fanney, aged 2.5

Margaret, aged 2.25

Betty, aged 5.5

Bridget, aged 2

Margaret, aged 4

Nanney, aged 3

Ellen, aged 3

Grace, aged 1.75

Sarah, aged 4

Ellen, aged 1.25

Betty, aged 5

Mary, aged 2

Magdalena, aged 2.5

Catherine, aged 3

Margaret, aged 5

Betty, aged 13.25

Nanney, aged 8

Margaret, aged 11

Total, 23 girls

The nine following are put out to the inhabitants:

Sarah, aged 9, to Mr Bazett

Mary, aged 8, to Mr French

Nanney, aged 9, to Mr French

Betty Gower, aged 15, to Mr Durling

Margaret, aged 8, to John French junior

Margaret, aged 7, to Richard Mason

Cate, aged 6, to James Ryder

Betty, aged 5.5, to Richard Insley

Magdalena, aged 10, to Mary Thorne

Total, 32 girls in all

The particular totals stood as follows:

Men at the Great Wood, 29

Men at the Grand Plantation, 35

Men at Perkins, 1

Men employed in handicrafts, 8

Men employed in fishing, 11

Men employed in the country garden, 7

Men employed in the fort garden, 5

Men employed in the kitchen, 3

Men employed as house waiters, 2

Men employed looking after cattle, 2

Men employed looking after hogs, 2

Men employed looking after horses, 1

Men employed in the New Plantation, 3

Men superannuated, 8

Total, 117 men

Women at the Grand Plantation, 28

Women in the house, 3

Women sometimes employed at their needle and sometimes in the plantation, 4

Women in the scullery and elsewhere, 2

Women superannuated, 4

Total, 46 women

Boys, 29

Girls, 32

Grand total, 219

Since the balancing of the books in September last the number had increased by one.

Interpretations

This page completes the muster of the Company's slaves taken at the consultation of 30 March 1728, adding the women, the superannuated, the children and the totals to the men listed under their several stations. The grand total of 219 measures the whole of the Company's human property on the island, an increase of one since the books were balanced in September 1727.

The women's employments show a labour force divided between field work and domestic service. The largest group laboured at the Grand Plantation, but many were set to washing, fetching wood, tending poultry or the dairy, and four are recorded as sewing when needed and otherwise working in the fields, a flexibility that let the establishment shift hands between tasks as the season demanded.

The separate listing of the nine girls put out to the inhabitants confirms the apprenticing policy pursued through 1727, when Betty Green, Mary, Sarah and others were bound to householders under registered bonds to save the Company the cost of their keep. Naming each master beside each girl created the record against which the council checked their treatment at the muster of 30 March 1728, when all reported they were well used.

The category of superannuated men and women names those too old to work, twelve people the Company maintained without return. Their inclusion in the count shows that the establishment carried the cost of its people to the end of their lives, an obligation that fell on the same accounts Byfield had been at such pains to reduce, and which no economy could remove.

The ratings applied to the women repeat the hard assessment given to the men, with several marked good for nothing and many indifferent. Recording such judgements beside a person's name and age reduced each individual to a measure of working value, the plainest expression in these records of what the Company understood its slaves to be.

164

141

List of Eaters at the Genll Table 30th March 1728 Vizt

Governour & his Lady

2

Gentlemen of Councill

3

Captain & Ensign

2

Doctor

1

On Sundays at least Three of the Planters & their Wives

6

On Publick Occasions at least Twenty

At other times One Day with an other

2

In Shiping time the Commanders Supra Cargoes

Surgeons & other Officers & Passengers of Note at least

7

Household Servants Marshall & Gardiners

8

On Sundays & Publick Days Writers Clerks Schoolmastr

& Drummers Drum at Plantation House the Overseers

6

In Shiping time the Coxswain Some of the Boates Crew

& Servants attending their Masters

6

Black Servants attending all Officers & Servants

attending their Masters

44

On Sundays & at other times Appointed for the

Consideration of Such Affaires as relate to the

Church & Parish Officers

8

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 2 Aprill 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

The last Consultation read & Approved

Captain Goodwin Reports that upon Search he finds the Mistake about the

Quantity of Twine Sent by the Prince Anne to be as mentioned at the

bottom of the Invoice & James & Mary which is now brought to its proper Accts

Vizt 22 4 lbs Charged only 11 lb

The Governr Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Accts for March last which were Severally Examined & Approved

& are as follow Vizt

[headers: Guns Fired · Culver · Sachers · Minion · Falcons · Powder]

1727 March 2 Muster Day — Guns Fired - · Culver - · Sachers - · Minion - · Falcons - · Powder 11

7 An Alarm — Guns Fired 4 · Culver - · Sachers - · Minion 2 · Falcons 2 · Powder 6

7 Arrived the James & Mary from England — Guns Fired 9 · Culver - · Sachers 3 · Minion - · Falcons 6 · Powder 18

9 His Majesty George the 2d Proclaimed — Guns Fired 21 · Culver 1 · Sachers 4 · Minion 1 · Falcons 16 · Powder 39

12 Departed the Carnarvon — Guns Fired 9 · Culver - · Sachers 3 · Minion - · Falcons 6 · Powder 18

27 Departed the James & Mary for Bencoolen — Guns Fired 9 · Culver - · Sachers 3 · Minion - · Falcons 6 · Powder 18

Expence of the Guard — Powder 13

Totall — Guns Fired 52 · Culver 1 · Sachers 13 · Minion 2 · Falcons 36 · Powder 123

Cartridge Paper for ditto 3 Quire

Bunting for Wed to the Flag in Yards

Match for ditto 4 lb

Tompions

Sheep Skins for Coating Sponges 3

Match

Jno French

List of eaters at the general table, 30 March 1728:

The Governor and his lady, 2

The gentlemen of council, 3

The captain and ensign, 2

The doctor, 1

On Sundays at least three of the planters and their wives, 6

On public occasions at least twenty

At other times one day with another, 2

In shipping time the commanders, supercargoes, surgeons and other officers, and passengers of note, at least 7

Household servants, waiters and gardeners, 8

On Sundays and public days the writers, clerks, schoolmaster and drummers, drawn from Plantation House, the overseers, 6

In shipping time the coxswain, some of the boat's crew and servants attending their masters, 6

Black servants attending all officers and servants attending their masters, 14

On Sundays and at other times appointed for the consideration of such affairs as relate to the church and parish, the officers, 0

The list was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 April 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Captain Goodwin reported that on searching he found the mistake about the quantity of twine sent by the Princess Anne to be as mentioned at the foot of the invoice of the Anne and Mary, which was now brought to its proper account. Instead of 22 pounds 6 ounces, only 11 pounds were charged.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered each a monthly account for March last, which the council severally examined and approved, as follows.

The gunner's stores expended in March 1728 stood as follows. The columns give, in order, guns fired, demi-culverins, sackers, minions, falcons and powder.

2 March, muster day: powder 11 pounds

7 March, an alarm: guns fired 4, demi-culverins 0, sackers 0, minions 2, falcons 2, powder 6 pounds

8 March, arrival of the Anne and Mary from England: guns fired 9, demi-culverins 1, sackers 3, minions 0, falcons 6, powder 18 pounds

9 March, his Majesty George the Second proclaimed: guns fired 21, demi-culverins 1, sackers 4, minions 0, falcons 16, powder 39 pounds

12 March, departure of the Caernarvon: guns fired 9, demi-culverins 1, sackers 3, minions 0, falcons 6, powder 18 pounds

27 March, departure of the Anne and Mary for Bencoolen: guns fired 9, demi-culverins 1, sackers 3, minions 0, falcons 6, powder 18 pounds

Expense of the guard: powder 13 pounds

Total: guns fired 52, demi-culverins 1, sackers 13, minions 2, falcons 36, powder 123 pounds

Cartridge paper for the above, 3 quire

Bunting to make the flags, 4 yards

Thread for the same, 1 pound

Turpentine, 3 pounds

Sheepskins for coating sponges, 3

Match, 20 pounds

The account was subscribed by John French.

Interpretations

This page gives the list of eaters at the general table for 30 March 1728 and the gunner's stores for the same month, delivered at the consultation of 2 April 1728. The table list is a census of who the Company fed at its common board, and its structure exposes the social hierarchy of the settlement.

The list distinguishes the permanent household from those fed only at particular times. The Governor, council, captain, ensign and doctor sat constantly, while planters and their wives came on Sundays, and the commanders, supercargoes and surgeons of visiting ships joined in shipping time. Feeding a ship's officers was part of the island's function as a refreshment station, and the swelling of the table when a fleet lay in the road shows the establishment's expense rising and falling with the trade it served.

The fourteen black servants attending officers at the table, counted among the eaters, record slaves fed at the Company's charge while waiting on their masters. This entry ties the general table account to the slave muster taken in the same days, and the earlier version of this list, recorded on 21 March 1727 at fifty-three eaters, shows the establishment's size held broadly steady across the year.

The gunner's account records an exceptional month of firing, one hundred and twenty-three pounds of powder against the forty-six of February. The twenty-one guns fired for the proclamation of George the Second on 9 March 1728 mark the heaviest single salute, the ceremonial weight the island gave to the new King's accession, and the arrivals and departures of the Anne and Mary and Caernarvon account for the rest.

The bunting, thread and turpentine among the stores served the making of new flags, and the sheepskins were used to coat the sponges that cleaned the guns between firings. These small consumables show the gunner's establishment maintaining its equipment under the new keeper, following the dismissal of his predecessor for the neglect the survey of September 1727 exposed.

165

142

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry Horses

[headers: Bullocks · Cowes · Heifers · Steers · Yearlings · Calves · Bulls · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Lambs · Rams · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Kids · Rams · Totall | Sows · Shoates · Boars · Pigs · Totall | Turkeys · Fowles · Ducks · Geese | Horses · Mares · Totall]

Remns 1st March — Bullocks 69 · Cowes 69 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 26 · Calves 69 · Bulls 3 · Totall 280 | Ewes 56 · Wethers 18 · Lambs 22 · Rams 2 · Totall 98 | Ewes 211 · Wethers 59 · Kids 69 · Rams 5 · Totall 344 | Sows 10 · Shoates 7 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 35 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 92 · Ducks 37 · Geese 33 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Encreased from 1 to Ultmo do — Bullocks 15 · Cowes 10 · Yearlings 10 · Calves 12 · Totall 47 | Ewes 3 · Wethers 17 · Lambs 1 · Totall 21 | Ewes 34 · Wethers 16 · Kids 48 · Rams 1 · Totall 99 | Shoates 11 · Pigs 7 · Totall 11 | Fowles 18 · Ducks 13

Bought from do to do — Ewes 6 · Lambs 2 · Rams 1 · Totall 9

[running total] — Bullocks 84 · Cowes 79 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 36 · Calves 81 · Bulls 3 · Totall 327 | Ewes 65 · Wethers 35 · Lambs 25 · Rams 3 · Totall 128 | Ewes 245 · Wethers 75 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 443 | Sows 10 · Shoates 18 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 46 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 110 · Ducks 40 · Geese 33 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Killed in do & 1 very old Cow — Cowes 1 · Yearlings 1 · Totall 2 | Ewes 2 · Wethers 5 · Totall 7 | Shoates 2 · Totall 2 | Fowles 4 · Ducks 10 · Geese 3

[running total] — Bullocks 84 · Cowes 78 · Heifers 29 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 36 · Calves 81 · Bulls 3 · Totall 325 | Ewes 65 · Wethers 35 · Lambs 25 · Rams 3 · Totall 128 | Ewes 243 · Wethers 70 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 436 | Sows 10 · Shoates 16 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 44 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 106 · Ducks 30 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Sold to Ship James & Mary — Bullocks 2 · Heifers 1 · Totall 3

Cattle Sheep Goates & Hogs Cutt & Grown in do — Bullocks 82 · Cowes 78 · Heifers 28 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 35 · Calves 81 · Bulls 3 · Totall 322 | Ewes 65 · Wethers 35 · Lambs 25 · Rams 3 · Totall 128 | Ewes 243 · Wethers 70 · Kids 117 · Rams 6 · Totall 436 | Sows 10 · Shoates 16 · Boars 1 · Pigs 17 · Totall 44 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 106 · Ducks 30 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

[Cutt & Grown figures] — Yearlings 35 · Totall 35 | Lambs 19 · Rams 1 · Totall 20 | Kids 51 · Totall 51 | Pigs 11 · Totall 11

Remns Ultmo March 1728 — Bullocks 82 · Cowes 78 · Heifers 28 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 35 · Calves 46 · Bulls 3 · Totall 287 | Ewes 65 · Wethers 35 · Lambs 6 · Rams 2 · Totall 108 | Ewes 243 · Wethers 70 · Kids 66 · Rams 6 · Totall 385 | Sows 10 · Shoates 16 · Boars 1 · Pigs 6 · Totall 33 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 106 · Ducks 30 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Potatoes from the Great Wood deliverd the

Honble Companies Blacks & Enterd to the Credit

of the said Wood in Leger Folio 129

112 Bushells

Account of the honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the month of March 1728. The columns run in order: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and the neat cattle total; ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and the sheep total; ewes, wethers, kids, rams and the goat total; sows, shoats, boars, pigs and the hog total; turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese and the poultry total; horses, mares and the horse total.

Remaining 1 March 1728:

bullocks 69, cows 69, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 26, calves 69, bulls 3, neat cattle total 280

ewes 66, wethers 18, lambs 22, rams 2, sheep total 98

ewes 211, wethers 59, kids 69, rams 5, goat total 344

sows 10, shoats 7, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 35

turkeys 88, fowls 92, ducks 37, geese 33, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Increased from 1 to 31 March:

bullocks 15, cows 10, yearlings 10, calves 12, neat cattle total 47

ewes 3, wethers 17, lambs 1, sheep total 21

ewes 34, wethers 16, kids 48, rams 1, goat total 99

shoats 11, pigs 7, hog total 11

fowls 18, ducks 13

Bought from 1 to 31 March:

ewes 6, lambs 2, rams 1, sheep total 9

Total: bullocks 84, cows 79, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 81, bulls 3, neat cattle total 327

ewes 65, wethers 35, lambs 25, rams 3, sheep total 128

ewes 245, wethers 75, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 443

sows 10, shoats 18, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 46

turkeys 88, fowls 110, ducks 40, geese 33, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Killed from 1 to 31 March, including one very old cow:

cows 1, yearlings 1, neat cattle total 2

ewes 2, wethers 5, goat total 7

shoats 2, hog total 2

fowls 4, ducks 10, geese 3

Total: bullocks 84, cows 78, heifers 29, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 81, bulls 3, neat cattle total 325

ewes 65, wethers 35, lambs 25, rams 3, sheep total 128

ewes 243, wethers 70, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 436

sows 10, shoats 16, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 44

turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 30, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Sold to the ship Anne and Mary:

bullocks 2, heifers 1, neat cattle total 3

Total: bullocks 82, cows 78, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 35, calves 81, bulls 3, neat cattle total 322

ewes 65, wethers 35, lambs 25, rams 3, sheep total 128

ewes 243, wethers 70, kids 117, rams 6, goat total 436

sows 10, shoats 16, boars 1, pigs 17, hog total 44

turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 30, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Cattle, sheep, goats and hogs cut and grown from 1 to 31 March:

yearlings 36, neat cattle total 36

lambs 19, rams 1, sheep total 20

kids 51, goat total 51

pigs 11, hog total 11

Remaining 31 March 1728:

bullocks 82, cows 78, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 35, calves 46, bulls 3, neat cattle total 287

ewes 65, wethers 35, lambs 6, rams 2, sheep total 108

ewes 243, wethers 70, kids 66, rams 6, goat total 385

sows 10, shoats 16, boars 1, pigs 6, hog total 33

turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 30, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

The potatoes brought from the Great Wood and delivered to the honourable Company's slaves came to 112 bushels, entered to the credit of that wood in ledger T, folio 129.

Interpretations

This is the monthly livestock stock account for March 1728, delivered with the other March reckonings at the consultation of 2 April 1728. It follows the settled form, carrying each class of animal through opening number, increase, purchase, slaughter, sale to shipping and animals cut and grown, to a closing figure, with the potatoes from the Great Wood footed at the end.

The figures record an exceptional month of increase, with forty-seven added to the neat cattle and ninety-nine to the goats. March falls in the island's autumn, and the mass reclassification of thirty-six calves into yearlings, fifty-one kids into adult goats and nineteen lambs into sheep shows a whole cohort of young animals reaching maturity together, the line for animals cut and grown recording the movement rather than any fresh breeding.

The purchase of nine sheep and the killing of one very old cow show the ordinary management of the herd, buying in stock from the inhabitants to make up numbers and culling animals past their use. The three beasts sold to the Anne and Mary, which sailed for Bencoolen on 27 March 1728, measure the fresh provisions supplied to that vessel, the victualling function for which the Company kept its livestock.

The one hundred and twelve bushels of potatoes from the Great Wood, credited to that wood in the ledger, continue the entry first recorded in January 1728. The Great Wood was cultivated as well as timbered, and crediting its crop to its own account let the council measure what the wood yielded against the cost of keeping it, the same accounting discipline the council applied to every part of the establishment.

166

143

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants & ca from

the 1st to the 31 March 1728 Vizt

1 Anchor Weight 21 2 14

51 14 9½

1 Anchor Stock

3 17 6

2 Barils Cork

15

1 Coyle Cordage

4 11 1½

28 Barils Lamblack

2 4

6 oz Indigo

1 6

1 Starch

6

22 Do Rozin

6 6

½ Barils of Pitch

14 10

1 Do Tar

2 1 6

16 feet Sold Timber

6 1½

6 1½ 3 Inch Ash Plank

6 3

4 Do 1½ Inch do

7

2 Deal do for

1 12

2 Do do

12 3 8

17 Pr Chelloe

1 15 2

8 Do Doselees

1 10

2 Alliger

2

4 Gingham

18 6

1 Chints

8 4

1 Sallampore

12

2 Quilts a 6/6

1 12

2 do

12 6

2 do 15/

10 6

3 China Tea Potts

6 2

30 Small Cupps

4 6

48 Do with Saucers

17 6

7 White Shirts

17 6

7½ Do Cotton Stockings

1 10

1 Tea Kettle

1 4

2 Middling do

1 4

1 Small do

8 3

1 Childs Coat

4 14 6

1 Boys Hatt

11 6 3

94¾ Do Candy

6 3

115 Do Bread

3 3

60 M 2d Nailes

1 3 8

3 3d

1 6 10

36 4d

1 5 8

34 6d

1 5 8

46 10d

3 6

44 20d

3 6

4 24d

2 6

16 Thread Laces

3 6

2 oz Twine Thread

5

7 oz do

11 4

34 Yards Twisting

2 6

8 Yards Featering

2 6

10 Skains Mohair

3 9

4 Silk & Hair

2 6

5 Doz Coat Buttons

7 40 3

7½ Doz Brass do

7½ Do Colonech Thread

1 Whited Brown Thread

7½ 1

3½ oz China Silk

2 1 8½

6 Pieces broad Holland Tape

14 8

1 Colonech do

1 9

3 Bobbin

1 9

2½ M Pins

5 10

11 M do

134 16 6

1 M do

100 Needles

½ oz Yards Twist

9½ Doz Thread Buttons

Carried Over

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from the 1st to the 31st of March 1728, as follows:

1 anchor, weight 21 hundredweight 2 quarters 14 pounds, £51 14s 9.5d

1 anchor stock, £3 17s 6d

2 barrels of pork, £15 0s 0d

1 coil of cordage, £4 11s 1.5d

28 barrels of lampblack, £0 9s 4d

6 ounces of indigo, £0 4s 6d

1 pound of starch, £0 0s 9d

22 pounds of rosin, £0 6s 6d

0.5 barrels of pitch, £0 14s 10d

1 barrel of tar, £2 1s 6d

16 feet of gold timber, £0 6s 6d

6 pieces of 3-inch ash plank, £0 6s 3.5d

4 pieces of 4-inch, ditto, £0 7s 0d

2 barrels of oil, £1 12s 0d

2 ditto, £12 3s 8d

17 pieces of chilloe, £1 15s 2d

8 dosuties, £1 10s 0d

2 nankeen, £0 9s 0d

4 gingham, £5 18s 6d

1 chintz, £0 8s 4d

1 palempore, £1 12s 0d

2 quilts, at 4s 8d, £1 12s 0d

2 ditto, at 15s, £1 12s 0d

2 ditto, £0 10s 6d

2 China teapots, £0 6s 2d

30 small cups, £1 4s 0d

48 pounds with saucers, £0 17s 6d

7 white shirts, £0 17s 6d

7.5 pairs of cotton stockings, £1 10s 0d

1 tea kettle, £1 1s 0d

2 middling, ditto, £1 4s 0d

1 smaller, ditto, £1 8s 0d

1 child's coat, £4 14s 6d

1 boy's hat, £1 6s 3d

94.5 pounds of candy, £0 6s 3d

115 pounds of bread, £0 3s 3d

60 pounds of 2-inch nails, £0 3s 8d

3 pounds of 3-inch, ditto, £0 10s 8d

36 pounds of 4-inch, ditto, £0 5s 8d

34 pounds of 6-inch, ditto, £0 3s 6d

46 pounds of 10-inch, ditto, £0 3s 6d

44 pounds of 20-inch, ditto, £0 5s 11.5d

4 pounds of 24-inch, ditto, £0 11s 4d

26 thread laces, £0 2s 8d

2 ounces of nuns thread, £0 3s 6d

2 ounces, ditto, £0 2s 6d

4 yards of ferreting, £0 2s 6d

8 yards of garting, £0 3s 6d

10 skeins of mohair, £0 3s 9d

2 silk and hair, £2 6s 0d

5 boys coat buttons, £1 10s 3d

0.5 dozen breast, ditto, £0 7s 2d

1.5 pounds of colour thread, £0 5s 1.5d

1 pound of white and brown thread, £0 14s 8d

3 ounces of China silk, £0 1s 9d

6 pieces of broad Holland tape, £0 5s 10d

1 coloured, ditto, £0 12s 0d

3 bobbin, £0 5s 10d

2.5 M pins, £0 5s 10d

11 M, ditto, £0 5s 10d

1 M, ditto, £0 5s 10d

100 needles, £0 5s 10d

1 ounce of gold twist, £0 5s 10d

1.5 dozen thread buttons, £0 5s 10d

Carried over, £134 16s 6d

Interpretations

This account is the storekeeper's monthly reckoning of Company goods sold to the inhabitants across March 1728, delivered with the other March accounts at the consultation of 2 April 1728. It follows the settled form, running from heavy stores through textiles and haberdashery, the total carried over to a further page.

The anchor heading the list at more than fifty pounds is by far the largest single item in any of these accounts, and its sale with an anchor stock and a coil of cordage points to a substantial boat being fitted or refitted. The island's fishing yawls and longboat, and the boats that ferried every cargo ashore over the rocks, all needed such gear, and the Company warehouse was the only source of it in mid-ocean.

The pitch, tar, rosin and oil sold alongside the anchor served the same maritime purpose. Pitch and tar waterproofed hulls and rigging, rosin was a pine-resin residue used in caulking and other trades, and the ash plank and timber supplied the material of boat repair, so the whole group of entries reads as the outfitting of a vessel.

The textiles again mix Indian cottons with English goods. Chilloe, dosuties and nankeen were Coromandel and Chinese cottons, gingham a checked cotton, chintz a printed one, and a palempore a large painted bedcover, all of the Eastern trade. The haberdashery of threads, tapes, laces, pins and buttons furnished the making and mending of clothes in households that had no other source of such materials.

167

144

Brought over£

134 16 6

Ironmongers Ware

1 Splinter Lock

1 4

1 Stock Lock

4

3 do

15 6

1 do

12 4

1 Chest Lock

4 8

1 do

3 2

1 do

6

1 do

4 6

2 plain Irons

1 4 6

1 Three Square File

1 6

2 Box Iron & Heaters No 1

10

4 do

2 6

1 Pr Tongs

3

1 Bed Hinges a 8/

1 4

1 Chafing Dish

14 8

1 Iron Rimlock

5 3

4 do

8 3

1 Rock Shovel

8 3

2 Sugar do

5

1 Roasters

6

2 Frying Pans Wt 10/7

18 6

1 Pr Hinges

8

1 do

1 8

1 Broade Ax

6 6

1 Bushton

2 6

Sum Totall to the Inhabitants£

142 16 1

Garrison Do£

16 Cattee Tea

1 Gall Oyle

3 4

½ Gall & Do the Smith

4 6

1 Tin Lamp deliverd the Country

4 6

1 Coach Lock for the Doctors Shop

2 3

4 2 9

Charges General Do

20 Do Soap

1 2 8

1 Stock Lock for Milk House Door

2 2

1 Do for the Coals Room

1 10 8

2 Chest Locks Room Wt

4 5

1 Stock Lock

4 3

1 Splinter Lock for a Bunkall Door

1 6

2 Pr Hinges a 3/

4

1 Cabin Bath & Bellowes

10

1 Smoothing Iron

6 8

1 Box Cast Iron

8 10

1 M 8d Nailes

1 1

18 oz Cork Wood

1 6

3 Small Brushes

1 6

2 Barils Lamblack

3 6

6 Yards Vittery for the Packett

3 6 -

4 Rulegian for a new part of the Woollen

Goods to keep out the Smoake

1½ oz Sewing Silk

2 7 8

365 Do Rice for the Pidgeons & Poultry

2 14

8 10 11½

Plantation Do

6 large Earthen Bason with Cover

3

6 do Long do

2 6

6 More Round Stone

3 6

4 Do with Covers

3

4 Gall Trane Oyle

1 4

24 Do Rope

10 6

1 Splinter Lock

3 6

7 16

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores

1½ Do Colonech Thread

2

11 Yards White Bunting

11

13

Carried over£

164 18 9½

The store goods account continued, brought over at £134 16s 6d, as follows:

Brought over, £134 16s 6d

Ironmongers ware:

1 splinter lock, £0 1s 4d

1 stock lock, £0 4s 0d

3 ditto, £0 15s 6d

1 ditto, £0 12s 4d

1 chest lock, £0 4s 8d

1 ditto, £0 3s 2d

1 ditto, £0 4s 6d

1 ditto, £0 3s 0d

2 plain irons, £0 1s 4d

1 three-square file, £0 1s 6d

2 box irons and heaters, number 1, £0 10s 0d

4 ditto, £2 0s 0d

1 pair of tongs, £0 1s 3d

1 boat hinge, at 5s, £0 3s 6d

1 chafing dish, £0 4s 8d

1 pork blunderbuss, £0 5s 8d

1 ditto, £0 8s 3d

1 shod shovel, £0 3s 8d

2 sugar, ditto, £0 3s 8d

1 rasp, £0 5s 0d

2 frying pans, weight 10.5 pounds, £0 15s 6d

1 pair of hinges, £0 8s 6d

1 ditto, £0 6s 8d

1 broad axe, £0 6s 6d

1 bedstead, £0 2s 6d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £142 16s 1d

Garrison, ditto:

16 catties of tea, £3 4s 0d

1 gallon of oil, £0 4s 6d

1.5 gallons, delivered to the smith, £0 4s 6d

1 tin lamp, delivered to the guards, £0 4s 3d

1 stock lock, for the doctor's shop, £0 2s 6d

Total, £4 2s 9d

Charges general, ditto:

20 pounds of soap, £1 2s 3d

1 stock lock for the fort gate, £0 2s 2d

1 ditto, for the coal room, £1 10s 8d

1 splinter lock for the kitchen door, £0 4s 3d

1 stock lock, £0 4s 0d

1 pair of hinges, number 3, £0 1s 0d

1 cooler bar and bellows, £0 10s 0d

1 smoothing iron, £0 6s 8d

1 box iron and heater, £0 8s 10d

1 handsaw, £0 1s 1d

18 ounces of cork hooks, £0 1s 1d

5 sail needles, £0 1s 6d

2 barrels of lampblack, £0 3s 6d

6 yards of victory for the packet, £3 6s 0d

6 pieces of coarse gingham to keep out the woollen goods to keep out the smoke, £2 7s 8d

1.5 ounces of China silk, £2 14s 0d

365 pounds of rice for the pigeons and poultry, £8 10s 11.5d

Total, £8 10s 11.5d

Plantation, ditto:

6 large earthen pans with covers, £0 3s 0d

6 ditto, long, £0 2s 0d

6 three-quart pans, £0 3s 6d

4 pounds of pans with covers, £0 3s 0d

4 gallons of sweet oil, £1 4s 0d

54 ropes, £0 10s 6d

1 splinter lock, £0 3s 6d

Total, £7 16s 0d

Naval, gunners and garrison stores:

1.5 pounds of colour thread, £0 2s 0d

11 yards of white bunting, £0 11s 0d

Total, £0 13s 0d

Carried over, £164 18s 9.5d

Interpretations

This page continues the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for March 1728, delivered at the consultation of 2 April 1728, closing the sales to the inhabitants and dividing the remaining charges among the garrison, general charges, the plantation and the naval and gunners stores.

The locks charged to general expenses map the fort's secured spaces by name. Stock locks were fitted to the fort gate and the coal room, and a splinter lock to the kitchen door, while a further stock lock went to the doctor's shop. Naming each door beside its lock shows the council securing the places where valuable stores were held, a precaution given fresh point by the medicine inquiry of the autumn of 1727, when Hodgkinson was charged with selling the Company's drugs from an unsecured shop.

The coarse gingham bought to keep the smoke off the woollen goods records a practical problem of warehouse keeping. Woollens carried from England were valuable and easily spoiled, and covering them against smoke and damp protected the stock that would otherwise decay before it could be sold, the same concern for preservation that ran through the pitch, tar and lampblack of these accounts.

The earthen pans with covers charged to the plantation were dairy vessels for setting milk and skimming cream, equipping the milkmen and dairy maid named in the slave muster of 30 March 1728. Alongside the ropes and sweet oil, they show the ordinary furnishing of the Company's farms.

The victory cloth for the packet was the material for wrapping and protecting the Company's dispatches, and the white bunting under naval stores supplied the flags by which the island signalled to shipping. Both served the communication on which a remote station depended, the packet carrying the council's correspondence home and to India, and the flags summoning the alarms that had punctuated the year since the war warning of 9 May 1727.

168

145

Brought Over£

164 18 9½

Honble Compys Blacks

On Acct of Diet Expences 600 Rice

4 10

On Acct of Clothing

272 Yards Kersey

27 4 19 6

45 Do Serge

10 Peices Sarah Chints a 7/6 out of the Chandois

2 Do came from the Cape

3 15

6½ Coloured Thread

1 2

8 Pr Doselees

14 White Shirts

1 15

4 Do Madrass Gingham

1 10

1 Do Ordinary Long Cloth

1

2 Taylors Thimbles

1 On acct of Charges Genll

4 2

1 oz China Silk

1 6

13 Doz Hooks Sorted & do for the Fish & Boates

8 6

48 10

Diet Expences

64 Gall Arrack

20 5 4

17 Do Strong Beer

1 8 6

40 Do Small ditto

10

1 Bottle Sweet Oyle

3 4

160 Do Sugar

3 10 6

187 Do Flour

2 6 9

69 Do Bread

17 3

28 Gall Ports

7 4

9 Do Mountain

13 9 9

7 Do Sherry

2 17 3

150 Do Candles

3 1

2 Do Copper

2 7 2

46 8 8

Sum Totall

259 17 5½

Expence of the Genll Table in March 1727 Vizt

46½ Gall Arrack for the Table

14 16 6

184 Sugar

3 3

17 Gall Strong Beer

1 6 6

40 do Small do

10

1 Bottle Sweet Oyle

3 4

187 Do Flour

2 6 9

69 Do Bread

17 3

20 Gall Port

7 10

9 Do Mountain

2 2

7 Do Sherry

2 14 3

2 Do Copper

2

386 Do Beef

4 16 6

104 Do Pork

2 12

7 Goates

3 10

1 Cast

15

Ducks

1 6

Fowles

4 6

Butter

2 6

Days Greens

4 11

Bottles Milk

1 8

53 4

Expence of the Table in March Amounting to

Gall Arrack for the Quarter Carpenter & first Cooper Vizt

4 15

On acct of the Kings Proclamation

Sugar del ditto

17 6

Gall Arrack to the Labr & Blacks

15 10

Candles

3

Soap

2 8

10 11

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

The store goods account continued, brought over at £164 18s 9.5d, as follows:

Brought over, £164 18s 9.5d

The honourable Company's blacks:

On account of diet expenses, 600 pounds of rice, £4 10s 0d

On account of clothing:

272 yards of kersey, £27 4s 0d

25 pieces of serge, £1 19s 6d

10 pieces of Salem chintz, at 7s 6d, out of the chandlers, £3 15s 0d

2 pieces of baize from the Cape, £1 3s 0d

6.5 pounds of colour thread, £0 8s 0d

8 pieces of dosuties, £1 15s 0d

14 white shirts, £1 10s 0d

4 pieces of Madras gingham, £1 0s 0d

1 piece of ordinary long cloth, £0 4s 6d

2 tailors thimbles, £0 4s 2d

1 needle, out of charges general, £0 1s 6d

10 ounces of China silk, £0 8s 6d

15 dozen hooks, sorted, for the fishing boats, £8 6s 0d

Total, £48 10s 0d

Diet expenses:

64 gallons of arrack, £20 5s 4d

17 pounds of strong beer, £1 8s 6d

40 pounds of small beer, £0 10s 0d

1 bottle of sweet oil, £0 3s 4d

159 pounds of sugar, £3 19s 6d

187 pounds of flour, £2 6s 9d

69 pounds of bread, £0 17s 3d

23 gallons of port, £7 15s 0d

9 gallons of Mountain wine, £3 9s 9d

9 gallons of sherry, £2 17s 3d

150 pounds of candles, £3 1s 0d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 2s 0d

Total, £46 8s 8d

Sum total, £259 17s 5.5d

The expense of the general table in March 1728 was set out as follows:

46.5 gallons of arrack for the table, £14 16s 6d

154 pounds of sugar, £3 3s 0d

17 gallons of strong beer, £1 6s 6d

40 gallons of small beer, £0 10s 0d

1 bottle of sweet oil, £0 3s 4d

187 pounds of flour, £2 6s 9d

69 pounds of bread, £0 17s 3d

20 gallons of port, £7 15s 0d

9 gallons of Mountain wine, £3 2s 2d

9 gallons of sherry, £2 18s 8d

2 pounds of pepper, £0 2s 0d

386 pounds of beef, £14 16s 6d

104.5 pounds of pork, £2 12s 0d

7 goats, £3 10s 0d

1 hog, £0 15s 0d

1 duck, £0 15s 0d

1 fowl, £0 15s 0d

1 butter, £0 9s 6d

31 days greens, £4 11s 0d

60 bottles of milk, £1 1s 8d

Total, £53 1s 0d

The expense of the table in March amounted to the sum entered below, together with the following further charges:

3.5 gallons of arrack for the quarter, delivered to the carpenter and cooper, on account of the King's proclamation, £4 15s 0d

1 pound of sugar, delivered on the same account, £0 17s 6d

1 gallon of arrack to the labouring blacks, £0 15s 0d

3 pounds of candles, £1 2s 8d

1 soap, £10 11s 0d

The account was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

Interpretations

This page closes the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for March 1728 and gives the expense of the general table for the same month, both delivered at the consultation of 2 April 1728. It divides the establishment's consumption from the sales to inhabitants, closing at a sum total of £259 17s 5.5d.

The heavy clothing charge for the slaves records the annual issue of garments. Kersey was a coarse ribbed wool carried out from England expressly to clothe slaves, and the serge, baize from the Cape, Salem chintz and Madras gingham completed the material, while the thread, needles and tailors thimbles equipped the making up. The scale of the issue, more than two hundred and seventy yards of kersey alone, matches the muster of 30 March 1728 that counted 219 people on the Company's books.

The fifteen dozen hooks supplied for the fishing boats continue the equipping of the fishery begun on 1 March 1727, when the slaves' meat ration was replaced by fish. The muster of the same month recorded eleven men constantly employed in the yawls and longboat, and this issue kept them in gear.

The arrack and sugar delivered to the carpenter and cooper on account of the King's proclamation record a small allowance for the ceremony of 9 March 1728, when George the Second was proclaimed at the head of the garrison. Twenty-one guns were fired that day, and the craftsmen who built and dressed the platform or stage for the occasion received their drink from the Company's stores, a modest indulgence to mark the accession.

The general table account shows the fort's common board consuming heavily in March, with beef, pork, goats and imported wines set against the island's own greens and milk. Arrack was the standard Eastern spirit, Mountain a sweet Spanish white and sherry a fortified wine, all drawn from the warehouse and charged to the establishment rather than sold, the double accounting by which the storekeeper's issues and the steward's consumption checked one another.

169

146

Att a Consultation held on Wednesday 3 Aprill 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

We this day Assembled & Paid the Garrison for the Month past as Journal

Folio 69 & 71

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 9th Aprill 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

The two preceeding Consultations were this Day read & Approved

The Governour Reports that a Black Wench called Margaret belonging to

the Honble Company was delivered of a Boy last Week called John which was

acordingly Enterd in Journal Folio 72

John French Gunner Petitioned for Leave to be accepted Tennant to the

Honble Company for the Remainder of the Term yet to come in a Lease of a Parcell

of Grounds in James Valley Vizt One Hundred Feet in Front & fifty Deep

lately in the Possession of Tho Watts

Granted

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 16th Aprill 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Reports that a Black Wench belonging to the Honble Compy

called Mercy was delivered of a Girle last Week also Named Mercy who was acordingly

Enterd in Journal Folio 75

Frances Wrangham Petitioned for Leave to Assign Six Acres of Lands

which he holds by Lease of the Honble Compy to Robt Cowell for the Remainder

of the Term yet to come in the Said Lease

Granted

At a consultation held on Wednesday 3 April 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council assembled this day and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 68 and 71. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 9 April 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council read and approved the records of the two preceding consultations.

The Governor reported that a black woman called Margaret, belonging to the honourable Company, had been delivered of a boy last week, called John, who was accordingly entered in the journal, folio 75.

John French, gunner, petitioned for leave to be accepted tenant to the honourable Company, for the remainder of the term yet to come in a lease of a parcel of ground in James Valley, one hundred feet in front and fifty deep, lately in the possession of Thomas Watts. The council granted this. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 April 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The Governor reported that a black woman belonging to the honourable Company, called Mercy, had been delivered of a girl last week, also named Mercy, who was accordingly entered in the journal, folio 75.

Francis Wrangham petitioned for leave to assign six acres of land, which he held by lease of the honourable Company, to Gabriel Powell, for the remainder of the term yet to come in the lease. The council granted this.

Interpretations

This page records three short consultations at the opening of April 1728, given over to the routine business of the garrison's pay, the entry of slave births, and the transfer of leasehold land.

The entry of births of slave children in the journal continues a practice running throughout these records, the birth of each child being registered as an addition to the Company's stock. The muster of 30 March 1728 had counted 219 people and noted the number had increased by one since September, so each such birth was recorded against that running total, the child entered as property from the moment of birth.

The lease taken by John French, the gunner, shows a Company servant acquiring property on the island. He had been appointed marshal on 25 April 1727 and had signed the gunner's accounts throughout the run, so his acceptance as tenant of a parcel in James Valley marks a servant establishing a private stake in the settlement while still in the Company's employ.

The assignment of Francis Wrangham's six acres to Gabriel Powell required the council's consent because the Company remained the landlord of all leasehold ground. Both men were among the island's largest wood-holders and served constantly as the council's surveyors and valuers, so the transfer consolidated land in the hands of the settlement's leading planters, the same men whose holdings the survey of 31 October 1727 had recorded as the most substantial on the island.

170

147

Giles & Joseph Hayes Petitioned Praying that Letters of Administration

might be Granted to them jointly, their Mother Dorothy Hayes being lately

deceasd Intestate

Orderd that Letters of Administration be prepared & Granted them acordingly

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 23 Aprill 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

The last Consultation read & Approved

Mr Cowell presented a Bill of Sale of a Parcell of Lands he lately Purchased

of Frans Wrangham Praying the Same might be Registred, for greater Security

Orderd that the Same be Registred acordingly

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 30 of Aprill 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

The last Consultation read & Approved

On Saturday last the 27 instant the Severall Ships following arrived here from India

but last from the Cape & brought Supplys for the Use of this Islands as hereafter mentiond

The Nassau Capt Norton

London Beake

Prince Augustus Cepelan & in the next day arrived the Grave William

Capt Gilbert Edwards last from the Cape & the Same day the Captains came on Shore

We gave each of them Orders to have in upon Allarm, a Copy of which is as follows Vizt

Sir

Through this lately hear & from the Honble Company that all Apprehensions

of War are ceased for the present, they are nevertheless Pleased to Order for the

Security of Your Ship & Cargo against the Attempts of Pirates or other Enemies

that upon all Allarms which may happen during Your Stay here You are to

Send a Warp either to the Crane or Landing Rock & haase in to as near the Shore

Giles and Joseph Hayse petitioned for letters of administration to be granted them jointly, their mother Dorothy Hayse having lately died intestate.

The council ordered that letters of administration be prepared and granted them accordingly. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 23 April 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

Mr Powell presented a bill of sale of a parcel of land he had lately purchased of Francis Wrangham, asking that it be registered for his greater security.

The council ordered that it be registered accordingly. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 30 April 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The previous Saturday the seven ships named below arrived from India, last from the Cape, bringing supplies for the use of the island, as set out in their invoices.

The Norris, Captain Newton

The London, Captain Boone

The Prince Augustus, Captain Gosselin

On the next day arrived the Grand Alliance, Captain Gilbert Edwards, last from the Cape. The same day the captains came on shore, and the council gave each of them orders to heave in upon alarms, a copy of which follows.

The council informed them that, though it had lately heard from the honourable Company that all apprehensions of war were ceased for the present, they were nevertheless pleased to order, for the security of their ships and cargoes against the attempts of pirates or other enemies, that upon every alarm which might happen during their stay there they were to make a warp either to the crane or landing rock, and heave in as near the shore.

Interpretations

This page records the grant of letters of administration to the Hayse brothers, the registration of a land sale, and the arrival of a fleet from India at the consultation of 30 April 1728.

Letters of administration were the instrument granted where a person died intestate, that is without a will, giving the next of kin lawful authority to gather in and distribute the estate. Where a will existed the council granted probate to the named executors, as it had for Grace Coulson and Arthur Bradley, but Dorothy Hayse left none, so her sons required this alternative authority to deal with her property.

The news that the Company considered all fear of war to be past marks the end of the emergency that had governed the island since the packet of 27 January 1727 warned of an impending war against the Emperor and Spain. That warning had put St Helena into a full posture of defence on 9 May 1727 and had shaped every order given to visiting captains for a year, so its lifting closes the longest-running thread in the record.

Yet the council did not abandon the precautions. Even with the war scare over, it required every commander to warp his ship to the crane or landing rock and heave in close to shore upon any alarm, now naming pirates rather than national enemies as the danger. Piracy remained a standing threat to Indiamen carrying rich cargoes, so the defensive discipline built for a European war was simply redirected to the older peril it had always partly addressed.

The arrival of four ships in two days, with more named, shows the island at its busiest, since the homeward fleets from India called together to refresh. This was the shipping the inhabitants had complained of lacking on 30 March 1728, when they could not pay their rents for want of buyers, so the fleet's arrival brought the means of settling the debts the council had deferred to September.

171

148

as You possibly can with Safety & there continue till Wee have certain Advice

whether the Ship bears away or be a Friend or an Enemy We are

Sir

Your most humble Servts

E Byfeild

John Goodwin

D Cripps

Selling Price

Invoice of Goods & Sarum Vizt

Batavia Arrack

Arrack 6/6 Do Gall

4 half Legers of 226 Galls Each a 3 Do Leager

125

Sugar 6d Do Pound

12 Bags Refined Sugar 2/4 bag wt 16 8 Do Bag

96

221

Rice bag Do Cart Comp

33 Bags Rice off 66 bags at 5 4 1 5 Do M

58 10 6

Batta 18 Do Cent

5 14

64 8 6

285 8 6

Charges Merchandize

96 Bags & Sewing

4 13

Mutlery

2

Boathire

6

Rupees 292 11 6

Invoice of Goods & London Vizt

Batavia Arrack

Arrack 6/6 Do Gall

4 half Legers of 230 Galls Each a 3 Do Leager

125

Sugar 6d Do Pound

12 Bags Refined Sugar 2/4 bag wt 16 8 Do Bag

96

221

Rice bags for Comp off

248 Bags Rice off 96 Batta bags at 5 4 1 5 Do M

86 6 0

Batta 10 Do Cent

8 8 6

93 13 9

314 13 9

Charges Merchandize

96 Bags & Sewing

6 6 3

Mutlery

2 3 6

Boathire

9

9 4 9

Rupees 324 9 6

Invoice of Goods & Prince William

Batavia Arrack

Arrack 6/6 Do Gall

4 half Legers of 227 Galls Each a 3 Do Leager

125

Sugar 6d Do Pound

12 Bags Refined Sugar 2/4 bag wt 16 8 Do Bag

96

221

Rice bags for Comp off

48 Bags Rice off 96 Batta bags at 5 4 1 5 Do M

86 6 3

Batta 10 Do Cent

8 8 6

93 13 9

314 13 9

Charges Merchandize

96 Bags & Sewing

6 10 3

Mutlery

2 1

Boathire

1 2

10 2 3

Rupees 325

Mr Bazolls having paid the Governt the Sum of One Hundred Ninety Seven

Pounds Eight Shill & Nine Pence in Dollars at 6 & Do & Do desiring the Bills

of Exchange for the Same

Orderd that a Sett of Bills be acordingly drawn for the Sum aforesaid, &

that the Governt be made Dr for the Same in the Journall

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

The council directed each commander to bring his ship in as close as he safely could, and to remain there until it was known for certain whether the ship bearing down was a friend or an enemy. The letter was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp as the council's most humble servants.

Invoice of goods by the Norris, with the selling price entered against each article:

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers of 226 gallons each, at 3 rupees per gallon, arrack at 6s 3d per gallon, 125 rupees

Sugar, 12 bags of Tresundee sugar, at 8 rupees per bag, sugar at 5.5d per pound, 96 rupees

Rice, 33 bags of fine rice, 66 bags at 1.5 maunds per bag, rice at 18s per hundredweight, 58 rupees 10 annas

Batta at 18 per cent, 5 rupees 14 annas

Total, 64 rupees 8 annas 6 pies, 286 rupees 8 annas 6 pies

Charges merchandise:

96 bags and sewing, 4 rupees 15 annas

Muttery, 2 rupees 0 annas

Boat hire, 0 rupees 6 annas

Total, 292 rupees 11 annas 6 pies

Invoice of goods by the London, with the selling price entered against each article:

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers of 230 gallons each, at 3 rupees per gallon, arrack at 6s 3d per gallon, 125 rupees

Sugar, 12 bags of Tresundee sugar, at 8 rupees per bag, sugar at 5.5d per pound, 96 rupees

Rice, 248 bags of fine rice, 96 bags at 1.5 maunds per bag, rice at 18s per hundredweight, 221 rupees

Batta at 10 per cent, 8 rupees 8 annas 6 pies

Total, 93 rupees 13 annas 9 pies, 314 rupees 13 annas 9 pies

Charges merchandise:

96 bags and sewing, 6 rupees 6 annas 3 pies

Muttery, 2 rupees 3 annas 6 pies

Boat hire, 0 rupees 9 annas

Total, 9 rupees 1 anna 9 pies, 324 rupees 9 annas 6 pies

Invoice of goods by the Prince William, with the selling price entered against each article:

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers of 227 gallons each, at 3 rupees per gallon, arrack at 6s 3d per gallon, 125 rupees

Sugar, 12 bags of Tresundee sugar, at 8 rupees per bag, sugar at 5.5d per pound, 96 rupees

Rice, 48 bags of fine rice, at 1.5 maunds per bag, rice at 16s per hundredweight, 221 rupees

Batta, 86 rupees 5 annas 3 pies

Total, 8 rupees 8 annas 6 pies, 93 rupees 13 annas 9 pies, 314 rupees 13 annas 9 pies

Charges merchandise:

96 bags and sewing, 6 rupees 15 annas 3 pies

Muttery, 2 rupees 1 anna

Boat hire, 1 rupee 2 annas

Total, 10 rupees 2 annas 3 pies, 325 rupees

Mr Bazett, having paid the Governor the sum of £197 8s 9d in dollars at 6 shillings each, asked for bills of exchange for the same.

The council ordered that a set of bills be drawn accordingly for the sum stated, and that the Governor be made debtor for the same in the journal.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

Interpretations

This page completes the alarm orders given to the arriving commanders at the consultation of 30 April 1728 and enters the invoices of the supplies each ship brought for the island.

The invoices show the mechanism by which the Company provisioned its own station from its Indian settlements. Each ship carried arrack, sugar and rice consigned to the island, valued in rupees at Indian prices, and the council entered a selling price in sterling against each article, so that goods bought in India were sold to the inhabitants at rates the council fixed. Batavia arrack was the standard Eastern spirit, Tresundee sugar a Bengal product, and a leaguer a large cask of about 150 gallons.

The Indian units and charges expose the trade's mechanics. A maund was a weight of about 80 pounds, and batta was an exchange allowance or premium added to convert between currencies of different standards, a necessary adjustment when accounts crossed between the rupee zones of the Company's settlements. Muttery was a small local charge, and the bags with their sewing and the boat hire were the practical costs of packing and landing the goods.

The purchase of bills of exchange by Bazett follows the standard mechanism for remitting money home. Dollars valued at six shillings each were Spanish coin, the common specie of the trade, and paying them into the Governor for bills drawn on the Company let an inhabitant transfer value to England without shipping coin, the Governor being made debtor for the sum in the journal, the same transaction Powell and Captain Goodwin had made through the winter.

The persistence of the alarm orders despite the news that the war fear had passed shows the council keeping its guard. Warping a ship to the crane or landing rock brought her under the fort's guns, so the drill served equally against pirates, and the council maintained it until any strange sail could be identified as friend or enemy.

172

149

Att a Consultation held on Fryday 3 May 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

We this Day Assembled & Paid the Garrison for the Month past as & Journals

folio 76 & 78

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

Att a Consultation held on Monday 6th May 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has received all the Goods on Shore in good Order

that were Sent by the Sarum & London but the Twelve Bags of Sugar & Twenty

Eight Bags of Rice Sent by the Prince William are quite Spoiled & good for

nothing being Damaged the they were bringing on Shore in the Cap Owne Boats

occasioned by the Neglect of his own People who were in her, & that he has

acordinaly Excepted against the Same as appears by his Indorsemt upon

the Bill of Loading a Copy of which We have Sent in the Packett, the other

twenty Bags are Short deliverd

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Cripps

Att a Consultation held on Tuesday 7 May 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Danll Cripps

The last Consultation read & Approved

This Morning the Sarum, London, Prince Augustus & Prince William Sailed hence for

England

The Governour Reports that Ellen a Black Wench at Plantation House belonging

to the Honble Company was delivered of a Boy last Week called Wingo who was immediatly

Enterd in Journall Folio 84

Capt John Goodwin desiring to Surrender to Assign for Eight Acres to Several

Parcells of Land which he holds by Lease of the Honble Company for the Remainder

of the Term yet to come in the Said Leases to Mr Ezan Wrangham

Granted

The Governr Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly

for Aprill last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

At a consultation held on Friday 3 May 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council assembled this day and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 76 and 78. The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

At a consultation held on Monday 6 May 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received all the goods ashore in good order that were sent by the Norris and London, but that the twelve bags of sugar and twenty-eight bags of rice sent by the Prince William were quite spoiled. Nothing was damaged except these, which had been wetted by the negligence of his own people who were in the boat when they came aboard in the Cape Town boat, and he had accordingly entered a protest against the same, as appeared by his endorsement upon the bill of lading, a copy of which the council sent in the packet. The other twenty bags fell short in delivery.

The record was subscribed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 May 1728 at Union Fort.

Present: Edward Byfield, Governor; John Alexander; John Goodwin; David Crisp.

The council read and approved the record of its last consultation.

The previous day the Norris, London, Prince Augustus and Prince William sailed home for England.

The Governor reported that Ellen, a black woman at Plantation House, had been delivered of a boy last week called Mingo, who was accordingly entered in the journal, folio 74.

Gabriel Powell petitioned for leave to assign six acres of land which he held by lease of the honourable Company, for the remainder of the term yet to come in the lease, to Mr Francis Wrangham. The council granted this.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered each a monthly account for April last, which the council severally examined and approved, as follows.

Interpretations

This page records three short consultations in the first week of May 1728, disposing of the damaged cargo, the departure of the fleet and the ordinary business of leases and slave births.

The spoiled sugar and rice from the Prince William show the practical hazard of landing goods at St Helena. With no sheltered harbour, every cargo came ashore by open boat over the rocks, so a wetting in the surf could ruin a whole consignment. Captain Goodwin's protest entered on the bill of lading was the formal step by which the receiver disclaimed responsibility for damage caused before delivery, fixing the loss on the carrier rather than the Company, and the copy sent home in the packet preserved the evidence for the directors.

The shortfall of twenty bags in the delivery is recorded alongside the damage, a separate failure of the shipment. Together the entries show the council's care to document every discrepancy between the invoice and what actually came ashore, the same reconciliation discipline that had governed the audit of the journal, ledger and inventory across the winter.

The assignment of Gabriel Powell's six acres to Francis Wrangham reverses the transfer granted only three weeks earlier, when Wrangham was permitted to assign six acres to Powell on 16 April 1728. The two men, the island's principal planters and the council's regular surveyors and valuers, appear to be exchanging or rearranging their holdings, each transfer requiring the council's consent because the Company remained landlord of all leasehold ground.

The departure of four ships together on 6 May 1728 completes the visit of the fleet that had arrived from India in late April. Their stay brought the inhabitants the buyers they had lacked when they could not pay their rents on 30 March 1728, and the fresh provisions supplied to them were the service for which the island existed.

173

150

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabts

& ca from the 1st to the 30th of Aprill 1728 Vizt

104 Bread

2 8 6

111 Ropes

4 7½

16 Gall Oyle

4 16

10 Do Sho Thread

1 5

16 Do Twine

1 14 8

29½ Doz Corks

9 10

15 Do Copper

15

12 Do Soak

3

2 Barils Lamblack

8

158 Squares Glass 6 & 8

5 3 6

4 Do Chelloe

2 17 4

2 Doselees

1 7

1 Chints

7 6

4 Do Long Cloth

4 2

10 Yards Hollands Duck

3 2

4 Do Duroine

3 7 6

4½ Broad Cloth

7 8 7½

17 Flannell

1 8 8

41½ Red Sack

8 4 10½

6 Do Canvas

7 3½

7½ Kersey

15 6

7½ Serge

17 6

4 Do Duroine

1 1

7 Yards Norwich Stuff

9 4

Smoothing

8

1 Do Buckskin

1 12 6

4½ do

2 7 8½

1½ do

1 10

48 Doz Hooks Sorted

1 4 7

9 Lines ditto

2 17 4

1 Pr Brass Candlesticks

3 6

1 Do Doelly

16

1 Boys Hatt

10

2 Mens do

7 4

2 Pr Mens Calve Leather Shoes

4 3 4

2 Boys do

8

1 Girles do

3 6

1 do

4 6

2 Womens Spanish Leather do

11 6

1 Cheese Leg Hatt

1 10

6 Small Cupps

1

3 Pr Mens Stock

1 2 8

2 Boys do

4 8

2 do

5

3 do

8 3

12 Do Wax Wick

7 6

1 Brass Tea Kettle

1 8

1 Do Cocks

10

6 Lamps

2 3

1 do

5 3

6 Coffee Potts

10

1 Sauce Pan

3 2

1 Watering Pott

9 6

1 do

4 6

1 Tin Kettle

1 12

1 Pr Bayes

1 6 6

1 Junkets

2 3

6 Pewter Spoons

3

2 Porringers

2 6

1 Bason

2 9

1 Dish

3 7

1 do

1 4

2 Doz Plates

10

1 Spelling Book

4 8

1 Whole Duty of Man

1 9

1 Ivory Comb

Carried over£

71 5 5½

Collection of store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from the 1st to the 30th of April 1728, as follows:

104 pounds of bread, £2 8s 6d

111 pipes, £0 4s 7.5d

16 gallons of oil, £4 16s 0d

10 pounds of shoe thread, £1 5s 0d

16 pounds of twine, £1 14s 8d

29.5 dozen corks, £0 9s 10d

15 pounds of pepper, £0 3s 0d

12 pounds of soap, £0 0s 8d

2 barrels of lampblack, £5 3s 6d

158 squares of glass, at 6s 8d, £2 1s 7.25d

4 pieces of chilloe, £1 1s 0d

2 dosuties, £0 7s 6d

1 chintz, £4 0s 0d

4 long cloth, £3 2s 0d

10 yards of Holland duck, £3 7s 6d

2.5 durance, £0 8s 7.5d

0.5 broadcloth, £1 18s 8d

17 flannel, £8 4s 10.5d

41.5 bed tick, £0 7s 3.5d

6.5 canvas, £0 15s 0d

7.5 kersey, £0 17s 6d

7.5 serge, £1 1s 0d

0.5 buckram, £0 9s 4d

7 yards of Norwich stuff, £0 8s 0d

1 mohair, £1 12s 6d

1 pair of tickfelt, £2 7s 8.5d

0.5 ditto, £1 10s 0d

1.5 ditto, £1 4s 7d

48 dozen hooks, sorted, £2 17s 4d

9 lines, ditto, £0 3s 6d

1 pair of brass candlesticks, £0 16s 0d

1 dozen doilies, £0 10s 0d

1 boy's hat, £0 7s 4d

2 men's, ditto, £0 4s 4d

2 pairs of men's calve leather shoes, £0 8s 0d

2 boys, ditto, £0 3s 6d

1 girls, ditto, £0 4s 6d

1 ditto, £0 11s 6d

2 pairs of women's Spanish leather, ditto, £0 1s 10d

1 China teapot, £0 1s 6d

6 small cups, £1 2s 6d

3 pairs of men's stockings, £0 4s 8d

2 boys, ditto, £0 5s 0d

2 ditto, £0 8s 3d

3 ditto, £0 7s 6d

12 pounds of wool tick, £0 1s 8d

1 brass tea kettle, £0 10s 0d

1 dozen forks, £0 2s 3d

5 lamps, £0 5s 3d

1 ditto, £0 5s 10d

6 coffee pots, £0 3s 2d

1 sauce pan, £0 9s 6d

1 watering kettle, £0 6s 0d

1 ditto, £1 12s 0d

1 tin kettle, £1 6s 6d

1 pair of bayes, £0 3s 0d

1 junkets, £0 2s 6d

6 pewter spoons, £0 3s 3d

2 porringers, £0 2s 6d

1 basin, £0 3s 9d

1 dish, £0 7s 0d

1 ditto, £1 8s 0d

2 dozen plates, £1 0s 0d

1 spelling book, £0 4s 8d

1 Whole Duty of Man, £0 1s 9d

1 ivory comb, £0 1s 9d

Carried over, £71 5s 5.5d

Interpretations

This account is the storekeeper's monthly reckoning of Company goods sold to the inhabitants across April 1728, delivered with the other April accounts at the consultation of 7 May 1728. It follows the settled form, running from provisions and stores through textiles into household ware, the total carried over to a further page.

The textiles show the usual mix of Indian and English cloth. Chilloe, dosuties and long cloth were Coromandel cottons and chintz a printed one, while durance was a glazed worsted, kersey a coarse ribbed wool, serge a twilled wool, and Norwich stuff a worsted from the Norfolk trade. Buckram was a stiffened linen used for interlinings, bed tick the stout cloth of mattresses, and Holland duck a heavy linen for sails and working clothes.

The forty-eight dozen fishing hooks and the sorted lines continue the equipping of the fishery that ran through every month's account. This gear served both the Company's own boats, manned by the eleven men recorded in the slave muster of 30 March 1728, and the inhabitants who fished for their own tables.

The spelling book and the copy of The Whole Duty of Man are the only printed matter in the account and mark the community's modest intellectual and devotional life. The Whole Duty of Man was a widely read devotional manual of practical Christian conduct, found in ordinary English households of the period, and its sale beside a spelling book shows the warehouse supplying the means of both religion and literacy to a settlement with no bookseller.

174

151

Brought over

71 5 5½

2 Ivory Combs

3 2

2 do

3 8

1 Box do

1 2

1 Horn do

6

3 Thimbles

10

2 Scrubing Brushes

6 8

2 Bowles

9 6

1 Strayning Dish

1

2 Butchers Knives

1 4

1 Shoe ditto

6

1 Iron Pott

8 6

4 do

4 8

1 do

3 6

1 do

1 6

1 Pr Donefailes

1 6

1 Long Plain

1 1

1 Jack do

3

1 Smoothing do

8 10

6 Plain Irons

5 6

3 Three Square Files

6

1 Compass Saw

10 6

1 Tenant do

2 6

2 Bell Axes Wt 6 & 8 lb

8 3

1 Lanthorn

2 6

1 Colonech Thread

3 3

1½ Whited Brown do

1 4

5 Do Twine Thread

3 5 8

8 do

1 3 2

6 do

1 5 3

1 do

2 3

1 do

2 3

6 Pr Hollands Tape

4½

1 do

1 6

3 do

1 4

2 Diaper do

4 1 8

6 Bobbin

1 6

1 do

1

12 Thread Laces

24 Twisting ditto

1 M Pins

1 M do

2 oz China Silk

6 Doz Coat Buttons

3 Brass do

4 Skains Mohair

Sum Totall to the Inhabts

79 8 3½

Plantation Do

1 Do Shoe Thread

2 6

4 Gall Oyle

14 5

1 M 20d Nailes

1 3

1224 Do Rice for the Hoggs & Poultry

7 8

9 9

Garrison Do

10 Cattee Tea

16

2 Barils Sweet Oyle deld for the Arms fit for no other Use

6 4

14 oz 3 Gall Cork do for Guards at Prosperous Bay

12 6

2 11 10

Honble Companies Blacks

1 Boys Hatt

10

1 Ivory Comb

12

2 Do Long Cloth

2

On acct of Clothing

1½ Doz Whited Brown Thread

3 6

30 Reads for Fingers

9 6

1 Coyle Cordage Wt 3 0 4 30 lb 3 19 lb

On acct of Charges Gen

3 9

10 Yds Vittery for Tabling a Flag for Prosperous Bay

1 2

6 19 11

4½ Rope for do

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores

1 11

Carried over

98 2 8½

The store goods account continued, brought over at £71 5s 5.5d, as follows:

Brought over, £71 5s 5.5d

2 jerrycombs, £0 3s 8d

2 ditto, £0 3s 6d

1 box, ditto, £0 1s 2d

1 horn, ditto, £0 0s 10d

3 thimbles, £0 6s 8d

2 scrubbing brushes, £0 9s 6d

2 bowls, £0 1s 0d

1 straining dish, £0 1s 0d

2 butcher's knives, £0 1s 4d

1 shoe, ditto, £0 8s 6d

1 iron pot, £0 4s 8d

4 ditto, £0 3s 6d

1 ditto, £0 1s 6d

1 ditto, £0 4s 1d

1 pair of doorsills, £0 3s 6d

1 large plane, £0 1s 6d

1 pair, ditto, £0 4s 1d

1 smoothing, ditto, £0 1s 3d

6 plain irons, £0 8s 10d

3 three-square files, £0 5s 6d

1 compass saw, £0 5s 6d

1 tenon saw, £0 10s 6d

2 box irons, number 6, ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 lanthorn, £0 8s 3d

1 pound of colour thread, £0 3s 4d

1.5 pounds of white and brown, ditto, £0 5s 8d

5 ounces of nuns thread, £0 5s 2d

8 ditto, £0 3s 3d

6 ditto, £0 2s 3d

4 ditto, £0 6s 1.5d

1 ditto, £0 6s 6d

6 pieces of Holland tape, £0 1s 4.5d

1 ditto, £0 1s 6d

3 ditto, £0 1s 2d

2 diaper, ditto, £0 6s 1.5d

6 bobbin, £0 1s 6d

1 ditto, £0 1s 0d

12 thread laces, £0 1s 0d

24 ferreting laces, £0 1s 0d

1 M pins, £0 1s 0d

1 M, ditto, £0 1s 0d

2.5 ounces of China silk, £0 1s 0d

6 dozen coat buttons, £0 1s 0d

3 pairs, ditto, £0 1s 0d

4 skeins of mohair, £0 1s 0d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £79 8s 3.5d

Plantation, ditto:

1 pound of shoe thread, £0 2s 6d

4 gallons of oil, £1 4s 0d

1 dozen nails, £0 1s 3d

1,024 pounds of rice for the hogs and poultry, £7 12s 0d

Total, £9 0s 9d

Garrison, ditto:

10 catties of tea, £1 6s 0d

1 barrel of sweet oil, delivered for the arms, fit for no other use, £0 6s 4d

1.75 gallons of oil, delivered for the guard at Prosperous Bay, £0 12s 6d

Total, £2 11s 10d

The honourable Company's blacks, on account of clothing:

1 boy's hat, £0 10s 0d

1 jerrycomb, £0 1s 2d

2 pieces of long cloth, £0 3s 6d

1.5 pounds of white and brown thread, £0 3s 6d

30 pounds of beads for fingers, £0 3s 6d

1 coil of cordage, weight 30 pounds 4 quarters 19 pounds, on account of charges general, £3 9s 6d

1 gallon of victory for tabling a flag for Prosperous Bay, on account of naval and gunners stores, £0 1s 0d

4.5 rope, ditto, £1 11s 0d

Total, £6 19s 11d

Carried over, £98 2s 8.5d

Interpretations

This page continues the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for April 1728, delivered at the consultation of 7 May 1728, closing the sales to the inhabitants and dividing the remaining charges among the plantation, the garrison and the slaves.

The carpenter's tools sold to the inhabitants map the building trades of the settlement. Planes, plain irons, three-square files, a compass saw and a tenon saw were the equipment of joinery, and their sale alongside iron pots and butcher's knives shows the warehouse supplying both the crafts and the kitchens of the community from a single stock.

The sweet oil delivered for the arms and fit for no other use records a store reserved to a single purpose. Oil kept muskets and small arms from rusting in the damp Atlantic air, a constant need noted since the ordnance survey of September 1727 exposed how badly the island's weapons had decayed, and restricting the issue prevented the oil being diverted to cooking or lamps.

The beads issued to the slaves on account of clothing are a rare entry, and their description as beads for fingers suggests rings or ornaments rather than any working necessity. Their appearance among the shirts, hats and cloth of the annual clothing issue shows the Company allowing its people some small adornment, an entry that sits oddly beside the ratings of fitness recorded in the muster of 30 March 1728.

The victory cloth and rope for tabling a flag at Prosperous Bay maintained the signalling station at that outlying guard post. Prosperous Bay was one of the landing places watched since the war warning of 9 May 1727, and though the Company had now reported the fear of war past, the council continued to keep its flags and guards in order there against the pirates it still named as a danger.

175

152

Brought over£

98 2 8½

Great Wood

1 Do 20d Nailes

1 3 6

11 Do Rope

5 6

6 9

Charges General

1 Gall Sweet Oyle Sherry

3 6

20 Yards Morning Crape

3 12 9

1 Cott & Fees allowed Caleb Davis

2 6

2 Halves

2 6

6 Pr Donetailes No 2

2 3 6

10 M 4d Nailes

4 4 6

6 6d do

4 6

2 8d do

1 2

4 10d do

4 4 6

2 9d do

2 6

1 Whiting Brush

6 6

16 Do Soap

1 2 8

1 Iron Quart Sauce Pan

2 3

1 Cullender

2 6

1 oz China Silk

1 6

2 White Lead

2

4 oz Indigo

2

2 Do Twine

4 4 10

1 Chopping Knife

1 8

1 do

1

1 Shoe Knife

1 6

1 Do Linseed Oyle

13 8

4 Do Holland Duck

2 8

16 Twine No 14

10

1 Pr Doselees

4

32 Copper

7 5

28 Starch

15 6

30 Rozin

2 19 6

7 Bushells Coals deld for the Pidgeons

13 5 4

Diet Expences£

23 Old Pork

8 18 3

10 Do Sherry

3 17 6

13 Do Mountain

5 6 9

46½ Gall Arrack

14 8 2

4 Do Strong Beer

10

102 Do Sugar

4 16

240 Do Flour

43

40 Do Bread

10

48 Do Candles

4 16

4 Do Copper

4 6

3 Bottles Oyle

6 8

46 7 10

Sum Totall

158 2 7½

Account of

The store goods account continued, brought over at £98 2s 8.5d, as follows:

Brought over, £98 2s 8.5d

The Great Wood:

1 dozen nails, £0 1s 3d

11 pounds of rope, £0 5s 6d

Total, £6 9s 0d

Charges general:

1 lb of pork skewers, £0 3s 6d

20 yards of mourning chair, £3 10s 9d

1 pair of oars, delivered to Caleb Davis, £0 12s 0d

2 hoes, £0 2s 6d

6 pairs of dovetailers, number 2, £0 2s 3d

1 pound of 4-inch nails, £0 4s 6d

6 pounds of 6-inch, ditto, £0 4s 6d

2 pounds of 8-inch, ditto, £0 4s 6d

14 pounds of 10-inch, ditto, £0 1s 6d

2 pounds of 9-inch, ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 whiting brush, £0 6s 6d

16 pounds of soap, £1 2s 8d

1 two-quart sauce pan, £0 2s 3d

1 cullender, £0 2s 6d

10 ounces of China silk, £0 1s 6d

2 pounds of white lead, £0 2s 0d

4 ounces of indigo, £0 3s 0d

2 pounds of twine, £0 4s 10d

1 chopping knife, £0 1s 8d

1 ditto, £0 1s 8d

1 shoe knife, £0 1s 6d

1 pair of singleirons, £0 13s 8d

4 yards of Holland duck, £0 2s 8d

15 pounds of soap, number 14, £0 10s 0d

1 piece of dosuties, £0 4s 0d

22 pounds of copper, £0 7s 8d

28 pounds of lead, £0 15s 0d

30 pounds of pitch, £2 19s 6d

5 bushels of soap, delivered for the pigeons, £13 5s 4d

Total, £13 5s 4d

Diet expenses:

23 pounds of old pork, £8 18s 3d

10 pounds of sherry, £3 17s 6d

13 pounds of Mountain wine, £5 8s 9d

46.5 gallons of arrack, £14 8s 2d

7 gallons of strong beer, £0 10s 0d

102 pounds of sugar, £4 16s 0d

240 pounds of flour, £3 0s 0d

40 pounds of bread, £0 10s 0d

48 pounds of candles, £4 16s 0d

4 pounds of pepper, £0 4s 6d

3 bottles of oil, £0 6s 8d

Total, £46 7s 10d

Sum total, £158 2s 7.5d

Interpretations

This page closes the storekeeper's monthly account of Company goods for April 1728, delivered at the consultation of 7 May 1728, dividing the last charges among the Great Wood, general charges and the fort table. It closes at a sum total of £158 2s 7.5d for the month.

The twenty yards of mourning cloth charged to general expenses record the island's formal observance of the death of George the First. News of the King's death reached St Helena aboard the Anne and Mary on 8 March 1728, and his successor was proclaimed the following day with twenty-one guns, so the black cloth bought to drape the council chamber or the fort marked the mourning that custom required for a departed sovereign.

The pair of oars delivered to Caleb Davis, and the pitch, copper and lead among the general charges, served the maintenance of the island's boats. Every cargo came ashore by open boat over the rocks, and the fishing yawls and longboat manned by the Company's slaves needed constant repair, so these stores kept the vessels on which the settlement's supply and food depended.

The diet expenses furnished the fort's common table with imported drink and provisions. Arrack was the standard Eastern spirit, Mountain a sweet Spanish white and sherry a fortified wine, all drawn from the warehouse and charged to the establishment rather than sold, while the old pork among the entries shows salt provisions kept in store being consumed before they spoiled entirely.

The charges to the Great Wood, small as they are, keep that establishment on its own account. The wood was the island's principal stand of timber, guarded by the regulations of 21 November 1727 and cultivated for potatoes as well as trees, and charging its nails and rope separately let the council measure what the wood cost against the crop and timber it yielded.

176

153

Acct of the Honble Companies Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry & Horses likewise what has been killed &c

besides the Encrease & Decrease for the Month of Aprill 1728 Vizt

Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry Horses

[headers: Bullocks · Cowes · Heifers · Steers · Yearlings · Calves · Bulls · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Lambs · Rams · Totall | Ewes · Wethers · Kidds · Rams · Totall | Sowes · Shoates · Boats · Pigs · Totall | Turkeys · Fowles · Ducks · Geese | Horses · Mares · Totall]

Remns 1st Aprill 1728 — Bullocks 82 · Cowes 78 · Heifers 28 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 35 · Calves 46 · Bulls 3 · Totall 287 | Ewes 65 · Wethers 35 · Lambs 6 · Rams 2 · Totall 108 | Ewes 243 · Wethers 70 · Kidds 66 · Rams 6 · Totall 385 | Sowes 10 · Shoates 16 · Boats 1 · Pigs 6 · Totall 33 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 106 · Ducks 30 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Encreased from do to 30 do — Calves 5 · Totall 5

[running total] — Bullocks 82 · Cowes 78 · Heifers 28 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 35 · Calves 51 · Bulls 3 · Totall 292 | Ewes 65 · Wethers 35 · Lambs 6 · Rams 2 · Totall 108 | Ewes 243 · Wethers 70 · Kidds 66 · Rams 6 · Totall 385 | Sowes 10 · Shoates 16 · Boats 1 · Pigs 6 · Totall 33 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 106 · Ducks 30 · Geese 30 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Killed in do One very old Cow — Cowes 1 · Totall 1 | Wethers 1 · Totall 1 | Ewes 3 · Wethers 7 · Kidds 4 · Totall 14 | Shoates 1 · Totall 1 | Ducks 3 · Geese 4

[running total] — Bullocks 82 · Cowes 77 · Heifers 28 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 35 · Calves 51 · Bulls 3 · Totall 291 | Ewes 65 · Wethers 34 · Lambs 6 · Rams 2 · Totall 107 | Ewes 240 · Wethers 63 · Kidds 62 · Rams 6 · Totall 371 | Sowes 10 · Shoates 16 · Boats 1 · Pigs 6 · Totall 32 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 106 · Ducks 27 · Geese 26 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Dead in do — Wethers 2 · Lambs 1 · Totall 3 | Shoates 1

Remains 30th Aprill — Bullocks 82 · Cowes 77 · Heifers 28 · Steers 15 · Yearlings 35 · Calves 51 · Bulls 3 · Totall 291 | Ewes 63 · Wethers 33 · Lambs 6 · Rams 2 · Totall 104 | Ewes 240 · Wethers 63 · Kidds 62 · Rams 6 · Totall 371 | Sowes 10 · Shoates 15 · Boats 1 · Pigs 6 · Totall 32 | Turkeys 88 · Fowles 106 · Ducks 27 · Geese 26 | Horses 6 · Mares 3 · Totall 9

Potatoes from the Great Wood deliverd the Honble Compys Blacks

& Enterd to the Credit of the said Wood in Leger Folio 129

124 Bushells

Account of the honourable Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, showing what was killed, besides the increase or decrease, for the month of April 1728. The columns run in order: bullocks, cows, heifers, steers, yearlings, calves, bulls and the neat cattle total; ewes, wethers, lambs, rams and the sheep total; ewes, wethers, kids, rams and the goat total; sows, shoats, boars, pigs and the hog total; turkeys, fowls, ducks, geese and the poultry total; horses, mares and the horse total.

Remaining 1 April 1728:

bullocks 82, cows 78, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 35, calves 46, bulls 3, neat cattle total 287

ewes 65, wethers 35, lambs 6, rams 2, sheep total 108

ewes 243, wethers 70, kids 66, rams 6, goat total 385

sows 10, shoats 16, boars 1, pigs 6, hog total 33

turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 30, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Increased from 1 to 30 April:

calves 5, neat cattle total 5

Total: bullocks 82, cows 78, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 35, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 292

ewes 65, wethers 35, lambs 6, rams 2, sheep total 108

ewes 243, wethers 70, kids 66, rams 6, goat total 385

sows 10, shoats 16, boars 1, pigs 6, hog total 33

turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 30, geese 30, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Killed from 1 to 30 April, including one very old cow:

cows 1, neat cattle total 1

wethers 1, sheep total 1

ewes 3, wethers 7, kids 4, goat total 14

shoats 1, hog total 1

ducks 3, geese 4

Total: bullocks 82, cows 77, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 35, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 291

ewes 65, wethers 34, lambs 6, rams 2, sheep total 107

ewes 240, wethers 63, kids 62, rams 6, goat total 371

sows 10, shoats 16, boars 1, pigs 6, hog total 32

turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 27, geese 26, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Died from 1 to 30 April:

ewes 2, wethers 1, sheep total 3

Total: bullocks 82, cows 77, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 35, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 291

ewes 63, wethers 33, lambs 6, rams 2, sheep total 104

ewes 240, wethers 63, kids 62, rams 6, goat total 371

sows 10, shoats 15, boars 1, pigs 6, hog total 32

turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 27, geese 26, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

Remaining 30 April 1728:

bullocks 82, cows 77, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 35, calves 51, bulls 3, neat cattle total 291

ewes 63, wethers 33, lambs 6, rams 2, sheep total 104

ewes 240, wethers 63, kids 62, rams 6, goat total 371

sows 10, shoats 15, boars 1, pigs 6, hog total 32

turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 27, geese 26, poultry total 6

horses 3, mares 3, horse total 9

The potatoes brought from the Great Wood and delivered to the honourable Company's slaves came to 124 bushels, entered to the credit of that wood in ledger T, folio 129.

Interpretations

This is the monthly livestock stock account for April 1728, delivered with the other April reckonings at the consultation of 7 May 1728. It follows the settled form, carrying each class of animal through opening number, increase, slaughter and death to a closing figure, with the potatoes from the Great Wood footed at the end.

The account records no sale to shipping despite the arrival of the fleet from India in the last days of April 1728. The Norris, London, Prince Augustus and Prince William did not sail until 6 May 1728, so the provisions supplied to them fall into the following month's reckoning, and this account catches only the killing for the island's own table.

The killing of one very old cow, noted expressly in the heading, repeats the entry made in March 1728 and shows the ordinary culling of animals past their breeding use. The heavier losses among the goats, fourteen killed in the month, reflect the flock that supplied the fort's table with the goat meat recorded in the general table accounts.

The one hundred and twenty-four bushels of potatoes from the Great Wood continue the entry first recorded in January 1728, rising steadily each month. The Great Wood was cultivated as well as timbered, and crediting the crop to its own account let the council measure the wood's yield against its cost, the same discipline the council applied to every part of the establishment as it tracked the economy Byfield had pursued through his government.

177

154

Expence of the Generall Table in Aprill 1728

220 lb Beefe

2 15 -

77 lb Pork

1 18 6

1 Sheep

1 4 -

10 Goates

5 - -

4 [K]ids

1 4 -

3 Ducks

- 6 -

4 Geese

1 4 -

8 1/2 lb Butter

- 8 6

23 1/2 Gall Port Wine

8 18 3

10 do Sherrey

3 17 6

13 do Mountaine

5 - 9

45 1/2 do Arrack

14 8 2

7 do Strong Beer

- 10 6

102 lb Sugar

4 16 -

240 lb Flour

3 - -

40 lb Bread

- 10 -

4 lb Pepper

- 4 -

2 Bottles Oyle

- 6 8

30 Days Greens

1 10 -

60 Bottles Milk

1 - -

48 lb Candles

4 16 -

16 lb Soap

1 [.] 8

5 18 8

58 1 10

1728 Gunners Stores Expended in Aprill 17[28]

Gunpowder | [.] Cabins | Rakes | Primers | [Colars] | Powder

Aprill 6th Muster Day

Gunpowder -

[.] Cabins -

Rakes -

Primers 3

[Colars] 3

Powder 10

27 An Allarm

Gunpowder 6

[.] Cabins -

Rakes -

Primers -

[Colars] 3

Powder 9

do Arrived the London Tarum & Prince Augustus

Gunpowder 27

[.] Cabins 5

Rakes 8

Primers -

[Colars] 14

Powder 81

28 An Allarm

Gunpowder 4

[.] Cabins -

Rakes -

Primers 2

[Colars] 2

Powder 6

do Arrived the Prince William

Gunpowder 9

[.] Cabins -

Rakes 3

Primers -

[Colars] 6

Powder 18

Expence of the Guard

Gunpowder -

[.] Cabins -

Rakes -

Primers -

[Colars] -

Powder 12

Cartridge Paper 2 Quire

Match 22 lb

1 Yards Vitory

1 1/2 Rope

46 5 11 5 25 136

Signed

Jno French

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D [Crispe]

The account for the general table at the fort set out its expense for April 1728, followed by a separate reckoning of the gunners stores expended that month.

220 lb of beef, £2 15s 6d

77 lb of pork, £1 18s 4d

4 sheep, £1 5s 0d

10 goats, £1 5s 0d

4 kids, £1 4s 0d

3 ducks, £0 6s 0d

4 geese, £1 4s 0d

8.5 lb of butter, £0 8s 6d

28 gallons of port wine, £8 18s 3d

10 gallons of sherry, £3 17s 6d

13 gallons of Mountain wine, £5 8s 9d

45.5 gallons of strong beer, £14 10s 6d

102 lb of sugar, £0 4s 6d

240 lb of flour, £0 16s 0d

40 lb of bread, £0 3s 0d

4 lb of comfits, £0 10s 0d

2 bottles of oil, £0 4s 0d

30 days of greens, £0 6s 8d

60 bottles of milk, £1 10s 0d

48 lb of candles, £1 6s 0d

16 lb of soap, £1 8s 0d

Total for April 1728, £58 1s 10d

The gunners stores account followed, recording powder and shot expended occasion by occasion through the month.

6 April 1728, muster day and an alarm, 6 guns fired

20 April 1728, arrival of the Norris, London and Prince Augustus, 27 guns fired

28 April 1728, an alarm, 4 guns fired

29 April 1728, arrival of the Prince William, 9 guns fired

Expense of the guard, 2 quires of cartridge paper, match, flints and 1.5 lb of rope

Total for April 1728, 46 guns fired, 5 quires of cartridge paper, 11 lb of match, 6 lb of flints, 26 [...], 136 lb of powder

John French signed the gunners stores account, and Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed beneath it.

Interpretations

The four vessels named in the April entries, the Norris, the London, the Prince Augustus and the Prince William, were the same ships that sailed for England together at the consultation of 7 May 1728, so this account captured their arrival and reception at the island barely a fortnight before their departure. The staggered salutes, twenty-seven guns for the joint arrival of three ships on 20 April and nine for the Prince William alone on 29 April, reflected a fixed naval courtesy scaled to the number of vessels honoured rather than to their individual size or importance.

Mountain wine and strong beer formed the bulk of the table's drink expense alongside port and sherry, showing a garrison table stocked from both the Iberian wine trade and shipped English beer rather than local produce, since St Helena's own climate and soil supported little beyond garden greens and livestock. Comfits, a preserved or sugared confection reserved for the governor's table rather than ordinary provisioning, appeared as a minor but distinct luxury item alongside the bulk purchases of meat, bread and flour.

178

155

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 14th May 1728

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved.

Francis Leech having falsely accused John Cotgrove Soldier with taking away

his Provision the former upon Orders to acknowledge the Offence before the guard

which he accordingly did to the full Satisfaction of the other

Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 21st May 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved.

Yesterday Evening the Mountague Bridgewater & Leithwaltier arrived

here directly from Bengall, this Morning the Captains came on Shoar & Wee

immediately deliverd them Orders to heave in upon Allarms of which the

following is a Copy Vide folio [...] for the form.

& the Supply's they each brought for the Use of the Place are as follows Vizt

Invoice of Goods p Mountague Vizt

Batavia Arrack 4 Hhds Lft 726 Gallons

@ [.] 3 8 p [Gall.]

125 -

12 Bags Tookinda Sugar nt [.] Ct [.] Qrs @ [.] p [Bag]

- -

96 -

30 Bags fine Rice nt [.] Ct [.] bqr @ 1 3/4 p [Mds]

- -

62 2

66 7 6

5 10 6

Charges Merchandize

9 Bags & Sowing

- -

2 3 9

Mutteas

- -

1 [.] 6

Boathire

- -

[.] [.] 3

283 2 -

13 2 6

Rupees 296 [.] 6

Invoice of Goods p Bridgewater Vizt

Batavia Arrack 4 Hhds Lft 726 Gallons

@ [.] 3 8 p [Gall.]

125 -

12 Bags Tookinda Sugar nt [.] Ct [.] Qrs @ [.] p [Bag]

- -

96 -

30 Bags fine Rice nt [.] Ct [.] bqr @ 1 3/4 p [Mds]

- -

62 2

66 7 6

8 10 6

Charges Merchandize

9 Bags & Sowing

- -

283 2 -

Mutteas

- -

1 11 -

Boathire

- -

4 4 -

11 7 9

Rupees 295 2 9

A consultation held at Union Fort on Tuesday 14 May 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. Francis Leech had falsely accused John Cotgrove, a soldier, of taking away his provision. The former order that Leech acknowledge the offence before the guard was carried out, to the full satisfaction of the guard.

A further consultation held at Union Fort on Tuesday 21 May 1728 recorded the same four men present. The Mountague, Bridgewater and Leathwaiter had arrived the previous evening directly from Bengal, and their captains came ashore that morning. The Governor immediately delivered them orders to heave in upon alarms, a copy of which followed on the form used for that purpose. The supplies each ship brought for the use of the island were then set out.

Invoice of goods per Mountague

Batavia arrack, 3 half leaguers of 726 gallons at £0 3s 4d, £125 0s 0d

Bengal sugar, 12 bags fine at 224 lb each, £96 0s 0d

Bengal rice, 30 bags fine at 187.5 lb each, £68 9s 0d

Charges merchandise

Bags and sewing, £2 3s 6d

Nutlage, £2 3s 6d

Boathire, £5 2s 3d

Total, 296 rupees 1s 6d

Invoice of goods per Bridgewater

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers of 705 gallons at £0 3s 4d, £125 0s 0d

Bengal sugar, 12 bags fine at 224 lb each, £96 0s 0d

Bengal rice, 30 bags fine at 187.5 lb each, £68 9s 0d

Charges merchandise

Bags and sewing, £7 3s 9d

Nutlage, £1 11s 0d

Boathire, £4 4s 0d

Total, 296 rupees 2s 9d

Interpretations

The order that Francis Leech acknowledge his false accusation before the guard functioned as a public retraction, restoring John Cotgrove's standing among the men he served alongside rather than imposing a formal penalty on Leech, since the offence lay in the damage a false charge did to a soldier's reputation within his own company.

The heaving-in order delivered to the Mountague, Bridgewater and Leathwaiter on their arrival was the standard defensive instruction requiring incoming ships to hold off at sea for identification before approaching the anchorage, a precaution kept in force against pirates and other enemies even after the Company had declared the general apprehension of war ended.

Speculations

The near-identical cargoes and charges recorded for the Mountague and Bridgewater, arrack, sugar and rice in matching quantities and at matching rates, suggest the two ships were loaded as a coordinated consignment from Bengal rather than independently by their separate commanders, with the Company's Bengal agents fixing a standard lading for each vessel in the pair rather than leaving the proportion of goods to individual discretion.

179

156

Invoice of Goods p Leithwaltier Vizt

Batavia Arrack 4 half Hhds Lft 726 Gallons

@ [.] 3 8 p [Gall.]

125 -

12 Bags Tookinda Sugar nt [.] Ct [.] Qrs @ 8 p [Bag]

- -

96 -

40 Bags fine Rice nt [.] Ct 80 bqrs @ 1 3/4 p [Mds]

75 4 9

Balls to [.] Cent

7 8 6

82 13 3

Charges Merchandize

303 13 3

9 Bags & Sowing

- -

7 [.] 3

Mutteas

- -

1 9 3

Boathire

- -

4 - -

Bcon

- -

- - -

9 13 - 3

Rupees 316 13 6

The Governour Reports that hearing of the Death of One of the Honble

Companies Black Girles who was lately put out to Mr Bazett he

enquired of the Doctor what Care had been taken of her in her Sickness & he

assured him that he daily attended her & that all proper Care & every thing

necessary for one in her Condition was duely provided but the Flux encreased

& killed her

The Governour also Reports that he hath Sold to Mr Bazett for

Twenty Pounds the Black Wench a Ramels [Batt] She being of little Service

to the Honble Company & Mr Bazett is accordingly made Debtor for her in

the Books

Richd Swallow Corpl Bell for leave to go to England

Granted

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 28th May 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved.

Capt Goodwin Executor of the last Will & Testamt of James Holmes

decd late belonging to the Ship Townshend presented the said Will desireing it

might be proved which was done accordingly & at the Same time he delivered

upon Oath an Inventory of all Such Goods or Effects as [.] are come to his

knowledge & are now in his Possession which lately belonged to him the said

James Holmes prayeing the Same might be Registred

Ordered that the Said Will & Inventory be Registred accordingly

On Sunday last four Shipe passed by the [Isla]nd Suspected to be French

E Byfield

Jno [Alexander]

Jno Goodwin

The invoice recording the goods brought by the Leathwaiter completed the set of three, followed by two further council reports and a fresh consultation.

Invoice of goods per Leathwaiter

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers of 726 gallons at £0 3s 4d, £125 0s 0d

Bengal sugar, 12 bags fine at 224 lb each, £96 0s 0d

Bengal rice, 40 bags fine at 187.5 lb each, £75 4s 9d

Charges merchandise

Bags and sewing, [...]

Nutlage, [...]

Boathire, £4 0s 0d

Total, 316 rupees 13s 6d

The Governor reported the death of one of the Company's black girls, lately put out to Mr Bazett. He had asked the doctor what care had been taken of her in her sickness, and the doctor assured him he had attended her daily and that all proper care and everything necessary for one in her condition had been duly provided, but the flux had increased and killed her.

The Governor further reported that he had sold to Mr Bazett, for twenty pounds, the black wench Lamea Batt, she being of little service to the Company, and Mr Bazett was accordingly made debtor for her in the books.

Richard Swallow, corporal, was granted leave to go to England.

A further consultation held at Union Fort on Tuesday 28 May 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. Captain Goodwin, executor of the last will and testament of James Holmes, deceased, late belonging to the ship Townshend, presented the will and asked that it might be proved, which was done accordingly. He delivered at the same time, upon oath, an inventory of all such goods and effects as had come to his knowledge and were then in his possession which had belonged to Holmes, and asked that this too might be registered. The council ordered the will and inventory registered accordingly. On the Sunday before, four ships had passed by the island, supposed to be French.

Interpretations

The doctor's assurance that daily attendance and proper care had been given before the girl's death reflected the standard defence expected of the Company's medical officer whenever a slave died under treatment, since a master or the Company could face liability, or at least reputational exposure, for neglect of a servant in sickness.

Making Mr Bazett debtor in the books for the twenty pounds owed on Lamea Batt recorded an internal Company sale on credit rather than a cash transaction, the sum standing against his account until settled, in the same manner as bills of exchange and cash notes were entered against individuals elsewhere in the consultations.

Speculations

The Governor's decision to sell Lamea Batt as being of little service to the Company, immediately after reporting the death of another slave girl in Mr Bazett's keeping from the same likely cause, suggests the council judged retaining a slave of limited productive value not worth the risk and expense of her upkeep and possible sickness, preferring to convert her to a fixed sum owed by a private purchaser over continued responsibility for her welfare.

180

157

At a Consultation held on Saturday 1st June 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Mr Bowell having paid the Govr the Sum of Twenty two [Pounds] on Bills & Expence

Mr Wangham Ninety Pounds Mr Wm Holloway the Sum of Thirty Seven

Pounds & Richard Swallow the Sum of Twenty two Pounds each Sum in

Cash Notes desireing Bills of Exchange for the Same

Orderd that four Setts of Bills of Exchange be drawn upon the Honble

Company for the Sevrall Sums aforesaid & that the Governour be made Debtor

for the Same in the Books & it was done accordingly

Capt Goodwin Reports that he hath receved the Goods brought for the Use of

this Place by the Mountague Bridgewater & Leithwaltier in good Order except two

Casks of Arrach from the Leithwaltier each of which wants Six Inches & half of being

full & one Bagg of Sugar Short delivered from the Same [.] as will appear by the

Exception & Indorsment upon the Bill of Loading

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 3rd June 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall

Vide folio 86 & 88

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4th June 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The Two last Consultations read & Approved.

On Sunday Evening last the Mountague Bridgewater & Leithwaltier Sailed

hence for Great Britain

The following Advertizement was Published Vizt

Whereas

A consultation held at Union Fort on Saturday 1 June 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. Mr Bowell had paid the Governor twenty-two pounds ten shillings, Mr Wrangham ninety pounds, Mr William Holloway thirty-seven pounds, and Richard Swallow twenty-two pounds, each sum in cash notes, and each man asked bills of exchange for the same. The council ordered four sets of bills of exchange drawn upon the Company for the sums mentioned, the Governor made debtor for the same in the books, and this was done accordingly.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the goods brought for the use of the island by the Mountague, Bridgewater and Leathwaiter in good order, except that two casks of arrack from the Leathwaiter each wanted six inches and a half of being full, and one bag of sugar was short delivered from the same ship, as appeared by the exception endorsed upon the bill of lading.

A further consultation held at Union Fort on Monday 3 June 1728 recorded the same four men present. The council met that day and paid the garrison for the month past, as by journal folio 86 and 88.

A further consultation held at Union Fort on Tuesday 4 June 1728 recorded the same four men present, and the two preceding consultations were read and approved. On the Sunday evening before, the Mountague, Bridgewater and Leathwaiter had sailed for Great Britain. The following advertisement was published.

Interpretations

The bills of exchange drawn for Bowell, Wrangham, Holloway and Swallow followed the standard practice by which the Governor took cash notes from individuals on the island and, in return, made the Company liable to pay the equivalent sum in England, with the Governor debited in the island's books for each sum received so that the transaction could be checked against the bills issued.

The shortfall noted on the Leathwaiter's arrack casks and sugar bag, endorsed as an exception on the bill of lading, protected the Company's claim against the ship's owners or master for goods lost or pilfered in the crossing, since without that formal notation the shortage could not later be charged against the carrier.

181

158

Whereas the Honble Compy have lately Signifyed their Displeasure

at the Neglegence of Such who have Omitted to Sowe their Lands & keep upon them

a Sufficient Quantity of Wood thereon & to quicken their Diligence in an Article

that so Sensibly Effects the Interest of every Person upon the Island have also

Setled a Penalty upon all Such who are or Shall be found Careless & Remiss

in the Premises of which publick Notice was given on the 16th of March last

& to the Ende that all Persons may have timely Warning to avoid those Penalties

as well as others to which they are liable Notice is hereby given that the Winter

Season being now Approaching tis Expected that all Inhabitants having Lands

or Plantations either Freehold or Leasehold do immediately prepare to get young

Wood Planted in proper Soils & their full Proportion of it & that they take due

Care of it after it is so Planted & that it may be certainly known who have done

their Duty & who have or Shall incur the Last Penalties, an other Survey will be

taken in a convenient time, of all the Lands & Plantations upon the Islands

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 11th June 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Govr delever'd each their Monthly

Accot for May last which were Severally Exam'd & Approved & are as follow Vizt

Gunners Stores Expended in May

1728

Guns Fired | Muzleing | Rakes | Primers | Colars | Powder

1728 May 4 Muster Day

Guns Fired -

Muzleing -

Rakes -

Primers -

Colars -

Powder 10

7 Departed the Bo William & Augustus London & Tarum

Guns Fired 36

Muzleing 7

Rakes 8

Primers -

Colars 24

Powder 102

16 At the Funerals of Sergt Wallington

Guns Fired -

Muzleing -

Rakes -

Primers 3

Colars 3

Powder 9

Do Arrived the Leithwaltier Bridgewater & Mountague

Guns Fired 27

Muzleing 6

Rakes 6

Primers -

Colars 17

Powder 72

16 A Double Allarm for four Ships that past by

Guns Fired 6

Muzleing -

Rakes -

Primers 3

Colars 3

Powder 9

Expence of the Guard

Guns Fired -

Muzleing -

Rakes -

Primers -

Colars -

Powder 13

Musquet Balls for ditto

Cartridge Paper 1/2 Quire

Match 20 lb

Bunting to Mend the Flagg 30 Yards

75 12 13 6 44 216

Signed

Jno French

A council advertisement, evidently republished by order, opened with a statement of the Company's continuing policy on wood planting. The Company had lately expressed its displeasure at the negligence of those who had failed to sow their lands and keep them proportionately supplied with wood, and, to affect the interest of every person on the island, had settled a penalty on all found careless and remiss in this, notice of which had been given on 16 March last. To give all persons timely warning to avoid these penalties and any others they might be liable to, notice was now given that, with the winter season approaching, every inhabitant holding land or plantations, whether freehold or leasehold, was expected to prepare at once to get young wood planted in proper soil and in due proportion, to take proper care of it once planted, and to see that it was certainly known who had done their duty. Those who had not, or should not, incur the penalties already settled would find a further survey taken in due course of all the lands and plantations on the island.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 11 June 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin the gunner, and D. Crisp delivered their monthly accounts for May last, which were severally examined and approved and were as follows.

Gunners stores expended in May 1728

4 May 1728, muster day, 36 guns fired, 10 lb powder

7 May 1728, departure of the Norris, London, Prince Augustus and Prince William, 27 guns fired, 7 sakers, 6 minions, 6 falcons, 102 lb powder

16 May 1728, funeral of Sergeant Wellington, 1 gun fired

16 May 1728, a double alarm, 6 guns fired, 3 minions, 3 falcons, 9 lb powder

16 May 1728, arrival of the Southwaller, Bridgewater and Mountague, 27 guns fired, 6 sakers, 6 falcons, 17.5 lb powder

16 May 1728, a double alarm for four ships that passed by, 6 guns fired, 3 minions, 3 falcons, 9 lb powder

Expense of the guard, musket balls for the same, 1.5 lb

Cartridge paper for the same, 20 sheets

Match, 20 lb

Bunting to mend the flag, 30 yards

Total, 75 guns fired, 12 sakers, 13 minions, 6 falcons, 44 lb powder, 216 lb [total]

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

The advertisement's reference to the penalty settled on 16 March last recorded the fine imposed on tenants seeking to renew a lease at its expiry, a charge amounting to a considerable part of the land's market worth, aimed at those who had neglected their obligation to plant and maintain wood; publishing the warning again ahead of the winter planting season was intended to prompt compliance before the fine had to be enforced.

The heavy powder expenditure recorded through May 1728, muster, a funeral, two alarms and the arrival salutes for six ships in a single fortnight, reflected the unusually dense traffic of shipping passing the island that month, each vessel's arrival or a false alarm at a sail sighted offshore requiring its own fixed round of gunfire regardless of whether the ship proved friendly.

182

159

Neat Cattle | Sheep | Goates | Hogs | Coultry | Horses

Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Oxen | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calfs | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Totall

Hogs: Sowes | Shoates | Boars | Pigs | Totall

Coultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese | Totall

Horses: Horses | Mares | Totall

Rem 1st May 1728

Bullocks 82 | Oxen 77 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 35 | Calfs 51 | Bulls 3 | Totall 291

Ewes 63 | Wethers 33 | Lambs 6 | Rams 2 | Totall 104

Ewes 240 | Wethers 63 | Kids 62 | Rams 6 | Totall 371

Sowes 10 | Shoates 15 | Boars 1 | Pigs 6 | Totall 32

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 106 | Ducks 27 | Geese 26 | Totall -

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Encreased from do to 31

Bullocks - | Oxen - | Heifers - | Steirs - | Yearlings - | Calfs 3 | Bulls - | Totall 3

Ewes - | Wethers - | Lambs 16 | Rams - | Totall 16

Ewes - | Wethers - | Kids 4 | Rams - | Totall 4

Sowes - | Shoates - | Boars - | Pigs - | Totall -

Turkeys - | Fowles - | Ducks - | Geese - | Totall -

Horses - | Mares - | Totall -

Bullocks 82 | Oxen 77 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 35 | Calfs 54 | Bulls 3 | Totall 294

Ewes 63 | Wethers 33 | Lambs 22 | Rams 2 | Totall 120

Ewes 240 | Wethers 63 | Kids 66 | Rams 6 | Totall 375

Sowes 10 | Shoates 15 | Boars 1 | Pigs 6 | Totall 32

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 106 | Ducks 27 | Geese 26 | Totall -

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Killed in do 1 Very old Cow

Bullocks - | Oxen 1 | Heifers - | Steirs - | Yearlings - | Calfs - | Bulls - | Totall 1

Ewes - | Wethers 3 | Lambs - | Rams - | Totall 3

Ewes 2 | Wethers 3 | Kids - | Rams - | Totall 5

Sowes - | Shoates 1 | Boars - | Pigs - | Totall 1

Turkeys - | Fowles - | Ducks - | Geese - | Totall -

Horses - | Mares - | Totall -

Bullocks 82 | Oxen 76 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 35 | Calfs 54 | Bulls 3 | Totall 293

Ewes 63 | Wethers 30 | Lambs 22 | Rams 2 | Totall 117

Ewes 238 | Wethers 60 | Kids 66 | Rams 6 | Totall 370

Sowes 10 | Shoates 14 | Boars 1 | Pigs 6 | Totall 31

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 106 | Ducks 27 | Geese 26 | Totall -

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Sold to Ships in do

Bullocks 23 | Oxen - | Heifers - | Steirs - | Yearlings - | Calfs - | Bulls - | Totall 23

Ewes - | Wethers - | Lambs - | Rams - | Totall -

Ewes - | Wethers - | Kids - | Rams - | Totall -

Sowes - | Shoates - | Boars - | Pigs - | Totall -

Turkeys - | Fowles - | Ducks - | Geese - | Totall -

Horses - | Mares - | Totall -

Rem Ulto May

Bullocks 59 | Oxen 76 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 35 | Calfs 54 | Bulls 3 | Totall 270

Ewes 63 | Wethers 30 | Lambs 22 | Rams 2 | Totall 117

Ewes 238 | Wethers 60 | Kids 66 | Rams 6 | Totall 370

Sowes 10 | Shoates 14 | Boars 1 | Pigs 6 | Totall 31

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 106 | Ducks 27 | Geese 26 | Totall -

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Potatoes from the Great Wood dely'd the Honble Compa Blacks

& Enterd to the Credit of the Said Wood in Leger fol: 129

117 Bushells

Livestock stock account for May 1728

Remaining 1 May 1728: neat cattle - bullocks 82, cows 77, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 35, calves 51, bulls 3, total 291; sheep - ewes 63, wethers 33, lambs 6, rams 2, total 104; goats - does 240, wethers 63, kids 63, rams 6, total 371; hogs - sows 10, shoats 15, boars 1, pigs 6, total 32; poultry - turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 27, geese 26, total [combined]; horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Increased from ditto to ultimo: cattle calves 3, total 3; sheep lambs 16, total 16; goats kids 4, total 4

Total after increase: neat cattle 294, sheep 120, goats 375, hogs 32, poultry [as above], horses 9

Killed in ditto: 1 very old cow, total 1; sheep 3, total 3; goats - wethers 3, kids 3, total 6; hogs shoats 1, total 1

Total after killed: neat cattle 293, sheep 117, goats 370, hogs 31, poultry [as above], horses 9

Sold to ships in ditto: bullocks 23, total 23

Remaining ultimo May: neat cattle 270, sheep 117, goats 370, hogs 31, poultry - turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 27, geese 26, total [combined], horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Potatoes from the Great Wood, delivered to the Company's black slaves and entered to the credit of the wood in ledger T folio 129, 117 bushels

183

160

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants from

the 1st to the 31st May 1728 Vizt

131 1/2 lb Sugar

3 9 2 2

66 1/4 lb Bread

- 6 6 -

5 4 1/2 lb Flour

- 15 3

2 9 1/2 doz Pipes

- 14 3 3/4

3 lb Pepper

- 3 -

1 1/2 Gall Rape Oyle

2 - 6 6

6 do Linseed do @ 6 p [Gar.]

9 Turpentine

1 - 16 -

2 Barrells Lamblack

- - 7 8

8 Oz Indigo

- 4 -

1 lb Shalak

4 - 3 9

6 lb White Lead

- 12 -

2 Yards Green Cloth

1 - 8 -

1 do Long Cloth

4 6 - 1

1 lb Alsjor

2 - 17 -

4 lb Pepticoe

1 - 7 6

3 lb Musk

1 - 7 6

1 lb Madrass Chintz

1 - 7 6

1 Callicoe do

1 Surat do

12 Coups & Saucers

- 7 6

20 Small Cups

1 [.] Butt

2 Yards Corded Dimothy

5 - 1 10

4 do do

4 - 8 4

3 yards Taffeta

10 - 5 3

1 lb Threed [.] 1

1 - 19 6

3 lb Mannoth

18 8

14 1/2 lb Bengall Roll

14 4 1/2

4 Yards Colourd Duck

12 8

2 Yards Chamber Bott

14 - 6

6 do Stakes

9 3 -

1 Dish

3 7

2 Barranges

- 3 6

2 1/2 doz Spoons

14 7 8

3 lb Thread

7 6

9 Combs

9 6 3

1 Wineglass

10 Butchers Knives

5 6 8

1 Bag do

6 4 6

1 pr Mens Colrd Leather Shoes

8 - -

1 Women do

9 [.] [.]

1 Boys do

13 4 -

1 lb Spanish Leather

2 6 -

1 Sifframents

1 6 -

2 Small Bibles

2 3 10

1 pr Boys Stockings

- 7 3

1 Youths Lamp

1 12 -

1 Sauce Pan

19 6 -

1 do

7 7 6

1 Syringes

7 4 -

1 Quart Vernall

1 7 -

32 Lines Torbeck

1 2 7 -

16 1/2 lb Hookahs do

2 lb Fitt Stalks

1 Mens do Nos 2

6 Ivory Combs

4 do

1 do

1 do

1 Horse do

Carried Over

51 - 3

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 May 1728

131.5 lb of sugar, £3 9s 2.25d

664 lb of bread, £6 2s 3d

545 lb of flour, £6 15s 3d

20.5 dozen paper, £1 4s 3.75d

3 lb of pepper, - 3s -

1.5 gallon of rape oil, - -

6 gallons of linseed oil, £2 0s 6d

3 gallons of turpentine, £1 16s -

2 barrels of lampblack, - 7s 8d

8 oz of indigo, - 4s -

1 lb of hartshorn shavings, £1 3s 9d

6 lb of white lead, - 12s -

2 butts of osnaburg [...], [...]

2 gross of corks, - -

16 ells of long cloth, £1 6s 7s -

6 ells of calico, £4 -s -

4 pieces of Deptford [...], £2 -s 1d

3 muslin, [...]

1 piece of Madras chintz, - 7s 6d

1 satin ditto, - -

1 surat ditto, - -

12 cups and saucers, - 7s 6d

20 small cups, [...]

1 tin pot, £5 10s -

1 piece of corded dimity, £4 8s -

3 yards of taffeta, £10 4s 3d

1 piece Turkish [...], [1] 12s 6d

3 yards of flannel, £18 8s -

1 yard of Holland [...], £14 4.5s -

1 yard of chamber pot [...], £12 8s -

6 stocks, £14 -s 6d

1 ditto, - 9s 3d

2 oranges [...], - 6s 3d

2.5 dozen spoons, - 3s 4d

3 lb of thread, £6 6s -

9 combs, £7 6s -

1 mirror glass, £9 6s 3d

10 butchers' knives, £1 3s -

1 pen ditto, [...]

1 pair men's calf leather shoes, £5 8s 6d

1 women's ditto, £6 6s -

1 boys' ditto, £4 6s -

1 pair Spanish leather [...], £5 -s -

1 [...], £9 9s 9d

2 small buckles, £13.5 4d

1 pair boys' stockings, £2 6s -

1 washing lamp, £2 1s 6d

1 sauce pan, £2 3s -

1 pair earrings, [...]

1 duck's tongue [...], - 10s -

32 linen forks, [...] 3s 3d

16.5 dozen hooks [...], £19 6s -

2 fish hooks, £7 6s -

1 more ditto no. 2, £7 7s 4d

6 ivory combs, - 7s 11d

6 ditto, £1 2s 7.5d

1 ditto, - 12s 10d

1 horse ditto, [...]

Carried over, £51 -s 3d

Interpretations

The mixture of provisions, dyes, textiles, tools and personal items sold in a single month reflected the storekeeper's role as the island's only general supplier, drawing on a warehouse stocked from the Company's China, India and England trades and issued to inhabitants against payment or account rather than sold through any independent shop.

Corduroy dimity, taffeta and osnaburg named among the cloths sold represented graded qualities of cotton and coarse linen imported through the Company's Indian and English trade, the finer weaves such as taffeta commanding several times the price of the plainer osnaburg used for everyday wear.

184

161

Brought over £51 - 3

1 Thimble

- 2

1 Small Hatchett

2 6

1 Pr Tongs No 3

- 6

2 Iron Trowels

7 6

1 Stone Hoe

5 2 -

2 Twenty four Inch Bars

5 6

1 Chest Lock

4 6

1 do

6 -

2 Splinter do

2 6

1 Gall Iron Pott

2 9

1 oz Orang Silk

8 1/2

6 1/4 oz China

1 6

1 Paper Buttons

3 10

1 doz Coat do

1 3

1 oz Breast do

1 8

6 Skains Mohair

- 9

1 oz Sowing Thread

13 -

1 doz do

1 8

6 doz do

1 9

1 Sm do

3 -

3 lb Coleword & Brown Thread

9 -

3 lb Bobbing

1 6

1 doz Cane

8 6

6 lb do

2 6

1 lb do

7 -

1 lb Diaper Tape

3 10

1 lb Holland do

3 6

1 do

4 9

6 doz Jet Thread Laces

10 -

2 Barreting lb

2 8 6

17 Yards Fenceting

2 6

5 Yards Edging

6 3

4 gross Nailes

7 5

19 doz do

3 10

9 doz do

3 6

1 Hair Broom

3 6

1 Large Wooden Bowle

4 9

1 Small do

- 7

Sum Totall to Inhabitants £58 8 11 1/4

Garrison Do

3 lb Spikes do

2 8 -

2 lb Oyle att the Storehouse for use of

6 8

12 lb Broad att the Doctor

3 4

4 Grose Candles

2 6

1 Tin Funnells

3 6

1 Brass Hands Candlestick

1 3

1 Lobster Basket

2 6

1 Shoe Brush

- 3

1 Pr Woollery Sheets

- 4

2 Coathen Barringtons

3 18 5

Charges Generall Do

16 lb Soap

1 2 8

2 Gall Linseed Oyle

3 13 6

to trimm the Long Boats

16 1/2 Gall Rape do

7 6

6 lb do do

- 4

4 doz do

1 1 -

23 doz do

1 12 8

30 doz do

- 17 6

12 doz do

- 7 -

19 Wright Nailes

10 8 1/2

7 Rivets

6 3

Carried over £[.] 62 7 4 1/4

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 May 1728, continued

Brought over, £51 0s 3d

1 thimble, £0 0s 8d

1 small oilcloth, £0 2s 6d

1 pair of tongs no. 3, £0 2s 6d

2 rat shovels, £0 7s 6d

1 iron hoe, £0 6s 0d

2 twenty-four inch jack blades, £0 5s 2d

1 chest lock, £0 6s 0d

1 ditto, £0 5s 6d

2 splinter ditto, £0 4s 6d

1 gallon of green paint, £0 6s 6d

1 ounce of sewing silk, £0 2s 6d

6.5 ounces of china, £0 8s 4.5d

1 dozen of copper buttons, £0 0s 6d

1 dozen of coat buttons, £0 1s 6d

1 dozen of breast buttons, £0 1s 3d

6 skeins of mohair, £0 1s 10d

1 ounce of nuns' thread, £0 1s 3d

1 dozen ditto, £0 1s 3d

1 ounce ditto, £0 1s 8d

6 ounces ditto, £0 1s 9d

2 ounces ditto, £0 12s 9d

3 ounces of coloured and brown thread, £0 1s 8.5d

2 ounces of garting, £0 1s 8d

1 inch ditto, £0 1s 8d

6 inches ditto, £0 1s 9d

1 inch ditto, £0 1s 9d

1 pound of diaper tape, £0 2s 9d

1 Holland ditto, £0 2s 9d

1 ditto, £0 1s 6d

6 dozen of thread laces, £0 1s 6d

2 ferreting ditto, £0 5s 2d

17 yards of ferreting, £0 8s 6d

4.5 yards of edging, £0 6s 6d

6 yards of garting, £0 6s 6d

4 pounds of 10d nails, £0 5s 3d

12 pounds of 20d nails, £0 3s 10d

2 pounds of 24d nails, £0 3s 6d

1.5 pounds of tacks, £0 4s 7d

1 hair broom, £0 4s 7d

1 large wooden bowl, £0 4s 7d

1 small ditto, £0 4s 7d

Sum total to inhabitants, £58 8s 11.25d

Garrison

12 bushels of peas, £2 8s 0d

2 pounds of rope cut at the infirmary and fit for no other use, £0 6s 8d

12 pounds of bread delivered to the doctor, £0 3s 4d

1 gross of corks, £0 4s 4d

6 tin cannikins, £0 2s 6d

1 brass hand candlestick, £0 3s 6d

1 pewter basin, £0 1s 6d

1 sheet of brass, £0 2s 0d

1 cloth ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 pound of Eastern shark, £0 2s 0d

2 earthen porringers, £0 0s 4d

Sum to the garrison, £3 18s 5d

Charges general

16 pounds of soap, £1 2s 8d

2 gallons of linseed oil, to trim the long boats, £3 13s 6d

16.5 gallons of rape oil, to trim the long boats, £0 7s 6d

6 pounds of 40d nails, £0 3s 4d

4 pounds of 10d nails, £0 1s 1d

23 pounds of 6d nails, £0 12s 8d

19 pounds of 10d nails, £0 17s 6d

30 pounds of 20d nails, £0 7s 7d

12 pounds of 24d nails, £0 10s 8.75d

19 weight of nails, £0 5s 3d

7 rivets, £0 10s 1.25d

Carried over, £10 1s 1.5d

Total carried over, £62 7s 4.25d

Interpretations

The nails listed by penny size (6d, 10d, 20d, 24d, 40d) followed a sizing convention in which the figure named the price per hundred rather than the length, a larger number indicating a heavier and longer nail, so the general charges account was recording a graded range of fastenings drawn for repairs about the fort and the boats.

Charging the linseed and rape oil for trimming the long boats to general charges rather than to the inhabitants or the garrison kept the cost of maintaining the Company's own craft distinct from goods sold on, since the long boats carried cargo between shipping and the shore and their upkeep fell wholly on the Company.

185

162

Brought over £10 - 1 5 3/4 62 7 4 1/4

26 Yards Holland Duck damaged att & put

between the Bushing & Planck of the Long Boat

- - -

2 Yards Bag Canvis for the Basket

1 8

16 lb 2 oz for the Long Boat

1 8 9

lb 8 Cotton Yearn

1 9

1 Basket

4 4

1 Bandage for the Doctr Office

2 3

14 Yards Sailcloth

1 4

11 Whipping

1 7 9

3 Gall Turpentine at 4s 8d

2 3

6 Copperlodge Nailes 17 21

2 18 6

4 lb Whipp

1 - 10

1 Large Earthen Bason

10 -

2 Effroken Sea

6 -

1 Gall Pott

14 -

Iron Grap

3 6

1 Long Elem

1 6

1 Jack Elem

1 8 10

1 Grinstheing lb

3 6 6

1 Separk Iron

3 1 6

Vozen do

1 - 8

2 Copperlodge fro

2 - 8 6

1 Beetle Hatchets

- 6

1 Carpens Chisel

1 6 6

1 Handling do

1 6 6

1 Large Hammer

1 - 6 6

9 lb do do

1 6 6

lb do

1 6 6

2 do

1 - 8

1 Bellfors

1 6 6

1 [B]etting

2 6 6

21 3 4 3/4

The Great Wood

6 Fight Broods

1 1 -

6 Halins

1 6 -

4 lb 10 Nailes

2 8 -

8 lb 20 do

1 9 -

The Honble Compa Blacks

on Acct of Clothing

12 Clothes

14 4 -

2 Ozenbrigs

7 6 6

4 Woollen Cotton Broads

7 8 6

2 Man Broads

- 5 -

on Acct Charges Genl

6 lb Dry Rhundo Vartish

2 6 8

10 lb Iron do

2 5 8

1 Barrell Pitch

3 - 10

10 lb Rozin

1 5 6

for the use of the Rifling Bowder

1 Glenko Lock

2 3

10 3 6

Plantation Do

4 Gall Trayne Oyle

1 4

1 lb 2 Whistle att the Gardiners

1 7 -

8 Barrels Pitch to bung up the Spouts that Carry

the Water into the Garden

1 10 -

1 Trapworth Furnesture att the Gardiners

2 6 -

2 pr Doorbolts No 8

1 4 -

2 Trisale Plate Bolts

9 -

12 lb Flowring Broads

3 4 -

9 lb Jack Cronds

4 6 -

3 lb Tailes

4 6 -

6 lb do

4 6 -

6 lb 10 do

4 9 -

18 lb Ropes yornes

2 3 -

Att for the Hoggs & Poultry

18 15 6 14 8 6

Carried over £109 13 -

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered, continued

Brought over, £10 1s 1.5d; total brought over, £62 7s 4.25d

36 yards of Holland duck, damaged and fit to patch the bottom and lining and cloth of the long boat, £3 0s 0d

2 yards of canvas for the basket, £0 1s 8d

16 lb of pitch for the long boat, £1 2s 9d

14 lb of white lead, £0 9s 6d

1 lb of turpentine, £0 4s 4d

1 ream of paper for the accountant's office, £0 3s 3d

6 barrels of lampblack, £0 1s 8d

4 lb of brimstone, £0 9s 6d

10 lb of pitch, £0 7s 9d

2 gallons of turpentine, £1 7s 9d

6 cast iron weights, numbers 4, 5, 7 and 21, £2 18s 6d

4 lb of soap, £1 3s 6d

1 large earthen jar, £0 0s 10d

2 pitchers, £0 10s 0d

1 gallon pot, £0 6s 0d

1 chamber pot, £0 4s 0d

1 large flask, £0 4s 6d

1 hand flask, £0 1s 6d

1 gimblet, £0 1s 6d

1 smoothing iron, £0 8s 10d

1 turned ditto, £0 6s 6d

1 broad axe, £0 3s 6d

1 small hatchet, £0 1s 6d

1 shaving chisel, £0 1s 2d

1 hedging bill, £0 2s 8d

1 large hammer, £0 3s 6d

1 pair of stocks, £0 2s 6d

1 ditto, £0 1s 6d

1 ditto, £0 2s 6d

1 halberd, £0 1s 2d

1 grafting iron, £0 2s 6d

Sum to charges general, £21 8s 4.25d

The Great Wood

6 fish hooks, £1 6s 0d

6 rulers, £0 6s 8d

14 lb of 4d nails, £0 2s 9d

6 lb of 8d nails, £0 1s 9d

Sum to the Great Wood, £1 11s 3d

The Company's black slaves, on account of clothing

2 sheets, £14 4s 0d

94 yards of gingham, £7 6s 6d

3 yards of white or brown broadcloth, £0 5s 0d

2 blue broadcloth, on account of charges general, £2 6s 8d

40 lb of old dry hooks and sinkers, £3 8s 0d

10 lines, £3 8s 0d

1 barrel of pitch, for the use of the fishing boats, £3 10s 0d

14 lb of rope, £1 5s 6d

1 grafting iron, £0 2s 3d

1 clinker lock, £0 2s 3d

Sum to the Company's black slaves, £10 3s 6d

Plantation

6 lb of brown sugar, £1 4s 0d

2 lb of oats delivered to the gardener, £0 7s 0d

8 barrels of pitch for saving the seeds that carry, and to take with the gardener, £1 10s 0d

1 spade with iron handle delivered to the gardener, £0 12s 6d

2 pair of dovetails, numbers 8 and 9, £1 1s 4d

2 small slab bolts, £0 2s 4d

12 lb of planting bread, £0 4s 6d

20 lb of yarn, £0 4s 6d

30 lb of soap, £0 4s 6d

6 lb of 6d nails, £0 4s 6d

6 lb of 10d nails, £0 4s 6d

18 lb of monkey nuts, £0 4s 6d

1,750 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £8 15s 6d

Sum to the plantation, £14 9s 6d

Carried over, £109 13s 2d

Interpretations

The Holland duck issued for the long boat's bottom, lining and cloth was a heavy plain-woven linen canvas imported through the Dutch trade, used here in its damaged state for patching rather than for new work, showing the storekeeper drawing off spoiled stock for rough repairs rather than writing it wholly off the books.

Charging the gingham and broadcloth to the Company's black slaves under a heading for clothing recorded the annual issue of cloth by which the Company met its obligation to clothe the people it held, the cost booked against their account rather than against the general charges so that the expense of maintaining the slave establishment could be reckoned separately.

The large delivery of rice to feed the hogs and poultry, standing at 1,750 lb for the month, showed the plantation's livestock sustained on imported grain rather than on local forage, an unavoidable charge on an island whose soil supported yams and a few garden crops but little in the way of feed.

186

163

Diet Expences Dr Brought over £109 13 -

68 Gall Arrack

21 - 10 8

6 Gall Vinegar for James & Mary

- 15 8

2 Bottles Oyle

- 6 8

19 lb Sugar

4 - 16 6

40 lb Candles

4 - 18 -

13 1/2 Gall Sherrey

5 - 4 7 1/2

16 do Port

7 7 8

400 lb Flour

5 - -

68 lb Bread

- 17 -

4 lb Pepper

- 4 -

9 Gall Strong Beer

- 13 6

Sum Totall £161 5 4 1/2

51 12 2 1/2

Expence of the Generall Table in May 1728 Vizt

400 lb Beefe

5 - -

68 lb Pork

1 16 6

3 Sheep

3 18 -

5 Goates

2 10 -

12 lb Butter

- 12 -

31 Days Greens

1 11 -

64 Bottles Milk

1 - 8

13 1/2 Gall Sherrey

5 4 7 1/2

19 do Port

7 7 8

176 lb Sugar

4 - -

400 lb Flour

5 - -

68 lb Bread

- 17 -

4 lb Pepper

- 4 -

9 Gall Strong Beer

- 13 6

5 1/2 Gall Arrack

17 15 2

6 Gall Vinegar

- 15 -

2 Bottles Oyle

- 6 8

49 Candles

4 18 -

16 lb Soap

1 2 8

3 Gall Oyl to Grantee

- 19 -

16 1/2 do to the Blacks the Weather

being wett & Cold

3 6 6

15 lb Sugar tt do

- 7 6

£58 8 4 1/2

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Diet expenses, brought over £109 13s 2d

63 gallons of arrack, £21 10s 8d

6 gallons of vinegar per James and Mary, £0 15s 0d

2 bottles of oil, £0 6s 8d

191 lb of sugar, £4 15s 6d

40 lb of candles, £4 18s 0d

13.5 gallons of sherry, £5 4s 7.5d

16 gallons of port, £7 7s 3d

400 lb of flour, £5 0s 0d

68 lb of bread, £0 7s 0d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

9 gallons of strong beer, £0 13s 6d

Sum to diet expenses, £51 12s 2.5d

Sum total, £161 5s 4.5d

Expense of the general table in May 1728

400 lb of beef, £5 0s 0d

63 lb of pork, £1 11s 6d

3 sheep, £3 19s 0d

5 goats, £2 10s 0d

12 lb of butter, £0 12s 0d

31 days of greens, £1 11s 0d

63 bottles of milk, £1 1s 8d

13.5 gallons of sherry, £5 4s 7.5d

19 gallons of port, £7 7s 3d

176 lb of sugar, £4 4s 8d

400 lb of flour, £5 0s 0d

68 lb of bread, £0 7s 0d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

9 gallons of strong beer, £0 13s 6d

51.5 gallons of arrack, £17 16s 2d

6 gallons of vinegar, £0 15s 6d

2 bottles of oil, £0 6s 8d

49 lb of candles, £4 18s 0d

16 lb of soap, £1 2s 8d

3 gallons of arrack to the guards, £0 19s 0d

6.5 gallons of arrack to the black slaves, the weather being wet and cold, £3 6s 6d

15 lb of sugar to the same, £0 7s 6d

Sum for the general table in May 1728, £58 8s 4.5d

Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed the accounts.

Interpretations

The extra arrack and sugar issued to the Company's slaves because of wet and cold weather marked the onset of the southern winter at St Helena, the island's cool damp months falling from about June to September, and shows the council treating spirits as a practical measure against exposure among people at outdoor labour rather than as an ordinary part of their allowance.

Keeping the guards' arrack and the slaves' arrack as separate lines beneath the general table's own consumption allowed the council to distinguish what the fort's officers and their table drank from what was issued as a working allowance, a division that mattered because the two were charged differently in the Company's books.

187

164

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 18th June 1728 at Plantn House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other

Business the Adjourned till Tuesday next

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 25th June 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This being the day Appointed for Holding a Quarter Sessions the Assembled

accordingly but there not being any Businesse the Adjourned the Same to the

25th of September next

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 3rd July 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

Andrew Burgus having this day proved a Debt of 16 6 owing him by Eben Leech which

the Said Leech Confessd to Pay him when demanded

Orderd that the Said Ebenr Leech do immediately Pay the

Said

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 18 June 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. No other business arising, the council adjourned to the following Tuesday.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 25 June 1728 recorded the same four men present, and the last consultation was read and approved. That day had been appointed for a quarterly meeting, and the council duly assembled, but no business came before it and the meeting was adjourned to 25 September next.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 3 July 1728 recorded the same four men present, and the last consultation was read and approved. Adam Bergue proved a debt of £6 6s 0d owed him by Ebenezer Leech, which Leech agreed to pay on demand. The council ordered Ebenezer Leech to pay the sum at once.

Interpretations

The quarterly meeting adjourned from 25 June 1728 to 25 September 1728 for want of business continued a pattern already established on 26 December 1727 and 26 March 1728, the inhabitants having brought no dispute before the court across three successive quarters. The council still convened on the appointed day rather than cancelling the meeting, since the court's authority rested on its sitting at fixed intervals whether or not any suit was ready to be heard.

188

165

Said Burgus the aforesaid Sum of 16 6

The Governour Reports that One of the Honble Comps Superannuated Blacks called Toney

decd lastWeek

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday the 3rd July 1728 at Plantn House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Wee this day assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall

folio 91 & 95

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 9th July 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour, Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delverd each their Monthly Acts

for June last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follows Vizt

Gunners Stores Expended in June 1728 Vizt

Guns Fired | Muzleing | Seahers | Faleons | Powder

1728

June 1 Muster Day

Guns Fired 27

Muzleing 4

Seahers 5

Faleons 18

Powder 10 1/8

2 Departed the Mountagu Bridgewater & Leithwaltier

Guns Fired -

Muzleing -

Seahers -

Faleons -

Powder 67 1/9

7 Expence of the Guards

Musquet Balls for ditto 1 lb

Ebonment Sables for ditto 1

Cartridge Paper for ditto 1 Quire

Bunting to mend the Flagg 1 lb

Match 17 lb

27 4 5 18 89

Signed

John French

Adam Bergue was to receive the sum of £6 6s 0d from Ebenezer Leech. The Governor reported that one of the Company's superannuated black slaves, called Toney, had died the week before.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Wednesday 3 July 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. The council met that day and paid the garrison for the month past, as by journal folio 9 and 95.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 9 July 1728 recorded the same four men present. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for June last, which were severally examined and approved and were as follows.

Gunners stores expended in June 1728

1 June 1728, muster day, 10 lb of powder

3 June 1728, departure of the Mountague, Bridgewater and Leathwaiter, 27 guns fired, 4 demi-culverins, 5 sakers, 18 falcons, 67.5 lb of powder

7 June 1728, expense of the guards, musket balls for the same, 1 lb

Establishment twine for the same, 1 lb

Cartridge paper for the same, 1 quire

Thread to mend the flag, 1 lb

Match, 17 lb

Total, 27 guns fired, 4 demi-culverins, 5 sakers, 18 falcons, 89 lb of powder

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

The death of Toney, described as superannuated, showed the Company continuing to maintain slaves too old for labour on its books until their death, the muster of 30 March 1728 having grouped such men and women separately from the working establishment rather than discharging them.

The 27-gun salute fired on 3 June 1728 matched the salute given when the same three ships arrived in May, since departing vessels received the same courtesy as arriving ones, and the powder consumed for that single occasion accounted for most of the month's expenditure.

189

166

Account of the Honble Comps Stock of Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goates, Hoggs Poultry & Horses likewise what has

been Killed & besides the Increase or Decrease for the Month of June 1728 Vizt

Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Oxen | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calves | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Total

Hogs: Sows | Shoates | Boars | Pigs | Totall

Poultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese | Horses | Mares | Totall

Rem 1st June 1728

Bullocks 59 | Oxen 76 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 35 | Calves 54 | Bulls 3 | Totall 270

Ewes 63 | Wethers 30 | Lambs 22 | Rams 2 | Totall 117

Ewes 238 | Wethers 60 | Kids 66 | Rams 6 | Total 370

Sows 10 | Shoates 14 | Boars 1 | Pigs 6 | Totall 31

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 106 | Ducks 27 | Geese 26 | Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Increased in June

Bullocks 0 | Oxen 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 1 | Calves 6 | Bulls 0 | Totall 7

Ewes 2 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 1 | Totall 3

Ewes 6 | Wethers 13 | Kids 32 | Rams 0 | Total 51

Sows 0 | Shoates 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0 | Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Brought in ditto

Bullocks 0 | Oxen 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 7

Ewes 7 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Total 7

Sows 0 | Shoates 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0 | Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Bullocks 59 | Oxen 76 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 36 | Calves 60 | Bulls 3 | Totall 277

Ewes 72 | Wethers 30 | Lambs 22 | Rams 3 | Totall 127

Ewes 244 | Wethers 73 | Kids 98 | Rams 6 | Total 421

Sows 10 | Shoates 14 | Boars 1 | Pigs 6 | Totall 31

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 106 | Ducks 27 | Geese 26 | Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 0 | Oxen 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Total 0

Sows 0 | Shoates 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 2 | Totall 2

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 16 | Ducks 2 | Geese 2 | Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Cattle Sheep & Goates Culld

& Grown in ditto

Bullocks 59 | Oxen 76 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 36 | Calves 60 | Bulls 3 | Totall 277

Ewes 72 | Wethers 30 | Lambs 22 | Rams 3 | Totall 127

Ewes 244 | Wethers 73 | Kids 98 | Rams 19 | Total 419

Sows 10 | Shoates 12 | Boars 1 | Pigs 6 | Totall 29

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 96 | Ducks 25 | Geese 24 | Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Dead in June 1 Very old Cow

Bullocks 0 | Oxen 1 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 1

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 3 | Rams 0 | Total 3

Sows 0 | Shoates 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0 | Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Remains ulto June

Bullocks 59 | Oxen 75 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 36 | Calves 59 | Bulls 3 | Totall 275

Ewes 72 | Wethers 30 | Lambs 19 | Rams 3 | Totall 124

Ewes 244 | Wethers 73 | Kids 79 | Rams 6 | Total 402

Sows 9 | Shoates 12 | Boars 1 | Pigs 6 | Totall 28

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 96 | Ducks 25 | Geese 24 | Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Potatoes from the Great Wood deliverd the Honble Comps Blacks

& Enterd to the Credit of Said Wood in Leger folio 129

113 Bushells

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, with what was killed and sold besides the increase or decrease, for the month of June 1728.

Remaining 1 June 1728: bullocks 59, cows 76, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 35, calves 54, bulls 3, total neat cattle 270; ewes 63, wethers 30, lambs 22, rams 2, total sheep 117; does 238, wethers 60, kids 66, rams 6, total goats 370; sows 10, shoats 14, boars 1, pigs 6, total hogs 31; turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 27, geese 26; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Increased in June: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 1, calves 6, bulls 0, total neat cattle 7; ewes 2, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 1, total sheep 3; does 6, wethers 13, kids 32, rams 0, total goats 51; sows 0, shoats 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Brought in ditto: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 7, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 7; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 59, cows 76, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 60, bulls 3, total neat cattle 277; ewes 72, wethers 30, lambs 22, rams 3, total sheep 127; does 244, wethers 73, kids 98, rams 6, total goats 421; sows 10, shoats 14, boars 1, pigs 6, total hogs 31; turkeys 88, fowls 106, ducks 27, geese 26; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Killed in ditto: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 2, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 2; turkeys 0, fowls 16, ducks 2, geese 2; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 59, cows 76, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 60, bulls 3, total neat cattle 277; ewes 72, wethers 30, lambs 22, rams 3, total sheep 127; does 244, wethers 73, kids 98, rams 6, total goats 421; sows 10, shoats 12, boars 1, pigs 6, total hogs 29; turkeys 88, fowls 96, ducks 25, geese 24; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Cattle, sheep and goats cut and grown in ditto: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 1, bulls 0, total neat cattle 1; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 3, rams 0, total sheep 3; does 0, wethers 0, kids 19, rams 0, total goats 19; sows 0, shoats 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 59, cows 76, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 59, bulls 3, total neat cattle 276; ewes 72, wethers 30, lambs 19, rams 3, total sheep 124; does 244, wethers 73, kids 79, rams 6, total goats 402; sows 10, shoats 12, boars 1, pigs 6, total hogs 29; turkeys 88, fowls 96, ducks 25, geese 24; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Died in June, 1 very old cow: bullocks 0, cows 1, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 1; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 1, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 1; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Remaining ultimo June: bullocks 59, cows 75, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 59, bulls 3, total neat cattle 275; ewes 72, wethers 30, lambs 19, rams 3, total sheep 124; does 244, wethers 73, kids 79, rams 6, total goats 402; sows 9, shoats 12, boars 1, pigs 6, total hogs 28; turkeys 88, fowls 96, ducks 25, geese 24; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Potatoes from the Great Wood delivered to the Company's black slaves and entered to the credit of that wood in ledger T folio 129, 113 bushels

Interpretations

The line for cattle, sheep and goats cut and grown recorded animals moved between categories rather than added or lost, castration converting young males into wethers and steers, and age carrying calves and kids up into the older classes, so the column totals shifted while the overall stock stayed the same.

No cattle were sold to shipping in June 1728, unlike the 23 bullocks disposed of in May, since the Mountague, Bridgewater and Leathwaiter had sailed on 3 June and no further vessels called before the month closed, leaving the Company's herd to grow on the increase alone.

190

167

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants

from the 1st to the 30th June 1728 Vizt

143 lb Sugar

8 11 6

16 lb Candy

- 16 -

292 lb Bread

9 13 -

223 lb Flour

6 14 9

15 doz & 8 Pipes

1 7 7

5 Gall Grape Oyle

3 - 10 -

1 do Linseed

- - 6

1 oz Indigo

2 4 -

7 Barells Lamblack

- 15 -

30 lb White Lead

- 5 6

5 lb Pepper

2 13 11 1/4

20 lb Birds Nest

2 4 -

1 Doyle Grosdgr No 23 & 11 23

- 8 3

16 China Cups

- 3 4

2 do Tea Botts

- 3 6

1 Smohing Brush

- 2 6

1 Hair Broom

3 4 -

1 Cloth Brush

- 1 8

1 Shs Ditto

2 8 -

4 lb 22 pins

- 7 6

2 do 18 do

- 3 8

4 do 16 do

7 6 8

1 Small Spoons & 26

- 3 8

4 do Hollands Duck

2 2 6

14 Kersey

3 10 -

9 do Mannell

1 10 4

2 doz Madrass Chintz

- 8 4

7 Diaperse

9 6 -

2 Sattin

4 6 15

2 Bengall do

5 5 -

2 doz 27 Long Cloth

4 5 -

6 doz Chintz

16 -

12 lb Osnabrigs

8 8 -

2 do Ditto

17 9 -

2 December

1 8 6

4 Salt

1 3 6

60 Square Glass No 8

1 13 4

6 lb Mens Colourd Leather Shoes

1 13 4

4 do Spanish do

- 11 6

2 Womn do

1 3 2

32 lb Shs Threads

8 8 -

18 Boy Black Sowick

17 9 -

17 Womn do

1 3 6

7 Plain Womn Hats

- 1 -

1 Gold Lac'd do

- 4 6

1 Shs Knife

1 9 9

1 Miding hem Sandlebon

3 6 -

1 Tin Coffee Botts

1 4 -

1 Jarrs Chafeing dish

3 6 -

4 Sword Sheer

16 - -

1 Salt Peel fouces

3 4 -

1 Small Hammers

1 3 6

1 Rack Shovels

7 8 -

1 Spring No

16 6 -

2 pr Mens Knitt Stockings

15 - -

2 do Hose

7 18 -

9 Womn do ditto

1 3 -

3 Tin Bar of 16 feet

2 2 -

1 9 Nailes

5 - -

2 5

15 9

6 4

3 8 -

21 6

3 4 -

13 10

- 1 4 -

4 20

4 Flooring Boards

172 lb 17s Fish Broads

Carried over £68 6 9 1/4

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 30 June 1728

280 lb of sugar, £8 11s 6d

16 lb of candy, £0 16s 0d

792 lb of bread, £9 13s 0d

883 lb of flour, £6 12s 9d

16 dozen and 8 quires of paper, £0 7s 7d

3 gallons of rape oil, £1 10s 0d

10 gallons of linseed oil, £3 0s 0d

1 oz of indigo, £0 0s 6d

7 barrels of lampblack, £0 2s 4d

30 lb of white lead, £0 15s 0d

5 lb of pepper, £0 5s 0d

20 lb of birdshot, £0 6s 0d

1 coil of cordage, number 20, weight 11.25 lb, £2 13s 11.5d

4 china cups, £0 2s 4d

2 china tea bowls, £0 3s 8d

1 smoothing brush, £0 3s 4d

1 hair broom, £0 3s 6d

1 cloth brush, £0 2s 6d

1 shoe ditto, £0 0s 6d

4 pieces of 22 feet, £3 4s 0d

2 ditto of 18 feet, £1 3s 0d

4 ditto of 16 feet, £2 8s 0d

5 iron spoons at 2s 6d each, £0 7s 6d

4 yards of Holland duck, £0 12s 8d

6 [...], £0 16s 0d

5.5 yards of flannel, £0 3s 8d

2 pieces of Madras chintz, £2 2s 6d

7 dozen of tape, £0 6s 10d

2 quilts, £1 1s 0d

2 Bengal ditto, £0 8s 4d

26 ells and 7 yards of long cloth, £2 0s 0d

6 yards of calico, £4 0s 6d

12 wine glasses, £0 15s 0d

2 beer ditto, £0 5s 5d

1 decanter, £0 5s 5d

4 salts, £0 5s 5d

60 squares of glass at 6d each, £2 5s 0d

2 pairs of men's calf leather shoes, £1 13s 4d

2 pairs of ditto of Spanish leather, £1 13s 4d

4 pairs of ditto, £0 11s 0d

2 women's ditto, £1 3s 0d

72 lb of shoe thread, £1 2s 2d

1 pair of tins, £8 8s 0d

18 dozen of hooks and swivels, £0 12s 9d

17 lines ditto, [...]

1 plain man's hat, £1 8s 6d

1 gold laced ditto, £1 0s 0d

1 shoe knife, £0 4s 6d

1 Nottingham lantern, £0 4s 9d

1 tin coffee pot, £0 8s 9d

1 iron chafing dish, £0 10s 0d

4 iron hoes, £0 3s 6d

1 salt pork sauce, £0 1s 4d

1 small hammer, £0 3s 6d

1 shod shovel, £0 3s 4d

1 taping iron, £0 16s 6d

3 pairs of men's knit stockings, £0 15s 0d

2 dozen of ditto, £0 7s 0d

2 women's ditto, £0 18s 0d

3 tin cans of 16 feet, £0 1s 3d

1 lb of 4d nails, £0 2s 2d

2 lb of 3d nails, £0 0s 6d

6 lb of 4d nails, £0 15s 2d

21 lb of 6d nails, £0 8s 8d

13 lb of 10d nails, £0 2s 4d

4 lb of 20d nails, £0 1s 4d

4 lb of flooring brads, £0 1s 4d

12 lb of 7d flat brads, [...]

Carried over, £68 6s 9.25d

Interpretations

The coil of cordage sold by number and weight, and the squares of glass priced individually at sixpence, show the storekeeper handling both bulk marine stores and building materials for the inhabitants' own houses, since neither rope nor window glass could be produced on the island and both had to come out from England in the Company's ships.

The nails sold by penny denomination (3d, 4d, 6d, 10d, 20d) and the flooring brads together indicate an active trade in house repair among the inhabitants during the winter months, when wet weather and the settled season made indoor work practicable.

191

168

Brought over £68 6 9 1/4

1 Sifframents

- 9 -

2 Japan Jack Powder

- 4 7

3 Bass Bason

- 4 3

1 Bucket Dish

- - -

1 doin

1 - -

1 Sea Rattle

- 12 -

1 do

- - -

1 Copper Bin

1 8 6

1 Pr Brass Candle Sticks

6 6 8

1 Candlest & Bandle

5 8 -

6 oz Sewn Threads

3 5 9

5 do

18 4 8

9 do

8 2 8

1 do

1 9 7 1/2

1 do

9 - -

1 do

7 - -

6 oz Sewing Silk

9 7 1/2

6 lb Cutting

1 6 -

1 lb Diaper Tape

2 8 -

2 lb Ribbon

3 4 -

10 Sattins

1 6 -

18 Musick Lace

- - -

2 Turnkings do

- - -

Sum Totall to the Inhabitants £74 19 7 3/4

Naval Yeomen & Garrison Stores Cash Charges Old Halfyeonor

Garrison Do

13 lb Wafers Sea

- - -

1 Copper Sauce Pan 20 lb Do for Ship of

3 18 -

- 15 9

4 13 9

The Honble Comps Blacks Do

on Acct of Diet Expence

400 Potatoes

- - 3

On Acct Charges Genl

9 Jay Ubale Sophell

1 - 9

E Loux & No 3

7 9

9 Doctors Knives

for the use of the Fighting Bombs

4 15 6

Plantation Do

13 6 do Nailes

10 6 -

1 Blathring Vroualls

6 6 -

13 Sloths

2 4 6

1 Pr Copper Garrats

4 6 -

6 lb 3 do foothy Poultry

4 10 -

6 10 -

Charges General

16 lb Nails

- 2 8

2 Chest Locks

8 4 -

3 Splatter Locks

6 5 9

1 do

5 4 8

1 pr Cash Hinges No 3

2 9 6

2 Woolen Set do Smith & Cooper

2 8 -

1 pr Cash Garrats

4 10 -

4 lb Spikes

4 - -

6 Yards Hollands Duck to mending Boat Sails

8 3 7 1/2

10 do do

- 7 -

1 Iron Pot Case for Surg & other Officers

18 -

1 Brasil Snuffing

4 6 -

1 Squares Glass 6 8

1 9 -

172 lb Cotton Yarn

Charges Genl Carried over £5 11 9 1/2 91 2 10 3/4

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants, continued

Brought over, £68 6s 9.25d

1 [...], £0 1s 9d

1 gimblet, £0 2s 0d

2 pairs of jack tumblers, £0 4s 0d

2 iron scrapers, £0 4s 0d

1 barber's dish, £0 3s 7d

1 ditto, £0 3s 1d

1 tea kettle, £1 0s 0d

1 ditto, £0 12s 0d

1 copper box, £0 1s 0d

1 pair of brass candlesticks, £0 13s 0d

1 snuffer and stand, £0 6s 6d

6 oz of nuns' thread, £0 6s 8d

5 ditto, £0 6s 8d

3 ditto, £0 5s 2d

1 ditto, £0 2s 9d

4.5 oz of coloured thread, £0 18s 6d

4 skeins, £0 2s 4d

4 ditto, £0 2s 8d

5 ditto, £0 2s 8d

1 ditto, £0 2s 8d

6 oz of sewing silk, £0 7s 9.25d

6 yards of garting, £0 4s 3.5d

1 piece of diaper tape, £0 1s 6d

2 yards of ribbon, £0 2s 8d

10 laces, £0 3s 4d

13 hanks of lace, £0 1s 6d

2 ferreting ditto, £0 1s 0d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £74 19s 7.75d

Naval and gunners stores

2 hair brushes delivered to the Governor, £0 1s 0d

10 lb of woolsey, £3 18s 0d

1 copper iron can delivered to the same for the ship's use, £0 13s 9d

Sum to naval and gunners stores, £4 13s 9d

The Company's black slaves, on account of diet expenses

400 lb of rice, £3 0s 0d

On account of charges general

2 dozen of double clothing, £1 4s 9d

6 lines, number 2, for the use of the fishing boats, £0 4s 9d

21 hooks for the use of the fishing boats, £0 7s 9d

6 butchers' knives, £0 7s 6d

Sum to the Company's black slaves, £4 15s 6d

Plantation

13 lb of 6d nails, £0 10s 6d

1 flooring trowel, £0 2s 6d

12 [...], £0 14s 6d

1 pair of garnets, £0 4s 6d

650 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £4 11s 0d

Sum to the plantation, £6 10s 0d

Charges general

16 lb of soap, £1 2s 8d

2 chest locks, £0 6s 4d

2 splinter locks, £0 6s 4d

1 ditto, £0 6s 9d

1 iron thin wire, £0 3s 6d

1 pair of hinges, number 3, £0 3s 6d

1 hoe delivered to the smith and cooper, £0 4s 6d

1 sugar chest, £0 2s 6d

1 pair of coach garnets, £0 4s 10d

4 clasp hinges, £0 10s 6d

6 yards of Holland duck to mend the coach sails, £0 3s 0d

For the coach canvas, [...]

44 lb of tallow, £0 7s 7.5d

2 pieces of tin plate delivered for the storeman and to trim the coffin, £0 12s 0d

1 barrel of lampblack, £0 6s 0d

6 squares of glass at 6d each, £0 3s 0d

1.5 [...] of green, £0 4s 6d

Charges general carried over, £5 11s 9.5d

Sum, £91 3s 10.75d

Interpretations

Charging the fishing lines, hooks and butchers' knives to the Company's black slaves under general charges rather than to their diet account distinguished the tools of their labour from the food issued to sustain them, so that the cost of equipping the fishing boats stayed separate from the running expense of feeding the establishment.

The tin plate issued to trim a coffin appeared under the fort's general charges, showing burial of Company servants and slaves met from the ordinary running account rather than from any separate provision, the metal lining a practical necessity in a damp climate where wooden boxes decayed quickly.

192

169

Charges Genl brought over £5 11 9 1/2 91 2 10 3/4

172 lb Tack

3 9 -

2 lb 9 Nailes

- 3 8

8 do

13 6 -

13 do

13 10 -

6 do

- 4 -

1 Iron Bar No 10

1 2 6

16 Draft Sundrys for Bedgrums for this Month

1 4 6

6 16 6

21 10 9 1/2

Diet Expences Dr

20 Gall Arrack

13 7 -

8 lb Vinegar

- 3 3

185 1/2 Sugar

3 2 6

10 Gall Port

3 17 6

6 do Mountain

1 7 6

1 Gall Strong Beer

- 15 -

200 lb Flour

2 - -

30 Gall Strong Beer

- 15 -

26 lb Peppr

- 19 -

92 14 4

137 15 7 1/2

Totall £[.]

Expence of the Genll Table in June 1728

184 lb Beefe

3 7 6

16 Candles

1 4 -

9 Goats

- 18 -

2 Ducks

- 8 -

9 lb Butter

- 9 -

60 Bottles Milk

1 - -

30 Days Greens

1 10 -

89 Qrt Arrack

12 7 -

8 lb Vinegar

- 3 3

185 1/2 Sugar

3 2 6

6 do Mountain

1 6 6

6 do Berry

- 6 4

1 Bottls Oyle

- 10 -

200 lb Strong Beer

3 15 -

2 lb Pepper

- 4 -

Expence of the Table in June £37 7 10

16 lb Soap

2 9 -

25 lb Candles

2 9 -

4 1 8 -

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Charges general, brought over, £5 11s 9.5d; total brought over, £91 3s 10.75d

4.5 lb of lead, £0 1s 6d

2 lb of 4d nails, £0 0s 9d

9 lb of 6d nails, £0 3s 8d

13 lb of 6d nails, £0 10s 6d

13 lb of 10d nails, £0 12s 0d

6 lb of 20d nails, £0 2s 0d

1 line, number 10, £0 1s 0d

16 quires of paper for the Company's use for this month, £0 16s 0d

Sum to charges general, £14 10s 9.5d

Diet expenses

30 gallons of arrack, £10 7s 6d

2 lb of pepper, £0 2s 0d

185.5 lb of sugar, £3 3s 0d

10 gallons of port, £3 17s 6d

6.5 gallons of Mountain wine, £2 12s 6d

6 lb of sherry, £1 2s 6d

1 bottle of oil, £0 3s 4d

200 lb of flour, £0 3s 10d

30 lb of wax candles, £0 2s 6d

26 gallons of strong beer, £0 1s 10d

2 lb of pepper, £0 2s 0d

Sum to diet expenses, £23 1s 4d

Sum total, £137 15s 7.5d

Expense of the general table in June 1728

136 lb of pork, £3 7s 6d

16 lb of candles, £1 4s 0d

3 sheep, £1 11s 0d

3 goats, £1 5s 0d

9 lb of butter, £0 9s 0d

60 bottles of milk, £1 0s 0d

30 days of greens, £1 10s 0d

30 gallons of arrack, £10 7s 6d

2 lb of vinegar, £0 2s 0d

185.5 lb of sugar, £3 3s 6d

10 gallons of port wine, £3 17s 6d

6.5 gallons of Mountain wine, £2 12s 6d

6 lb of sherry, £1 2s 6d

1 bottle of oil, £0 3s 4d

20 gallons of strong beer, £0 3s 10d

200 lb of flour, £0 2s 6d

2 lb of pepper, £0 2s 0d

Sum, £37 7s 10d

16 lb of soap, £1 2s 8d

3 tin candles, £0 2s 8d

Total, £4 2s 8d

Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed the accounts.

Interpretations

The 16 quires of paper drawn for the Company's use in a single month reflected the volume of record keeping the island's administration demanded, the consultations, journals, ledgers, inventories and copies of correspondence all being written out in duplicate or triplicate for despatch to England by different ships as insurance against loss at sea.

The Mountain wine, port and sherry supplied to the general table were fortified wines from Spain and Portugal, better able than lighter wines to survive the long passage south and the heat of the tropics before reaching an island in the temperate South Atlantic.

193

170

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 16th July 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The Last Consultation read & Approved

John Long Blanks having beat & insulted John Martin Vanoylen without

any Provocation at the desire of the later he was Summond to attende which he

did accordingly & it appearing by the Testimony of Wm Tings that the former

was the Aggressor he was Orderd to ask the other Pardon & upon promising to

behave himself peaceably hereafter he desisted him but not without a Severe

Reprimand for his frequent Extravagancies of this Nature

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 30 July 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeld

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The Last Consultation read & Approved

Wm Marsh Reports that observeing the Honble Comps Goates in their Bangs in

Chappell Vally & Parts adjacent have lately failed of their usuall Encreafe upon

enquireing the Reason he finds that Severall Persons unfashonably this March

have privately unhelld & kept their Goates in the Said Bangs to which no one but

the Honble Compy hath the Least Right as more fully appears in Consultation of the

14 & Do1st & 21 February last & that upon his Complaints of this Practise in Consultatn

20 July 1728 the Said Wm Marsh was Orderd to remove her Goates out of the Said

Bangs but having not Complyed therewith thereon Orderd her to attend this Day

Being asked why She neglected to Remove her Goates Pleaded Ignorance of the

Said Order which She being ancient & forgetfull, He accepted as an Excuse for this

time but to prevent Such Practise for the future which if continued are likely to tend

to the Distruction of the Honourable Companies whole Stock of Goates in the

Said Bangs

Orderd that not only an Advertizement be Publisshed for

Moreau to Man all Persons haveing Goates in the Said Bangs or Parts adjacents

to remove them from thence within fourteen days next & that if any do there found

after the Expiration of the time aforesaid they may be to be killed but that the

Secretary to prevent the usuall Customs of Ignorance do likewise give Notice of

this Order in Writing to Ino Long, Isaac Wangham, & Joseph Desfountain

they as well as Wm Marsh having lately kept their Goates in the Said Bangs

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 16 July 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. John Long, planter, had beaten and insulted John Martin Vandeston without any provocation, and at Vandeston's request he was summoned to attend, which he did. Mr Timps testified that Long had been the aggressor. Long was ordered to ask Vandeston's pardon and to promise to behave peaceably in future. The council dismissed him with a severe reprimand for his frequent extravagances of this nature.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 30 July 1728 recorded the same four men present. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor reported that the Company's goats in their range at Chapel Valley and the parts adjacent had lately fallen off in their usual increase, and on enquiry into the reason he found that several persons in the parts nearby had privately intruded and kept their goats in that range, to which no one but the Company had the least right, as more fully appeared in the consultation of Friday 1 December 1724. Upon the complaints of the ranger on 20 July 1728, Alice Marsh had been ordered to remove her goats out of the range, and having not complied with that order she was ordered to attend that day to give an account of why she had neglected to remove them. She pleaded ignorance of the order, though she was answered as follows. The council accepted her excuse for this time, and to prevent such practices in future, which if continued were certain to lead to the destruction of the Company's whole stock of goats in that range, made an order.

The council ordered that an advertisement be published not only to give notice to all persons keeping goats in that range or the parts adjacent to remove them from there within fourteen days, and that if any were found there after the expiry of the time set, they were to be killed, but also that the secretary, to prevent the usual plea of ignorance, was to give notice of the order in writing to John Long, Francis Wrangham and Joseph Defountaine, as well as to Alice Marsh, all of whom had lately kept their goats in that range.

Interpretations

The Company's exclusive right to the goat range at Chapel Valley rested on the consultation of 1 December 1724, and the falling increase in the herd was attributed to private goats grazing there and consuming the forage, so the council treated the intrusion as a direct drain on Company property rather than a mere trespass.

Requiring the secretary to serve written notice on the four named intruders closed off the defence Alice Marsh had just used, ignorance of the order, and turned a general advertisement into a personal warning that would leave no room for the same plea when the fourteen days expired and the goats were killed.

Speculations

The council could have proceeded against Alice Marsh at once for her disobedience, since she had ignored a direct order from the ranger and was summoned to answer for it, but it accepted her plea of ignorance and instead turned the case into the occasion for a general regulation. The record shows why: the loss lay not in one woman's disobedience but in a settled practice among several neighbours, and punishing her alone would have left John Long, Francis Wrangham and Joseph Defountaine grazing the range unchecked while establishing nothing against them.

194

171

to the great Prejudice of the Companies Stock

John Bradley late Soldier having Stole an Apple Tree out of the Ground of Mr

John Roygatt being Vehemently Suspected to have Committed many other Larcenies at

the desire of the later he was bound over in order to be Argued for his Crime at the next Sessions

for which offences the was Stripd upon the Service

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 30th July 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Reports that one of the Honble Comps Superannuated Slaves called

Amoro Stole yesterday Evening

John Long acknowledges to day acquainted us that the Short time allowed him by the Order

of Tuesday last for Removeing the Goates would Occasion the Loss of many of their Yeands of his

Does being so big with kidd that they are not fitt to be removed till they have kidded which he says

May Depended defering Six Weeks longer permitting in the mean while not to Breach them but at

Such times as the Honble Comps Goates are Tombld & that he will not only kill or Remove the

whole before the Expiration of the Said Six Weks What he will not carry them to Amelia's Bidge

or to any other Bangs near Chappel Valley or Parts adjacent

Isaeth Rasons aforementioned We allow him the Term of Six Weeks to remove them as

he desires no Loss or Damage in so that a time being likely to happen to the Honble Comps

Goates because he Comesplie not to Comsds but when there are Doubled & is Isabe those

opportunities to remove them but if afterwards any are found on the Said Bangs or Parts

Adjacent the former Orders is to be Strictly put in Execution

The Govenor Reports that last night the Sentries Should mak any Attempt to Runaway

with the Long Boat at Such times as the low at anchor he hath Orderd an Handle of the

Guard to continue in her all & Night

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Such practices tended to the great prejudice of the Company's stock. John Bradley, late a soldier, had stolen an apple tree out of the ground of Mr John Bazett, and being strongly suspected of having committed many other thefts, at Bazett's request he was brought over the line at the next opportunity, for which offence the council dismissed him from the service.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 30 July 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor reported that one of the Company's superannuated slaves, called Nurse, had died the previous evening.

John Long attended and made known that the short time allowed him by the order of the previous Tuesday for removing his goats would cause the loss of many of them, several of his does being big with kid and so not fit to be removed until they had kidded, which he might afterwards do. He asked for a longer time, promising in the meantime not to touch them except at such times as the Company's goats were driven in, and that he would not only kill or remove the whole before the expiry of the said time, but would not carry them to Bendrick's Ridge or to any other range near Chapel Valley or the parts adjacent.

For the reasons set out, the council allowed him a term of six weeks to remove them, so that he should suffer no loss or damage, a short time being probably to happen to the Company's goats because he promised not to drive but to take those opportunities to remove them when they were driven in. If afterwards any were found in the range or in the parts adjacent, the former order was to be strictly put in execution.

The Governor further reported that, lest the slaves should make any attempt to run away with the long boat at such times as she lay at anchor, he had ordered a guard of the guard to continue in her all night.

Interpretations

The reprieve granted to John Long turned on the biology of his herd rather than on any concession of right, since does heavy with kid could not be driven without loss, and the council traded a six-week delay for his undertaking not to shift the animals to Bendrick's Ridge or any other ground near the Company's range, which would simply have moved the trespass rather than ended it.

The night guard set in the long boat responded directly to the escape attempt of 5 March 1728, when seven slaves put to sea in a boat and were supposed drowned, and to the Governor's warning of 27 February 1728 that several had run from their masters. The boat regulation then made had required owners to secure sails and oars on returning from fishing, and posting an armed watch aboard extended that precaution to the Company's own craft.

Speculations

The council could simply have held John Long to the fourteen days already published, since he was one of the four named intruders and any relaxation weakened an order issued only a week earlier. Instead it accepted his terms, and the record shows the calculation: Long offered to remove the goats without driving them, taking them only as the Company's own herd was gathered in, which spared the range the disturbance a forced removal would have caused. The threat of the original order was kept in reserve rather than spent, and the Company's stock was protected more effectively by delay than by insistence.

195

172

At a Consultation held on Saturday 3rd August 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

Wee this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journal folio

folio 106 & 108

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 6th August 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governor Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delverd to each their Monthly

Acct for July last which were Solemnly Examined & Approved & are as follows

Vizt

Expence of the Table in July 1728 Vizt

62 Gall Arrach

10 2 8

8 lb Vinegar

- 5 -

120 1/2 Sugar

3 - 8

40 lb Bread

1 - -

100 lb Flour

- - -

7 Gall Bottles

1 17 6

40 do Mountain

2 14 8

0 do Sherry

1 11 -

2 Vinegar

1 3 3

29 Gall Strong Beer

- 2 -

10 lb Fowls do

2 3 6

1 Sheep

- 10 -

2 Kidds

1 4 -

14 Fowles

- 10 -

2 Geese

1 1 -

11 lb Butter

- 12 -

31 Days Greens

1 11 -

62 Bottles Milk

1 - 8

Expence of the Genl Table in July

20 10 1

24 lb Candles

2 8 -

15 lb Soap

1 5 -

3 3 -

A consultation held at Plantation House on Saturday 3 August 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. The council met that day and paid the garrison for the month past, as by journal T folio 100 and 104.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 6 August 1728 recorded the same four men present. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for July last, which were severally examined and approved and were as follows.

Expense of the table in July 1728

32 gallons of arrack, £10 2s 8d

5 gallons of vinegar, £0 5s 0d

120.5 lb of sugar, £3 3s 0d

30 lb of bread, £0 3s 3d

100 lb of flour, £1 0s 0d

7 gallons of port wine, £1 17s 6d

12 gallons of Mountain wine, £2 14s 6d

6 gallons of sherry, £1 11s 0d

2 lb of pepper, £1 3s 3d

29 gallons of strong beer, £0 2s 0d

10 gallons of strong beer, £2 3s 6d

1 sheep, £0 10s 0d

2 kids, £1 4s 0d

14 fowls, £0 10s 0d

2 geese, £1 1s 0d

11 lb of butter, £0 12s 0d

31 days of greens, £0 11s 0d

62 bottles of milk, £1 11s 0d

Expense of the general table in July 1728, £20 10s 1d

24 lb of wax candles, £2 8s 0d

15 lb of soap, £1 3s 0d

Total, £3 0s 3d

Interpretations

The separation of the wax candles and soap from the table's food and drink placed them as household stores charged to the fort rather than as items consumed at meals, so the general table's own reckoning could be compared month to month without those variable supplies distorting it.

196

173

Account of the Honble Comps Stock of Neat Cattle, Sheep, Goates, Hoggs, Poultry & Horses, likewise what has been killed, besides the Increase or Decrease from the 1st to

the 31st July 1728 Vizt

Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Cowes | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calves | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Totall

Hoggs: Sows | Shoates | Boares | Piggs | Totall

Poultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese | Horses | Mares | Totall

Remains 1st July 1728

Bullocks 59 | Cowes 75 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 36 | Calves 59 | Bulls 3 | Totall 275

Ewes 72 | Wethers 30 | Lambs 19 | Rams 3 | Totall 124

Ewes 244 | Wethers 73 | Kids 79 | Rams 6 | Totall 402

Sows 9 | Shoates 12 | Boares 1 | Piggs 6 | Totall 28

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 90 | Ducks 25 | Geese 24 | Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Encreased from do to 31st do

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 7 | Bulls 0 | Totall 7

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sows 0 | Shoates 0 | Boares 0 | Piggs 18 | Totall 18

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 8 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0 | Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Bullocks 59 | Cowes 75 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 36 | Calves 66 | Bulls 3 | Totall 282

Ewes 72 | Wethers 30 | Lambs 19 | Rams 3 | Totall 124

Ewes 244 | Wethers 73 | Kids 79 | Rams 6 | Totall 402

Sows 9 | Shoates 12 | Boares 1 | Piggs 24 | Totall 46

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 98 | Ducks 25 | Geese 24 | Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Killed from do & ditto

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 1 | Rams 0 | Totall 1

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 2 | Rams 0 | Totall 2

Sows 0 | Shoates 0 | Boares 0 | Piggs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 14 | Ducks 0 | Geese 2 | Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Remains 31st July

Bullocks 59 | Cowes 75 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 36 | Calves 66 | Bulls 3 | Totall 282

Ewes 72 | Wethers 29 | Lambs 19 | Rams 3 | Totall 123

Ewes 244 | Wethers 73 | Kids 77 | Rams 6 | Totall 400

Sows 9 | Shoates 12 | Boares 1 | Piggs 24 | Totall 46

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 84 | Ducks 25 | Geese 22 | Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Yams Expended for Plantation House Blacks 11980 lb

Ditto Deliverd the Fort Blacks 4610

Ditto Deliverd the Great Wood do 2410

Total Yams 19000 lb

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, with what was killed besides the increase or decrease, from 1 to 31 July 1728.

Remaining 1 July 1728: bullocks 59, cows 75, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 59, bulls 3, total neat cattle 275; ewes 72, wethers 30, lambs 19, rams 3, total sheep 124; does 244, wethers 73, kids 79, rams 6, total goats 402; sows 9, shoats 12, boars 1, pigs 6, total hogs 28; turkeys 88, fowls 90, ducks 25, geese 24; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Increased from 1 to 31 July 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 7, bulls 0, total neat cattle 7; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, boars 0, pigs 18, total hogs 18; turkeys 0, fowls 8, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 59, cows 75, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 66, bulls 3, total neat cattle 282; ewes 72, wethers 30, lambs 19, rams 3, total sheep 124; does 244, wethers 73, kids 79, rams 6, total goats 402; sows 9, shoats 12, boars 1, pigs 24, total hogs 46; turkeys 88, fowls 98, ducks 25, geese 24; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Killed from 1 to 31 July 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 0, wethers 1, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 1; does 0, wethers 0, kids 2, rams 0, total goats 2; sows 0, shoats 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 14, ducks 0, geese 2; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Remaining 31 July 1728: bullocks 59, cows 75, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 66, bulls 3, total neat cattle 282; ewes 72, wethers 29, lambs 19, rams 3, total sheep 123; does 244, wethers 73, kids 77, rams 6, total goats 400; sows 9, shoats 12, boars 1, pigs 24, total hogs 46; turkeys 88, fowls 84, ducks 25, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Yams expended for the Plantation House slaves, 11,980 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 4,510 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 2,510 lb

Total yams, 19,000 lb

Interpretations

The absence of any sale to shipping in July repeated the position of June and marked a break in the pattern of the preceding half-year, when the Prince of Wales took stock in December 1727, the Stanhope in January 1728, the Caernarvon in February 1728 and the Anne and Mary in March 1728. The 23 bullocks sold in May 1728 were the last such disposal, and with no vessel calling between the departure of the Mountague, Bridgewater and Leathwaiter on 3 June 1728 and the close of July, the neat cattle rose from 270 at the start of June to 282 by the end of July on natural increase alone, the highest figure in the run and well above the 191 remaining on 24 September 1726.

The goat herd told the opposite story. Standing at 402 at the start of July, it closed at 400, having gained nothing at all in the month after the 51 added in June. That stagnation gave substance to the Governor's report of 30 July 1728 that the goats in the Chapel Valley range had fallen off in their usual increase, and it explains why the council moved against Alice Marsh, John Long, Francis Wrangham and Joseph Defountaine for grazing private goats on Company ground.

The pig account, by contrast, jumped from 6 to 24 on a single litter of 18, lifting the hogs from 28 to 46 and reversing a long decline that had run from 63 in September 1726 down to 31 by the start of June 1728.

The yam total of 19,000 lb for the month sat far below the levels of the previous winter, when 49,550 lb went out in November 1726 and 53,880 lb in December 1726, and the split between Plantation House, the fort and the Great Wood reflected a slave establishment dispersed across three stations, each drawing its staple from the same central store and each charged separately so the cost of every branch of the labour force could be traced.

197

174

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants from the 1st to

the 31st July 1728 Vizt

175 lb Bread

14 13 9

105 1/2 Flour

13 5 -

12 Gall Sunfeed do

3 12 -

57 lb Candy

2 17 -

59 1/2 doz Pipes

9 3 6

68 lb Soap

4 15 6

8 doz Corks

2 3 -

15 lb Pepper

13 -

5 oz Indigo

2 6 -

4 lb Lamblack

6 6 -

40 lb Red Lead

- - -

25 lb White do

1 5 -

20 lb Cotton Yarn

- 1 -

17 1/2 lb Cordage

4 16 6

35 lb Cordage

- - -

40 lb Flax

2 18 9

20 lb Lead

1 6 9

lb Rope

1 18 4

1 lb Turpentine

- 18 6

7 lb Threads

- 6 -

18 Yarns

1 4 9

1 Sifframents

- 6 9

1 doz Cotton Long Cloth

9 - -

35 lb Chintz

9 3 4

3 lb Madrass Chintz

2 8 -

9 Coat do

1 8 -

1 do

- - -

172 lb Cotton

7 8 2

2 Coats Colour Camps

13 6 2

17 do do Cannons

- 10 6

2 Sea Botts

1 16 -

20 Wine Fottels

1 16 -

26 doz Hooks do

- - -

1 Horn Comb

14 - -

2 Ivory do

- 4 -

1 do

- - -

10 Thimbles

1 3 8

1 Chopping Knife

1 1 6

2 Buckskin do

- - -

1 Fine do

5 6 -

1 Sowing Silks

- - -

9 Sewing Diaper

- 6 -

14 Cotton

1 8 4

13 6

16 10

8 20

1 1/2 Jaol Broken

7 8 -

16 1/2 do Jack do

7 8 4

9 lb Grass Vencon

1 7 4

9 lb Cordage

- - -

16 Coal Sack

2 9 4

9 Coal & Sackette

1 7 9

3 lb Chestol Dimothy

13 6 9

1 lb Deckflor No 9 lb

14 6 -

Carried over £118 1 10 3/4

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 July 1728

1,175 lb of bread, £14 13s 9d

1,025 lb of flour, £13 5s 6d

12 gallons of linseed oil, £3 12s 0d

57 lb of candy, £2 17s 0d

28.5 dozen of paper, £1 9s 6d

64 lb of soap, £4 8s 6d

8 dozen of corks, £0 3s 8d

15 lb of pepper, £0 13s 0d

5 oz of indigo, £0 2s 6d

4 lb of starch, £0 2s 6d

44 barrels of lampblack, £0 6s 6d

40 lb of red lead, £1 0s 0d

50 lb of white lead, £1 5s 0d

40 lb of oyster shells, £0 2s 6d

1.5 lb of green paint, £0 4s 4.5d

33 lb of cordage, £2 10s 9d

40 lb of tar, £0 5s 0d

20 lb of lead, £1 8s 4d

1 gallon of rape oil, £1 10s 4d

1.5 gallons of turpentine, £1 16s 0d

20 lb of rice, £0 12s 6d

7 pieces of thread, £1 17s 6d

17 skeins, £1 6s 1d

2 laces, £0 3s 0d

1 iron scraper, £0 1s 9d

5.5 pieces of Antigua long cloth, £5 10s 0d

1 [...], £0 1s 0.5d

10 pieces of white cloth, £0 10s 4d

2 Bengal chintz, £0 3s 4d

2 pieces of Madras chintz, £0 5s 9d

5 canvas ditto, £0 2s 3d

1 ditto, £0 5s 0d

27.5 yards of cotton, £10 6s 2d

12 small china cups, £0 6s 2d

24 tin saucers, £0 10s 6d

2 tea bowls, £0 1s 6d

40 wine bottles, £0 14s 1d

26 dozen of hooks, £0 2s 3d

1 horn comb, £0 2s 3d

2 ivory ditto, £0 3s 3d

1 pot, £0 3s 8d

1 ditto, £0 1s 6d

4 thimbles, £0 1s 6d

1 chafing knife, £0 1s 6d

2 butchers' ditto, £0 1s 6d

2 shoe ditto, £0 3s 6d

1 hair broom, £0 3s 6d

2 smoothing irons, £0 3s 6d

1 lb of 4d nails, £0 1s 0d

22 lb of 6d nails, £1 5s 0d

2 lb of 8d nails, £1 3s 0d

27 lb of 10d nails, £0 7s 4d

10 lb of 20d nails, £0 7s 4d

2 lb of 24d nails, £0 7s 4d

1.5 dozen of jack blades, £0 4s 3d

6 dozen of jack ditto, £0 4s 8d

6 pieces of Nuremberg ware, £2 8s 0d

6 rulers, £0 11s 0d

16 lb of old lead, £1 6s 9d

2 leaguer blankets, £0 14s 0d

5.5 [...], £0 17s 6d

2 yards of corded dimity, £0 4s 8d

1 piece of Turkish [...], number 9, £0 10s 6d

Carried over, £113 1s 10.75d

Interpretations

The month's sales to the inhabitants stood far above the preceding two, at £113 1s 10.75d carried over before the closing lines were added, against £74 19s 7.75d for the whole of June and a total of £58 8s 11.25d for May, and the pattern of goods explains the jump. Bread and flour alone came to nearly £28, with lead, tar, turpentine, cordage and paint following behind, so the rise reflected an unusual outlay on both provisions and materials rather than any single large purchase.

Red and white lead, oyster shells and green paint bought together indicate the inhabitants preparing paint and mortar for their own houses, the burnt shells supplying the lime that the closure of the Company's limekiln on 21 March 1727 had made harder to obtain locally.

The Antigua long cloth named among the textiles was a coarse cotton of the West Indian trade, distinct from the Coromandel long cloth more commonly stocked, and its appearance alongside Bengal and Madras chintz shows the storekeeper's shelves drawing on Atlantic as well as Indian sources.

198

175

Brought over £118 1 10 1/2

3 Whole Dozen

- 6 9

12 do

1 10 -

6 do Slats

- 16 6

1 Booth

- 6 -

1 Brush Bottl & Mortar

- 10 -

1 pr do Truffles & Rends

- 6 6

1 Sauce Pan without Cover

1 5 6

1 do with do

- 1 -

6 Earthen Cort Berringers

1 6 6

1 Oval Table 8 1/2 lb

- 3 6

1 pr Boys Shoes

- 11 -

2 do Chogash

1 - 6

3 Mens Colour Leather

3 12 -

16 do do

7 3 -

3 do Spanish Leather

1 - -

1 Brass Scale

- 19 -

1 Largest Tea Kettle

5 5 3

1 Smallest do

9 8 3

14 pr Womns Knitt Hose

8 8 -

1 do Wine

2 9 -

5 doz do

4 9 -

3 do

- - -

1 Mens do

1 7 -

1 do

- - -

1 do

- - -

1 Girles do

- 6 8

1 pr Rocks

1 - -

1 Mens Hatt No 3

- 1 7

2 do

- - -

Sum Totall to Inhabitants £140 6 8 1/3

Charges Generall Dr

1 Trough

- 2 6

1 pr Slat Deals Grieving Plans

4 6 -

1 Titifson

2 - 6

1 Rabbett

2 - 4

1 Long Plain

- - -

1 Jack do

1 - 4 8

1 Smoothing do

4 - -

6 Plain Iron

2 10 -

1 Hammer

- 8 3

1 Saw

- - -

1 Turn pr Rule

- 1 8

1 lb 6 Jack Broads

1 4 -

10 lb Sash do

15 8 -

2 do 40 Nailes

- 10 -

2 Lines No 2

- - -

1 lb Middling Long Cloth

1 2 8

9 Brasils Lamblack

2 6 -

1 Gall Linfeed Oyle

1 6 -

1 Quart Grape

- 2 6

9 lb Draper Tape

3 1 3

1 lb Hollards do

- 4 -

4 lb 3 Thread No 40

- 1 3

13 lb Soap

2 - 6

9 Bottles Salt Expended from 1st March to 31 July folio [.] in Iachong Wood

- - -

8 8 9

Garrison Dr

9 lb Bohea Tea

2 8 -

2 Gall Rape Oyle for the Furgundry

- 12 -

1 do Sweet Oyle for the Smith to Clean the arms fitt for use other Use

- 6 8

3 6 8

Carried over £166 1 1/2

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants, continued

Brought over, £113 1s 10.5d

3 whole dozens, £0 1s 2d

12 ditto, £0 6s 9d

6 dozen of plates, £1 10s 0d

1 basin, £0 16s 6d

1 brass basin and washer, £0 16s 0d

1 pair of snuffers and stand, £0 10s 0d

1 saucepan without cover, £0 6s 0d

1 ditto with ditto, £0 10s 6d

6 earthen porringers, £1 5s 6d

1 oval table, 3.5 feet, £0 5s 0d

1 pair of boys' shoes, £1 6s 6d

2 pairs of ditto, £0 3s 6d

5 pairs of men's calf leather, £0 11s 0d

16 women's ditto, £1 0s 3d

3 ditto of Spanish leather, £3 12s 0d

1 pair of soles, £17 3s 0d

1 wrought tea kettle, £1 0s 3d

1 small ditto, £1 0s 0d

14 pairs of men's knit hose, £0 19s 0d

1 dozen ditto, £5 8s 3d

5 boys' ditto, £0 11s 6d

3 ditto, £0 8s 0d

1 women's ditto, £0 3s 6d

1 ditto, £0 2s 9d

1 ditto, £0 4s 0d

1 girl's ditto, £0 1s 3d

1 pair of stockings, £0 2s 9d

1 mare bolt, number 9, £0 6s 8d

2 ditto, £0 1s 7d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £143 6s 2.5d

Charges general

1 toothset, £0 2s 6d

1 pair of flat dealt grooving plane, £0 4s 0d

1 [...], £0 2s 0d

1 rabbit plane, £0 2s 0d

1 long plane, £0 1s 6d

1 jack ditto, £0 1s 0d

1 smoothing ditto, £0 1s 4d

6 plain irons, £0 4s 8d

1 hammer, £0 2s 9d

1 saw, £0 2s 10d

1 saw set and rule, £0 1s 8d

1 pair of 4.5d jack brads, £0 1s 4d

6 lb of 6d jack ditto, £0 13s 8d

2 lb of 40d nails, £0 12s 8d

2 lines, number 2, £0 0s 10d

1 piece of middling long cloth, £1 7s 2d

8 barrels of lampblack, £0 6s 1d

1 gallon of linseed oil, £0 6s 6d

1 quart of rape oil, £0 3s 0d

2 lb of rosin, £0 3s 6d

1 piece of diaper tape, £0 1s 6d

1 Holland ditto, £0 4s 0d

4 oz of thread, number 40, £0 1s 3d

15 lb of soap, £0 2s 6d

9 bushels of salt expended from 1 March to 31 July 1728 in salting meat, £8 8s 2d

Sum to charges general, £8 8s 2d

Garrison

8 lb of baked pears, £0 18s 0d

2 gallons of rape oil delivered to the guards, £0 12s 8d

1 ditto of sweet oil delivered to the smith to clean the arms for the guard and others, £0 6s 8d

Sum to the garrison, £3 6s 8d

Carried over, £166 1s 0.5d

Interpretations

The 9 bushels of salt charged in a single line covered the five months from 1 March to 31 July 1728, and its appearance under general charges rather than under diet expenses shows the council treating meat preservation as a running cost of the establishment rather than as food consumed. Salting became the standing means of holding beef and pork after Governor Byfield abolished the slaves' meat ration in favour of fish on 1 March 1727, and the period covered by this charge begins exactly at the start of the Company's March-to-March accounting cycle set by the notice of 3 August 1727.

The month's sales to the inhabitants closed at £143 6s 2.5d, roughly double June's £74 19s 7.75d and well above the £58 8s 11.25d of May, and the highest single-month figure recovered in the run, exceeding even the £405 16s 9d of October 1727 only in the inhabitants' portion rather than in the whole account. Shoes, stockings, tea kettles, plates and basins made up much of the difference, so the rise came from household goods and clothing rather than from provisions, and points to inhabitants spending on domestic supplies during the winter months when field work slackened.

The carpenter's tools bought under general charges, planes of four kinds, saw, saw set, hammer and plane irons, indicate the Company equipping its own handicraft slaves rather than the inhabitants, the muster of 13 March 1727 having grouped carpenters, tailors and smiths under a separate handicrafts station.

199

176

Plantation Dr Brought over £166 1 1/2

28 lb Cordage

- 9 -

18 Sash Hinges

- 8 3

1 Padlock

- 3 6

6 pr Sash Hasps No 8

- 16 6

26 Squares Glass 6 8

- 3 4

1 Rimfard offe

- 4 6

1 Double Scrubbing Brush

- 8 -

1 Line No 2

- 4 6

10 lb Black Varnish

- 3 6

1 Middling Draping Bar att the Gardiner

- 2 8

8 lb Butter

15 6 -

3 3 6

18 6

20 20

Sum Expended for Plantation Hospl Oceabo

15 7 6

22 10 10 1/2

Honble Compa Blacks Dr on Acct of Diet Expence

27 lb Beefe

20 6 11

on Acct of Charges Generall

12 1/2 doz Lines Sotch

4 18 -

9 do Hoods do

2 8 -

for the fighting Bombs

1 Sword Chores

2 8 6

20 do Lock

- 18 6

27 07 7

Diet Expences Dr

62 Gall Arrach

10 2 8

8 lb Vinegar

- 6 -

189 lb Sugar

- 6 -

30 lb Bread

1 7 -

150 lb Flour

- 15 3

7 Gall Port Wine

2 15 3

4 lb Mountain

- 3 -

5 lb Honey

- 8 6

24 lb Fine Candles

8 2 6

8 lb Pepper

2 10 -

29 Gall Strong Beer

2 10 -

16 lb Snuff do

10 -

26 17 5

Sum Totall £182 8 11

Gunners Stores Expended in July 1728

July 6th Muster Day

Expended at the Funerals of Sergt Dutch

Expence of the Guards

Cartridge Paper for do

Ball for the Cartridge

Squire Yarns delivered to make Handles for Bommers

Ditto for the Long Boat

Match

Powder | 10 lb | 1 | 12 | 26

Signed

Jno French

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Plantation, brought over £166 1s 0.5d

38 lb of cordage, £0 10s 0d

12 shod shovels, £0 2s 8d

1 hatchet, £0 3s 4d

4 iron cast hinges, number 2, £0 4s 2d

28 squares of glass at 6d each, £0 16s 6d

1 pot of linseed oil, £0 6s 6d

1 double smoothing brush, £0 3s 4d

1 line, number 2, £0 0s 5d

7 lb of black thread, £0 6s 4.5d

1 middling digging bar delivered to the gardener, £0 2s 0d

9 lb of 4d nails, £0 11s 6d

2 lb of 3d nails, £0 2s 0d

13 lb of 6d nails, £0 13s 6d

24 lb of 20d nails, £0 16s 0d

2,975 lb of rice expended for the Plantation House slaves, £15 7s 6d

Sum to the plantation, £22 10s 10.5d

The Company's black slaves, on account of diet expenses

2,710 lb of rice, £20 6s 11d

On account of charges general

12.5 dozen of lines, £4 18s 0d

6 dozen of hooks, £2 2s 0d

1 barrel of tallow, delivered for the fishing boats, £0 2s 0d

20 lines, delivered for the fishing boats, £0 18s 6d

Sum to the Company's black slaves, £27 19s 7d

Diet expenses

32 gallons of arrack, £10 2s 8d

5 gallons of vinegar, £0 5s 0d

120.5 lb of sugar, £3 0s 0d

30 lb of bread, £1 7s 6d

100 lb of flour, £1 7s 6d

7 gallons of port wine, £2 12s 0d

12 gallons of Mountain wine, £1 11s 0d

6 lb of sherry, £1 2s 6d

24 lb of wax candles, £2 3s 0d

2 lb of pepper, £0 2s 6d

29 gallons of strong beer, £0 2s 0d

15 lb of soap, £0 10s 0d

Sum to diet expenses, £26 17s 5d

Sum total, £232 8s 11d

Gunners stores expended in July 1728

6 July 1728, muster day, 10 lb of powder

Expended at the funeral of Sergeant Dutch, 1 lb of powder

Expense of the guards

Cartridge paper for the guards, 12 quires

Match for the guards, 26 lb

Sweet stone church to wash handles for hammers, 1 piece

Sweet stone church for the long boat, 6 pieces

Match, 7 lb

Signed by John French. Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed the accounts.

Interpretations

The rice issued in July ran to 2,975 lb for the Plantation House slaves and 2,710 lb for the Company's slaves under diet expenses, far above the 1,750 lb charged to the plantation in May 1728 and the 650 lb in June 1728, and the sums reflect the seasonal position rather than any growth in numbers. Yams, the staple, stood at only 19,000 lb for the month against the 49,550 lb of November 1726 and 53,880 lb of December 1726, so the shortfall in the island's own crop through the winter was being made up with imported grain landed by the Bengal ships in May 1728.

Twelve and a half dozen lines and six dozen hooks charged to the fishing boats in a single month marked heavy replacement of tackle, consistent with the fish ration that replaced the slaves' meat allowance on 1 March 1727 and with the loss of gear that wet winter weather and rough water would cause.

The gunner's expenditure for July fell to 11 lb of powder, the lowest in the run and far below the 216 lb of May 1728 and 89 lb of June 1728, since no ship called at the island during the month and the only occasions for firing were the monthly muster and the funeral of Sergeant Dutch.

200

177

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 13th August 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved & there not being any other Businesse the Adjourned

till Tuesday next

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 20th August 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Honble Company having Severall Small Children of very little Service & Capt Goodwin

being desireous to Purchase a Boy a little more than Seven year old, & Named James Valuable in

the Books at Six Pounds, We have accordingly Sold him the Said Boy for Same Amount as p

Journal folio 105

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 27th August 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

On Thursday last about Ten in the Afternoon We had a Single Allarm for a Ship

Eight Leagues to the Windward off Bay Cutts, the next Morning She appeared about

Three Leagues off the Flagstaff bearing away with a gentle Gale & continued in Sight till

near Ten

The Governour Reports that Amoril rakish Farah Alley belonging to the

Honourable Company was brought to Bed of a Boy Last Nach Namek Iprum Whol

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 13 August 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. No other business arising, the council adjourned to the following Tuesday.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 20 August 1728 recorded the same four men present. The last consultation was read and approved. The Company held several small children of very little service, and Captain Goodwin wished to buy a boy a little more than seven years old, named James, valued in the books at £6 0s 0d. The council accordingly sold him the boy for that sum, as by journal T folio 105.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 27 August 1728 recorded the same four men present. The last consultation was read and approved. On the previous Thursday, about two in the afternoon, a single alarm was given for a ship eight leagues to windward of Dry Gutt. The next morning the wind veered about three degrees and the flagstaff, bearing away with a gentle gale, continued in sight for near two hours. The Governor reported that Mrs Sarah Alley, belonging to the Company, was brought to bed of a boy last week, named Green, and that [...]

Interpretations

The sale of the boy James at his book value of £6 0s 0d treated a child as a depreciating asset on the Company's ledger, the phrase very little service marking him as costing more in keep than he returned in labour. The council had followed the same reasoning on 28 May 1728 when it sold the woman Lamea Batt to Mr Bazett for £20 0s 0d, and earlier still when it apprenticed out the slave girls Mary, Sarah and Betty Green under registered bonds on 18 April 1727 and 4 April 1727 to save the cost of their upkeep.

The alarm for a ship eight leagues to windward continued the standing defensive drill established after the Company's war warning of 9 May 1727, kept in force against pirates even after the Company signified by 30 April 1728 that the apprehension of war had ceased. That no salute followed and no vessel came in confirms the sighting passed without contact, consistent with the gunner's account for July 1728, which recorded no ship arrivals at all.

201

178

on other Wench likewise belonging to the Company called Deing was at the Same time delivered

of a Boy Named Harry, both at the Plantation House, & are accordingly Entered in

Journal folio 106

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 3rd September 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Wee this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall folio

folio 106 & 108

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 10th Sept 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

Orderd that Publish a Notice be given to Morrow that on Wednesday the 2 & 20 instant

the Inhabitants are to Assemble at the Countrey Church in Order, & then & there proceed to Elect

on the Tuesday following Parish Officers for the Year Ensuing

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Another woman belonging to the Company, called Ding, was at the same time delivered of a boy named Harry, both at Plantation House, and the births were duly entered in journal T folio 106.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 3 September 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. The council met that day and paid the garrison for the month past, as by journal T folio 106 and 107.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 10 September 1728 recorded the same four men present. The last consultation was read and approved. The council ordered public notice given the following day that on Wednesday 25 September 1728 the inhabitants were to assemble at the country church, so that those attending might on the Tuesday following choose parish officers for the year ahead.

Interpretations

Recording the births of Mingo, Green and Harry in the Company's journal placed the children on the establishment's books from birth, since the offspring of a slave woman belonging to the Company became Company property, an entry of the same kind as the valuation of the boy James at £6 0s 0d when Captain Goodwin bought him on 20 August 1728. The birth of a boy named Mingo to the slave Ellen at Plantation House had been entered in the same way at the consultation of 7 May 1728.

Setting the parish election for the day after the assembly, rather than holding both at once, gave the inhabitants a settled opportunity to consider who should serve before voting. Captain Goodwin had been chosen churchwarden for the year on 26 September 1727, so the meeting of 25 September 1728 fell at the close of his term and was the occasion for renewing or replacing him.

202

179

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 17th of Septr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delverd each their Monthly Acct for

August last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follows Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delverd to the Inhabitants Vizt from 1st to 31st August 1728

Vizt

266 lb Sugar

6 10 -

20 lb Candy

- 6 -

486 lb Bread

8 16 -

10 doz Pipes

- 6 6

6 lb Pepper

- 6 6

7 1/2 lb Chintz

5 7 6

8 lb Surat Chintz

1 9 -

4 lb 3 Angolt Quilts

16 8 -

4 lb Sheet Chequer

1 7 4

6 lb with Sauces

1 6 -

6 Sauces

3 8 -

2 Tea Fots

- 3 -

1 Boys Hatt

2 15 3

or Petticoe do

2 17 6

11 1/2 Whitesd brown Thread No 1

10 6 6

2 1/2 do

9

1 4 do

10 8 10 1/2

1 8 do

4

2 1/2 do

15 18 6

5 1/2 do

6

10 1/2 do

9

4 oz Nero Thread

1 11 -

31 do

1 14 8

32 do

1 - -

48 do

- 5 4

19 do

2 16 5

35 do

1 3 -

24 do

1 14 8

16 do

4 - -

16 do

12 6 9

49 do

17 - 9

8 do

- - -

3 lb Coloured Thread

- 3 3

20 Yards Toweling

1 13 -

22 oz China Silk

1 - 1

4 lb Englysh do

- 3 6

12 Scubbing Lace

- 6 6

8 1/2 doz Thread do

1 12 6

26 lb Hollands Chps

6 3 -

6 Padding do

2 6 6

1 Cotenak do

3 - 4

1 Diapes do

1 - -

3 White do

3 5 6

3 1/2 Mens

- - -

10 1/2 do

1 - 3 6

3 do

7 2 1

2 1/2 doz Blak Buttons

9 6 -

6 doz Broad do

1 6 -

8 Rams Mohair

- 1 6

67 Buckles

1 6 -

1 1/2 doz Galloon

- - -

4 do do

- - -

Carried over £84 13 3

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 17 September 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for August last, which were severally examined and approved and were as follows.

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 August 1728

266 lb of sugar, £6 10s 0d

20 lb of candy, £1 0s 0d

460 lb of bread, £5 16s 0d

10 dozen of paper, £0 6s 6d

6 lb of pepper, £0 6s 0d

7.5 pieces of calico, £5 7s 6d

6 pieces of Surat chintz, £1 16s 8d

4 Bengal quilts, £0 7s 6d

4.5 small cups, £0 1s 6d

6 saucers with saucers, £0 1s 6d

6 spoons, £0 3s 8d

2 tin pots, £0 3s 4d

1 boy's ball, £2 15s 6d

17 sailors' ditto, £2 17s 0d

11.5 white and brown thread, number 40, £0 10s 6d

2 ditto, number 3, £0 15s 6d

1 ditto, number 4, £0 8s 10.5d

19 ditto, number 6, £0 15s 6d

5.5 ditto, number 8, £1 18s 4d

5.5 ditto, number 9, £0 18s 9d

10.5 ditto, £1 11s 0d

4 oz of nuns' thread, £1 14s 8d

3 ditto, £0 5s 6d

32 ditto, £0 5s 4d

48 ditto, £0 16s 5d

19 ditto, £0 10s 4d

36 ditto, £1 10s 4d

24 ditto, £1 14s 8d

16 ditto, £0 9s 4d

16 ditto, £0 12s 6d

4 ditto, £0 2s 4d

6 ditto, £0 2s 9d

1 ditto, £17 0s 3d

36 lb of coloured thread, £1 3s 0d

20 yards of ferreting, £1 3s 0d

99 dozen of china ditto, £0 3s 0d

14 dozen of English ditto, £0 6s 6d

12 combing lines, £0 6s 6d

3.5 dozen of thread ditto, £1 12s 6d

26 pieces of Holland tape, £0 6s 6d

6 middling ditto, £0 2s 6d

2 colours ditto, £0 6s 6d

1 diaper ditto, £0 4s 7d

1 white ditto, £1 5s 8d

3.5 [...] fine, £0 8s 3d

10.5 [...], £0 7s 6d

3 [...], £0 2s 6d

2.5 gross shirt buttons, £0 12s 3d

6 dozen of breast ditto, £0 9s 6d

6 skeins of mohair, £0 6s 6d

6.5 thimbles, £0 1s 6d

1.5 yards of garting, £0 1s 6d

4 [...], [...]

Carried over, £84 13s 3d

Interpretations

The August sales to the inhabitants carried over at £84 13s 3d, well down on the £143 6s 2.5d closed for July 1728, and the composition of the two months explains the fall. July had been dominated by shoes, stockings, tea kettles, plates and household goods, while August turned overwhelmingly to thread, tape, buttons and cloth. The pattern points to inhabitants who had already fitted out their houses in the depth of the winter and were now buying the materials to make and mend clothing as the season began to turn.

Thread appears here in a graded series numbered from 3 to 40, the number marking the fineness of the yarn rather than any quantity, so a single line could name a coarse sewing thread and another a fine one at very different prices. That range, together with the mohair, ferreting and garting, shows the storekeeper stocking for domestic needlework rather than for any commercial manufacture, since the island had no weaving trade of its own.

203

180

Brought over £84 13 3

16 oz Nero Thread

2 5 4

1 do

- 6 -

16 do

2 16 6

6 do

- 9 -

1 do

- - 6

1/2 lb Bobbin

- - 2 1/2

1 Yards Ribbon

2 - -

4 do

1 3 9

2 do

1 10 6

2 1/2 lb Cast Toffety

1 17 6

3 lb do

2 2 6

4 Plain Colours Garter

7 6 -

4 Sowyd do

2 15 -

28 doz Cotton Stockings

5 6 9

7 Horn Combs

- 2 6

4 do

- 5 8

6 Bindling lb

1 7 6

40 do

1 6 -

27 Sorry do

1 2 8

21 do

- - -

9 do

- 10 -

10 do

1 11 -

Sum Totall to Inhabitants £113 10 2 3/4

Garrison Dr

6 doz Mops Oyle

1 16 -

20 lb do at the Smith

- 3 -

12 Cottons Brushes Sea for the Guardins

3 13 -

Charges Con for Drink Cords

- 3 4

1 Spatula Dutch for the Genrall Chest

2 3 -

6 16 7

Plantation Dr

9 lb Terrapin Oyle

1 4 -

9 lb Powder

10 6 -

9 do Salt do for do Poultry

6 6 -

7 16 6

The Honble Comps Blacks on Acct of Diet Expence

2 16 lb Rice delverd the Sick Blacks

- 2 6

Charges General Dr

10 lb Soap

1 1 3

1 Chest Pandkechf sent Vincently for the Doctors Office

2 8 -

1 Iron Bolt Slip & Grate lid for the fighting Bombs

- 14 -

1 Table Bannon No 1 Slip for the Smith

17 -

1 Sub Broadls No 3 4

1 3 6

3 Chest Sashs

9 2 -

9 lb do

1 3 1/2

22 do 6

1 5 -

40 do

16 10 1/2

20 do

1 6 8

4 do 170 Jack Boards

1 - -

9 do Leather

- 8 -

4 do Planning Boards

2 6 6

12 lb Stopped in Leather

2 18 1/2

6 lb Chairs let do the Carpen

4 6 -

20 Squares Glass 6 6 3

4 6 -

22 lb Pattern Bakes

16 -

66 Bundles of Plunk

10 2 -

1 lb Cast in Iron Guns Oyle

2 16 6

4 Nails do

- 4 -

18 Guttoware

1 6 -

16 lb Sheet Iron doz

1 6 -

1 8 -

17 Middling Long Cloth Hemp do

£16 5 6 1/2 129 10 6 3/4

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants, continued

Brought over, £84 13s 3d

16 oz of nuns' thread, £0 2s 5d

1 oz of nuns' thread, £0 2s 4d

16 oz of nuns' thread, £0 2s 6d

6 oz of nuns' thread, £0 1s 6d

1 oz of nuns' thread, £0 1s 3d

14 pieces of ribbon, £0 1s 6d

1 yard of ribbon, £0 0s 6d

2 pieces of ribbon, £0 0s 6d

2 pieces of ribbon, £0 0s 7.5d

2.5 pieces of taffeta, £1 2s 9d

1.5 pieces of taffeta, £1 0s 6d

4.5 pieces of taffeta, £0 10s 6d

1.5 pieces of taffeta, £1 17s 6d

2 plain soldiers' coats, £2 7s 6d

4 serge coats, £2 7s 6d

28 pairs of cotton stockings, £2 15s 0d

7 horn combs, £0 6s 10d

6 horn combs, £0 5s 0d

6 buckling combs, £0 6s 6d

6 iron scrapers, £0 4s 8d

17 saws, £1 7s 6d

21 saws, £1 4s 6d

2 saws, £0 12s 8d

8 saws, £0 12s 8d

12 saws, £1 11s 0d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £115 10s 2.75d

Garrison

6 dozen of shirt buttons, £1 16s 0d

1 pistol delivered to the smith, £0 2s 0d

12 cutlass boxes for the guards, £3 12s 0d

1 sledgehammer for Deep Gutt, £0 3s 4d

1 hatchet delivered for the general use, £0 2s 0d

Sum to the garrison, £6 16s 7d

Plantation

1 gallon of rape oil, £1 4s 0d

1.5 lb of soap, £0 10s 6d

1,100 lb of rice for the poultry, £5 5s 0d

Sum to the plantation, £7 1s 6d

The Company's black slaves, on account of diet expenses

1,015 lb of rice delivered to the black slaves, £8 2s 6d

Charges general

16 lb of soap, £1 1s 3d

1 clasp fastened and finished for the accountant's office, £0 2s 8d

1 iron bolt delivered for the use of the fishing boats, £0 4s 0d

1 sledgehammer, number 2, for the use of the smith, £0 17s 6d

5 iron pins made, numbers 3 and 4, £1 3s 6d

2 iron works, £0 9s 7.5d

4.5 lb of 3d nails, £0 2s 1.5d

14 lb of 4d nails, £0 1s 8d

22.5 lb of 6d nails, £0 16s 10.5d

30 lb of 10d nails, £0 8s 8d

20 lb of 20d nails, £0 1s 8d

4 lb of 17d jack brads, £0 1s 8d

6.5 lb of jack brads, £0 8s 6.75d

6.5 lb of flooring brads, £0 16s 6.75d

12 lb of copper nails, £0 13s 2d

6 lb of pitch for the coopers, £0 4s 6d

20 squares of glass at 6d each, £0 15s 0d

20 oyster shells, £0 10s 0d

6 baskets of shell, £0 2s 0d

9 gallons of rape oil, £2 16s 6d

4 quarts of tar, £0 0s 4d

1 lb of pumice, £0 1s 6d

17 iron works, £0 1s 6d

1 iron bolt, £0 1s 6d

12 middling long cloth, for the Company's use, £0 1s 7d

Sum to charges general, £16 5s 6d

Sum total, £129 10s 6.75d

Interpretations

The soldiers' coats and serge coats sold to the inhabitants sat oddly in an account of civilian purchases, and their appearance alongside 28 pairs of cotton stockings suggests surplus garrison clothing being disposed of through the warehouse rather than issued, the Company recovering value on stock it no longer needed for the men on the establishment.

The rice charged in August fell sharply on the previous month, 1,015 lb to the Company's slaves against 2,710 lb in July, and 1,100 lb to the plantation poultry against 2,975 lb to the Plantation House slaves. That drop points to the yam crop beginning to recover as the winter loosened its hold, since imported grain was drawn on most heavily when the island's own staple ran short.

Oyster shells bought in quantity, together with the baskets of shell, supplied the burnt lime that mortar and whitewash required. The Company's limekiln had been closed by Governor Byfield on 21 March 1727 as an economy, so the island's builders now depended on shell gathered from the shore and burnt privately rather than on any Company works.

204

181

Brought over £16 5 6 1/2 129 10 6 3/4

1 White Wash Brush

1 6 -

1 Brush do

- 5 -

2 1/2 lb Hosing

5 2 1/2

2 Buckthorn Oyle

4 - -

116 lb Turpentin to mend the Boates

2 17 -

13 14 8

Diet Expences Dr

34 Gall Arrach

10 16 4

1 lb Vinegar

2 6 -

1 Brents Flowre Oyle

3 4 -

116 lb Sugar

2 13 -

6 Gall Port Wine

2 6 6

6 lb Mountain

1 13 9

2 lb Sherry

16 6 -

100 lb Flour

1 13 6

70 lb Bread

17 6 -

35 Gall Strong Beer

2 10 6

20 lb Candles

2 - -

2 lb Sugar

6 9 -

1 1/2 Bushell Salt

Totall £174 16 1 1/2

26 11 3

Expence of the Table in August 1728 Vizt

34 Gall Arrach

10 16 6

10 lb Vinegar

- 8 6

1 Bottl Flowre Oyle

- 8 4

116 lb Sugar

2 13 -

6 Gall Port Wine

2 6 6

6 lb Mountain

1 18 9

2 lb Sherry

16 6 -

100 lb Flour

1 18 6

70 lb Bread

17 6 -

35 Gall Strong Beer

2 6 6

2 lb Pepper

2 6 -

172 Bushell Salt

8 40 6

30 lb Broths

1 11 -

62 lb Fish

- 10 -

1 Goat

- 1 6

4 Turkeys

- 16 6

7 Poultes

- 15 -

13 lb Butter

1 11 -

31 Days Greens

1 - 3

62 Bottles Milk

Expence of Wm Boston Totall in Aug £65 7 7

16 lb Soap

2 1 6

20 lb Candles

3 1 6

6 -

Gunners Stores Expended in August 1728 Vizt

Powder | Colars | Primers | Rakes | Musleing | Guns fired

1728

Aug 20 An Allarm for a Ship going by

Touch at Guardposts in the Weath of no Note was great Number

Expence of the Guards

Cartridge Papers for do 42 Quire

Balls for Cartridges for Salemis 3 lb

Runner Heads att the Cooper 19 lb

Match

6 2 8 3 2 30

Signed

Jno French

Brought over, £16 5s 6.75d; total brought over, £129 10s 6.75d

1 white wash brush, £0 5s 0d

1 paint brush, £0 5s 6d

2.5 yards of edging, £0 5s 7d

3 quarts of linseed oil, £0 4s 4d

116 lb of turpentine to varnish the boats, £2 7s 0d

Sum to charges general, £13 14s 6d

Diet expenses

36 gallons of arrack, £10 16s 4d

1 lb of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

1 bottle of Florence oil, £0 3s 4d

116 lb of sugar, £2 18s 0d

6 gallons of port wine, £2 6s 6d

6 lb of Mountain wine, £1 18s 0d

2 lb of sherry, £0 16s 6d

100 lb of flour, £1 13s 6d

70 lb of bread, £0 17s 6d

36 gallons of strong beer, £0 10s 6d

20.5 lb of wax candles, £2 0s 0d

2 lb of pepper, £0 6s 9d

1.5 bushels of salt, £0 6s 9d

Sum to diet expenses, £26 11s 3d

Sum total, £174 16s 1.5d

Expense of the table in August 1728

36 gallons of arrack, £10 16s 4d

1 lb of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

1 bottle of Florence oil, £0 3s 4d

116 lb of sugar, £2 18s 0d

6 gallons of port wine, £2 6s 6d

6 lb of Mountain wine, £1 18s 0d

2 lb of sherry, £1 12s 6d

100 lb of flour, £1 12s 6d

70 lb of bread, £0 12s 6d

36 gallons of strong beer, £2 16s 6d

2 lb of pepper, £0 2s 0d

1.5 bushels of salt, £0 6s 9d

300 lb of poultry, £3 0s 0d

6 sheep, £1 11s 0d

1 goat, £1 4s 0d

4 turkeys, £0 12s 0d

7 fowls, £0 12s 0d

12 lb of butter, £0 12s 0d

31 days of greens, £1 11s 0d

62 bottles of milk, £1 1s 8d

Expense of the general table in August 1728, £26 7s 7d

16 lb of soap, £1 1s 0d

20 lb of wax candles, £2 0s 0d

Total, £3 1s 0d

Gunners stores expended in August 1728

20 August 1728, an alarm for a ship going by, 2 guns fired, 2 sakers, 2 falcons, 6 lb of powder

20 August 1728, flash at Cowlingwood on the beach for those who got numbers, 10 lb of powder

Expense of the guards

Cartridge paper for the guards, 42 quires

Match for cartridges for the same, 2 lb

Hammer heads delivered to the cooper, 18 lb

Match, 18 lb

Total, 6 guns fired, 2 sakers, 2 falcons, 30 lb of powder

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

The gunner's expenditure for August rose only slightly to 30 lb of powder, against 11 lb in July 1728, since the single alarm for a ship passing by remained the only occasion for firing beyond the routine. No vessel had called at the island since the Mountague, Bridgewater and Leathwaiter sailed on 3 June 1728, so the island had gone almost three months without a salute for an arrival, an unusually long gap against the run of shipping through the previous winter.

The 116 lb of turpentine used to varnish the boats, charged under general charges, marked the annual overhaul of the Company's craft as the winter closed. Boats laid up or hard used through the wet months needed sealing before the settled weather brought shipping back, and the same account carried oyster shells, oil, tar and pitch, so the fort's fabric and its fishing fleet were being made good together.

The table's expense of £26 7s 7d for August stood well above the £20 10s 1d of July 1728 but below the £58 8s 4.5d of May 1728, when the fort was feeding a far larger company during the presence of four homeward ships. With no shipping in harbour through August, the table was reduced to the garrison's own establishment.

205

182

Accot of the Honble Comps Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep, Goates, Hogs, Poultry & Horses, likewise what has been Killed, besides

the Encrease or Decrease for the Month of August 1728 Vizt

Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Cowes | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calves | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Totall

Hogs: Sows | Shoates | Boars | Pigs | Totall

Poultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese | Horses | Mares | Totall

Rem 1st August

Bullocks 59 | Cowes 75 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 36 | Calves 66 | Bulls 3 | Totall 282

Ewes 72 | Wethers 29 | Lambs 19 | Rams 3 | Totall 123

Ewes 244 | Wethers 73 | Kids 77 | Rams 6 | Totall 400

Sows 9 | Shoates 12 | Boars 1 | Pigs 24 | Totall 46

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 84 | Ducks 25 | Geese 22 | Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Encreasd from do to 31st do

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 8 | Bulls 0 | Totall 8

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sows 0 | Shoates 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0 | Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Bullocks 59 | Cowes 75 | Heifers 28 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 36 | Calves 74 | Bulls 3 | Totall 290

Ewes 72 | Wethers 29 | Lambs 19 | Rams 3 | Totall 123

Ewes 244 | Wethers 73 | Kids 77 | Rams 6 | Totall 400

Sows 9 | Shoates 12 | Boars 1 | Pigs 24 | Totall 46

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 84 | Ducks 26 | Geese 22 | Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 1 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 1

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 1 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 1

Sows 0 | Shoates 1 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 1

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 1 | Ducks 4 | Geese 7 | Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Dead in do 1 Very old Sow

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 1 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 1

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 3 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 4

Sows 0 | Shoates 1 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 1

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 1 | Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Rem Ulto Augt 1728

Bullocks 59 | Cowes 75 | Heifers 27 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 36 | Calves 74 | Bulls 3 | Totall 289

Ewes 72 | Wethers 29 | Lambs 19 | Rams 3 | Totall 123

Ewes 244 | Wethers 69 | Kids 77 | Rams 5 | Totall 395

Sows 8 | Shoates 11 | Boars 1 | Pigs 24 | Totall 46

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 84 | Ducks 26 | Geese 22 | Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Yams Expended for Plantation House Blacks 23,700 lb

Ditto do the Fort Blacks 9,550

Ditto do the Great Wood Blacks 5,100

Totall Yam 38,350 lb

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, with what was killed besides the increase or decrease, for the month of August 1728.

Remaining 1 August 1728: bullocks 59, cows 75, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 66, bulls 3, total neat cattle 282; ewes 72, wethers 29, lambs 19, rams 3, total sheep 123; does 244, wethers 73, kids 77, rams 6, total goats 400; sows 9, shoats 12, boars 1, pigs 24, total hogs 46; turkeys 88, fowls 84, ducks 25, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Increased from 1 to 31 August 1728: bullocks 0, cows 1, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 8, bulls 0, total neat cattle 8; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 1, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 59, cows 76, heifers 28, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 74, bulls 3, total neat cattle 290; ewes 72, wethers 29, lambs 19, rams 3, total sheep 123; does 244, wethers 73, kids 77, rams 6, total goats 400; sows 9, shoats 12, boars 1, pigs 24, total hogs 46; turkeys 88, fowls 84, ducks 26, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Killed in August 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 1, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 1; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 1, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 1; sows 0, shoats 1, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 1; turkeys 4, fowls 7, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 59, cows 76, heifers 27, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 74, bulls 3, total neat cattle 289; ewes 72, wethers 29, lambs 19, rams 3, total sheep 123; does 244, wethers 72, kids 77, rams 6, total goats 399; sows 9, shoats 11, boars 1, pigs 24, total hogs 45; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 26, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Died in August 1728, 1 very old sow: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 3, kids 0, rams 1, total goats 4; sows 1, shoats 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 1; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Remaining 31 August 1728: bullocks 59, cows 75, heifers 27, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 74, bulls 3, total neat cattle 289; ewes 72, wethers 29, lambs 19, rams 3, total sheep 123; does 244, wethers 69, kids 77, rams 5, total goats 395; sows 8, shoats 11, boars 1, pigs 24, total hogs 44; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 26, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Yams expended for the Plantation House slaves, 23,700 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 9,550 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 5,100 lb

Total yams, 38,350 lb

Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed the account.

Interpretations

The yam issue nearly doubled in August, rising from 19,000 lb in July 1728 to 38,350 lb, and the movement runs directly counter to the storekeeper's account for the same month, where rice to the Company's slaves fell from 2,710 lb to 1,015 lb and rice to the plantation from 2,975 lb to 1,100 lb. The two figures together show the yam crop coming back into supply as the winter eased, allowing the establishment to return to its own staple and to cut its dependence on the imported grain landed by the Bengal ships in May 1728. Even so, the total remains well short of the 49,550 lb of November 1726 and 53,880 lb of December 1726.

The goat herd continued to slip, from 400 at the start of the month to 395 at its close, and the loss was concentrated among the wethers, three of which died. Standing at 421 as recently as the middle of June 1728, the herd had now fallen for two consecutive months without a single kid added. That decline gives further weight to the Governor's report of 30 July 1728 that the goats in the Chapel Valley range had fallen off in their usual increase, and to the order against Alice Marsh, John Long, Francis Wrangham and Joseph Defountaine for grazing private goats on Company ground.

Neat cattle reached 289 at the close of August, the highest figure recovered in the run and well above the 191 remaining on 24 September 1726. No animal had been sold to shipping since the 23 bullocks taken in May 1728, and with three months of natural increase and no vessel calling, the Company's herd had grown steadily while its goats declined.

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183

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 24th Septr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour Reports that two Wenches of the Honble Comps at Plantation House One

Named Alice was delivered of a Girle Last Week called Bess, & the other Named Margaret was

at the Same time likewise delivered of a Girl called Betty & are accordingly both entered in

Journall folio 118

E Byfeld

John Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Generall Sessions held on Thursday 26th September 1728 at the Sessions House in James

Valley

Present Edward Byfield Govor & Judge

Capt Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The Court being Sett the following Persons were Sworn of the Jury Vizt

Sam Sofey

Gabriel Isabell Sorman

Wm Worrall

John French Gunner

Jonathn Doveton

Richard Beale

John Knopp

John Desfountain

Isaac Wrangham

Isaac Smith

Charles Stewards

William Seale 6

John Bradley was Indicted for Stealing an Apple Tree out of the Grounds of John Bazetts

Joseph Whales deposed that Sometime ago as he was going thro the Grounds of John Bradley he

there Saw an Apple Tree which he well remembers to have Seen in the Lands of Mr Bazett he having

often taken particular Notice of it, hearing Soon after that Mr Bazett had lost a Tree he tolde

him of it & they both went & Viewd it & both concluded that it was the Same Tree which Mr Bazett lost

Stephen Bourse Sledge deposed that the Said Bradley did tell him Severall Times that the Apple

Tree did com out of Mr Bazetts Grounds & that Sam the Said Bradley was Named over to the

Sessions for Stealing the Said Tree he came to this Deponent & taking him aside out of the hearing

of any Person with Tears in his Eyes did very earnestly Entreat this Deponent not to mention or

discover what he had formerly told him about the Said Tree

Isaac Woods deposed that the Said Bradley Confessed to him Severall Times that the Said

Tree was Mr Bazetts

The Prisoner in his Defense Said that he had the Tree of Joseph Lushton but the Said Lushton not

appearing nor the Prisoner making any Proof of it his Excuse availd little, his Mother indeed

deposed that this Winter the Said Tree had been Blanked when it now Stands than Years

& John Whaley deposed that he beleived the Tree in Question was not Mr Bazetts but the

former being a Woman of very ill Fame & justly Suspected to be concerned with him in all his

Roguery which formerly as well as lately has been Sensibly felt by all their Neighbourhoods as

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 24 September 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor reported that two women of the Company at Plantation House had been delivered the previous week, one named Alice of a girl called Bess, and the other named Margaret of a girl called Betty, and that both births were duly entered in journal T folio 118.

A general court held at the court house in James Valley on Thursday 26 September 1728 recorded Edward Byfield as governor and judge, with John Goodwin and D. Crisp attending. Captain Alexander was absent through illness. The court being set, the following persons were sworn of the jury.

Gabriel Powell, foreman

Samuel Jephry

John French, gunner

Mr Norrall

Richard Beale

Jonathan Doveton

John Defountaine

John Knipe

Isaac Leech

Francis Wrangham

William Seale

Charles Steward

John Bradley was indicted for stealing an apple tree out of the grounds of John Bazett. Joseph Hayse deposed that some time before, as he was going through Bazett's grounds, Bradley had often taken particular notice of a tree, which he well remembered having seen in Bazett's land, and that soon after Bazett told him the tree had been taken. The two men went and viewed the ground, and both concluded it was the same tree Bazett had lost.

Stephen Cross, sledger, deposed that Bradley had told him several times that the apple tree had come out of Bazett's grounds, and that when Bradley came before the court for stealing it he took the witness aside, out of the hearing of any person, with tears in his eyes, and earnestly entreated him not to mention or discover what he had formerly said about the tree.

Isaac Wood deposed that Bradley had confessed to him several times that the tree was Bazett's.

The prisoner said in his defence that he had the tree from Joseph Lufkin, but Lufkin did not appear, and the prisoner offered no proof of his excuse beyond his mother, who deposed that the tree had been planted the previous winter, above three years earlier.

John Whaley deposed that he believed the tree in question was not Bazett's, but Whaley was himself a man of very ill fame and justly suspected of being concerned with Bradley in all his roguery, which had been felt by all their neighbourhood both formerly and lately.

Interpretations

Impanelling a jury of twelve inhabitants, with Gabriel Powell again as foreman as he had been at the court of the peace on 26 July 1727, gave the island's criminal proceedings the form of an English trial, the Governor sitting as judge while the verdict rested with men drawn from the same community as the accused. Several jurors held substantial land in the surveys of 14 March and 31 October 1727, so the panel was weighted towards the established planters whose property the theft laws protected.

The court's treatment of John Whaley's evidence shows how credibility was weighed in the absence of any formal rules of exclusion. Rather than rejecting his testimony outright, the record set it beside his reputation and his suspected association with the accused, leaving the jury to discount it accordingly.

Bradley had already been dismissed from the Company's service at the consultation of 30 July 1728 for stealing an apple tree from Bazett and for being strongly suspected of other thefts, so the general court of 26 September 1728 was pursuing the same offence as a criminal charge after the administrative penalty had been imposed.

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184

as well when they lived in an other Division as when they now dwelle, & this later being a great

Villain & having in this very Cause first affirmd his Evidence to Mr Bazett than Testimony was

not Regarded & the Jury found him Guilty of the Indictment & he was Whipt accordingly

The Declaration of the Wife against Isaac Ford Do of the Sepitor & Slandmont of

Isaac Whaley deceased was Read in which he Claimd a Legacy given to his Wife but the

deceased dying in Debt his Claim appeard Trifling & the Jury without going out found

for the Defendant

The following Declaration of Richard Goodwin & the Trustees was next Read Vizt

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfield Esqr Govr & Councils

The Humble Declaration & Complaints of Rich Goodwin & the Trustees against

Mrs Toanes Cane

Sheweth

That John Goodwin late of this Islands deceasd by his Last Will & Testament bearing date the

16th day of Decr 1720 left to his only Son Robert Goodwin's Infant a personall Estate of complexted

Value but to continue in the Hands of his Exr the Goodwin deceasd whose Sam Goodwin Gave

charged till he the Said Robt Goodwin Should be of Age or Marry appointing after his Death the

that of his Wife Doreth again Marrancy that then all the Said personall Estate should be taken unto

the Sole Custody & Disposure of him the Said The Goodwin the other Exr for the use & Benefit of him

the Said And 14 Goodwin as aforesaid

That the Said John Goodwin by his Will aforesaid did also devest & Impower the Said The

Goodwin in Case of the desire to appoint after Exr or Exrs in his Steads who by Vertue of the

Power aforesaid by his Last Will & Testament bearing date 17 Decr 1727 did accordingly

Appoint his Wife the Said Mrs Frances Came Executor of the Will of him the aforesaid John

Goodwin & Sam the remaining unto her Hands the whole of the personall Estate aforesaid

That the aforesaid Robert Goodwin died a Minor about the year 1723 that great part of the

personall Effect is yet remaining in the Hands of the Said Mrs Came to which your Complaints

have justly Right ask to them as Executors & Distributed & the Said aforesaid Goodwin as his own Right

& the Said the Trustee in Right of his Wife who with others neither the Sole Degree of

Affinity on want of Kindred & Heires of the Estate of him the said Robert Goodwin

Your Complainants therefore Humbly pray that your Worshipp & Councils will

be pleased to take the Premisses into Consideration to the Ends & Complaints

Right may be Obtained & that the Said Mrs Came may be Compelled

to Sett forth your Complainants for their Share Portion or Dividends of so

much of the said personall Estate as yet remains in her Hands Unsofested

of & being undestable Heires to the Same

And your Complainants as in Duty bounds Shalle

Ever Pray

Signed

Rich Goodwin

Tho Trustee

After which at the desire of the Plaintiffs the last Will & Testament of John Goodwin deceasd was

read & also so much of the Codicillents of the Said 16th day of Decr 1727 as related to this matter in

dispute Whereby the 6th Paragraph of the Said Compl from a Letter dated 29 Novr 1727

Being offering nothing off the Jury withdrew to consider of the affair being not entirely deducted

that then wch not answer & different because to enable them to determine any thing about it, the

rather because what has been done was many Years ago by Order of the Councils Recommended the

Parties concerned to an amicable agreement, as that they wouldi State this Case & Send it to England

for the Advice of Councils

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Bradley had lived in another division as well as where he now dwelt, the latter being a great villain, and having in this very court first offered his evidence to Mr Bazett. Their testimony was not regarded, and the jury found him guilty of the indictment. The court whipped him accordingly.

The prosecution against the woman named Nan Ford, wife of the deceased and administrator of James Whaley, deceased, was rested, in which the claim was given to his wife, but the deceased lying in debt his claim appeared falling, and the jury without going out found for the defendants.

The following declaration of Richard Goodwin and Thomas Greentree was next read.

To the Honourable Edward Byfield, esquire, governor, and the council, the humble declaration and complaint of Richard Goodwin and Thomas Greentree against Mrs Frances Crane showed the following.

John Goodwin, late of this island, by his last will and testament dated 16 December 1720, left to his only son Robert Goodwin, an infant, a personal estate of considerable value, but so continued in the hands of his executor, the deceased, and his wife Jane Goodwin. Jane Goodwin, deceased, held the estate until Robert Goodwin should be of age or marry, appointing also by his said will that his wife should again marry, that then all the said personal estate should be taken into the custody of the surveyor of the said John Goodwin, the other executor, for the use and benefit of him the said Robert Goodwin, as specified.

John Goodwin by his will also directed and empowered his wife the said executrix, in case of the death, to appoint other executors or executrix in his stead, who by virtue of the power set out by his last will and testament dated 17 December 1723 did accordingly appoint his wife the said Mrs Frances Crane, executrix of the will of him the executor, John Goodwin, and such things as the mounts into his hands the whole of the personal estate.

Robert Goodwin was a minor of about the age of nine years, and a great part of the personal estate was then remaining in the hands of the said executor's estate, to which the complainants had a just right and to the dividends, and the said Richard Goodwin, in his own right and the said Thomas Greentree in right of his wife, who were together the sole heirs of the said estate, were seized of hundreds and acres of the estate of him the said Robert Goodwin.

The complainants therefore humbly prayed that the governor and council would be pleased to take the examination into consideration, so that the ends of complainants' rights might be obtained, and that the said Mrs Crane might be compelled to account with the complainants for their share, portion or dividends of so much of the said personal estate as yet remained in her hands, undisposed of, they being undoubtedly known to the same. And the complainants, as in duty bound, would ever pray.

Signed, at St Helena, 16 September 1728, by Richard Goodwin and Thomas Greentree.

After which, at the desire of the plaintiffs, the last will and testament of John Goodwin, deceased, was read, together with the eleventh paragraph of the Company's general letter dated 24 November 1727 relating to the matter in question. Neither party offering anything, the jury withdrew to consider of the affair, being extremely disturbed that neither the said complainants nor the executors were able to discover any thing about it. The parties having declared to their hurt what had been done and so many great acres, the council recommended the parties to come to an amicable agreement, and by order of the governor, if they should stake their case and send it to England, they were to come to the council.

Interpretations

The dispute over John Goodwin's estate turned on a chain of executorship stretching back to a will of 16 December 1720. The testator had provided that his personal estate should stay with his widow only until his son came of age or married, and that if she remarried it should pass to another executor, so the property remained in trust rather than passing outright. The remarriage clause is the point on which the whole complaint hangs, since Frances Crane held the estate by an appointment derived from the widow's power rather than by any direct grant from the testator.

Reading the eleventh paragraph of the Company's general letter of 24 November 1727 alongside the will shows the council treating the Company's own directions from England as a source of authority equal to the testamentary instrument. Estate disputes involving minors were of standing concern to the council, which had held an orphans court on 3 October 1727 requiring guardians, executors and trustees to render written accounts of the estates held for children.

Speculations

The jury had heard the case and withdrawn to consider it, so a verdict was the obvious course, yet the council instead pressed the parties towards an amicable settlement and left open the possibility of sending the matter to England. The record shows why: the jury found itself unable to establish what remained of the estate or what had become of it, and no verdict could be safely reached on facts nobody had been able to discover. Rather than force a finding that would settle nothing, the council preferred an agreement between the parties or a determination by the Company's own authority in London.

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185

At a Consultation held on Monday 30th Sept 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

Capt Alexander Absent

being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation & Proceedings at the Sessions were read & Approved

The Honble Companies Black Children being Alowed an Year Since the 20 of Sept last, We

this Day Settled their Value in proportion to the Encrease of their Age as p Journall folio 152,

153

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 1st October 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govor

Jno Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Inhabitants according to a Notice lately given the day proposed an List of the Severall Persons fitted

for Parish offices for the Year ensuing Vizt

Capt John Alexander

Richard Beale

for Church Wardens

Isaac Woods

John Wrangham

Snt Bowen

James Rigden

Overseers of the Highways for the West Divisions

Wm Harper

Richard Tinsley

Do for the South Do

John Seale

Samuel Doveton

Do for the East Do

Mathew Woodz

Joseph Harpus

Do for the East Do

Out of which Number We appointed Richard Beale & Isaac Woods Church Wardens, Joseph

Harpus Overseer of the Highways for the East & South, James Rigden for the West & South, Tinsley

for the South Division & they Severally received their Instrumons & were Sworn accordingly, the

former having plesd their Oath on refusal

Orderd that Notice be given that on Tuesday next the 8th Septr an Orphans Court will be

held by Wm Elshick in the Sessions at Plantation House at which Time all guardians & Trustees will

are to deliver an Just State the Writing of the Estate or Effects of all Such Orphans as are under

their Care

Complaint of Report that on taking the Inventory to be given a Copy of Stockings Mr Bazgett who is his

Stephant the Coats Martin Van boyed being probable given to the James & Manag Vet Do finds that

the Severall particulars following are wanting the Coats being quite four & fully Compleat to bumelate that this

was a Mistake of the Person to whom the Inventory belonged the Said Goods Vizt

20 Baces Woolen Stockings 6 6 6 Boat

16 pr Mens Thred Stockings 2 21

8 doz Sowen Wire

- -

Orderd that this Report be mentiond in the Genl Letter & that the Said Stockings do remain upon

Persons his to the Compy Pleasure to answer

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

A consultation held at Plantation House on Monday 30 September 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation and the proceedings at the court were read and approved. The Company's black children having grown a year older since 30 September 1727, the council that day settled their value in proportion to the increase of their age, as by journal T folio 152 and 153.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 1 October 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The inhabitants, following the notice lately given, presented that day a list of the several persons chosen for parish offices for the year ahead.

Captain John Alexander, churchwarden

Richard Beale, churchwarden

Isaac Wood, churchwarden

John Thornton, churchwarden

James Hayse, overseer of the highways for the west division

Thomas Harper, overseer of the highways for the west division

Richard Tumfrey, overseer of the highways for the south division

John Seale, overseer of the highways for the south division

Samuel Doveton, overseer of the highways for the east division

Joseph Boyer, overseer of the highways for the east division

Out of this number the council appointed Richard Beale and Isaac Wood as churchwardens, Joseph Hayse as overseer of the highways for the east division, James Boyer for the west division and Richard Tumfrey for the south division. They were severally sworn, their instructions were drawn, sworn and delivered, and the previous holders passed their accounts.

The council ordered that notice be given that on the Tuesday following, at ten in the morning, an orphans court would be held by nine of the clock in the forenoon at Plantation House, at which time all guardians, trustees and executors were to deliver an inventory or account in writing of the estates or effects of all such orphans as were under their care.

Captain Goodwin reported that in taking the inventory he opened a cask of stockings that Mr Bazett, who is his shipmate on board the Prince Van, had left there, being probable which came by the James and Mary, number 1, and he did not think the storeman particular in giving an account of the cask, being quite full and full and empty, and he concluded that this was a mistake of the storeman in taking the account.

Contents of the cask, according to the inventory

2 gallons of Rhenish wine, £0 4s 0d

4 gallons of Rhenish wine, £0 8s 0d

6 gallons of Rhenish wine, £0 12s 0d

The council ordered that the report be mentioned in the general letter, and that the cask of stockings be sent home upon a bottom to the Company, at pleasure to survey.

Interpretations

Revaluing the Company's black children each year in proportion to their age recorded them in the books as appreciating assets, their worth rising as they approached the age at which they could work. That reckoning had been carried out on the same date the year before, and it sat alongside the practice of selling or apprenticing out those who cost more in keep than they returned, as with the boy James sold to Captain Goodwin for £6 0s 0d on 20 August 1728, the woman Lamea Batt sold to Mr Bazett for £20 0s 0d on 28 May 1728, and the girls Mary, Sarah and Betty Green apprenticed under registered bonds in April 1727.

The parish offices were filled by nomination and selection rather than by direct election. The inhabitants returned two names for each highway division and four for the churchwardenship, and the council then chose from among them, so the community proposed while the government disposed. The chosen men were sworn on the spot and their predecessors made to account, which closed one year's tenure and opened the next in a single sitting.

The orphans court set for the following Tuesday repeated the sitting first held on 3 October 1727, when guardians, executors and trustees rendered written accounts of the estates of Henry Francis's orphans, Robinson's orphans, John Nicholls and James Draper's orphans. Requiring an inventory in writing gave the council a standing check on trustees, in an island where the death of a planter left children dependent on neighbours who held their property.

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186

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 2nd October 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

Jno Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

Wee this Day Booked with the Garrison for the Months past as p Journall folio

following at which time they & the Inhabitants attended & Signed the Books for the Year past

E Byfeld

John Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 8th October 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govor

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Pursuently to the order of Tuesday last the Guardians of the Severall Orphans hereaft-

mentioned this day delverd the following Accot of the Estate of all Such as are under their

Care Vizt

Accot of the Estate belonging to Henry Trancers Orphans Vizt

13 Loose Sowld [.] | 2 Men Slaves | 3 Black do do | 7 Hoggs | 10 Fowles

84 Ditto English do | 4 Women dito | 4 Girls | 3 do Boys | 3 Ducks

Goates about 400. Yams about 5,000

Dr Cr

To Sundry Accot 5 East 1728 £121 2 3 1/2 By Sundry Accot £45 16 9

By Ballance £76 5 8 1/2

£121 2 3 1/2

Signed

John Goodwin

Isaac Wrangham

Accot of the Estate of Robinsons Orphans Vizt

20 Ewes Slap Lambs | 2 Men Slaves | 1 Boy | 6 Cowes | 1 Bulldock | 3 Yearlings

Sheepfold goble Stedught | 2 Women Slaves | 2 Girles | 6 Calves | 4 do Hoggs

150 Goates | 12 Turkeys | 4 Ducks | 138,000 Yams young Wood

Ths Estate has Credit by Sundrys £7 9 9

Debitted to Sundrys 6 0 0

Signed

Richard Beale

Samuel Isyoy Dr to Isai Alaskas £4 6 [.] 5

for divn Stock Vizt

9 Cowes

2 Goates

Memorandum the last Crop was overcharged twenty things

Signed

Jno G Crispy

Acco

A consultation held at Plantation House on Wednesday 2 October 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The council met that day and reckoned with the garrison for the month past, as by journal T folio 118, at which time they and the inhabitants attended and signed the books for the year past.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 8 October 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. Following the order of the previous Tuesday, the guardians of the several orphans mentioned before delivered that day the following accounts of the estates of all such as were under their care.

Account of the estate belonging to Henry Francis's orphans

13 acres freehold land

25 acres leasehold land

2 men slaves

2 women slaves

3 black boys

4 girls

12 hogs

10 lambs

7 ducks

Goats, about 100

Yams, about 60,000

To sundry accounts, 8 October 1728, £121 2s 3.75d

By sundry accounts, £45 16s 9d

By balance, £75 5s 6.75d

Total, £121 2s 3.75d

Signed by John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham.

Account of the estate of Robinson's orphans

20 acres leasehold land

2 men slaves

2 women slaves

1 boy

2 girls

6 cows

6 calves

1 bullock

1 horse

3 yearlings

150 goats

30 hogs

2 English cattle

5 turkeys

44 hogs

12 turkeys

1 duck

138,000 yams, young and old

This effect has ended by sundries, £7 2s 9d

Published to sundries, £6 3s 1d

Signed by Richard Beale.

Samuel Jephry, debtor to Isaac Fluchus, £45 16s 0d

The clear stock

8 cows

2 calves

Signed by Samuel Jephry. A memorandum recorded that the account of the previous year was overcharged by twenty things.

Interpretations

The orphans court of 8 October 1728 repeated the sitting of 3 October 1727, and comparing the two accounts shows how the estates had fared over the year. Henry Francis's orphans had held 13 acres freehold, 25 acres leasehold, cattle, hogs, poultry, 20,000 yams, three men, two women, three boys and one girl, about 110 goats, with a clear total of £114 11s 5.25d. A year on the land was unchanged, the yams stood at about 60,000 and the slaves at two men, two women, three boys and four girls, so the estate had been worked rather than run down, and the balance had risen to £121 2s 3.75d.

Robinson's orphans had held 25 acres leasehold and a house in 1727, with two men, two women, ten boys and one girl. The land now stood at 20 acres and the slave household at two men, two women, one boy and two girls, a sharp reduction which the account does not explain, while the yam stock had grown to 138,000 and the livestock to substantial herds of cattle, goats and hogs. The estate appears to have been converted from labour towards stock and provision.

Requiring guardians to render written accounts gave the council its only means of checking that a dead planter's property was being preserved for his children rather than consumed by those holding it. The memorandum admitting the previous year's account was overcharged shows the mechanism doing exactly that, an error surfacing when the two years were set side by side.

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187

Accot of the Estate of Dragoons Orphans Vizt

240 Acres Sheep Lambs 2 Men Slaves 3 Cowes 2 Sows

8 ditto Lambs 100000 Yams young Wood 6 Calves 14 Pigs 31 Goates

2 Heifers 13 Stroled

Towles Turkeys Ducks Sheepfolds Goodstons

Signed

Jonathan Doveton

Giles Smith

Daniell Griffith Baltohonck Praying leave to deposit of Said Lands so he holds by desp of the

Honble Company

Granted provided the approve of the Recorder

The following Petition was also Subscribed

to the Worshipfull Edwards Byfeld Esqr Govor & Councill

The humble Petition of Sarah Torrick Widow

Sheweth

That Your Petr by the late Death of her Husband finds her Self so very much Involved

& Reduced to Such Streights that She is hardly able to Support her Self & the Child in Infants

Being left without any help is justely thankfull esteem to Compleat the Terms of the Sudn Acres

of Land Granted to her Said Husband about two Years Since or to Pay the Rent thereof

& without Prospect of ever being able to do it,

Your Petr therefore humbly Prays that Your Worship the Councill in Compassiona

of her unhappy Circumstance may be pleased to accept of the Surrender of the

Said Land

8th October 1728

And Your Petr as in Duty bound Shall ever Pray

Signed

Sarah Torrick

The Truth of the Sureaf particulars mentioned in the Said Petition being any not known to

us the accept of the Surrender of the Said Land accordingly

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 15th October 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govor

Jno Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Governour delverd a Journall & Accot of the Honble Companies late Stock of Cash Accot for the

Year past ending the 30 of Septr last a Monthly Accot of the Same for September last

Capt Goodwin also delverd an Accot of Sotredhoush Stock held in Sept last, likewise

the Gunner also delverd an Accot of Gunners Stores remaining So th Sept last, likewise

an Accot of the Expence thereof in the Said Monthly Accot

The Steward also delverd an Accot of the Expence of the Honble Company Table in the Month of Sepr last

als which was Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

Gunner Stores Expended in the Month of Sept 1728 Vizt Powder

1728

Sept 4 Muster Day

20 Expended at the Funeralls of John French

Expence of the Guard

Cartridge Paper to mak Cartridges for the Small Armes 1 Quire

Match

10

18

20

Signed

Jno French

Account of the estate of Draper's orphans

34.5 acres freehold land

5 acres leasehold land

2 men slaves

50,000 yams, young and old

3 cows

2 calves

2 heifers

1 sow

14 hogs

10 shoats

91 goats

Fowls, turkeys, ducks, hogs and goats

Signed by Jonathan Doveton and Giles Smith.

Daniel Griffith petitioned for leave to dispose of his lease, as he held it by lease of the Company. The council granted it, provided the opinion of the purchaser stood good.

The following petition was also presented, addressed to the Honourable Edward Byfield, esquire, governor, and the council, being the humble petition of Sarah French, widow.

By the recent death of her husband she found herself very much involved in debt, and reduced to such straits that she was hardly able to support herself and her children as infants, being left without any help or scarcely tolerable estate to comply with the terms of the sixteen acres of land granted to her husband about two years earlier, or to pay the rent of it, and she was without prospect of ever being able to do so. She therefore prayed that the governor and council, in consideration of her unhappy circumstances, would be pleased to accept the surrender of the lease.

Dated 8 October 1728, signed by Sarah French.

The truth of the several particulars set out in her petition being very well known to the council, it accepted the surrender of the lease accordingly.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 15 October 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor delivered an account of the Company's live stock of cattle and other stock for the month ending on 30 September 1728, and also a monthly account of the slaves for September last. Captain Goodwin delivered an account of the storekeeper's stores in his charge, and the gunner also delivered an account of the gunner's stores remaining on 30 September 1728, along with an account of the expense of the same for the month. The steward also delivered an account of the expense of the general table for the month of September last, all of which were severally examined and approved and were as follows.

Gunners stores expended in the month of September 1728

7 September 1728, muster day, 10 lb of powder

20 September 1728, expended at the funeral of John French, 1 lb of powder

Expense of the guards

Cartridge paper to make cartridges for the small arms, 1 quire

Match, 10 lb

Total, 18 lb of powder

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

Sarah French surrendered a lease rather than sell it, which meant the sixteen acres reverted to the Company without any payment to her. A lease was a liability as much as an asset, carrying an obligation to pay rent and to plant and maintain wood in proportion, and the advertisement of 16 March 1728 had added a heavy fine on any tenant seeking renewal after neglecting that duty. For a widow left in debt, the land was worth less than the burdens attached to it.

Draper's orphans' estate had last been accounted for on 17 October 1727, when disbursements of £67 18s 0d were rendered and the dividends paid in goods rather than coin. A year on the estate stood at 34.5 acres freehold, 5 acres leasehold, two men slaves and 50,000 yams, so the land and labour had been kept intact while the yam stock had been built up substantially.

The powder expended in September fell to 18 lb, close to the 11 lb of July 1728 and below the 30 lb of August 1728, and the only occasions for firing were the muster and a funeral. No vessel had called at the island since the Mountague, Bridgewater and Leathwaiter sailed on 3 June 1728, a gap of over four months with no arrival salute fired, which stands in sharp contrast to the 216 lb consumed in May 1728 when six ships came and went.

The gunner's account for September was signed by John French, whose funeral the same account records on 20 September 1728. The signature must therefore have been entered before his death or by another hand, and the council raised no objection when the account was passed on 15 October 1728.

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188

Accot of the Honble Comps Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep, Goates, Hogs, Poultry & Horses, likewise what has been Killed, besides

the Encrease or Decrease for the Month of September 1728 Vizt

Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Cowes | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calves | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Totall

Hogs: Sowes | Barrows | Shoates | Boars | Pigs | Totall

Poultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese

Horses: Horses | Mares | Totall

Remains 1 Sept

Bullocks 59 | Cowes 75 | Heifers 27 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 36 | Calves 74 | Bulls 3 | Totall 289

Ewes 72 | Wethers 29 | Lambs 19 | Rams 3 | Totall 123

Ewes 244 | Wethers 69 | Kids 77 | Rams 5 | Totall 395

Sowes 8 | Barrows 0 | Shoates 11 | Boars 1 | Pigs 24 | Totall 44

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 26 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Encreasd from do to 30th do

Bullocks 14 | Cowes 17 | Heifers 13 | Steirs 13 | Yearlings 33 | Calves 3 | Bulls 0 | Totall 93

Ewes 4 | Wethers 3 | Lambs 18 | Rams 0 | Totall 25

Ewes 11 | Wethers 18 | Kids 74 | Rams 1 | Totall 104

Sowes 4 | Barrows 2 | Shoates 0 | Boars 1 | Pigs 12 | Totall 19

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 2 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 92 | Heifers 40 | Steirs 28 | Yearlings 69 | Calves 77 | Bulls 3 | Totall 382

Ewes 76 | Wethers 32 | Lambs 37 | Rams 3 | Totall 148

Ewes 255 | Wethers 87 | Kids 151 | Rams 6 | Totall 499

Sowes 12 | Barrows 2 | Shoates 11 | Boars 2 | Pigs 36 | Totall 63

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 27 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Killed in do 2 Very old Cows

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 2 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 2

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 2 | Kids 4 | Rams 1 | Totall 7

Sowes 0 | Barrows 0 | Shoates 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 40 | Steirs 28 | Yearlings 69 | Calves 77 | Bulls 3 | Totall 380

Ewes 76 | Wethers 32 | Lambs 37 | Rams 3 | Totall 148

Ewes 253 | Wethers 83 | Kids 150 | Rams 6 | Totall 492

Sowes 12 | Barrows 2 | Shoates 11 | Boars 2 | Pigs 36 | Totall 63

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 27 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Dead in do 1 Very old Bulls

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 1 | Totall 1

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sowes 0 | Barrows 0 | Shoates 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Cattle Sheep Goates & Hogs

Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 40 | Steirs 28 | Yearlings 69 | Calves 77 | Bulls 2 | Totall 379

Ewes 76 | Wethers 32 | Lambs 37 | Rams 3 | Totall 148

Ewes 253 | Wethers 83 | Kids 150 | Rams 6 | Totall 492

Sowes 12 | Barrows 2 | Shoates 11 | Boars 2 | Pigs 36 | Totall 63

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 27 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 17 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 28 | Calves 31 | Bulls 0 | Totall 90

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 7 | Rams 0 | Totall 7

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 30 | Rams 0 | Totall 30

Sowes 0 | Barrows 0 | Shoates 5 | Boars 0 | Pigs 2 | Totall 7

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Rem 30th Sept

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 23 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 46 | Bulls 2 | Totall 289

Ewes 76 | Wethers 32 | Lambs 30 | Rams 3 | Totall 141

Ewes 253 | Wethers 83 | Kids 120 | Rams 6 | Totall 462

Sowes 12 | Barrows 2 | Shoates 6 | Boars 2 | Pigs 34 | Totall 56

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 27 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantacons 23650

Ditto dd the Fort Blacks 9600

Ditto dd the Great Wood ditto 5150

Totall Yam 38400 lb

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the month of September 1728.

Remaining 1 September 1728: bullocks 59, cows 75, heifers 27, steers 15, yearlings 36, calves 74, bulls 3, total neat cattle 289; ewes 72, wethers 29, lambs 19, rams 3, total sheep 123; does 244, wethers 69, kids 77, rams 5, total goats 395; sows 8, barrows 0, shoats 11, boars 1, pigs 24, total hogs 44; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 26, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Increased from 1 to 30 September 1728: bullocks 14, cows 17, heifers 13, steers 13, yearlings 33, calves 3, bulls 0, total neat cattle 93; ewes 4, wethers 3, lambs 18, rams 0, total sheep 25; does 11, wethers 18, kids 74, rams 1, total goats 104; sows 4, barrows 2, shoats 0, boars 1, pigs 12, total hogs 19; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 1, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 92, heifers 40, steers 28, yearlings 69, calves 77, bulls 3, total neat cattle 382; ewes 76, wethers 32, lambs 37, rams 3, total sheep 148; does 255, wethers 87, kids 161, rams 6, total goats 499; sows 12, barrows 2, shoats 11, boars 2, pigs 36, total hogs 63; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 27, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Killed in September 1728, 2 very old cows: bullocks 0, cows 2, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 2; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 2, wethers 4, kids 1, rams 0, total goats 7; sows 0, barrows 0, shoats 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 40, steers 28, yearlings 69, calves 77, bulls 3, total neat cattle 380; ewes 76, wethers 32, lambs 37, rams 3, total sheep 148; does 253, wethers 83, kids 160, rams 6, total goats 492; sows 12, barrows 2, shoats 11, boars 2, pigs 36, total hogs 63; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 27, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Died in September 1728, 1 very old bull: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 1, total neat cattle 1; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, barrows 0, shoats 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 40, steers 28, yearlings 69, calves 77, bulls 2, total neat cattle 379; ewes 76, wethers 32, lambs 37, rams 3, total sheep 148; does 253, wethers 83, kids 160, rams 6, total goats 492; sows 12, barrows 2, shoats 11, boars 2, pigs 36, total hogs 63; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 27, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Cattle, sheep, goats and hogs cut and grown in September 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 17, steers 14, yearlings 28, calves 31, bulls 0, total neat cattle 90; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 7, rams 0, total sheep 7; does 0, wethers 0, kids 30, rams 0, total goats 30; sows 0, barrows 0, shoats 5, boars 0, pigs 2, total hogs 7; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Remaining 30 September 1728: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 23, steers 14, yearlings 41, calves 46, bulls 2, total neat cattle 289; ewes 76, wethers 32, lambs 30, rams 3, total sheep 141; does 253, wethers 83, kids 120, rams 6, total goats 462; sows 12, barrows 2, shoats 6, boars 2, pigs 34, total hogs 56; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 27, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 23,650 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 9,600 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 5,150 lb

Total yams, 38,400 lb

Interpretations

September 1728 marked the annual stocktake at the close of the Company's accounting year, and the figures reflect a full recount rather than the ordinary run of births and deaths. Increases of 93 neat cattle, 25 sheep, 104 goats and 19 hogs in a single month are far beyond any natural rate, and against them stand transfers of 90 cattle, 7 sheep, 30 goats and 7 hogs moved between categories. The closing total of 289 neat cattle is identical to the opening figure for 1 September 1728, which shows the reconciliation cancelling itself out once the recount and the reclassification were both entered.

The goat herd was the exception. It rose from 395 at the start of the month to 462 at its close, the first gain since June 1728 and a reversal of the steady slide that had prompted the Governor's report of 30 July 1728 that the Chapel Valley goats had fallen off in their usual increase. The six weeks allowed to John Long on 30 July 1728 to clear his goats from the range would have expired in the middle of September, and the order against Alice Marsh, Francis Wrangham and Joseph Defountaine had run its fourteen days long before, so the herd's recovery follows directly on the clearing of the range.

The yam issue held steady at 38,400 lb, almost exactly the 38,350 lb of August 1728 and double the 19,000 lb of July 1728, confirming that the crop had come back into full supply as the winter ended and that the establishment was again feeding on its own staple rather than on imported rice.

212

189

Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Cowes | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calves | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Totall

Hoggs: Sowes | Shoates | Barrows | Boars | Pigs | Totall

Poultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese

Horses: Horses | Mares | Totall

Remains 1st Octr 1727

Bullocks 76 | Cowes 57 | Heifers 46 | Steirs 16 | Yearlings 24 | Calves 43 | Bulls 3 | Totall 265

Ewes 55 | Wethers 24 | Lambs 20 | Rams 3 | Totall 102

Ewes 191 | Wethers 57 | Kids 117 | Rams 6 | Totall 371

Sowes 8 | Shoates 10 | Barrows 2 | Boars 1 | Pigs 23 | Totall 44

Turkeys 82 | Fowles 95 | Ducks 37 | Geese 30

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Brought from do to 30 Septr

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 13 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 2 | Rams 1 | Totall 16

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Encreasd from do to do

Bullocks 30 | Cowes 44 | Heifers 13 | Steirs 13 | Yearlings 46 | Calves 72 | Bulls 0 | Totall 218

Ewes 11 | Wethers 20 | Lambs 39 | Rams 1 | Totall 71

Ewes 79 | Wethers 61 | Kids 158 | Rams 2 | Totall 300

Sowes 7 | Shoates 13 | Barrows 2 | Boars 1 | Pigs 35 | Totall 58

Turkeys 6 | Fowles 42 | Ducks 9 | Geese 3

Horses 1 | Mares 0 | Totall 1

Killed from do to do

Bullocks 106 | Cowes 101 | Heifers 59 | Steirs 29 | Yearlings 70 | Calves 115 | Bulls 3 | Totall 483

Ewes 79 | Wethers 44 | Lambs 61 | Rams 5 | Totall 189

Ewes 270 | Wethers 118 | Kids 275 | Rams 8 | Totall 671

Sowes 16 | Shoates 23 | Barrows 4 | Boars 2 | Pigs 58 | Totall 102

Turkeys 88 | Fowles 137 | Ducks 46 | Geese 33

Horses 7 | Mares 3 | Totall 10

Bullocks 1 | Cowes 6 | Heifers 1 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 1 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 9

Ewes 1 | Wethers 10 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 11

Ewes 13 | Wethers 32 | Kids 8 | Rams 0 | Totall 53

Sowes 1 | Shoates 12 | Barrows 2 | Boars 0 | Pigs 1 | Totall 16

Turkeys 4 | Fowles 60 | Ducks 19 | Geese 11

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Sold to Ships in ditto

Bullocks 105 | Cowes 95 | Heifers 58 | Steirs 29 | Yearlings 69 | Calves 115 | Bulls 3 | Totall 474

Ewes 78 | Wethers 34 | Lambs 61 | Rams 5 | Totall 178

Ewes 257 | Wethers 86 | Kids 267 | Rams 8 | Totall 618

Sowes 14 | Shoates 11 | Barrows 2 | Boars 2 | Pigs 57 | Totall 86

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 27 | Geese 22

Horses 7 | Mares 3 | Totall 10

Bullocks 32 | Cowes 4 | Heifers 1 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 37

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Sold to G Bawer, Young Wood

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 91 | Heifers 57 | Steirs 29 | Yearlings 69 | Calves 115 | Bulls 3 | Totall 437

Ewes 78 | Wethers 34 | Lambs 61 | Rams 5 | Totall 178

Ewes 267 | Wethers 86 | Kids 267 | Rams 8 | Totall 618

Sowes 14 | Shoates 11 | Barrows 2 | Boars 2 | Pigs 57 | Totall 86

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 27 | Geese 22

Horses 7 | Mares 3 | Totall 10

Dead from do to do

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 91 | Heifers 57 | Steirs 29 | Yearlings 69 | Calves 115 | Bulls 3 | Totall 437

Ewes 78 | Wethers 34 | Lambs 61 | Rams 5 | Totall 178

Ewes 267 | Wethers 86 | Kids 267 | Rams 8 | Totall 618

Sowes 14 | Shoates 11 | Barrows 2 | Boars 2 | Pigs 57 | Totall 86

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 21 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 1 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 1 | Totall 2

Ewes 2 | Wethers 2 | Lambs 0 | Rams 1 | Totall 5

Ewes 4 | Wethers 3 | Kids 5 | Rams 2 | Totall 14

Sowes 2 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 5 | Totall 7

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 4 | Mares 0 | Totall 4

Cattle Sheep Goates & Hoggs

Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 57 | Steirs 29 | Yearlings 69 | Calves 115 | Bulls 2 | Totall 435

Ewes 76 | Wethers 32 | Lambs 61 | Rams 4 | Totall 173

Ewes 253 | Wethers 83 | Kids 262 | Rams 6 | Totall 604

Sowes 12 | Shoates 11 | Barrows 2 | Boars 2 | Pigs 52 | Totall 79

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 27 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 34 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 28 | Calves 69 | Bulls 0 | Totall 146

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 31 | Rams 1 | Totall 32

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 142 | Rams 0 | Totall 142

Sowes 0 | Shoates 5 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 18 | Totall 23

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Remains 30th Sept 1728

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 23 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 46 | Bulls 2 | Totall 289

Ewes 76 | Wethers 32 | Lambs 30 | Rams 3 | Totall 141

Ewes 253 | Wethers 83 | Kids 120 | Rams 6 | Totall 462

Sowes 12 | Shoates 6 | Barrows 2 | Boars 2 | Pigs 34 | Totall 56

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 27 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantacons 92424 lb

Do delverd the Fort Blacks 25260

Ditto delverd the Great Wood Blacks 14410

Totall Yams 132094

Potatoes from the Great Wood dd the Honble Comp Blacks & Enterd to the Credit of the Said Wood in Leger folio 129

Ditto Sold to Ships as Appears in the said folio

Totall Potatoes [.] 566 Bushell

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the year from 1 October 1727 to 30 September 1728.

Remaining 1 October 1727: bullocks 76, cows 57, heifers 46, steers 16, yearlings 24, calves 43, bulls 3, total neat cattle 265; ewes 55, wethers 24, lambs 20, rams 3, total sheep 102; does 191, wethers 57, kids 117, rams 6, total goats 371; sows 8, shoats 10, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 23, total hogs 44; turkeys 82, fowls 96, ducks 37, geese 30; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Bought from 1 October 1727 to 30 September 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 13, wethers 0, lambs 2, rams 1, total sheep 16; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Increased from 1 October 1727 to 30 September 1728: bullocks 30, cows 44, heifers 13, steers 13, yearlings 46, calves 72, bulls 0, total neat cattle 218; ewes 11, wethers 20, lambs 39, rams 1, total sheep 71; does 79, wethers 61, kids 158, rams 2, total goats 300; sows 7, shoats 13, barrows 2, boars 1, pigs 35, total hogs 58; turkeys 6, fowls 42, ducks 9, geese 3; horses 1, mares 1, total horses 1

Total: bullocks 106, cows 101, heifers 59, steers 29, yearlings 70, calves 115, bulls 3, total neat cattle 483; ewes 79, wethers 44, lambs 61, rams 5, total sheep 189; does 270, wethers 118, kids 275, rams 8, total goats 671; sows 16, shoats 23, barrows 4, boars 2, pigs 58, total hogs 102; turkeys 88, fowls 137, ducks 46, geese 33; horses 7, mares 3, total horses 10

Killed from 1 October 1727 to 30 September 1728: bullocks 1, cows 6, heifers 1, steers 0, yearlings 1, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 9; ewes 1, wethers 10, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 11; does 13, wethers 32, kids 8, rams 0, total goats 53; sows 1, shoats 12, barrows 2, boars 0, pigs 1, total hogs 16; turkeys 4, fowls 60, ducks 19, geese 11; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 105, cows 95, heifers 58, steers 29, yearlings 69, calves 115, bulls 3, total neat cattle 474; ewes 78, wethers 34, lambs 61, rams 5, total sheep 178; does 257, wethers 86, kids 267, rams 8, total goats 618; sows 14, shoats 11, barrows 2, boars 2, pigs 57, total hogs 86; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 27, geese 22; horses 7, mares 3, total horses 10

Sold to ships from 1 October 1727 to 30 September 1728: bullocks 32, cows 4, heifers 1, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 37; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 91, heifers 57, steers 29, yearlings 69, calves 115, bulls 3, total neat cattle 437; ewes 78, wethers 34, lambs 61, rams 5, total sheep 178; does 257, wethers 86, kids 267, rams 8, total goats 618; sows 14, shoats 11, barrows 2, boars 2, pigs 57, total hogs 86; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 27, geese 22; horses 7, mares 3, total horses 10

Sold to Gabriel Powell, 1 young horse: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 1, mares 0, total horses 1

Total: bullocks 73, cows 91, heifers 57, steers 29, yearlings 69, calves 115, bulls 3, total neat cattle 437; ewes 78, wethers 34, lambs 61, rams 5, total sheep 178; does 257, wethers 86, kids 267, rams 8, total goats 618; sows 14, shoats 11, barrows 2, boars 2, pigs 57, total hogs 86; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 27, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Died from 1 October 1727 to 30 September 1728: bullocks 0, cows 1, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 1, total neat cattle 2; ewes 2, wethers 2, lambs 0, rams 1, total sheep 5; does 4, wethers 3, kids 5, rams 2, total goats 14; sows 2, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 5, total hogs 7; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 57, steers 29, yearlings 69, calves 115, bulls 2, total neat cattle 436; ewes 76, wethers 32, lambs 61, rams 4, total sheep 173; does 253, wethers 83, kids 262, rams 6, total goats 604; sows 12, shoats 11, barrows 2, boars 2, pigs 52, total hogs 79; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 27, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Cattle, sheep, goats and hogs cut and grown from 1 October 1727 to 30 September 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 34, steers 15, yearlings 28, calves 69, bulls 0, total neat cattle 146; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 31, rams 1, total sheep 32; does 0, wethers 0, kids 142, rams 0, total goats 142; sows 0, shoats 5, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 18, total hogs 23; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Remaining 30 September 1728: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 23, steers 14, yearlings 41, calves 46, bulls 2, total neat cattle 289; ewes 76, wethers 32, lambs 30, rams 3, total sheep 141; does 253, wethers 83, kids 120, rams 6, total goats 462; sows 12, shoats 6, barrows 2, boars 2, pigs 34, total hogs 56; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 27, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 92,424 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 25,260 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 14,410 lb

Total yams, 132,094 lb

Potatoes from the Great Wood delivered to the Company's black slaves and entered to the credit of that wood in ledger T folio 129, 566 bushels

Potatoes sold to ships as appears in the said folio, 119 bushels

Interpretations

The annual account for 1727 to 1728 closes the Company's year and sets the whole run of monthly figures in a single frame. Neat cattle rose from 265 to 289 across the twelve months on an increase of 218 head, against 9 killed, 37 sold to shipping and 2 dead, so the herd grew despite disposals. Goats rose more sharply still, from 371 to 462 on an increase of 300, though 53 were killed and 14 died, and the recovery of the range after the order against the private goats of Alice Marsh, John Long, Francis Wrangham and Joseph Defountaine on 30 July 1728 falls within this reckoning.

The 37 cattle sold to shipping across the year comprised 32 bullocks, 4 cows and a heifer, and the concentration of those sales is telling. The Prince of Wales took stock in December 1727, the Stanhope in January 1728, the Caernarvon in February 1728, the Anne and Mary in March 1728 and the ships of May 1728 took 23 bullocks in a single month, while the four months from June to September 1728 saw no vessel call and no beast sold. The Company's beef trade was governed entirely by the rhythm of the Indiamen.

The single horse sold to Gabriel Powell in January 1728 appears here as a separate line, the only such transaction in the year, and its isolation shows how rarely the Company parted with its draught animals to an inhabitant.

Yams for the whole year came to 132,094 lb, and the potato credit to the Great Wood of 566 bushels delivered to the slaves and 119 bushels sold to ships confirms that wood as a productive holding rather than merely a timber reserve. The council had protected it by the advertisement of 21 November 1727 after the timber thefts of that autumn, and its potato crop now stood as a distinct source of both food and revenue.

213

190

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabts &c

from the 1st to the 30 Septr 1728 Vizt

1187 Sugar

29 13 6

40 1/2 lb Candy

2 - 6

514 lb Bread

6 8 6

20 doz Pipes

- 5 -

4 lb Pepper

4 - 9

3 1/2 Sho Threads

- 3 9

8 lb Chintz

5 14 8

2 Sticks

- 5 -

3 lb Middling Long Cloth

4 5 1

2 Bengall Quilts

8 4 -

1 Sett China Bowles

16 -

6 Cupps & Saucers

- 3 -

1 Small Cupp

- 2 -

2 Barrels Lamblack

2 8 -

1 lb Stark

- 3 9

37 1/2 Gallon ohm

17 6 -

1 Horn Watts

2 1 2

1 Tin Funnell

1 2 -

6 Barringers

1 9 -

6 Sawbyer

2 6 -

2 Coffee Potts

- 6 6

1 Sauce Pan

- 10 -

1 Smale Tin Kettle

2 6 -

2 Squares Glass 10 & 12

2 6 -

16 1/2 do 6 & 8

6 5 3

34 Wine Glasses

2 2 6

1 Horn Comb

- 2 10

2 Ivory ditto

2 - 4

2 do

2 4 -

1 Bruckling do

1 2 1

10 Earthen Barringers

1 2 2

4 Tinn do Pans

2 3 1

3 do do Smiths Glepshe

1 1 -

1 Tinn Old do

- 1 6

6 1/2 Yds Black Fish

16 3 1/2

1 Sifframent

1 2 -

1 Paper Ink

- 2 6

7 Yds Dimothy

8 2 -

4 do

11 8 -

1 lb Chintzfeet

1 18 6

4 do

17 3 -

2 1/2 Yds French Stuff

2 8 -

16 Dimun

1 7 1

6 Flannel

11 8 -

1 Canvas

1 2 -

34 Yds Scarlet Broade Cloth

16 9 -

5 lb Kersey

- 6 -

10 lb Elizabeth

- 3 6

6 doz Cutt Spoons

1 7 6

18 Chamber Potts

- 13 6

26 do

6 6 1

5 Basons

1 1 3

3 ditto

14 4 3

11 do

- 3 -

7 do

2 1 6

4 do

4 - 6

2 pr Colourd Stockings

2 13 -

25 Mens Knitt

14 3 -

2 do Wor

9 7 6

11 Boys

16 6 -

5 do

1 18 6

11 Womn

12 6 -

6 do

2 9 6

1 do

2 2 6

2 do

- 3 6

8 doz Whistle

- 6 -

2 Large Tinn Lanthorns

3 6 -

4 lb Allejin

13 4 -

1 lb Skeps

3 8 6

1 6 -

121 14 9 1/2

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 30 September 1728

1,187 lb of sugar, £29 13s 6d

40.5 lb of candy, £2 0s 6d

514 lb of bread, £6 8s 6d

20 dozen of paper, £0 5s 0d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

3.5 lb of shoe thread, £0 3s 9d

8 pieces of calico, £5 14s 8d

2 sticks, £0 5s 0d

3 pieces of middling long cloth, £4 5s 1d

2 Bengal quilts, £0 8s 4d

1 set of china bowls, £0 16s 0d

6 cups and saucers, £0 3s 0d

1 small cup, £0 0s 2d

2 barrels of lampblack, £0 2s 8d

1 lb of starch, £0 2s 9d

37.5 gallons of oil, £0 17s 6d

1 horn hat, £2 1s 2d

1 tin funnel, £0 1s 2d

6 porringers, £0 1s 9d

6 lanterns, £0 2s 6d

2 coffee pots, £0 6s 6d

1 sauce pan, £0 2s 10d

1 small tin kettle, £0 2s 6d

2 squares of glass, numbers 10 and 12, £0 2s 6d

16.5 squares of glass, numbers 6 and 8, £6 5s 3d

34 wine glasses, £2 2s 6d

1 horn comb, £0 2s 10d

2 ivory combs, £0 2s 4d

2 ivory combs, £0 2s 4d

1 buckling comb, £1 2s 1d

10 earthen porringers, £0 2s 2d

4 iron pans, £0 2s 1d

3 pieces of Dutch glass, £0 1s 0d

1 iron ladle, £0 1s 6d

6.5 yards of black silk, £16 6s 9.5d

1 pair of stays, £0 2s 0d

1 cape hat, £0 2s 6d

7 yards of dimity, £0 8s 2d

6 yards of dimity, £0 11s 8d

1 piece of chintz, £1 18s 6d

1 piece of chintz, £0 17s 3d

2.5 yards of Nuremberg stuff, £0 2s 8d

16 dinner plates, £1 7s 0d

5 flowered plates, £0 11s 8d

1 canvas, £0 1s 2d

24 yards of scarlet broadcloth, £1 6s 9d

5.5 yards of baize, £0 3s 6d

12 pieces of tape, £0 16s 9d

6 dozen of dutch spoons, £1 7s 6d

18 chamber pots, £0 13s 6d

26 chamber pots, £0 6s 1d

5 basins, £0 6s 6d

3 basins, £1 1s 3d

11 basins, £0 14s 3d

7 basins, £0 2s 6d

4 basins, £0 4s 6d

9 pairs of coloured stockings, £2 13s 0d

25 men's knit stockings, £0 14s 0d

2 pairs of women's stockings, £9 7s 6d

11 pairs of boys' stockings, £0 15s 6d

5 pairs of boys' stockings, £1 18s 6d

11 pairs of women's stockings, £0 12s 6d

6 pairs of women's stockings, £2 9s 6d

1 pair of women's stockings, £0 3s 6d

2 pairs of women's stockings, £0 3s 6d

3 dozen of hasps, £0 3s 6d

2 large iron lanterns, £0 13s 4d

4 flat irons, £0 3s 8d

1 pair of stays, £0 1s 6d

Carried over, £121 14s 9.5d

Interpretations

September's sales carried over at £121 14s 9.5d before the closing lines, well above the £115 10s 2.75d that closed the whole of August 1728, and the balance of goods shows the reason. Sugar alone accounted for £29 13s 6d, a far heavier purchase than in any preceding month, while glassware, plates, basins, chamber pots, lanterns and flat irons filled out the rest.

The heavy buying of household goods in September points to the return of the shipping season. No vessel had called since the Mountague, Bridgewater and Leathwaiter sailed on 3 June 1728, and the inhabitants had been unable to sell their produce through the winter, which is why several were still owing on their half-year rents at the reckoning of 30 March 1728 and had promised to pay by September. With the fleets due back, they were buying against expected income rather than out of savings.

The black silk at £16 6s 9.5d for six and a half yards was by some way the costliest single line in the account, and its appearance alongside scarlet broadcloth, flowered plates and coloured stockings marks a level of consumption among the island's planters well above subsistence.

214

191

Brought Over £121 14 9 1/2

1 lb Bowls

16 6 9 1/2

2 Iron Slats Bowls

16 6 -

5 Boreing Chizzels

3 9 -

1 Tender

- 6 -

1 Chizzel Iron

2 6 -

1 pr Tongs No 2

2 8 -

1 pr do 3

2 6 -

1 Rasp Iron

2 6 -

1 Hatchett

2 6 -

2 do

7 4 -

2 pr Hinges No 3

10 4 -

2 Doorbolts 2

1 4 -

1 Handvise

5 6 -

1 Chizzel Sticks

6 6 -

2 Spilstile Locks

4 6 -

1 Sash No Sticks

4 8 -

1 Trowel

2 6 -

12 Sail & Nailes

9 6 -

1 Grose Iron Vinegar No 1

9 6 -

1 do 2

12 6 -

101 Hosline

6 11 -

1 Board 2 lb

6 6 -

1 Chafeing Dish

2 6 -

1 Frying Pan

2 6 -

10 Cotton Botts

3 18 -

1 Bucket do

12 6 -

1 Sail Pan do

14 - -

1 Grindstone

4 6 -

9 lb Tack

2 10 -

1 lb 2 do Jack Broads

1 8 -

1 Sett Braysfits

2 6 -

2 Cloth Sires

2 6 -

2 Brush ditto

2 6 -

1 Sanding ditto

- - -

6 pr Womens Colrd Leather Shoes

1 - -

1 do Spanish

17 6 -

4 Mens Colrd do

2 9 -

1 Boys

2 4 -

ditto Rag Wooden Sotch

10 - -

do Wire

2 6 -

2 Buckskin Drawer

- 6 -

2 Bags of Capt Prilatick

18 - -

1 Small Blazer Strap

- 6 -

1 pr Brass Candlesticks

14 6 -

1 Barrell Snuffers & Stands

- 6 -

20 lb Coals

8 11 7

154 8 10 1/2

Diet Expences Dr

40 Gall Arrach

13 12 4

10 lb Sugar

3 6 6

10 Gall Port

3 17 6

4 do Mountaine

1 - -

3 do Sherry

1 2 6

9 lb lb Bread

2 4 6

13 lb Flour

- 4 8

28 Gall Strong Beer

- 2 9

14 lb Bar Candles

- 11 -

1 1/2 do Vinegar

1 12 -

14 lb Candles

- 2 -

2 lb Soap

- 3 9

31 16 1

Plantacon Dr

4 lb Rape Oyle

1 6 3

40 do do

1 2 -

14 lb Turpentin

3 6 -

9 lb 20 Nailes

1 8 -

12 do 20 do

10 10 -

10 do do

11 9 -

9 do 2 do

4 17 10

191 1 9 1/2

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants, continued

Brought over, £121 14s 9.5d

1 pair of bands, £0 15s 9.5d

2 dozen of shoe thread, £0 16s 6d

5 barrels of bilgeboards, £0 3s 9d

1 fender, £0 0s 6d

1 clean saw, £0 2s 6d

1 pair of tongs, number 8, £0 2s 8d

1 pair of tongs, number 8, £0 2s 8d

2 rasps, £0 2s 6d

1 hatchet, £0 3s 4d

2 hatchets, £0 7s 4d

2 pairs of hinges, number 6, £0 1s 0d

2 candlesticks, number 2, £0 1s 4d

1 hand vice, £0 5s 6d

2 clasp locks, £0 6s 6d

2 splinter locks, £0 4s 6d

1 chest lock, £0 4s 8d

1 hammer, £0 2s 6d

12 sails and needles, £0 2s 6d

1 iron four inch hooks, number 1, £0 9s 6d

1 iron four inch hooks, number 3, £0 12s 6d

101 hoe lines, £6 11s 0d

1 board, £0 6s 6d

1 chafing dish, £0 2s 6d

1 shod shovel, £0 2s 6d

10 earthen pots, £3 18s 0d

1 standing pot, £0 12s 6d

1 small iron pot, £0 14s 0d

1 grindstone, £0 4s 6d

14.5 lb of tacks, £0 6s 10d

1 lb of 4.5d jack brads, £0 1s 8d

1 pair of snuffers, £0 2s 6d

2 cloth boxes, £0 3s 0d

2 comb boxes, £0 2s 6d

1 sanding box, £0 3s 6d

6 pairs of women's calf leather shoes, £1 0s 0d

2 pairs of Spanish leather shoes, £0 17s 0d

4 pairs of men's shoes, £0 12s 9d

1 boy's pair, £2 4s 0d

21 lb of cake sinkers, £0 2s 0d

6 tins, £0 3s 6d

2 earthen basins, £0 2s 6d

2 pairs of copper buckets, £0 19s 0d

1 double razor strop, £0 12s 0d

1 pair of copper candlesticks, £0 14s 0d

1 barrel of snuffers and stands, £0 3s 6d

20 lb of soap, £8 11s 7d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £154 8s 10.5d

Diet expenses

30 gallons of arrack, £13 12s 4d

10 lb of sugar, £0 3s 6d

10 gallons of port wine, £3 17s 6d

4 gallons of Mountain wine, £1 0s 0d

3 lb of sherry, £1 2s 6d

9 lb of bread, £2 4s 6d

19 lb of flour, £0 2s 9d

28.5 gallons of strong beer, £0 11s 0d

14 lb of wax candles, £1 6s 6d

1.5 lb of vinegar, £0 2s 0d

14 lb of candles, £0 2s 0d

2 lb of pepper, £0 2s 0d

Sum to diet expenses, £31 16s 1d

Plantation

4.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 6s 3d

40 lb of tar, £0 1s 0d

4.5 lb of turpentine, £0 3s 0d

14 lb of 4d nails, £0 3s 0d

12 lb of 20d nails, £0 10s 10d

12 lb of 20d nails, £0 11s 3d

9 lb of 20d nails, £0 12s 0d

Sum to the plantation, £4 17s 10d

Sum total, £191 1s 3.5d

Interpretations

The September account closed at £154 8s 10.5d to the inhabitants, the highest figure recovered in the run and well above the £115 10s 2.75d of August 1728 and £143 6s 2.5d of July 1728. Tools and hardware dominate the closing pages, with hatchets, locks, hinges, vices, hammers, rasps, grindstone and shovels bought in quantity, so the buying reflects preparation for the season's work rather than the clothing and needlework that had filled the August account.

Diet expenses at £31 16s 1d ran ahead of the £26 11s 3d of August 1728, driven almost entirely by the 30 gallons of arrack at £13 12s 4d. The rise in the fort's drink bill anticipated the return of shipping, since visiting officers dined at the general table and the table's cost tracked the presence of ships in the roads.

215

191

Garrison Dr Brought over £191 1 9 1/2

11 lb Bohea Tea

3 6 -

4 lb Gall Rape Oyle

1 7 -

20 lb do besides the Allowance for the Comworth for

our Year Ending 30 Septr 1728

10 2 6

Medicines Expended this Year

25 - -

39 155

32 11 6

Honble Comps Blacks Dr on Acct of Clothing

13 lb 8 lb Sundry Sortch do to Deale a new Bag & to mend the other ones

28 Twin Duffelin

12 - -

404 Yds Kersey

42 8 -

40 lb Mens Coates

4 4 -

8 lb Ordinary Long Cloth

- 6 -

8 lb Colourd Threads

1 16 -

100 Nedles

- 1 -

2 lb Colourd Tape

- 4 2

2 lb Whitele Brown Thread

18 9 -

79 Isaac Blankth

22 14 3

Deliverd that

the Taylor may

sett than down

against the Sum

of Clothing

On Acct of Charges Genl

40 lb Cordage

1 - -

37 lb Sail

18 6 -

78 doz Rends Sotch

4 6 8

111 Yarn 40

3 13 4

for the fighting Bombs

99 14 8

Charges General Dr

13 lb Diaptes to repair Table Cloths & Napkins & Table Beds

6 10 -

3 Yards English Linnen

3 2 9

18 lb Lakest Blanketh

12 6 -

11 1/2 Gall Rape Oyle

3 9 -

10 lb Cotton Barter

2 - -

16 lb Indigo

- - -

4 Small Sail

7 6 -

9 lb 2 Sotch

- 6 9

3 do

3 3 -

1 Brint Small

- - -

29 lb 2 lb Silk

7 6 -

10 or China Silk

1 6 -

10 lb Soap

1 1 3

6 Bushell Fine Sotchl

1 1 3

9 Bottles Soap to do

1 1 3

Salvage this of Same Wharfe Expended in the

21 - -

Coals 420 Sotch do from 1 Oct to 30 Sept folio 129

20 - -

76 12 3

Sum Totall £438 15 7 1/2

Expence of the Table in Septr 1728 Vizt

722 lb Beefe

9 12 9

4 lb Pork

- 6 -

1 Fowls

- 10 -

10 lb Butter

- 10 -

30 Days Greens

1 10 -

60 Bottles Milk

1 - -

28 Gall Arrack

12 4 8

4 lb 6 Sourpanks

1 1 8

182 lb Sugar

3 8 6

10 Gall Port

3 7 6

4 lb Mountain

1 11 -

3 lb Sherry

1 3 3

90 lb Bread

1 2 6

178 lb Flour

2 4 6

28 1/2 Gall Strong Beer

2 2 9

14 lb Sauce do

- 2 -

1 1/2 do Vinegar

- 2 9

2 lb Pepper

- 2 -

Soap 15 lb

£1 1 3

Candles 14 lb

1 16 -

2 17 3

46 4 10

Garrison, brought over £191 1s 3.5d

11 bushels of peas, £0 3s 6d

1.5 gallons of rape oil, £0 1s 7d

50 yards of Holland duck to make the awnings for the Company's boats for the year ending 30 September 1728, £10 2s 6d

Medicines expended this year, £26 0s 0d

Sum to the garrison, £39 15s 6d

Naval and gunners stores

13 yards and 8 ells of bunting served to make a new flag to send to the other one, £2 11s 6d

Sum to naval and gunners stores, £2 11s 6d

The Company's black slaves, on account of clothing

28 iron dubbers, £12 0s 0d

404 yards of kersey, delivered that the tailor may cut and make into apparel, £42 8s 0d

40 pieces of blue gingham, delivered that the tailor may cut and make into apparel, £3 4s 0d

8 pieces of ordinary long cloth, delivered that the tailor may cut and make into apparel, £2 4s 0d

8 lb of coloured thread, against the time of clothing, £1 16s 0d

100 needles, against the time of clothing, £0 1s 0d

2.5 pieces of coloured tape, against the time of clothing, £0 4s 2d

50 yards of white Bengal cloth, against the time of clothing, £18 9s 0d

79 sailors' blankets, against the time of clothing, £22 14s 3d

On account of charges general

40 lb of cordage, £1 0s 0d

32 lb of sail, £1 18s 6d

7.5 dozen of hooks and sinkers, for the use of the fishing boats, £4 6s 8d

111 lines, number 2, for the use of the fishing boats, £3 13s 4d

Sum to the Company's black slaves, £99 14s 8d

Charges general

13 pieces of dowlas to make table cloths, napkins and towels, £6 10s 0d

3 yards of English linen, £3 2s 9d

18 pairs of sailors' blankets, £12 12s 0d

11.5 gallons of rape oil, £3 9s 0d

12 lb of cotton yarn, £0 2s 0d

14 lb of soap, £0 7s 9d

4 iron bolts, £0 7s 9d

9 lb of 20d nails, £0 3s 3d

3 lb of 20d nails, £0 3s 3d

1 paint brush, £0 3s 3d

9 lb of white lead, £0 7s 6d

1 pot of china oil, £0 1s 6d

6 lb of soap, £0 1s 3d

6 buckets of Florence oil, £1 1s 3d

9 gallons of oil for the ship, £1 1s 3d

Stationery for the accountant's office and the general expense of this year, £6 9s 0d

Rent of 20 bushels delivered from the cask to the Company for the year, £20 0s 0d

Sum to charges general, £76 12s 3d

Sum total, £438 15s 7.5d

Expense of the table in September 1728

722 lb of beef, £9 12s 9d

41 lb of pork, £1 0s 6d

1 goat, £0 6s 0d

10 lb of butter, £0 10s 0d

30 days of greens, £0 10s 0d

60 bottles of milk, £1 10s 0d

28 gallons of arrack, £12 12s 8d

2 lb of Florence oil, £1 1s 8d

100 lb of sugar, £3 8s 6d

10 gallons of port wine, £3 17s 6d

4 lb of Mountain wine, £1 11s 0d

3 lb of sherry, £1 3s 0d

90 lb of bread, £1 2s 6d

178 lb of flour, £2 4s 6d

28.5 gallons of strong beer, £0 4s 9d

14 lb of wax candles, £1 8s 0d

1.5 lb of vinegar, £0 2s 9d

2 lb of pepper, £0 2s 3d

Expense of the table in September 1728, £46 4s 10d

15 lb of soap, £1 1s 3d

18 lb of candles, £1 16s 0d

Total, £2 17s 3d

Interpretations

The clothing account for the Company's slaves came to £99 14s 8d, by far the heaviest single charge in the month, and it was drawn once a year rather than monthly. The materials named show the whole process: 404 yards of kersey, a coarse ribbed wool, together with blue gingham, ordinary long cloth and white Bengal cloth, all delivered to the tailor to be cut and made into apparel, with coloured thread, needles and tape supplied against the same work. The muster of 13 March 1727 had recorded tailors among the handicraft slaves, so the Company clothed its people from its own labour using imported cloth.

The 79 sailors' blankets issued to the slaves, together with 18 pairs more charged to general charges, mark the end of the winter rather than its beginning. The council had issued extra arrack and sugar to the slaves in May 1728 because the weather was wet and cold, and the bedding now supplied against the coming year followed the same recognition that St Helena's winter months brought damp and chill to people housed in poor quarters.

Medicines expended for the year stood at £26 0s 0d, charged to the garrison in a single line. That figure carries a particular weight given the inquiry of 5 and 12 September 1727, when John Hodgkinson was found to have sold and squandered the Company's cordial waters and no cinnamon water remained in the shop at all. Benjamin Alsop had replaced Gibson as surgeon on 13 February 1728 at £3 a month, and the annual medicine charge now appears as a plain reckoning rather than as a subject of dispute.

The table's expense rose to £46 4s 10d in September, well above the £26 7s 7d of August 1728, and 722 lb of beef against no beef at all in the preceding month accounts for most of the difference. Two very old cows were killed during September, and the fort was evidently provisioning itself against the return of shipping.

216

192

Inventory of Gunners Stores Remaining the 30th Septr 1728 put into the following Form from the irregular Confused

Accot deliverd by the Gunner Vizt

Demi Cannon | Whole Culverin | Demi Culverin | Minion | Sackers | Falcons | Twelve Pounders | Nine Pounders | Totall Ordinance | Iron round Shott | Double headed Shott | Cannon Powder | Match | Cartridge Paper | Spunge Staves | Spunge Heads | Rammer Heads | Powder Horns | Worms | Copper Ladles | Tompkins | Sheep Skins | Beds | Quoins | Cartrouch Boxes | Trucks | Axeltrees | Plumbstaples | Bispolls | Sponge Bowls | Iron Work & Furniture | Union Flaggs | Snuffpikes | Formers | Linstocks | Priming Wires | Cartridge Cases | Rough Rifles | Bandin Skins | Musquets | Swords | Leadn Shott | Drums | Field Colours | Buccanier Guns | Flints | Halberts | Sowing Bolts | Buff Belts | Grenadier Powder | Bomb Shells

Rem 30 Septr 1727

Demi Cannon 12 | Whole Culverin 5 | Demi Culverin 48 | Minion 5 | Sackers 16 | Falcons 27 | Twelve Pounders 11 | Nine Pounders 4 | Totall Ordinance 128 | Iron round Shott 6940 | Double headed Shott 546 | Cannon Powder 188 | Match 381 | Cartridge Paper 18 3 | Spunge Staves 339 | Spunge Heads 426 | Rammer Heads 221 | Powder Horns 208 | Worms 17 | Copper Ladles 22 | Tompkins 760 | Sheep Skins 204 | Beds 122 | Quoins 108 | Cartrouch Boxes 163 | Trucks 332 | Axeltrees 60 | Plumbstaples 36 | Bispolls 10 | Sponge Bowls 3 | Iron Work & Furniture 2 | Union Flaggs 3 | Snuffpikes 189 | Formers 24 | Linstocks 100 | Priming Wires 300 | Cartridge Cases 92 | Rough Rifles 4 | Bandin Skins 77 | Musquets 163 | Swords 192 | Leadn Shott 1400 | Drums 6 | Field Colours 2 | Buccanier Guns 7 | Flints 17000 | Halberts 11 | Sowing Bolts 271 | Buff Belts 114 | Grenadier Powder 100 | Bomb Shells 10

Recd to 1 Octr 1728

Demi Cannon 0 | Whole Culverin 0 | Demi Culverin 2 | Minion 0 | Sackers 0 | Falcons 0 | Twelve Pounders 0 | Nine Pounders 0 | Totall Ordinance 0 | Iron round Shott 0 | Double headed Shott 0 | Cannon Powder 18 | Match 224 | Cartridge Paper 0 | Spunge Staves 0 | Spunge Heads 0 | Rammer Heads 0 | Powder Horns 0 | Worms 0 | Copper Ladles 0 | Tompkins 0 | Sheep Skins 0 | Beds 0 | Quoins 0 | Cartrouch Boxes 50 | Trucks 0 | Axeltrees 0 | Plumbstaples 0 | Bispolls 2 | Sponge Bowls 0 | Iron Work & Furniture 0 | Union Flaggs 1 | Snuffpikes 0 | Formers 0 | Linstocks 0 | Priming Wires 0 | Cartridge Cases 0 | Rough Rifles 0 | Bandin Skins 0 | Musquets 50 | Swords 0 | Leadn Shott 0 | Drums 0 | Field Colours 0 | Buccanier Guns 0 | Flints 0 | Halberts 0 | Sowing Bolts 0 | Buff Belts 0 | Grenadier Powder 1 | Bomb Shells 0

Demi Cannon 12 | Whole Culverin 5 | Demi Culverin 48 | Minion 5 | Sackers 16 | Falcons 27 | Twelve Pounders 11 | Nine Pounders 4 | Totall Ordinance 128 | Iron round Shott 6940 | Double headed Shott 646 | Cannon Powder 206 | Match 605 | Cartridge Paper 18 3 | Spunge Staves 339 | Spunge Heads 426 | Rammer Heads 221 | Powder Horns 208 | Worms 17 | Copper Ladles 22 | Tompkins 760 | Sheep Skins 204 | Beds 122 | Quoins 108 | Cartrouch Boxes 213 | Trucks 332 | Axeltrees 60 | Plumbstaples 36 | Bispolls 12 | Sponge Bowls 3 | Iron Work & Furniture 2 | Union Flaggs 4 | Snuffpikes 189 | Formers 24 | Linstocks 100 | Priming Wires 300 | Cartridge Cases 92 | Rough Rifles 4 | Bandin Skins 77 | Musquets 213 | Swords 192 | Leadn Shott 1400 | Drums 6 | Field Colours 2 | Buccanier Guns 7 | Flints 17000 | Halberts 11 | Sowing Bolts 271 | Buff Belts 114 | Grenadier Powder 100 | Bomb Shells 10

Expended in ditto

Demi Cannon 0 | Whole Culverin 0 | Demi Culverin 0 | Minion 0 | Sackers 0 | Falcons 0 | Twelve Pounders 0 | Nine Pounders 0 | Totall Ordinance 0 | Iron round Shott 2 | Double headed Shott 0 | Cannon Powder 8 39 | Match 190 | Cartridge Paper 1 6 | Spunge Staves 8 | Spunge Heads 8 | Rammer Heads 8 | Powder Horns 0 | Worms 0 | Copper Ladles 6 | Tompkins 13 | Sheep Skins 0 | Beds 0 | Quoins 0 | Cartrouch Boxes 0 | Trucks 0 | Axeltrees 0 | Plumbstaples 0 | Bispolls 0 | Sponge Bowls 0 | Iron Work & Furniture 0 | Union Flaggs 0 | Snuffpikes 0 | Formers 0 | Linstocks 0 | Priming Wires 0 | Cartridge Cases 0 | Rough Rifles 1 | Bandin Skins 0 | Musquets 0 | Swords 2 | Leadn Shott 0 | Drums 0 | Field Colours 0 | Buccanier Guns 0 | Flints 0 | Halberts 0 | Sowing Bolts 0 | Buff Belts 0 | Grenadier Powder 0 | Bomb Shells 0

Rem 30 Septr 1728

Demi Cannon 12 | Whole Culverin 5 | Demi Culverin 48 | Minion 5 | Sackers 16 | Falcons 27 | Twelve Pounders 11 | Nine Pounders 4 | Totall Ordinance 128 | Iron round Shott 6938 | Double headed Shott 646 | Cannon Powder 197 3 | Match 415 | Cartridge Paper 17 2 | Spunge Staves 331 | Spunge Heads 418 | Rammer Heads 213 | Powder Horns 208 | Worms 17 | Copper Ladles 22 | Tompkins 754 | Sheep Skins 191 | Beds 122 | Quoins 108 | Cartrouch Boxes 213 | Trucks 332 | Axeltrees 60 | Plumbstaples 36 | Bispolls 12 | Sponge Bowls 3 | Iron Work & Furniture 2 | Union Flaggs 0 | Snuffpikes 189 | Formers 24 | Linstocks 100 | Priming Wires 300 | Cartridge Cases 92 | Rough Rifles 4 | Bandin Skins 76 | Musquets 213 | Swords 192 | Leadn Shott 1398 | Drums 6 | Field Colours 2 | Buccanier Guns 7 | Flints 17000 | Halberts 11 | Sowing Bolts 271 | Buff Belts 114 | Grenadier Powder 100 | Bomb Shells 10

E Byfield

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Inventory of gunners stores remaining on 30 September 1728, set out in an orderly form from the irregular and confused account delivered by the gunner.

Remaining 30 September 1727: demi-cannon 12, whole culverins 5, demi-culverins 48, minions 5, sakers 16, falcons 27, twelve pounders 11, three pounders 4, total ordnance 128, iron round shot 6,940, double headed shot 546, cannon powder 188 barrels, match 381, cartridge paper 188, sponge staves 339, sponge heads 426, rammer heads 221, powder horns 208, worms 17, copper ladles 22, tampions 760, ship irons 204, beds 122, quoins 108, cartouche boxes 163, trucks 332, axletrees 60, plumb straps 36, pistols 10, budge barrels 3, guns' cases and furniture 2, union flags 3, handspikes 189, formers 24, linstocks 100, corning wires 300, cartridge cases 92, rough rafters 4, bunting skins 77, muskets 163, swivels 192, lock shot 1,400, drums 6, field colours 2, buccaneer guns 7, flints 17,000, halberds 11, screwing rods 271, buff belts 114, grenadier pouches 100, bomb shells 10

Received 1 October 1728: demi-cannon 0, whole culverins 0, demi-culverins 2, minions 0, sakers 0, falcons 0, twelve pounders 0, three pounders 0, total ordnance 0, iron round shot 0, double headed shot 0, cannon powder 18 barrels, match 224, cartridge paper 0, sponge staves 0, sponge heads 0, rammer heads 0, powder horns 0, worms 0, copper ladles 0, tampions 0, ship irons 0, beds 0, quoins 0, cartouche boxes 50, trucks 0, axletrees 0, plumb straps 0, pistols 2, budge barrels 0, guns' cases and furniture 0, union flags 1, handspikes 0, formers 0, linstocks 0, corning wires 0, cartridge cases 0, rough rafters 0, bunting skins 0, muskets 50, swivels 0, lock shot 0, drums 0, field colours 0, buccaneer guns 0, flints 0, halberds 0, screwing rods 0, buff belts 0, grenadier pouches 1, bomb shells 0

Total: demi-cannon 12, whole culverins 5, demi-culverins 48, minions 5, sakers 16, falcons 27, twelve pounders 11, three pounders 4, total ordnance 128, iron round shot 6,940, double headed shot 646, cannon powder 206 barrels, match 605, cartridge paper 188, sponge staves 339, sponge heads 426, rammer heads 221, powder horns 208, worms 17, copper ladles 22, tampions 760, ship irons 204, beds 122, quoins 108, cartouche boxes 213, trucks 332, axletrees 60, plumb straps 36, pistols 12, budge barrels 3, guns' cases and furniture 2, union flags 4, handspikes 189, formers 24, linstocks 100, corning wires 300, cartridge cases 92, rough rafters 4, bunting skins 77, muskets 213, swivels 192, lock shot 1,400, drums 6, field colours 2, buccaneer guns 7, flints 17,000, halberds 11, screwing rods 271, buff belts 114, grenadier pouches 100, bomb shells 10

Expended in the year: demi-cannon 0, whole culverins 0, demi-culverins 0, minions 0, sakers 0, falcons 0, twelve pounders 0, three pounders 0, total ordnance 0, iron round shot 2, double headed shot 0, cannon powder 8.5 barrels, match 190, cartridge paper 1.6, sponge staves 8, sponge heads 8, rammer heads 8, powder horns 0, worms 0, copper ladles 0, tampions 6, ship irons 13, beds 0, quoins 0, cartouche boxes 0, trucks 0, axletrees 0, plumb straps 0, pistols 0, budge barrels 0, guns' cases and furniture 0, union flags 0, handspikes 0, formers 0, linstocks 0, corning wires 0, cartridge cases 0, rough rafters 0, bunting skins 1, muskets 0, swivels 2, lock shot 0, drums 0, field colours 0, buccaneer guns 0, flints 0, halberds 0, screwing rods 0, buff belts 0, grenadier pouches 0, bomb shells 0

Remaining 30 September 1728: demi-cannon 12, whole culverins 5, demi-culverins 48, minions 5, sakers 16, falcons 27, twelve pounders 11, three pounders 4, total ordnance 128, iron round shot 6,938, double headed shot 646, cannon powder 197.5 barrels, match 416, cartridge paper 173, sponge staves 331, sponge heads 418, rammer heads 213, powder horns 208, worms 17, copper ladles 22, tampions 764, ship irons 191, beds 122, quoins 108, cartouche boxes 213, trucks 332, axletrees 60, plumb straps 36, pistols 12, budge barrels 3, guns' cases and furniture 2, union flags 0, handspikes 189, formers 24, linstocks 100, corning wires 300, cartridge cases 92, rough rafters 4, bunting skins 76, muskets 213, swivels 192, lock shot 1,398, drums 6, field colours 2, buccaneer guns 7, flints 17,000, halberds 11, screwing rods 271, buff belts 114, grenadier pouches 100, bomb shells 10

Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed the inventory.

Interpretations

The guns are classed by the weight of ball they threw rather than by any modern calibre. A demi-cannon fired the heaviest shot on the island, a culverin was a long-barrelled piece prized for range with the demi-culverin its lighter version, and below these came the saker, the minion and the falcon in descending order of weight, the falcon being the smallest. Twelve pounders and three pounders were named directly by the weight of their ball. Swivels were small pieces mounted on a pivot for close defence, while buccaneer guns were light shipboard weapons of the kind carried by privateers.

The consumable stores that serve those guns each have a distinct function in the cycle of loading and firing. A sponge on its stave cleaned and damped the bore between rounds, a rammer drove the charge home, a worm drew a spent charge that had failed to fire, and a tampion plugged the muzzle against damp. A linstock held the slow match, the smouldering cord that touched off the powder, and a handspike levered the heavy carriage into position. A former shaped the paper cartridges, a budge barrel held loose powder safely near the guns, and a cartouche box carried made-up cartridges on the man. Beds, quoins, trucks and axletrees were parts of the carriage itself, the quoin being a wedge that raised or lowered the barrel and the trucks the small solid wheels on which it ran. Double headed shot was an anti-rigging round, two balls joined by a bar, distinct from solid round shot, and bomb shells were hollow explosive projectiles.

The heading marks the point of this whole document. The council had the gunner's own account rewritten into an orderly form because what he delivered was irregular and confused. That criticism runs directly on from the survey of 26 September 1727, when Captain Alexander and Captain Cason found 14 barrels more powder in store than John French's journal recorded and 72 barrels entirely spoiled, and the council refused to approve his general account on 3 October 1727 alone among the monthly reckonings. French had died on 20 September 1728, and the first annual inventory taken after his death was accordingly recast rather than accepted as presented.

Powder stood at 197.5 barrels against the 188 opening the year, and the 72 barrels condemned as spoiled in the survey of 26 September 1727 no longer appear as a separate class. Only 8.5 barrels were expended across the whole twelve months, which matches the near-total absence of shipping between June and September 1728 and the low monthly firings of 11 lb in July and 18 lb in September 1728.

The ordnance itself was unchanged at 128 pieces, with no gun added or lost in the year, so the island's fixed defences remained exactly as the surveyors had found them. The additions were all in consumable and small-arms stores, 50 muskets, 50 cartouche boxes, 18 barrels of powder and 2 pistols received on 1 October 1728, which suggests a resupply from England arriving with the new shipping season rather than any strengthening of the batteries.

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193

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 22nd October 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

Jno Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other Businesse Wee

Adjournd

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 29th October 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation read & Approved

The Long Boat being unfortunately overset on Tuesday last & five of the Honble Comps

Blacks drowned, the Governour Orderd Caleb Davis the Coxswain to attend this day who upon

oath gave us the following Acct of that unhappy Accident

On Tuesday last about Seven in the Evening as he was going to Sandy Bay for Lime

with a gentle Gale & Smooth Water near the Shore a Sudden Squale of Wind descended perpendicularly

with so much Force & Violence the Sight of which was intercepted by the Heights of the Mountaines

that before he could here time to Say Lett go the Sheet the Boat overset however they at made a

Shift to get upon her but he could forward only with one Fellow to endeavour to Swim on Shore with

him tho he Stayed along time with them & used all the Arguments & Perswasion he could Invent

to perswade them to try for their Lives urgeing the Certainty of their Fate if they continued in the

Boat but they at that to trust to the Mercy of the Waves rather than run the Hazards of being

Devoured by them to Save by the Rocks but admitthingly he Coxswain not to Perswade them promising

to help them at the hazard of his own Life he Say'd with them as long as he durst do & finding

them obstinately Resolvd in their Resolution to Perish rather than attempt to Swim he made for

the Shore & he at little Gunk & Wast Sam & the other Fellow Safe he Marratta Cape Beach before

he left them he assured them he would make all the hast he could to their Assistance but being Immediately

happened that both he & the Slave that was with him were Strangers to that Party of the Countrey

the Mountaines being all around exceeding high & Craggy & Night comeing on they were obliged

to continue there so & Night that at the Repose of Cash & Nailes they attempted to get up but

they Soon left their way & from forced to Shift till Daybreak after which they made so the haste

they possible could to gett help & a Boat with which they put out to look after them & were Soon

followed by Severall other Boates but they could neither finde the Boat or any of the People,

which makes it probable that She now Sunk

This Relation We beleeve is the Truth the Coxswain Davis being a very honest, carefull,

Sober Sailer from Goodwin having been often in the Boat with him & taken particular Notice

of his Skill & Deligence but to prevent all Such Accidents for the future We Orderd him never

to Suffer the Boats to be out of his reach & permits before this Accident happened the Names of

the Fellowes drowned are as follow Vizt

Tom

Joseph

Portoase Jack

Enterd in Journall folio 22

Old Mondar

Scipio

George Slaughter having for a long time past left his Wife & Family & lived openly with the Wife

of John Wibland Serjt Comming Deputiate he was often warned & Admonished by all his Friends

to leave the Infamous Course of Life he was fallen into & among others the Governour himselfe

Spoke to & admonished him & the promised & Vowed with Tears in his Eyes by as first her good

that his Wife for which the Governour & Councill Reprimanded him but upon his giveing fresh

Assurance & Compliance with her the Person is & but afterwards him that after so many Solemn Engagements

he Shortly again break his Word & when Such a Vertueness of things Abandoned Contract he could

not think it safe to trust him with any further Commands in the Garrison but the Corps forbid

her again & so frequently as before having been often Such then after he was forbid going to her by

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 22 October 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. No other business arising, the council adjourned.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 29 October 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. The long boat had been unfortunately overset on Tuesday last and five of the Company's slaves drowned. The coxswain, Caleb Davis, was ordered to attend that day, and upon oath he gave the following account of the accident.

On Tuesday last, about seven in the evening, the boat was going to Sandy Bay for lime with a gentle gale in smooth water near the shore, and the square of the tackle depended perpendicularly with so much of the tackle in sight, which was intercepted by the height of the mountains. Nothing before could have carried them to lay to at the mast. The boat overset from where they had made a scuffle to get upon her, but he could forward only with one fellow to endeavour to swim on shore with him, while he stayed along with them at the arguments and entreaties he could invent to persuade them to lay for their lives, urging the certainty of their fate if they continued in the boat, but they all chose to trust to the mercy of the waves rather than run the hazard of being dashed to pieces by the rocks, but nevertheless he could not be persuaded from promising to help them at the hazard of his own life. He lay with them as long as he durst do, if in doubt, they obstinately persisted in their resolution to perish rather than attempt to swim to make for the shore. He entreated and encouraged them to the other fellows safe by Margarette Bay beach. Before he left them he assured them he would make all the haste he could to their assistance, but this unfortunately happened that both he and the slaves that were with him were strangers to that part of the country. The mountains being all around exceeding high and craggy, and night coming on, they were obliged to continue there all night. At the report of Sandy Nashes they attempted to get up, but they soon lost their way. Frozen forced to shift till daybreak, after which they made all the haste they possibly could to get help and a boat, with which they put out to look after them. Two or three followed by several other boats, but they could neither find the boat nor any of the people, which makes it probable that she was sunk.

The relation the coxswain, Caleb Davis, gave was very honest, careful, sober, sailor from Goodwin, having been often in the boat with him and taken particular notice of his ship. The council doubted not to prevent all such accidents for the future. The council ordered him never to suffer the guards to be out of his sight. It appears before that accident happened, the names of the slaves drowned are as follows.

Tom

Joseph

Portugal Jack

Jack Mordue

Sancho

Entered in journal T folio 22

Corporal Slaughter having for a long time past left his wife and family and lived openly with the wife of John Hubbard, sergeant, the council put him in mind of the warnings and admonitions he had already received, and to leave the infamous course of life he was fallen into. Among others, the Governor himself spoke to and admonished him, and he promised and vowed, with tears in his eyes and by as fair a show as ever took his word for what he seemed sincerely to remonstrate, and upon the giving forth that he would never again go near her, or frequent, pay or in civility have any manner of correspondence with her. He passed it by, but assured him that as often as many others engaged, he strongly again broke his word. He was such a person of the like abandoned conduct that he could not think it safe to trust him with any further command in the garrison, and the council forbade him to go near her, but this warning had no better effect than the former. For soon after he went to her again and as frequently as before, having been often such there after he was forbidden to go to her.

Interpretations

The long boat was the Company's principal means of moving heavy goods around an island whose coast offers few landing places, and its loss with five slaves aboard on a run to Sandy Bay for lime shows the risk carried by that traffic. Sandy Bay lies on the far side of the island from James Valley, and the coxswain's account turns on the crew's refusal to swim ashore through surf against high and craggy rocks, so they chose the open water and were lost.

Five drowned slaves entered in the journal by name follows the pattern of earlier accidents. On 5 March 1728 seven slaves put out to sea in a boat and were supposed drowned, and the council then ordered every boat owner to secure sails and oars on returning from fishing. The Governor had set a night guard aboard the long boat on 30 July 1728 to prevent any attempt to run away with her, so the vessel was already under particular watch when she overset.

The proceedings against Corporal Slaughter rested on his repeated breach of a promise given to the Governor rather than on the conduct itself. The council's concern was that a man who broke his word so freely could not be trusted with command in the garrison, so the offence was treated as a question of military reliability. Slaughter had been recommended to the Company on 26 September 1727 to replace the dismissed gunner, being long resident, careful and diligent, which makes the reversal in his standing the more striking.

218

194

Wibland himselfe which he hath often declared to us & hath likewise been Confirmed by Henry

Beale late Servant to the Said Slaughter, & it being from hence certain that he was determined

to persist obstinately in this Flagrant Sin of it & that rather than leave her he Chose to Renounce

his Friends, his Family & Countrey & is Contented at his Subsistence upon her leaving his own

Wife & Children in great want but to Support a Wretch that is a Scandall to her Sex & Encourages

impudently & is therefore Order that the be immediately dismisst & the Honble Comps Service

Wee this Day Sold one of the Honble Comps Black Wenches to Jno Martin Van essen for the Sum

Eighteen Pounds Named Rebecca as

The Governour Reports that One of the Honble Comps Black Childrens Named Adam died last Week &

that One of their Wenches called Agnes was delivered of a Boy last Week Named Machett which are

Severally Enterd in Journall N folio 23

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 4th November 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Goodwin acquainted us that William Slaughter in the Hearing of himself & Capt Craven did Say

that he would Stab the Governour, being very much Surprized at his extravagant expression he Erected

his Strict Attention to what he Should hear the Said Slaughter went on & Said, he was Speaking

Treason he has Said that King George & & & & was a Sensible Fellow which he Said

an extravagant & unusuall Sum of Invention & to our knowledge so much exceeds the bounds of

Truth & Probability that We think too Severe a Punishment can not be inflicted upon the Villain who

hath forged & Contrived those dangerous Expressions with a Malicious Design to blow the Government

who in this Hearing hath many often in the most Disgusts Vile & spightfull manner Expressed his Zeale

& Affection to the Person & Governour of the Late & present Majesty King George & to the Establishment

Succession in his most Illustrious Family but as this is an Offence that professedly Concerns the Govr

he desires he might be Tryed & receive his Punishment from a fair Impartiall body of the

Garrison & Chief Planters

It is therefore Orderd that he Should be immediately Committed Close Prisoner & to

continue till the next Quarter Sessions in Order to be Tryed for the Same but the Governour to

take off all Pretence of Appearance of Hardship desired he Tryed might be his Trial & that

he might be Tryed on Saturday next

At the Governours desire We agree that he Shall be Tryed on Saturday next though We

We think to a Case of Favour & Indulgence to his least difference of any Man living

Wee this day paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall N folio 30 & 38

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Hubbard himself, who had often declared to the council that he had been constrained by Henry Deale late servant to the said Slaughter, and it being from him certain that he was determined to persist obstinately in the infamous course of life he had rather than leave her, he chose to renounce wife and children in great want but to support and watch that a subscription upon her, leaving his own a great resort of blacks to her house, from whence some mischievous designs may perhaps be apprehended. The council therefore ordered that this be immediately dismissed from the Company's service.

The council that day sold one of the Company's black women to Mr John Martin Vandeston for the sum of eighteen pounds, named Rebecca.

The Governor reported that one of the Company's black children, named Adam, died last week, and that one of their women called Agnes was delivered of a boy last week, named Marcus, which were severally entered in journal T folio 23.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Monday 4 November 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin informed the council that William Slaughter, in the hearing of himself and Captain Cason, did say that the Governor, being very much disturbed at his extravagant discourse, turned his strict attention to what he should hear. Slaughter went on and said he had spoken treason. He had said that King George the First was a Scotch tailor, which the council held an extravagant and invisible sum of invention, and to our knowledge so much exceeds the bounds of truth or probability that the council thought too severe a punishment, and not to inflict upon the villain who had forged and contrived these dangerous expressions with a malicious design to stain the Governor, who in our hearing and many others in the most positive and respectful manner expressed his zeal and affection to the person and government of his late majesty King George, and to the ill treatment and succession in his most illustrious family, and as this is an offence that professedly concerns the government, the council held he might be tried, to receive his punishment from a just Company at least of the garrison and other planters.

The council therefore ordered that he should be immediately committed close prisoner and continue till the next quarter meeting, in order to be tried for the same, but the Governor, to take off all pretence of appearance of hardship, desired he might be tried, and that he might be tried on Saturday next.

At the Governor's desire the council agreed that he should be tried on Saturday next, through the council thought a cause of favour and indulgence to be the least offence of any man living.

The council that day paid the garrison for the month past, as by journal T folio 30 and 38.

Interpretations

Selling the woman Rebecca to John Martin Vandeston for £18 0s 0d follows the practice already seen with Lamea Batt, sold to Mr Bazett for £20 0s 0d on 28 May 1728, and the boy James, sold to Captain Goodwin for £6 0s 0d on 20 August 1728. The Company disposed of slaves it judged to cost more in keep than they returned in labour, and the purchaser was made debtor for the sum in the books rather than paying in coin.

The charge against William Slaughter turned on words spoken about the late King George the First rather than on any act. Treasonous speech touching the person of the sovereign or the Hanoverian succession was a matter of state, and the council treated it as an offence against the government itself, which is why it insisted the case be tried before a body drawn from the garrison and the planters rather than dealt with administratively.

The Governor's intervention to bring the trial forward from the next quarter meeting to the coming Saturday shows him alive to how the proceeding would look. Slaughter's words were said to have been aimed at staining the Governor's own loyalty, so a long imprisonment before trial would have exposed Byfield to the charge of using the accusation of treason to punish a personal enemy at leisure.

Speculations

The council could have held Slaughter close prisoner until the next quarterly meeting, which was the course it had just ordered and which the calendar allowed, the quarter sessions having been adjourned on 26 March 1728 to 25 June and thereafter to 25 September. Instead the Governor himself asked that the trial be brought forward to the coming Saturday. The record gives the reason: the accusation was that Slaughter had invented the treasonous words to injure the Governor, so any delay in trying him would have looked like the Governor holding an enemy in irons on a charge that served his own interest. Byfield surrendered the advantage of a long remand to remove any appearance of hardship, and the council agreed while noting that he was showing more indulgence than the offence deserved.

219

195

At a Generall Sessions held on Saturday the 9th of November 1728 at the Sessions House

in James Valley

Present

Edward Byfield Esqr Governour & Judge

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The Persons Sworn of the Jury are as follow

John Wrangham

Gabriel Powell Foreman Capt Craven being taken ill

Charles Stewards

John Smith Gunner

James Rigden

Isaac Woods Serjt

John Long

John Young Serjt

Isaac Sledge

John Desfountain Serjt

Richard Mason

William Worrall Gunners Mate

William Slaughter late Ensign was Indicted for that on the 4th of this present Month of Novr

he did Maliciously & Falsteneusly forge & Invent & Publish & Divulge many dangerous

Words with a Wicked & Devilish Design & Intent to bring & bring to Distruction the

Worshipfull Edward Byfield Esqr Governour & Commander in Chief of this Islands Saying

that he the Said William Slaughter would Stab him the Governour & to Compleat his

Villanous Design did also Maliciously Say he would Swear Treason against him that he

would Swear that the Said King George was a Sensible Fellow &c

To which Indictment he Pleaded Guilty, but the Case chiefly affecting the Governour

the Governour desired the Gentlemen of the Jury would Consider of the dangerous Nature

of his offence & allow the Said Slaughter Such Punishment as they Should think he

deserved for so barbarous & Wicked an Attempt & being with drawn about an hour they

Returnd & Expressed their Resentment in the following Paper presented by their Foreman

& Subscribed by ost of them Vizt

William Slaughter having Pleaded Guilty to the Indictment against him for

maliciously Threatening to Stab the Governour & forging & Publishing the Vile Scandalous

Expressions therein mentioned We have Considered of the Punishment he justly deserves

for this Villanous Attempt & Do agree & Desire that he Shall receive very Severe Corporall

Punishment by Whipping & that he Shall Stand in the Pillory on the next Muster Day

& that he there continue Close Prisoner moderately Ironed till the Punishment Shall

be inflicted upon him

Wee also declare that this malitious Attempt is so very Astonishing & Surprizing &

is altogether so very improbable that to us who have known the Governour for many Years

& have often heard him Speak of his late & present Majesty King George with the most

Dutyfull Zeale & Affection cannot forbear to take a Notice of this Miscreant of his Heart

who for Revenge hath forged & Contrived this Story because the Governour would not

Connive at the Adulterous Life he lived with an Abandoned Prostitute & are very

Sensible that the Governour hath always Endeavoured to Suppress Vice & Debauchery of

all Sorts from whence Mischiefs of the most dangerous Nature might justly have been

Expected (Subscribed)

John Long

Gabriel Powell Foreman

John Young

John Powell

Richd Mason

Isaac Wrangham

James Rigden

Isaac Sledge

Isaac Woods

Charles Stewards

John Desfountain

Wm Worrall

And Capt Alexander, though obliged to be absent by Sickness had this Villanous

Design & Attempt of Slaughters so much in Abhorrance that he wrote the following Letter

to the Jury which was openly Read in Court Vizt

Gentlemen of the Jury

If I Should be Silent in a Matter of Such great Importance &

that so highly affects & concerns the Governours Honour & Reputation as this hath I Should be forever

Accuseing my Self of the greatest Piece of Injustice imaginable, & therefore think my Self in Duty

bound to Assure You Gentlemen Sincerely no body could be more Surprized than I was when

I first heard of Mr Slaughters Accusation against the Governour as mentioned in the Indictment

against him but when Reflected upon his Principles which I know for Sundry Reasons & from I make

past taken to be very base & Villainous & have not Speech to tell my Wick & to Two or Three Great

A general court held at the court house in James Valley on Saturday 9 November 1728 recorded Edward Byfield as governor and judge, with John Goodwin and D. Crisp attending, John Alexander being absent through illness. The persons sworn of the jury were as follows.

Gabriel Powell, foreman (Captain Cason being taken ill)

John Wrangham

John Smith, gunner

Charles Steward

Isaac Wood, sergeant

James Boyer

John Young, sergeant

John Long

John Defountain, sergeant

Francis Timps

William Worrall, gunner's mate

Richard Mason

William Slaughter, late ensign, was indicted for having on 16 November last maliciously and falsely forged and invented, published and divulged many dangerous words with a wicked and devilish design and intent to ruin and bring to destruction the Honourable Edward Byfield, esquire, governor and commander in chief of the island, saying that William Slaughter would ruin the Governor. To complete his villainous design he also maliciously said he would swear treason against him, that he would swear the Governor said King George was a Scotch tailor.

To this indictment he pleaded guilty, but the court, chiefly affecting the Governor, desired the gentlemen of the jury would consider the dangerous nature of the offence, and what punishment they should think he deserved for so wicked and wretched an attempt. Being withdrawn about an hour, they returned and expressed their sentiment in the following paper, presented by their foreman and subscribed by each of them.

William Slaughter having pleaded guilty to the indictment against him for maliciously threatening to ruin the Governor by forging the scandalous expressions mentioned in it, the jury had considered the punishment he justly deserved for this villainous attempt, and were of opinion that he should receive very severe corporal punishment by whipping, and that he should stand in the pillory on the next muster day, and that he should thereafter continue close prisoner until the punishment should be inflicted upon him.

The jury also declared that this malicious attempt was in every way astonishing and surprising, and altogether so very improbable that those who had known the Governor for any years, and often heard him speak of his late majesty King George with the most dutiful zeal and affection, could not forbear to take notice of the incendiary behaviour of his heart, who for revenge had forged and contrived this story because the Governor would not connive at the adulterous life he led with an abandoned prostitute. They were satisfied that the Governor had always endeavoured to suppress vice and debauchery of all sorts, from which mischief of the most dangerous nature might justly have been expected. It was subscribed as follows.

Gabriel Powell, foreman

John Long

John Smith

John Young

John Wrangham

Richard Mason

Francis Timps

James Boyer

Charles Steward

Isaac Wood

William Worrall

John Defountain

Captain Alexander, though obliged to be absent through sickness, had this villainous design and attempt of Slaughter's so much in abhorrence that he wrote the following letter to the jury, which was openly read in court.

Addressing the gentlemen of the jury, he said that if he should be silent in a matter of such great importance, and one which so highly affected and concerned the Governor's honour and reputation as this did, he should forever accuse himself of the greatest piece of injustice imaginable. He did therefore think it his duty to assure them sincerely that nobody could be more surprised than he was when he first heard of Slaughter's accusation against the Governor as mentioned in the indictment against him, but when he reflected upon his principles, which for sundry reasons and some months past he had taken to be very base and villainous, and had not spoken to tell any which he took two or three years [...]

Interpretations

Slaughter was tried on a charge of forging and threatening to publish a treasonous accusation against the Governor rather than on the treason itself. The words attributed to Byfield were never said, and the indictment turns on Slaughter's invention of them and his stated intent to swear to them, so the offence lay in the fabrication and the design to ruin, not in disloyalty to the Crown.

The jury's paper connected the accusation directly to the disciplinary proceedings of 29 October 1728, when Slaughter had been dismissed from the Company's service for living openly with the wife of Sergeant Hubbard after repeated warnings. The jury took the view that the treason story was fabricated in revenge for the Governor's refusal to overlook that conduct, which explains why a court trying a criminal charge devoted so much of its finding to the Governor's character.

Sentencing lay with the jury rather than the judge. The court asked the twelve men what punishment they thought the offence deserved, and they withdrew and returned with a written recommendation of whipping, the pillory on the next muster day and close imprisonment until it was carried out. The pillory on muster day was chosen because the whole garrison and the inhabitants would be assembled, so the punishment served as a public demonstration to the very men among whom Slaughter had spread his story.

Captain Alexander's letter, written from his sickbed and read openly in court, was an act of political solidarity rather than evidence, since he could speak to Slaughter's character but not to the words themselves. Alexander had sat as second of council throughout Byfield's government, and his intervention placed the whole council's weight behind the Governor at a moment when a charge of disloyalty to the late King, however baseless, could have travelled home to the Company in London.

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now in hearing I soon reconciled that Start yet not without Saying that I thought Mr Slaughter ought to

have been the last Man that would even have been Guilty of a Negociation & Vile an Intention to Ruin his

only Benefactor which as one but himselfe will be Suggested of the Draft could so Envey & totally

Combine so Sensibly Extravagant & Rufus so as so Sure & I have been Conversant with him Severall Years

& particularly at Time when both the late & present Majesty King George have been Toasted, he when

the Unhappy News of the late King George Death was brought by a Packett of the Signall from Beachend

with the News of the Arrivall of the Ship James Wrays from England, also when Capt Batchelor

came on Shoar & talkd about the Affairs of Europe, that King George the Second was Proclaimed with

a great Joy & Satisfaction of the People, & so I was likewise in Consultation when the Generall Letter by

that Ship was Read wherein is a Paragraph Directing this Proclaiming his present Majesty at which

Severall times as at any other times I never hear the Governour directly or indirectly utter or Say the least

Disrespectfull Word against either his late or present Majesty, but have on the other hand & heard

him often Express himselfe with abundance of Dutyfull Zeale & real Affection & the Ceremony & due

Respect observed & performed on the day his Majesty King George the Second was Proclaimed here

was so obvious to the Gentlemen in the Fort as well as to the Inhabitants

of this Place so that all Mankinds cannot but conclude this barbarous Malicious & unjust Design

of this Mr Slaughters merely to Ruin the Governour & to render & most grievously from his malicious

Wicked Principles forgetting his Duty both to God & Man Converted only a suitable

opportunity to put them in Execution for his Vile Intentions & Wicked Design in his Plain

& being prompted on by the least he has have no Remorse or the least Regard to his Injured Wife &

poor Family who by his continued ill Course & Life are become Objects of Pity & Such Sacrifices

as that plays upon him he hath very justly drawn upon his own Head & I do esteem there are

few or none that with Pity him

Novr 9th 1728

Jno Alexander

Alexander went on to say that Slaughter should have been the last man capable of so vile an intention. The Governor had been his only benefactor, and the design was one of drunken and envious wickedness.

He had known the Governor for two years and more. When news of the late King's death reached the island by ship from Bombay, and the James and Mary arrived from England, Captain Batchelor came ashore and reported that King George the Second had been proclaimed, to the great joy and satisfaction of the people. Alexander sat in the council when the general letter carried by that ship was read, containing the Company's direction to proclaim the new sovereign. He had never at any time heard the Governor speak a disrespectful word about either the late King or the present one. On the contrary, he had heard him express dutiful zeal and affection towards the Company and the sovereign on many occasions.

He remembered the day King George the Second was proclaimed. The Governor's conduct then, before the gentlemen of the fort, the shipping and the inhabitants alike, made it impossible to conclude anything but that Slaughter's design was a barbarous and malicious attempt to ruin him. It sprang from wicked principles and a forgetfulness of duty to God and man, and needed only a suitable opportunity to be put into execution. Slaughter had been prompted by his own conduct, and had shown no remorse and no regard for his wife and his poor family. He had drawn his ruin upon his own head, and those who might have pitied him could only condemn him.

Dated 9 November 1728, signed by John Alexander.

Captain Goodwin spoke to the same effect. Everything he had seen showed the accusation to be the product of malice and revenge, arising after Slaughter was reproved for living with a common prostitute to the ruin of his family and his reputation. He too had never heard the Governor say anything disrespectful about the Crown, and had often heard him express his zeal and affection for the late King and the present one, with every proof of sincerity and loyalty.

Slaughter had threatened to leave the island by the first opportunity, and there was reason to fear the Company would be left out of pocket by his departure. Mr Crisp accordingly moved that Slaughter be arrested for his debt, and a warrant was signed for the purpose.

The Governor also spoke of the matter. The court declared its abhorrence of the villainous design, and thought the punishment recommended by the jury barely proportionate to an offence so vile. Slaughter had left his own wife and children in want of common necessaries while keeping another man's wife, and had committed many other abominable acts besides. His conduct had reduced him to a condition beneath the meanest labourer on the island.

The court concluded that this hardened and abandoned man had brought his ruin upon himself. He had designed against the Governor, intended to run away and defraud his creditors, and his example was to stand as a warning for the future.

Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed the proceedings.

Interpretations

Alexander's letter and Goodwin's evidence both turn on the proclamation of King George the Second on 9 March 1728, when the Governor read the Company's direction and fired 21 guns at the head of the garrison. The council recalled the news of the late King's death arriving by ship, and the enthusiasm with which Byfield proclaimed the new sovereign. That public act, witnessed by the fort, the shipping and the inhabitants together, was the strongest answer available to Slaughter's charge.

Crisp's move to have Slaughter arrested for debt, and the warrant signed accordingly, gave the council a second and quite separate hold upon him. Slaughter had threatened to leave the island by the first opportunity, and the debt process would prevent his departure whatever the outcome of the criminal charge. The same device had been used against George Gibson, whose salary was abated and pay stopped on 19 December 1727 to clear what he owed.

Slaughter had been recommended to the Company on 26 September 1727 to replace the dismissed gunner, being long resident on the island, careful, diligent and well qualified by experience, and he had appeared repeatedly as a creditor pursuing others through the council. His collapse from that standing to conviction and imprisonment within thirteen months turned on his refusal to give up the wife of Sergeant Hubbard, and on the council's view that a man who broke his word could not be trusted with any command.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday 12th Novr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation & the Proceedings at the Sessions on Saturday last were this day read

& Approved

John Sterling Petitioned Praying to become Tenant to the Honble Company for about

an Acre & half of their Wast Land lying in Deep Valley

Granted provided that Capt Goodwin do Measure the Same accordingly

Richard Swallow also Petitioned for Leave to dispose of his Interest in all Such Lands as

he holds by Lease of the Honble Company to Serjt John Young, & the Said Young being

a Responsible Man We accept him Tenant accordingly

The Governour Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delverd each their Monthly

Accot for October last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &c from the 1st to the

31st of October 1728 Vizt

1043 lb Sugar

33 19 6

800 lb Bread

11 3 6

118 lb Flour

1 8 -

2 Thimbles

- 1 6

3 1/2 Colourd Thread

1 2 -

1 Whitesd brown ditto

- 5 -

1 ditto

- 6 6

1/2 lb ditto

- 2 10 1/2

1 1/2 ditto

- 9 5 1/2

7 1/2 ditto

- 10 6

1/2 ditto

11 3 -

1 oz Nero Thread

- 1 1

2 ditto

- 1 5

4 ditto

- 6 3

4 ditto

4 6 -

2 ditto

- 6 2

1 ditto

- 3 3

1 ditto

- 4 -

2 Skains Mohair

- 3 6

2 ditto Silk & Hair

- 5 2

6 doz Coat Buttons

1 2 -

6 doz breast ditto

- 6 -

18 1/2 China Silk

5 3 1 1/2

9 1/2 English ditto

2 0 2 1/2

2 Yards Ribbon

- 1 6

8 ditto

- 4 6

4 lb Broad Hollands Tape

4 6 -

1 Old Cotenkun

7 6 -

2 Cotenak ditto

1 6 -

2 Yards Toweling

8 6 -

272 Nailes

5 6 -

4 lb 10 Ditto

5 9 -

16 lb ditto

5 6 -

20 ditto

6 6 -

2 Yards Edging

7 10 1/2

16 ditto 1 lb

12 9 -

8 Fenceting

- 17 9

1 Fenceting ditto

3 4 -

8 Thread ditto

- 3 -

- 8 -

37 18 1 1/4

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 12 November 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation and the proceedings at the court on Saturday were read and approved.

John Durling petitioned to become tenant to the Company for about an acre and a half of waste land lying in Deep Valley. The council granted it and ordered Captain Goodwin to measure the ground.

Richard Swallow petitioned for leave to dispose of his interest in the land he held by lease of the Company to Mr John Young. Young being a responsible man, the council admitted him tenant accordingly.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for October last, which were severally examined and approved and were as follows.

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 October 1728

1,043 lb of sugar, £33 19s 6d

800 lb of bread, £11 3s 6d

112 lb of flour, £1 3s 0d

2 thimbles, £0 1s 6d

5.5 lb of coloured thread, £1 2s 0d

6 lb of white and brown thread, £0 6s 6d

1 lb of white and brown thread, £0 6s 6d

1.5 lb of white and brown thread, £0 2s 10.5d

1.5 lb of white and brown thread, £0 4s 5.5d

7 lb of white and brown thread, £0 10s 6d

6 lb of white and brown thread, £0 11s 0d

4 oz of nuns' thread, £0 1s 1d

6 oz of nuns' thread, £0 2s 2d

6 oz of nuns' thread, £0 6s 0d

2 oz of nuns' thread, £0 0s 2d

2 oz of nuns' thread, £0 0s 3d

1 oz of nuns' thread, £0 3s 4d

2 skeins of mohair, £0 2s 2d

2 skeins of silk and hair, £0 5s 6d

6 dozen of coat buttons, £0 1s 6d

6 dozen of breast buttons, £0 0s 6d

12 oz of china silk, £5 3s 1.5d

9 oz of English silk, £2 0s 0.5d

6 yards of ribbon, £0 2s 6d

2 yards of ribbon, £0 4s 6d

4 pieces of broad Holland tape, £0 7s 6d

1 diaper tape, £0 1s 6d

6 coloured tape, £0 5s 6d

6 yards of ferreting, £0 5s 9d

26 yards of tape, £0 5s 9d

20 yards of lace, £0 5s 9d

40 yards of lace, £0 5s 6d

40 yards of lace, £0 5s 6d

2 yards of edging, £0 7s 10.5d

16 yards of edging, £0 12s 9d

1 ferreting, £0 0s 10.5d

1 ferreting, £0 3s 4d

2 thread laces, £0 0s 3d

Carried over, £57 12s 1.5d

Interpretations

Sugar at £33 19s 6d for 1,043 lb was the heaviest single line in the account, and it continued the sharp rise begun in September 1728, when 1,187 lb went out at £29 13s 6d against far smaller quantities in the preceding months. The scale of the buying suggests the inhabitants stocking up as the shipping season reopened and their own produce found a market again.

The council's willingness to admit John Young as tenant in Richard Swallow's place rested on his being a responsible man, meaning a man of sufficient means to answer the rent and the obligation to plant and maintain wood in proportion. The advertisement of 16 March 1728 had made lease renewal conditional on paying a heavy fine for earlier neglect, so the Company had every reason to scrutinise who took over a leasehold.

Sarah French had surrendered her lease on 8 October 1728 because she could not meet its terms, while Swallow was permitted to assign his to a solvent purchaser. The two cases together show the only routes out of a Company leasehold: give it back for nothing, or sell it to someone the council would accept.

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Brought over £57 12 1/4

1 Brass Bowles

10 6 -

1 Sett Bed Screws 10 to a Sett

3 6 -

1 Chest Lock

1 9 -

1 Frying Pan

6 6 -

2 Copper Shovels

5 6 -

1 Stock Shovell

3 6 -

1 Splinter Lock

1 4 -

1 Trowell

2 6 -

1 lb 3 round headed Nailes

1 3 -

1 do 2 do

1 3 -

11 lb 3 do

12 6 1/2

2 do 4 do

1 8 -

48 lb 6 do

11 10 10 1/2

17 do 8 do 6 do

11 4 -

10 do 20 do

8 10 -

8 do 24 do

1 8 -

7 1/2 do

4 4 4

40 Tacks

- 10 -

Diet Expences Vizt

60 Gall Arrack

13 10 -

62 18 8 3/4

72 lb Bread

19 6 -

162 lb Flour

2 3 -

172 lb Sugar

4 6 3

10 Gall Port Wine

6 8 6

3 ditto Mountain

1 12 9

1 Gallon Vinegar

2 6 -

14 lb Wax Candles

1 19 -

2 lb Pepper

2 - -

10 1/2 Gall Strong Beer

14 9 -

3 Bushells Salt

10 6 -

Plantation Dr

39 0 9

24 lb 10 Nailes

1 1 10

16 do 20 do

10 0 -

19 do 2 do

1 8 6

6 do 3 do

6 6 -

14 do 6 do

11 6 -

6 Gall Rape Oyle

1 16 -

6 lb White Lead

1 6 -

1 Paint brush

- 5 -

2 Wooden Brushes

1 2 -

3 lb Buckthorn

6 6 -

3 Tin Lamps

13 - -

2 Ditto Watering Pots

18 - -

3 Iron Ladles

11 4 -

4 Garden Spades

10 8 -

1 Stone Hoe

3 6 -

1 Iron with Ounge

2 6 -

2 Sythes with Sunbeen

3 6 -

1 Trowell

2 6 -

1 Hammer

2 6 -

1 Brushing Blak Broth

4 - -

2 Bendings

- - -

2 Tinn Quart Botts

1 6 -

40 lb Shot Seed

11 18 1

101 2 6 3/4

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants, continued

Brought over, £57 12s 1.5d

1 pair of bodkins, £0 10s 6d

1 set of bed screws, 10 to a box, £0 3s 6d

1 chest lock, £0 1s 2d

1 spring pin, £0 1s 9d

2 iron shovels, £0 6s 6d

1 shod shovel, £0 5s 0d

1 splinter lock, £0 3s 6d

1 trowel, £0 1s 4d

1 lb of 3d round headed nails, £0 2s 6d

1 lb of 4d nails, £0 1s 3d

11 lb of 6d nails, £0 1s 3d

2 lb of 8d nails, £0 12s 5.5d

48 lb of 6d nails, £0 1s 8d

17 lb of 8d nails, £0 11s 10.5d

10 lb of 20d nails, £0 11s 4d

8 lb of 24d nails, £0 8s 10d

7.5 lb of 40d nails, £0 1s 8d

70 tacks, £0 4s 4.5d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £62 18s 8.75d

Diet expenses

50 gallons of arrack, £19 10s 0d

75 lb of bread, £0 19s 6d

160 lb of flour, £2 0s 0d

175.5 lb of sugar, £4 12s 0d

10 gallons of port wine, £6 6s 3d

5 lb of Mountain wine, £4 8s 6d

1 gallon of vinegar, £1 12s 0d

14 lb of wax candles, £0 2s 6d

2 lb of pepper, £1 12s 0d

10.5 gallons of strong beer, £0 2s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 14s 9d

Sum to diet expenses, £44 0s 9d

Plantation

28 lb of 10d nails, £1 1s 10d

16 lb of 20d nails, £0 10s 0d

19 lb of 24d nails, £0 8s 6d

6 lb of 40d nails, £0 6s 6d

14 lb of 6d nails, £0 6s 6d

6 gallons of rape oil, £1 10s 6d

6 lb of white lead, £0 10s 0d

1 paint brush, £0 0s 5d

2 wooden brushes, £0 1s 2d

3 lb of lampblack, £0 6s 6d

3 tin lamps, £0 6s 6d

2 iron watering pots, £0 12s 0d

3 iron ladles, £0 18s 0d

4 garden spades, £0 11s 4d

1 iron hoe, £0 10s 8d

1 line with cranes, £0 3s 6d

2 scythes with sneads, £0 6s 3d

1 trowel, £0 5s 6d

1 skimmer, £0 2s 6d

2 grafting slab bolts, £0 4s 0d

2 grindstones, £0 1s 6d

2 two quart pots, £0 1s 6d

16 lb of shot lead, £11 18s 1d

Sum to the plantation, £11 18s 1d

Sum total, £101 2s 2.5d

Interpretations

Diet expenses at £44 0s 9d marked a steep rise on the £31 16s 1d of September 1728 and the £26 11s 3d of August 1728, and the 50 gallons of arrack at £19 10s 0d drove nearly half of it. The fort's drink bill was the surest indicator of shipping in the roads, since visiting commanders and officers dined at the general table, and the jump confirms that the vessels absent since 3 June 1728 had begun to return.

The garden tools bought for the plantation in a single month, four spades, two scythes with their handles, a hoe, watering pots and grindstones, mark the start of the growing season. St Helena's spring falls in October, and the plantation was being equipped for the planting that would carry the yam and potato crops through to the following winter.

Sixteen pounds of shot lead charged to the plantation at £11 18s 1d was among the costliest items, and its purpose was probably the protection of crops and stock from birds and vermin rather than any military use, since the gunners stores held their own separate supply of shot and the plantation account elsewhere carried only agricultural implements.

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Brought over

Planta Over

£11 18 1

101 2 6 3/4

1 Largest Grindstone

- 11 6

56 lb Cordage

1 7 3

7 oz China Silk

- - 1/2

1 Square of Glass 8 & 10

- - 11

2 Turpentine

- 10 -

352 lb Rice dd for Hogs & Poultry

6 7 9 1/4

20 16 11

Garrison Dr

8 Cattes Bohea Tea

2 8 -

3 Gall Rape Oyle

- 18 -

3 6 -

Honble Comps Blacks Dr on Acct Charges Genl

2 Grose Hooks Sortch

- 18 -

4 lb Twine

2 2 -

22 lb Cordage

11 - -

1 lb Bottles Tea dd the Sick Blacks

6 - -

dd the Fighting Blacks

1 17 2

Boates Dr

2 Oars 14 feet

- 5 -

2 ditto 16

15 - -

2 ditto 22

16 - -

1 17 -

Charges Generall

6 Sails 6 Nedles

- 9 -

1 Boalt Rope ditto

- 9 1/2

dd to make Lime Bags

1 Holin

- - -

11 Gall Rape Oyle

3 6 -

42 lb White Lead

1 1 -

32 Barrels Lamblack

10 8 -

4 Paint Brushes

1 8 -

1 Shoe ditto

1 6 -

1 Yard Tin Canvas

- 10 -

4 lb Whited brown Threads

- 7 -

4 oz Nero Threads

4 6 -

1/2 oz China Silk

- 9 -

6 Sail Nedles

- 9 -

4 lb 2 do Nailes

5 6 -

4 do 3 do ditto

4 4 -

6 do 6 do

4 6 -

1 do 4 do

4 10 -

1 do 10 do

- 8 -

1 do 30

- - 2 1/2

9 Sythes

4 11 -

10 Bandls

7 6 -

2 Largest Lines

6 8 -

1 lb Buckthorn & Iron Use

2 2 -

2 lb Twine

4 6 -

16 lb Soap

1 1 0

20 lb Rozin

- 6 -

3 Bottles Hollands Duck dd to make Lime Bags

there being no other fitting for that Use

13 10 -

232 lb Lebb Ally Cordage

3 13 6

26 6 8 1/4

Totall

155 5 3 1/4

Plantation, brought over £11 18s 1d; total brought over, £101 2s 2.5d

1 largest grindstone, £0 11s 6d

5.5 lb of cordage, £1 7s 3d

7 oz of china silk, £0 1s 1.5d

1 square of glass, number 10, £0 0s 11d

2 carpenters, £0 10s 0d

352 lb of rice delivered for the hogs and poultry, £6 7s 9.25d

Sum to the plantation, £20 16s 11d

Garrison

8 catties of bohea tea, £2 8s 0d

3 gallons of rape oil, £0 18s 0d

Sum to the garrison, £3 6s 0d

The Company's black slaves, on account of charges general

2 gross of hooks and sinkers, delivered to the fishing slaves, £0 18s 0d

4 lines, delivered to the fishing slaves, £0 2s 2d

22 lb of twine, delivered to the fishing slaves, £0 11s 0d

22 lb of cordage, delivered to the fishing slaves, £0 6s 0d

1 lb of bohea tea, delivered to the said slaves, £1 17s 2d

Sum to the Company's black slaves, £1 17s 2d

Boats

2 oars, 14 feet, £0 5s 0d

2 oars, 16 feet, £0 12s 0d

2 oars, 22 feet, £0 16s 0d

Sum to the boats, £1 17s 0d

Charges general

6 sails and needles, delivered to make linen bags, £0 0s 9d

1 packet of ropes, delivered to make linen bags, £0 0s 9.5d

1 hoe, £0 3s 6d

11 gallons of rape oil, £3 6s 0d

44 lb of white lead, £1 1s 0d

32 barrels of lampblack, £0 10s 8d

4 paint brushes, £0 1s 8d

1 shoe brush, £0 1s 6d

1 yard of thin canvas, £0 0s 10d

4 lb of white and brown thread, £0 7s 6d

4 oz of nuns' thread, £0 4s 4d

7 oz of china silk, £0 9s 9d

6 sail needles, £0 5s 0d

4 lb of 3d nails, £0 4s 4d

4 lb of 5d nails, £0 4s 6d

6 lb of 6d nails, £0 10s 6d

1 lb of 4d nails, £0 0s 8d

1 lb of 10d nails, £0 0s 2.5d

1 lb of 30d nails, £0 4s 6d

9 spikes, £0 4s 11d

10 rivets, £0 7s 6d

2 largest lines, £0 6s 8d

1 lb of black grease stones, £0 2s 2d

2 lb of twine, £0 4s 6d

16 lb of soap, £1 1s 0d

20 lb of rosin, £0 0s 6d

3 bolts of Holland duck, delivered to make linen bags, there being no other fitting for that use, £13 10s 0d

232 lb of light shot cordage, £3 13s 6d

Sum to charges general, £26 6s 8.75d

Sum total, £155 5s 3.5d

Interpretations

Bohea tea appears here in two separate charges, eight catties to the garrison and a pound to the Company's slaves, and the units mark its origin. A catty is the Chinese weight of about a pound and a third used throughout the Canton trade, and bohea was the common black tea of the Wuyi hills in Fujian, shipped home in quantity by the Company's China ships. Its issue to slaves is unusual and suggests it had become cheap enough to serve as an ordinary ration rather than a luxury.

New oars in three lengths, together with sails, cordage and Holland duck, mark the replacement of the long boat's gear after the vessel overset on the run to Sandy Bay in the week before 29 October 1728 and five slaves were drowned. The council had already ordered the coxswain never to let the guards out of his sight, and the boats account now shows the Company refitting what the accident had cost.

Rice to the plantation fell to 352 lb in October, a fraction of the 1,100 lb of August 1728 and far below the 2,975 lb of July 1728, which confirms that the yam crop had come back into full supply after the winter. The stock accounts had shown yams rising from 19,000 lb in July to 38,400 lb in September 1728, and the collapse in the rice charge is the same recovery seen from the other side.

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Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Cowes | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calves | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Totall

Hogs: Sowes | Shoates | Barrows | Boars | Pigs | Totall

Poultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese

Horses: Horses | Mares | Totall

Rem 1st Octobr

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 23 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 46 | Bulls 2 | Totall 289

Ewes 76 | Wethers 32 | Lambs 30 | Rams 3 | Totall 141

Ewes 253 | Wethers 83 | Kids 120 | Rams 6 | Totall 462

Sowes 12 | Shoates 6 | Barrows 2 | Boars 2 | Pigs 34 | Totall 56

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 27 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Encreasd from do to 31 do

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 7 | Bulls 0 | Totall 7

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 5 | Rams 0 | Totall 5

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 13 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 23 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 53 | Bulls 2 | Totall 296

Ewes 76 | Wethers 32 | Lambs 30 | Rams 3 | Totall 141

Ewes 253 | Wethers 83 | Kids 125 | Rams 6 | Totall 467

Sowes 12 | Shoates 6 | Barrows 2 | Boars 2 | Pigs 34 | Totall 56

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 40 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 1 | Wethers 1 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 2

Ewes 0 | Wethers 7 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 7

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 1 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 1

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Rem 31 Octr

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 23 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 53 | Bulls 2 | Totall 296

Ewes 75 | Wethers 31 | Lambs 30 | Rams 3 | Totall 139

Ewes 253 | Wethers 76 | Kids 125 | Rams 6 | Totall 460

Sowes 12 | Shoates 6 | Barrows 1 | Boars 2 | Pigs 34 | Totall 55

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 40 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations 29650 lb

ditto dd the Fort Blacks 12000

ditto the Great Wood ditto 7700

Totall 49250 lb

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the month of October 1728.

Remaining 1 October 1728: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 23, steers 14, yearlings 41, calves 46, bulls 2, total neat cattle 289; ewes 76, wethers 32, lambs 30, rams 3, total sheep 141; does 263, wethers 83, kids 120, rams 6, total goats 462; sows 12, shoats 6, barrows 2, boars 2, pigs 34, total hogs 56; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 27, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Increased from 1 to 31 October 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 7, bulls 0, total neat cattle 7; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 5, rams 0, total goats 5; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 13, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 23, steers 14, yearlings 41, calves 53, bulls 2, total neat cattle 296; ewes 76, wethers 32, lambs 30, rams 3, total sheep 141; does 263, wethers 83, kids 125, rams 6, total goats 467; sows 12, shoats 6, barrows 2, boars 2, pigs 34, total hogs 56; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 40, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Killed in October 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 1, wethers 1, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 2; does 0, wethers 7, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 7; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 1, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 1; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Remaining 31 October 1728: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 23, steers 14, yearlings 41, calves 53, bulls 2, total neat cattle 296; ewes 75, wethers 31, lambs 30, rams 3, total sheep 139; does 263, wethers 76, kids 125, rams 6, total goats 460; sows 12, shoats 6, barrows 1, boars 2, pigs 34, total hogs 55; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 40, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 29,650 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 12,000 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 7,700 lb

Total yams, 49,250 lb

Interpretations

Yams rose again to 49,250 lb, up from 38,400 lb in September 1728 and more than double the 19,000 lb of July 1728. The figure now matches the 49,550 lb of November 1726, so the crop had returned to its full seasonal strength as spring took hold. Set against the collapse in the rice charge to just 352 lb for the plantation in the same month, against 2,975 lb in July 1728, the two accounts together trace the establishment moving back onto its own staple and away from imported grain.

Neat cattle reached 296, the highest figure recovered in the run and rising steadily since the 265 that opened the Company's year on 1 October 1727. No beast had been sold to shipping since the 23 bullocks taken in May 1728, so five months of natural increase had gone entirely to the herd. That position will not hold once the returning vessels begin buying beef again.

The goats gained only 5 kids against 7 wethers killed, closing at 460 after standing at 462 a month earlier. The recovery seen in September 1728, when the herd rose from 395 to 462 after the Chapel Valley range was cleared of private goats, has flattened rather than continued, and the herd remains short of the 671 counted in the annual reckoning before the year's killing and losses were deducted.

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201

Expence of the Generall Table in the Month of October 1728 Vizt

236 lb Pork

6 17 6

2 Sheep

2 8 -

7 Goates

3 10 -

7 1/2 lb Butter

- 7 6

31 Days Greens

1 11 -

62 Bottles Milk

1 - 8

42 Gall Arrack for the Table

14 5 -

74 lb Bread

- 19 6

160 lb Flour

2 - -

113 1/2 Sugar

2 19 3

14 Gall Port Wine

5 8 6

5 ditto Mountain

1 18 9

1 Gall Vinegar

- 2 6

2 lb Pepper

- 2 -

10 1/2 Gall Strong Beer

- 16 9

3 Bushells Salt

- 10 6

£43 19 6

18 Gall Arrack

5 14 -

28 lb Sugar

1 7 -

10 lb Candles

1 - -

16 lb Soap

1 1 3

Delivered to the Guards, Carpenters, Smith, Armr, Cooper, Servt &c

upon Acct of his Majesties Birth Day

£10 - 3

Gunners Stores Expended in the Month of October 1728

Vizt

Guns fired | Muzleing | Sackers | Falcons | Powder

1728

Octr 30 The Anniversary of the Birth Day of his Majesty King George

Guns fired 21 | Muzleing 1 | Sackers 4 | Falcons 16 | Powder 39

Expence of the Guards

Powder 10

Cartridge Paper for the Small Armes 1/2 Quire

Match 12 lb

21 1 4 16 49

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 19th November 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour Reports that Lime being very much wanted to Repair the Ramparts & other Parts of

the Fortifications & to Point the Windward Part of the Garden Wall in the Countrey to keep the Dirt Weather

in least they Should be Injured by the Weather, he has been mindfull of his Stock, & as he promised the

Honble Company that whenever Lime Should be wanted he would procure it at a Rate abundantly

Cheaper than ever it was yet made he was therefore Resolved to Surmount all Difficulties that Seemed to

Stand in the way & to direct any Expence or other Assistance than the twenty odd Slaves he has the Pleasure

to acquaint the West in the Short Space of Eighteen Days he has fired Three Kilns with good hard Stone

& Rocks Sufficient to burn it & from each Kiln hath drawn Six Hundred & Fifty Five Bushells of

very Strong & good Lime which the Gentlemen of Councill have Viewed & are Judges & finde it

to be very good & much better than any that was ever made when the Honble Company used to

Pay the excessive Rate for it as they formerly did, & what is remarkable this great Quantity of

Lime was made in Eighteen days only by the great Care the Governour took to have the Blacks

he was Employed well looked after that formerly when a Person was Kicked for this Service at

Expense of the general table in the month of October 1728

235 lb of pork, £6 17s 6d

2 sheep, £2 8s 0d

7 goats, £3 10s 0d

7.5 lb of butter, £0 7s 6d

31 days of greens, £1 11s 0d

62 bottles of milk, £1 0s 8d

42 gallons of arrack for the table, £14 5s 0d

7 lb of arrack, £0 19s 6d

160 lb of flour, £2 0s 0d

113.5 lb of sugar, £2 19s 3d

12 gallons of port wine, £5 8s 6d

5 lb of Mountain wine, £1 18s 9d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

2 lb of pepper, £0 2s 0d

10.5 gallons of strong beer, £0 16s 9d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

Total, £43 19s 6d

13 gallons of arrack, delivered to the guards, carpenters, smith, armourer and cooper's servants upon account of his majesty's birthday, £5 14s 0d

28 lb of sugar, delivered to the same upon account of his majesty's birthday, £1 7s 0d

10 lb of candles, £1 1s 3d

16 lb of soap, £1 1s 3d

Total, £10 0s 6d

Gunners stores expended in the month of October 1728

30 October 1728, the anniversary of the birthday of his majesty King George, 21 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 4 sakers, 16 minions, 29 lb of powder

Expense of the guards

Cartridge paper for the small arms, 1.5 quires

Match, 12 lb, 10 lb of powder

Total, 21 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 4 sakers, 16 minions, 49 lb of powder

Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed the accounts.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 19 November 1728 recorded Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that lime had long been wanted to repair the ramparts and other parts of the fortifications, and to point the windows and parts of the garden walls in the country, so as to keep the dirt washed in wet weather from being injured by the weather. He had been mindful of the Company's stock, and had promised that whenever lime should be wanted he would procure it at a rate abundantly cheaper than any yet made. He had therefore resolved to surmount all the difficulties that seemed to stand in the way, and without any expense or other assistance than the twenty or so slaves he had the pleasure to acquaint the council, in the short space of eighteen days he had fixed the kiln with good hard stone and wood sufficient to burn it, and from each kiln had drawn six hundred and fifty five bushels of very strong and good lime, which the gentlemen of the council had viewed and thought it to be very good and much better than any that was ever made when the Company used to pay the excessive rate for it as they formerly did. What was remarkable, this great quantity of lime was made in eighteen days only by the great care the Governor took to have the slaves he now employed well looked after, whereas formerly, when a person was hired for this service, the great [...]

Interpretations

The birthday of King George the Second on 30 October 1728 was marked with 21 guns, the same salute fired on 9 March 1728 when his proclamation reached the island, and with an issue of arrack and sugar to the guards, carpenters, smith, armourer and cooper's servants. Set against the accusation tried on 9 November 1728, that Slaughter had invented a story of the Governor disparaging King George the First, the ceremonial loyalty recorded in the gunner's own account acquires a pointed significance.

The 49 lb of powder expended in October remained low against the 216 lb of May 1728, but the anniversary salute alone consumed 29 lb of it. No arrival or departure was saluted during the month, which confirms that shipping had still not returned in force despite the rise in the fort's drink bill.

Reviving lime burning reversed one of Governor Byfield's own economies. He had closed the Company's limekiln on 21 March 1727 and dismissed the slaves employed there, and the island had since depended on burnt oyster shells bought through the storekeeper's account, which appear in the general charges for August and July 1728. The Governor's claim was that using Company slaves under close supervision produced 655 bushels in eighteen days at no cost beyond their keep, where hired labour had formerly made less at excessive rates.

Speculations

The Governor could have gone on buying lime, or the shells to make it, as the island had done since the kiln closed in March 1727, and the storekeeper's accounts show that route was open to him. He chose instead to rebuild a kiln with slaves he already held and no outlay at all. The record shows exactly what turned on the difference: the fortifications needed pointing and repair, and the cost of bought lime had been high enough that he had earlier promised to procure it more cheaply whenever it was wanted. The eighteen days and 655 bushels were offered to the council as proof that the labour he owned, if properly overseen, could outperform the labour he had previously paid for.

226

202

great Wages it took us at least three Months with a like Proportion of Hands

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 26th of November 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Viewed & Measured the Lands Petitioned for by Jno Sterling

the 12th Instant & finds that it contains two Acres

Orderd that all so Granted the Said Sterling for the Said Lands at the usuall Rate for

the Term of twenty one Years to Commence from the 1st of December next

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 3rd of December 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Wee this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall N folio 97 & 99

& there not being any other Businesse Wee Adjournd

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 4th Decr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

John Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour, Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly Accot for

November last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

Gunners Stores Expended in Novr 1728 Vizt

Powder

1728

Novr 6 Muster Day

10 lb

Expence of the Guards

12

Cartridge Paper for the Use of Muskets 1 Quire

Match Slime to Coat the Spunge Staves 10 lb

Sheep Skins to Coat the Spunge Staves 12

Spunge Staves 1

Nailes 4d & 6d & 8d & 12d & 3d 2 Quarts

Oyle 6 Barrels

Bumblack 1 lb

Buckthorn do 20 lb

Cordage

22

Signed John French

Formerly, when a person was hired for this service at great wages, it took at least three months with a like proportion of hands.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 26 November 1728 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. Captain Goodwin reported that he had viewed and measured the land petitioned for by John Durling on 12 November 1728, and found it to contain two acres. The council granted the land to Durling at the usual rate, for the term of twenty-one years, to commence from 4 December next.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 3 December 1728 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The council met that day and paid the garrison for the month past, as by journal T folio 176 and 177. No other business arising, the council adjourned.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Wednesday 4 December 1728 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for November last, which were severally examined and approved and were as follows.

Gunners stores expended in November 1728

1 November 1728, muster day, 10 lb of powder

Expense of the guards

Cartridge paper for the use of the small arms, 1 quire, 12 lb of powder

Match for the small arms, 10 lb

Sheep skins to coat the sponge staves, 12

Sponge staves, 1

Nails, 4d, 5d, 6d and 8d, 2 quarts

Oil, 6 barrels

Lampblack, 1 lb

Cartridge paper, 20 lb

Cordage, 20 lb

Total, 22 lb of powder

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

The Governor's lime venture stands complete with this closing comparison: hired labour had taken three months and great wages to do what Company slaves under close supervision did in eighteen days. Byfield had closed the limekiln on 21 March 1727 as an economy and dismissed the slaves employed there, so the revival of the kiln was a reversal of his own earlier policy, justified to the council by the arithmetic of who bore the cost.

The twenty-one year term granted to John Durling was the standard length of a Company lease on St Helena, and its significance lay in the obligations that came with it. The advertisement of 16 March 1728 had made renewal at the end of such a term conditional on paying a heavy fine, a considerable part of the land's market worth, for any neglect of the duty to plant and maintain wood in proportion, so a new tenant took the ground knowing what awaited him in 1749.

Powder expended in November fell to 22 lb, close to the 18 lb of September 1728 and the 11 lb of July 1728, with the monthly muster the only occasion for firing. No ship arrival or departure had been saluted since 3 June 1728, a gap of six months, and the sheep skins bought to coat the sponge staves show the gunner's stores being maintained rather than consumed.

The gunner's account was again signed by John French, who was buried on 20 September 1728 with a pound of powder expended at his funeral. His name continued to be entered on the monthly reckonings after his death, a lapse the council did not remark upon when it examined and approved them.

227

203

Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Cowes | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calves | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Totall

Hoggs: Sowes | Shoates | Barrows | Boars | Pigs | Totall

Poultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese

Horses: Horses | Mares | Totall

Rem 1st November

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 23 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 53 | Bulls 2 | Totall 296

Ewes 75 | Wethers 31 | Lambs 30 | Rams 3 | Totall 139

Ewes 253 | Wethers 76 | Kids 125 | Rams 6 | Totall 460

Sowes 12 | Shoates 6 | Barrows 1 | Boars 2 | Pigs 34 | Totall 55

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 40 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 3 | Totall 9

Encreased from do to the 30 Septr

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 8 | Bulls 0 | Totall 8

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 3 | Rams 0 | Totall 3

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 9 | Rams 0 | Totall 9

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 5 | Totall 5

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 1 | Totall 1

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 23 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 61 | Bulls 2 | Totall 304

Ewes 75 | Wethers 31 | Lambs 33 | Rams 3 | Totall 142

Ewes 253 | Wethers 76 | Kids 134 | Rams 6 | Totall 469

Sowes 12 | Shoates 6 | Barrows 1 | Boars 2 | Pigs 39 | Totall 60

Turkeys 84 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 40 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Killed from do to ditto

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 1 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 1

Ewes 1 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 1

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sowes 0 | Shoates 1 | Barrows 1 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 2

Turkeys 2 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 2 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 22 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 61 | Bulls 2 | Totall 303

Ewes 74 | Wethers 31 | Lambs 33 | Rams 3 | Totall 141

Ewes 253 | Wethers 76 | Kids 134 | Rams 6 | Totall 469

Sowes 12 | Shoates 5 | Barrows 0 | Boars 2 | Pigs 39 | Totall 58

Turkeys 82 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 1 | Wethers 2 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 3

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Rem ulto November

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 22 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 61 | Bulls 2 | Totall 303

Ewes 73 | Wethers 29 | Lambs 33 | Rams 3 | Totall 138

Ewes 253 | Wethers 76 | Kids 134 | Rams 6 | Totall 469

Sowes 12 | Shoates 5 | Barrows 0 | Boars 2 | Pigs 39 | Totall 58

Turkeys 82 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations 1275 lb

Ditto delverd the Fort Blacks 500

Ditto delverd the Great Woods ditto 325

Totall Yam 2100 lb

Potatoes from the Great Woods delverd the Honble Comps Blacks & enterd to

the Credit of the Said Wood in Leger U folio 139

235 Bushells

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the month of November 1728.

Remaining 1 November 1728: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 23, steers 14, yearlings 41, calves 53, bulls 2, total neat cattle 296; ewes 75, wethers 31, lambs 30, rams 3, total sheep 139; does 253, wethers 76, kids 125, rams 6, total goats 460; sows 12, shoats 6, barrows 1, boars 2, pigs 34, total hogs 55; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 40, geese 22; horses 6, mares 3, total horses 9

Increased from 1 to 30 November 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 8, bulls 0, total neat cattle 8; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 3, rams 0, total sheep 3; does 0, wethers 0, kids 9, rams 0, total goats 9; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 5, total hogs 5; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 1, total horses 1

Total: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 23, steers 14, yearlings 41, calves 61, bulls 2, total neat cattle 304; ewes 75, wethers 31, lambs 33, rams 3, total sheep 142; does 253, wethers 76, kids 134, rams 6, total goats 469; sows 12, shoats 6, barrows 1, boars 2, pigs 39, total hogs 60; turkeys 84, fowls 77, ducks 40, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Killed from 1 to 30 November 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 1, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 1; ewes 1, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 1; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 1, barrows 1, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 2; turkeys 2, fowls 0, ducks 2, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 22, steers 14, yearlings 41, calves 61, bulls 2, total neat cattle 303; ewes 74, wethers 31, lambs 33, rams 3, total sheep 141; does 253, wethers 76, kids 134, rams 6, total goats 469; sows 12, shoats 5, barrows 0, boars 2, pigs 39, total hogs 58; turkeys 82, fowls 77, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Died in November 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 1, wethers 2, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 3; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Remaining 30 November 1728: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 22, steers 14, yearlings 41, calves 61, bulls 2, total neat cattle 303; ewes 73, wethers 29, lambs 33, rams 3, total sheep 138; does 253, wethers 76, kids 134, rams 6, total goats 469; sows 12, shoats 5, barrows 0, boars 2, pigs 39, total hogs 58; turkeys 82, fowls 77, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 1,275 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 500 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 325 lb

Total yams, 2,100 lb

Potatoes from the Great Wood delivered to the Company's black slaves and entered to the credit of that wood in ledger U folio 139, 235 bushels

Interpretations

The yam issue collapsed to 2,100 lb, against 49,250 lb in October 1728 and 38,400 lb in September 1728, a fall so complete that it cannot represent consumption at all. The old crop had been exhausted and the new one was still in the ground, since the plantation had bought spades, scythes and hoes in October to prepare for planting. Potatoes from the Great Wood filled the gap, 235 bushels going to the Company's slaves in the same month, and the wood accordingly moved from being a timber reserve to the establishment's principal source of food.

Neat cattle stood at 303, passing three hundred for the first time in the run and continuing the climb from 265 at the start of the Company's year on 1 October 1727. No animal had been sold to shipping in six months, so the whole increase had gone to the herd. Goats reached 469, the highest since the Chapel Valley range was cleared of private stock, and the recovery that began in September 1728 was now holding.

The four horses and six mares now on the books show a mare added during the month, the first change to that stock since Gabriel Powell bought a young horse in January 1728. Horses were the least numerous and most rarely traded of the Company's animals, so the increase is worth noting against a herd that otherwise moved only through birth and slaughter.

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204

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delverd to the Inhabitants &c from the 1st to the 30th Novr 1728 Vizt

402 lb Sugar

12 8 3 1/2

40 lb Candy

12 6 -

225 lb Bread

2 - 6

18 1/2 doz Pipes

- 2 -

1 Cotth Beef

- 9 2

1 Middling Blankett

10 - -

2 Black Cotton

- 7 1 1/2

3 Soldiers Coats

2 - 6

2 Boys ditto

- 6 6

2 Mens ditto

- 8 -

2 ditto Sowed damaged by the Weather Sold for

1 17 6

8 do lb Ordinary of Silky Cloth

- 15 -

6 pr Wire Cotton Stockings

6 12 -

1 do Rams Bengall Taffety

7 2 6

6 Twist Pinck

2 8 -

10 lb Surat Chintz

5 12 6

2 Cotton fitts

12 6 -

12 lb Chintz

10 8 -

17 lb Yards Dowlass

1 6 -

27 lb do Canvas

2 0 4 1/2

6 Dimothy

- 4 -

4 ditto

- 6 6

1 lb Buckskin

1 17 6

3 lb Sattin Linnen

- 5 10

13 lb Mens Knitt Hose

6 15 6

2 ditto Wire

10 6 -

6 Soldiers ditto

- 1 7

4 Womens Silk Chintzk

- 7 -

7 Ordinary ditto

1 3 9

1 Girls do

1 10 -

2 Boys

- 4 8

4 Girles

- 3 6

8 Boys

- 8 -

10 ditto

10 6 -

9 Girles Colrd Leather Shoes

- 6 -

5 Mens ditto

0 10 -

4 Womens Spanish Leather

- 3 6

4 ditto Colours Leather

2 9 6

1 Brint Tinnett

- 7 6

4 Lamps

- 5 6

2 Squares Glass 6 & 7

1 5 -

2 ditto 6 & 8

- 1 6

2 ditto 8 & 10

1 1 10

4 Wine Glasses

10 6 -

6 Sugar Shovels

14 - -

3 Sheet ditto

- 1 6

6 pr Sash Hinges No 1

3 10 -

1 ditto 2

1 6 -

1 Chizzell & Bag

1 2 -

1 Frying Pan

- 6 4

1 Chizzell

4 4 -

2 Cutting pr do

1 8 -

4 Yards Fenceting

4 6 -

Sail Nedles

- 5 -

2 do ditto

1 9 -

1/2 lb ditto

- 3 6

1 lb White Tape

- 0 9

2 Holland ditto

18 - -

12 oz China Silk

1 6 -

14 oz Grey ditto

2 6 -

1 lb Cheat Ordinary

2 2 -

1 lb Thread

1 - 6

1 oz ditto

- 6 -

1 Say Thread Lace

1 1 0

2 pr do Edging 13 6 1/2, 6 pr do ditto 2 7 1/2, 6 1/2 ditto 2 6 1/2, 1 ditto 6 6, 1 1/2 ditto 6 6

1 8 3 1/4

4 Colourd Thread 2, 1 lb Whited Brown 8 6 1/2, 1 ditto 2 6

2 12 5 1/2

Sum Totall to the Inhabitants £106 8 6 3/4

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 30 November 1728

408 lb of sugar, £15 6s 0d

40 lb of candy, £2 0s 0d

221 lb of bread, £0 12s 6d

18.5 dozen of paper, £0 5s 0d

1 coil of rope, £10 8s 0d

1 middling blanket, £0 7s 1.25d

2 black coats, £2 0s 6d

3 soldiers' coats, £0 6s 6d

2 boys' coats, £0 6s 6d

2 more coats, £1 17s 6d

2 coats, stained and damaged by the weather, sold for £0 18s 0d

5.5 pieces of ordinary long cloth, £6 0s 6d

6.5 pairs of cotton stockings, £7 3s 6d

5.5 pairs of Bengal taffety, £2 8s 0d

6 pairs of shoes, £2 12s 6d

16 pieces of Surat chintz, £5 12s 6d

2 calico quilts, £10 8s 3d

12 pieces of calico, £1 6s 0d

17.5 yards of dowlas, £2 0s 4.5d

27.5 yards of canvas, £0 2s 8d

6 yards of dimity, £0 7s 6d

6 pieces of dimity, £1 17s 6d

1 piece of buckram, £0 5s 10d

3 yards of shalloon, £6 15s 6d

11.5 pairs of men's knit hose, £0 16s 6d

2 slate wine, £0 7s 1d

6 soldiers' coats, £1 3s 9d

6 women's silk cloaks, £1 10s 0d

7 ordinary cloaks, £2 4s 8d

2 girls' cloaks, £0 3s 6d

2 caps, £0 4s 8d

4 girls' caps, £0 10s 6d

6 caps, £0 1s 0d

9 pairs of women's calf leather shoes, £0 1s 0d

5 men's shoes, £2 0s 6d

4 pairs of Spanish leather shoes, £0 7s 0d

1 pair of calico leather shoes, £0 1s 6d

1 sweet chintz, £0 1s 6d

4 lamps, £0 1s 6d

2 squares of glass, number 7, £0 1s 10d

2 squares of glass, number 8, £0 12s 6d

2 squares of glass, number 40, £0 10s 6d

1 wine glass, £0 14s 0d

6 iron shovels, £0 1s 6d

6 shod shovels, £0 3s 10d

6 pairs of iron hinges, number 1, £0 1s 6d

1 pair of hinges, number 2, £0 1s 6d

1 clasp lock, £0 4s 4d

1 spring pin, £0 4s 8d

1 chest lock, £0 4s 4d

1 cutting pin, £0 1s 8d

1 garden trowel, £0 3s 6d

6 sail needles, £0 1s 2d

20 needles, £0 3s 6d

12 needles, £0 0s 9d

7 pieces of white tape, £0 18s 0d

5 Holland tapes, £0 1s 0d

12 oz of china silk, £0 2s 6d

14 oz of English silk, £0 2s 6d

1 lb of shoe thread, £0 1s 0d

1 lb of thread, £0 1s 6d

1 lb of silk, £0 1s 6d

1 stay thread lace, £0 3s 6d

2 yards of edging at 13.5 yards, 7 yards at 2s 7.5d, 2.5 yards at 1s 6d, 2 yards at 6s 0d, 1.5 yards at 6s 0d, £1 1s 5.5d

1 coloured thread at 1 lb of white and brown thread, £0 4s 4d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £106 8s 6.25d

Interpretations

The clothing bought in November is markedly heavier than in the preceding months, with black coats, soldiers' coats, boys' coats, women's silk cloaks, ordinary cloaks and girls' cloaks all appearing together, and two coats sold at a reduced price because the weather had stained and damaged them. The buying anticipates the coming season rather than reflecting the present one, since St Helena's summer runs from December to March and the inhabitants were fitting themselves out as the shipping returned and their produce found buyers again.

Total sales to the inhabitants came to £106 8s 6.25d, well up on the £62 18s 8.75d of October 1728 though below the £154 8s 10.5d of September 1728. Sugar and candy alone accounted for £17 6s 0d, continuing the heavy buying of both that had begun in September, and the coil of rope at £10 8s 0d was the single costliest line.

Shalloon, buckram, dowlas and dimity appear together among the cloths, and each served a distinct purpose in making up garments. Shalloon was a light twilled woollen used chiefly for linings, buckram a stiffened cloth for shaping collars and skirts, dowlas a coarse linen for shirts and household use, and dimity a ribbed cotton for bedding and light wear. Their presence alongside finished coats and cloaks shows the inhabitants both buying ready-made garments and making their own.

229

205

Diet Expences Brought over £106 8 6 3/4

55 1/2 Gall Arrack

16 9 7 1/2

166 lb Sugar

3 11 -

1/2 Gall Vinegar

- 1 3

2 Bottles Oyle

6 8 -

120 lb Flour

2 6 -

62 lb Bread

14 9 -

13 1/2 Gall Port

4 8 10 1/2

8 ditto Mountain

3 - 3

8 1/2 Bushells Salt

2 12 6

20 lb Wax Candles

2 10 -

2 lb Pepper

- 2 -

10 Gall Strong Beer

- 15 6

36 8 6

Charges Generall

1 1/2 Gall Oyle

10 6 -

40 lb Pitch

1 1 -

17 lb Soap

1 4 1

6 lb 10 Nailes

4 4 -

4 do

4 4 -

6 do 4 do

- 3 -

4 do 2 do

4 4 -

1 Sythe

1 2 1/2

1 Torch

1 1 3

1 Great ditto

4 6 -

25 lb Rozin

6 6 -

20 lb Turpentine

10 - -

1 oz Indigo

- - -

3 Barrells Lamblack

- - -

6 Paint Brushes

7 9 -

8 Marsh ditto

8 - -

1 Trowell

2 6 -

6 3 0 1/2

Garrison

8 Cattes Bohea Tea

2 8 -

4 Gall Oyle

1 4 -

9 Gall ditto dd the Smith

- 6 -

22 lb Cordage for Brands at Quarters Union Flag Staff

10 - -

1 Sawline dd for Bandcast

- 4 -

4 3 4

Honble Comps Blacks

100 Large & Nailes to make Small Hooks

1 6 -

10 Twist for Fishing

12 9 -

1 Buckshine handle & Snuff

1 6 -

13 oz Blacks Sortch

2 6 -

8 lb Shoes ditto

2 6 10

4 6 1

Plantation

6 lb Flooring Broads

4 6 -

6 lb 3 do Nailes

7 6 -

40 do 4 do

10 8 -

4 do 6 do

10 6 -

64 do 8 do

10 6 -

44 do 10 do

6 4 -

8 do 12 do

6 4 -

48 lb Turpentine

4 6 -

1 lb Sein Rope

2 6 -

4 Iron Ringes

2 6 -

4 Small Lines

2 4 -

3 Gall Oyle

2 4 -

60 1/2 Lead

13 6 -

40 Barrels Lamblack

15 6 -

14 lb Rape Oyle

10 - -

1 Squares Glass 6 & 8, & 4 ditto 8 & 10

7 9 -

1 Chest Lock

1 2 6

2 Doorbolts No 3

7 6 -

1 Cotton Wire

8 3 -

1 Tin Bruthes & 2 White Wash Brushes

18 6 7

2 Small Wooden Brushes

13 - -

1027 lb Rice dd for the Hogs & Poultry

8 3 -

18 6 7

175 [.] 3

Diet expenses, brought over £106 8s 6.25d

55.5 gallons of arrack, £16 19s 7.5d

166 lb of sugar, £3 13s 0d

0.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 1s 0d

2 bottles of oil, £0 6s 8d

180 lb of flour, £2 0s 0d

60 lb of bread, £0 12s 0d

13.5 gallons of port wine, £4 16s 10.5d

8 lb of Mountain wine, £3 3s 0d

8.5 bushels of salt, £0 8s 0d

30 lb of wax candles, £2 10s 0d

2 lb of pepper, £0 2s 0d

10 gallons of strong beer, £0 10s 6d

Sum to diet expenses, £26 8s 6d

Charges general

1.5 gallons of oil, £0 10s 6d

40 lb of pitch, £0 1s 6d

17 lb of soap, £1 4s 1d

6 lb of 4d nails, £0 2s 4d

6 lb of 6d nails, £0 2s 4d

6 lb of 8d nails, £0 2s 4d

4 lb of 10d nails, £0 4s 4d

1 spike, £0 4s 4.5d

1 chisel, £0 1s 3d

1 hand vice, £0 1s 3d

25 lb of rosin, £0 4s 6d

40 lb of turpentine, £0 6s 0d

1 oz of indigo, £0 10s 0d

5 barrels of lampblack, £0 4s 0d

6 paint brushes, £0 9s 0d

2 sponges, £0 3s 0d

1 sponge, £0 5s 6d

Sum to charges general, £6 3s 3.5d

Garrison

8 catties of bohea tea, £2 8s 0d

4 gallons of oil, £1 4s 0d

5 rules delivered to the smith, £0 4s 0d

20 yards of cordage for the pennant at Guardian Bell and the flagstaff, £1 4s 0d

1 sledgehammer delivered for the brewhouse, £0 4s 0d

Sum to the garrison, £4 4s 4d

The Company's black slaves

100 large needles to make small hooks, £0 1s 6d

10 lines for fishing, £0 12s 0d

1 brush hair handle and staff, £0 1s 0d

12 dozen of hooks and sinkers, £0 2s 6d

44 lb of shoe soles, £2 6s 10d

Sum to the Company's black slaves, £4 6s 1d

Plantation

6 lb of flooring brads, £0 4s 6d

6 lb of 4d nails, £0 7s 6d

40 lb of 6d nails, £0 10s 8d

4 lb of 6d nails, £0 3s 0d

14 lb of 8d nails, £0 10s 6d

14 lb of 10d nails, £0 10s 6d

2 lb of 24d nails, £0 6s 4d

40 lb of turpentine, £0 6s 4d

1 iron spade, £0 2s 0d

4 iron ringers, £0 2s 6d

4 small saws, £0 2s 4d

3 gallons of oil, £0 2s 4d

60.5 lb of lead, £0 13s 6d

40 barrels of lampblack, £0 15s 6d

14 days of greens, £0 10s 0d

2 squares of glass, numbers 6 and 8, and 14 squares of glass, numbers 8 and 10, £0 10s 0d

1 chest lock, £0 7s 0d

2 bristle lines, number 8, £0 1s 6d

1 tobacco cutter, £0 3s 0d

2 iron scrapers and 2 whitewash brushes, £0 2s 0d

2 iron wooden brushes, £0 6s 6d

1,027 lb of rice delivered for the hogs and poultry, £8 3s 2d

Sum to the plantation, £18 6s 7d

Interpretations

Rice to the plantation rose sharply to 1,027 lb, against just 352 lb in October 1728, and the movement matches the collapse in the yam issue from 49,250 lb to 2,100 lb in the same month. The old yam crop was exhausted and the new one still in the ground, so imported grain and the potatoes of the Great Wood together carried the livestock and the slaves through the gap.

Twenty yards of cordage bought for the pennant at the flagstaff, together with the bunting and thread charged in earlier months for mending the flag, show the signal apparatus at the lookout being kept in repair. The flagstaff was the island's early warning system, its signals carrying word of a sail sighted to windward long before any vessel could reach the anchorage, and the alarm of 22 August 1728 for a ship eight leagues off Dry Gutt depended on it.

Diet expenses at £26 8s 6d fell back from the £44 0s 9d of October 1728, and the arrack, though still substantial at 55.5 gallons, no longer carried the same weight. The October surge had reflected the return of shipping, and the reduction suggests fewer visiting officers dining at the general table during November.

230

206

Brought over

£175 - 3

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores

4 lb 2 Nailes

- - -

1 do 3 do

- 1 1

1 lb Buckthorn

- 1 9

1 Saw

- 7 2

1 Hatchett

- 1 6

1 Owed Chizl

- 1 6

1 Gimblett

- 4 6

8 1/2 Gall Rape Oyle

4 6 -

6 Barrels Lamblack

1 5 6

Expence of the Table in November 1728 Vizt

176 5 9

46 1/2 Gall Arrack

14 12 3 1/2

106 lb Sugar

3 1 6

1/2 Gall Vinegar

- 1 3

2 Bottles Oyle

6 6 8

136 lb Flour

2 6 3

60 lb Bread

- 15 -

13 1/2 Gall Port

4 16 10 1/2

3 ditto Mountain

3 2 1

2 1/2 Bushells Salt

- 11 3

6 lb Pepper

- 2 -

10 Gall Strong Beer

- 12 6

366 lb Beefe

5 16 -

144 lb Pork

3 12 -

1 Sheep

1 4 -

2 Turkeys

- 12 -

2 Ducks

- 4 -

10 lb Butter

- 10 -

30 Days Greens

1 10 -

60 Bottles Milk

1 - -

43 10 -

7 1/2 Gall Arrack dd the Guards & so attending the Sessions

£2 4 11

24 lb Sugar dd ditto

- 12 6

25 lb Wax Candles

2 10 -

17 lb Soap

1 4 1

£6 10 6

The Governour Reports that a full Sett of Books for the Year ending the 30 of Septr last are

Ballanced by which it appears that the Gross Charge for the Year past amounts only to £4448 13 7 3/4

Capt Goodwin also deliverd an Inventory of Goods & Stores remaining the 30 Septr last

Orderd that the Said Books & Inventory be Examined in order to be Copyed & Sent

to England

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 8th of December 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Wee this day Examined the Journall in part & Adjournd till to Morrow Morning

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Naval, gunners and garrison stores, brought over £175 0s 3d

4 lb of 2d nails, £0 1s 1d

1 lb of 3d nails, £0 1s 2d

1 lb of sledgehammer, £0 1s 2d

1 saw, £0 7s 2d

1 hatchet, £0 1s 6d

1 turned chisel, £0 1s 4d

1 gimblet, £0 1s 4d

2.5 gallons of rape oil, £0 14s 6d

6 barrels of lampblack, £1 5s 6d

Sum to naval, gunners and garrison stores, £1 5s 6d

Total, £176 5s 9d

Expense of the table in November 1728

46.5 gallons of arrack, £14 13s 3.5d

136 lb of sugar, £3 1s 6d

0.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 6s 6d

2 bottles of oil, £0 6s 8d

136 lb of flour, £2 6s 0d

60 lb of bread, £0 15s 0d

12.5 gallons of port wine, £4 16s 10.5d

8 lb of Mountain wine, £3 2s 1d

2.5 bushels of salt, £0 11s 0d

2 lb of pepper, £0 2s 0d

18 gallons of strong beer, £1 9s 6d

366 lb of beef, £3 16s 6d

144 lb of pork, £3 12s 0d

1 sheep, £1 4s 0d

2 turkeys, £0 12s 0d

2 ducks, £0 4s 0d

10 lb of butter, £0 10s 0d

30 days of greens, £1 10s 0d

60 bottles of milk, £1 0s 0d

Sum, £43 10s 0d

7.5 gallons of arrack delivered to the guards on attending the court, £2 4s 11d

21 lb of sugar delivered to the same, £0 10s 6d

25 lb of wax candles, £2 10s 0d

17 lb of soap, £1 4s 1d

Total, £6 10s 6d

The Governor reported that a full set of books for the year ending 30 September last was balanced, by which it appeared that the gross charge for the year past amounted to £4,846 13s 7.75d. Captain Goodwin also delivered an inventory of goods and stores remaining on 30 September last. The council ordered the books and inventory examined, in order to be copied and sent to England.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 10 December 1728 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The council examined the journals in part that day, and adjourned to the following morning.

Interpretations

The gross charge of £4,846 13s 7.75d for the year to 30 September 1728 gives the first full annual figure recovered for the island's running cost. Governor Byfield had reported on 28 November 1727 that retrenchment had discharged the island of many thousand pounds of debt in cash notes, and the abstracts laid before the council on 5 December 1727 showed the yearly expense reduced by some thousand or two hundred pounds under his government against that of Governor Smith. This reckoning is the settled outcome of that programme of economy.

Arrack issued to the guards on attending the court, charged separately at £2 4s 11d, marked the general court of 9 November 1728 at which William Slaughter was tried and sentenced to whipping and the pillory. Guard duty at a criminal trial fell outside the ordinary establishment, so the drink and sugar supplied for it were entered as a distinct charge rather than absorbed into the table's own account.

The table returned to beef and pork in November, 366 lb and 144 lb respectively, after several months in which meat had almost vanished from the account. Cattle killed in the stock account for the same month, together with the heifer and sheep slaughtered, supplied the fort directly, and the fuller table reflects both the Company's growing herd and the presence of company at the fort as shipping returned.

231

207

At a Consultation held on Friday 6th Decr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day proceeded in our Examination of the Journall & Adjourned till to Morrow Morning

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 7th of Decr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day finished our Examination of the Journall & orderd that it be immediately Copyed

& Adjournd till Monday Morning to Examine the Ledger

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 9th of Decr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day Examined the Ledger in part & Adjournd till to Morrow Morning

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 10th of Decr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day proceeded in our Examination of the Ledger & Adjournd till to Morrow Morning

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 11th of Decr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day made a further Progress in our Examination of the Ledger & Adjournd till

to Morrow Morning

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

A consultation held at Plantation House on Friday 6 December 1728 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The council continued its examination of the journal that day and adjourned to the following morning.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Saturday 7 December 1728 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The council finished its examination of the journal that day and ordered it immediately copied. The council adjourned to Monday morning to examine the ledger.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Monday 9 December 1728 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The council examined the ledger in part that day and adjourned to the following morning.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 10 December 1728 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The council continued its examination of the ledger that day and adjourned to the following morning.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Wednesday 11 December 1728 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The council made further progress in its examination of the ledger that day and adjourned to the following morning.

Interpretations

The council sat on five successive days to work through the journal and then the ledger, a pattern it had followed the year before when the books and the inventory of stores remaining on 30 September 1727 were examined across daily consultations from 29 November to 4 December 1727. Each set of books had to be checked and found to agree before a fair copy could be made and sent home, since the Company in London relied on those copies as its only record of what the island had spent and held.

Copying the journal as soon as it was passed, rather than waiting until the ledger was also examined, meant the fair copy could be started while the council worked on. Duplicate sets were sent home by different ships as insurance against loss at sea, and the shipping season was now open, so the schedule was governed by the sailing dates as much as by the pace of the audit.

232

208

At a Consultation held on Thursday 12th Decr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day continued our Examination of the Ledger & Adjournd till to Morrow Morning

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Friday 13th Decr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

John Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day Compleated our Examination of the Ledger & Adjournd till to Morrow Morning

in Order to Examine the Inventory

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 14th of Decr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day Examined the Inventory in Part & Adjournd till Monday Morning

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 16th Decr 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day went through the Inventory & finde that it Agrees with the Books & Orderd

that the Books & Ledger be also immediately Copyed

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

A consultation held at Plantation House on Thursday 12 December 1728 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The council continued its examination of the ledger that day and adjourned to the following morning.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Friday 13 December 1728 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The council completed its examination of the ledger that day and adjourned to the following morning, in order to examine the inventory.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Saturday 14 December 1728 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The council examined the inventory in part that day and adjourned to Monday morning.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Monday 16 December 1728 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The council went through the inventory that day and found that it agreed with the books. The council ordered the ledger to be immediately copied.

Interpretations

The audit followed a fixed order: journal first, then ledger, then inventory, each checked in turn and the whole tested for agreement before any fair copy was authorised. The inventory of goods and stores remaining on 30 September 1728 was the physical check on the paper record, since the ledger could only be trusted if what it claimed to hold was actually in the warehouse. The same sequence had been followed the previous year, when the books and inventory were examined from 29 November to 4 December 1727 and found to agree.

John Alexander had been absent through illness at every consultation since 30 September 1728, so the entire audit of the Company's year was conducted by three men rather than four. His absence had been long enough that he wrote to the jury from his sickbed on 9 November 1728 rather than attending the trial of William Slaughter in person.

233

209

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 17th December 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

Wee this day Executed two Leases to John Sterling for two Parcells of Lands One containing

Two Acres lying in Deep Valley

The other for Eight Acres lying under the Main Ridge adjoyning to other of his Lands

for which he Petitioned on the 5th of November 1728 both for the Term of Twenty One Years

both Commencing the 25th Instant

Mr Crispe having a Boy of Named Toney who was bred & is very handy & Serviceable

in a Plantation and he is willing to Change for an other Boy of a like Age belonging to the

Honble Company also Named Toney he desires leave to Exchange One for the other

At Mr Crispes desire We Consent do Agree to Exchange the Said Boys they being

both pretty near of the Same Age & Value & the deliverd the Said Boy to Mr Crispe accordingly

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 24 December 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander Absent

being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Encrease & Preservation of Wood being of the greatest Consequence to this Place

Orders have from time to time been issued to forbid all manner of Persons to Cutt Timber

but William Seale having in Defiance Cutt down Severall Large Trees the this day Sumd him

Fifty Shillings to the Honble Company & upon Warning that as often as he did the like

again the Same Should be doubled

Stephen Bourse Sledge having also given leave to Severall People to Cutt the Wood

off his Leased Lands before he had Planted or Enclosed it which is yet done only in Part though

it ought to have been done long ago We finish him too but only for the Sum of Forty Shillings

he being now poor & Contracted time to Compleat the Tenth of his Lands forthwith

There not being any Businesse to be decided by the Country this Quarter We

have Adjournd the Sessions till the 25th of March next

The following Petition of John Bradley was presented Vizt

To the Worshipfull Edwards Byfield Esqr Governour & Councill

The humble Petition of John Bradley

Sheweth

That Your Petr by the Lifetime of his Father had a Grant of Three Acres

of Lands lying near the Chinckhills in Sandy Bay Valley & that his Said Father soon there-

after & is his Means to Serve the Same We has accordingly Enclosed a Small Part thereof

but his Father being Sence dead, & Your Petr being Infirmly Poor & is utterly Unable

either to Compleat the Said Lands or to Pay the Rent of the Said Lands

Your Petr therefore humbly Prays that Your Worship & Court

of Councill who is pleased in Compassion to his Deplorable

Circumstances Condition to Accept of the Surrender of the Said

Land

And Your Petr as in Duty bound Shall ever Pray

John Bradley

For the Reasons mentioned in the Said Petr We accept of the Surrender of the Said Lease

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 17 December 1728 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The council executed two leases to John Durling that day for two parcels of land, one containing two acres lying in Deep Valley, the other of eight acres lying under the main ridge adjoining to other of his lands, for which he had petitioned on 4 November 1728, both for the term of twenty-one years and both commencing 25 September last.

Mr Crisp had a boy named Toney who was bred and very handy at household work in a plantation, and he was willing to exchange him for another boy of a like age belonging to the Company. He asked leave to exchange one for the other. Mr Crisp desired the council to exchange his boy for another, and the boys being both nearly of the same age and value, the council delivered the said boy to Mr Crisp accordingly.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 24 December 1728 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved.

The council held that the preservation of wood was of the greatest consequence to the island, and orders had from time to time been issued to forbid all manner of persons to cut timber. William Seale, having in defiance cut down several large trees, the council that day fined him fifty shillings to the Company, and warned him that as often as he did the like again the sum should be doubled.

Stephen Cross, sledger, had also given leave to several people to cut the wood off his leased land, before he had planted or enclosed it, which is yet done only in part, though it ought to have been done long since. He found this too bad, and only in the country, and fined him thirty shillings, he being very poor, and continued him to complete the terms of his lease forthwith.

No other business arising, the council adjourned to the following meeting on 25 March next.

The following petition of John Bradley was presented, addressed to the Honourable Edward Byfield, esquire, governor, and the council.

By the death of his father, Bradley had a grant of three acres of land lying near the limekiln in Sandy Bay Valley, and his said father soon after had a purchase to town the same. He had accordingly erected a small cart through, but his father died some days before he could finish it, and he was utterly unable either to complete the said work or to pay the rent of the said land.

He therefore prayed that the governor and council would be pleased, in compassion to his desperate circumstances, to accept the surrender of the said lease.

Signed by John Bradley.

For the reasons set out in the petition, the council accepted the surrender of the lease.

Interpretations

The exchange of the boy Toney between Mr Crisp and the Company treated two children as interchangeable property once matched for age and value, and it turned on the boy's training rather than on any consideration for him. Crisp valued a boy already skilled at household work no more highly than one of equal age from the Company's stock, so the trade cost neither party anything and both books balanced. The Company had already sold the boy James to Captain Goodwin for £6 0s 0d on 20 August 1728 and the woman Rebecca to John Martin Vandeston for £18 0s 0d on 29 October 1728.

The fines on William Seale and Stephen Cross applied the wood policy that has run through the whole record, from the surveys of 14 March and 31 October 1727 through the advertisement of 21 November 1727 and the Company's fine on lease renewal published on 16 March 1728. Seale's fifty shillings, with the threat of doubling on any repetition, was set against the value of the timber he cut, while Cross was fined thirty shillings and ordered to complete his planting, the council noting his poverty as a reason for the lighter penalty.

Two leases were surrendered in the space of ten weeks, Sarah French's sixteen acres on 8 October 1728 and now John Bradley's three acres, and both petitions rest on the same ground. A Company leasehold carried obligations to pay rent and to plant and enclose, and where a tenant died leaving his heirs without means, the land became a burden rather than an asset. The council accepted both surrenders without payment, taking the ground back rather than pursuing debts it had no prospect of recovering.

234

210

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 31st December 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Richard Gurling Overseer of the Honble Comps Blacks having Addicted himself so much to

Liquor that he has Sometimes been incapable of his Businesse for a Fortnight or three Weeks together

from which no Advice Intreaty or Perswasion could reclaim him but the Governour has often admonished

him to keep himself Sober & mind his Businesse & at one time it Seemed to have so good an

Effect upon him that he wrote the following Letter to the Governour Vizt

Worshipfull Sir

There is often Sinned & Absolved & am under all my Resolutions

by not only frequently Promising but Confirmed it by repeated Assurances & Engagements

under my Hand that Severall times Left my Strong Liquors but yet my Frailty and

Ingratitude has been Such that I have almost both them as Soon as made & with so many

Shamefull Circumstances that I hardly dare presume to ask for Pardon but thank God I

have now so purged a Lump of that ill Practice & have lately Committed One to Obey and

Quiet Temper & Condition my Minde was ever in & with all the Truth & Sincerity of a Christian

One & Ever Appealing to Heaven at Self & promise that I will not again get Drunk or disquiet

my Self with Strong Liquors but constantly Shun & Provoke them & totally abstain from that

have touch any Arrack Punch or the Rest of Strong Drinks & to work as Manner of

Temptation & provoke under Such Community Unable so give Man that shall be at Rest &

am that I quit not go into the Fort Valley below than by that Punch or go into it so come out of

it any other way than by the Bath commonly called that Oath without Your particular Leave

or Direction & to be Assured that I faithfully observe this Your Solemn Oath & have hitherto

Engaged with so much Tenderness & Indulgence as Provided & Save to Children & Sam

St Helena 2nd Aprill 1728

Worshipfull Sir

Your most Obliged &

Most Obedient humble Servt

Rich Gurling

This We thought Sufficient to have reclaimed any Man but it hath Signified nothing he hath

been drunk Since very often & after very Debauch dfused & drawn & that not at all in earnest & is being

of dangerous Consequence to trust a Man with the Care of the Blacks who is continually Loaded

We have been obliged to dispose of the Said Gurling & have Appointed Solomon Sterling by

Supply his Place who has given & Immediately in the Country Businesse & is a very Sober &

Industrious Man

Jonathan Doveton desired that a Bill of Sale for 20 1/2 Acres of his Lands he lately bought

of Samuell Isyoy might be Registred

Orderd that the Same be Registred accordingly

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 31 December 1728 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved.

Richard Durling, overseer of the Company's black slaves, had addicted himself so much to liquor that he had sometimes been incapable of his business for a fortnight or three weeks together, from which no advice, interest or persuasion could restrain him. The Governor had often admonished him to keep himself sober, and it seemed to have so good an effect upon him that he wrote the following letter to the Governor.

Durling wrote that he had often sinned against the Governor, who had endeavoured, not only by frequent admonishing but by repeated warnings and encouragements under his hand, that troubles should lift up strong liquors, but that his troubles and ingratitude had been such that he was almost both to lose an unable death in many shameful circumstances that he hardly durst presume to ask pardon. He had now so perfect a knowledge of the evil practices he had lately committed, and could not answer any of them or come to the truth and remedy of a Christian, but that he now appealed to heaven with the promise that he would not again get drunk or dispute of himself with strong liquors, but carefully shun and drink from moderately, and to keep from what he never touched any strong punch or the like, or of strong drinks, and would not work with any manner of strong liquors spirits or make such community, and in a great sober, and to that of the Michigan, so that he could not go into the fort valley below then by that punch, or go into it, or come out of it, in any other way than by the bath, commonly called new cloth, without his particular leave or direction of the governor, and would faithfully observe his time and each favour to be to make engaged with as much tenderness and indulgence as favourable to his children.

Dated at St Helena, 2 April 1728, and signed by Richard Durling.

The council thought this sufficient to have brought any man out to hate himself, but nothing he had been drunk since, and often for a very drunken debauch after it, and returned him but all in a most and being of a dangerous consequence to trust a man with the care of the Company's black slaves who is continually inclined to drink, and it had been resolved to dispose of the said Durling. The council appointed Solomon Durling by that appointment in his place, who had good knowledge in the country business, and it is a very sober and industrious man.

Jonathan Doveton delivered a bill of sale for 20.5 acres of leasehold land lately bought of Samuel Jephry, and asked that it might be registered. The council ordered it registered accordingly.

Interpretations

Durling's letter had been written on 2 April 1728, nine months before the council acted, and its production at the end of the year shows the Governor keeping written undertakings from the men under him as a record against future breach. The same practice was used with Corporal Slaughter, warned repeatedly and finally dismissed on 29 October 1728, and the council's reasoning in both cases turned less on the conduct itself than on the worthlessness of a promise the man had already broken.

The office of overseer of the Company's black slaves carried charge of the whole labour establishment, which the muster of 13 March 1727 numbered at 215 men, women and children across the plantations, the wood, the handicrafts, the fishing boats and the house. A man drunk for a fortnight together could not answer for that number, and the council held it dangerous to leave them in his care.

Richard Durling had taken the Company slave girl Betty Green as an apprentice for seven years by deed of 4 April 1727, two days after the letter now read to the council. He had also been granted 40 acres of waste land on 13 December 1726 and registered a bill of sale for part of a house in James Valley on 17 January 1727, so his fall from overseer to dismissal marks the collapse of a substantial position on the island.

235

211

At a Consultation held on Friday 3rd January 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Wee this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall U folio 42 & 44

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 7th January 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour, Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delverd each their Monthly Accot

for December last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &c from

the 1st to the 31st of December 1728 Vizt

1120 1/2 Sugar

29 1 0

16 lb Candy

- 16 -

400 lb Bread

14 4 6

10 doz Pipes

- 5 -

27 lb Soap

1 13 3

1 lb 2 lb Ordinary Long Cloth

8 15 -

9 lb Surat Chintz

3 7 6

2 Yards ditto

- 3 -

4 1/2 lb Chintz

7 10 6

10 lb Diaper

7 10 -

6 lb 10 Cotton Stockings

7 10 6

4 lb 3 do Nailes

- 6 8

4 do 4 do

- 3 4

6 1/2 do 6 do

2 6 1/2

21 do 10 do

- 6 4

8 do 20 do

4 8 -

7 do 24 do

2 6 -

7 do 30 do

1 2 -

10 Flooring Broads

7 6 -

14 1/2 lb Sash Broads

- 5 8

1 Wood Hoe

4 4 -

2 pr Sash Hinges No 3

8 10 -

1 Chest Lock

4 6 -

1 Trowell

2 6 -

1 Iron Pan

1 2 -

1 do ditto

- 1 4

7 do ditto

- 5 6

18 1/2 oz China Silk

18 6 -

20 Nedles

- 6 -

3 Skains Mohair

- 2 7

6 ditto Silk & Hair

- 6 6

11 Yards Ribban

- 3 9

7 do Hollands Tape

4 4 -

1 1/2 lb do Fenceting

- 6 6

2 Thimbles

- 3 9

1 1/2 Whited brown Thread

- 3 9

1/2 lb ditto

- 3 6

1/2 do ditto

- 3 4

1/2 lb ditto

- 3 3

1 ditto

- 5 6

£82 7 6

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 2 January 1729 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The council met that day and paid the garrison for the month past, as by journal U folio 42 and 44.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 7 January 1729 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for December last, which were severally examined and approved and were as follows.

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 December 1728

1,120.5 lb of sugar, £28 1s 0d

16 lb of candy, £0 16s 0d

1,100 lb of bread, £14 14s 6d

20 dozen of paper, £0 5s 0d

27 lb of soap, £1 13s 3d

1.5 pieces of ordinary long cloth, £8 15s 0d

9 pieces of Surat chintz, £3 7s 6d

8 yards of chintz, £0 3s 0d

14 pieces of calico, £7 10s 6d

6 pieces of taffety, £1 10s 0d

6.5 pairs of cotton stockings, £3 10s 6d

4 lb of 3d nails, £0 5s 8d

4 lb of 4d nails, £0 3s 4d

6.5 lb of 6d nails, £2 6s 1.5d

21 lb of 10d nails, £0 12s 6d

2 lb of 20d nails, £0 4s 8d

2 lb of 24d nails, £0 4s 8d

7 lb of 30d nails, £0 1s 2d

10 flooring brads, £0 7s 6d

14.5 lb of jack brads, £0 5s 8d

1 wood pin, £0 4s 4d

2 pairs of iron hinges, number 3, £0 8s 10d

1 chest lock, £0 4s 6d

1 trowel, £0 2s 0d

1 iron pan, £0 1s 2d

1 iron pot, £0 1s 4d

7 iron ladles, £0 4s 0d

18 oz of china silk, £0 18s 6d

20 needles, £0 0s 6d

3 skeins of mohair, £0 2s 1d

6 skeins of silk and hair, £0 6s 6d

11 yards of ribbon, £0 3s 9d

11 yards of Holland tape, £0 4s 4d

18 yards of ferreting, £0 3s 9d

1 thimble, £0 0s 9d

1.5 lb of white and brown thread, £0 3s 9d

1 lb of white and brown thread, £0 3s 6d

1 lb of white and brown thread, £0 3s 4d

1.5 lb of white and brown thread, £0 3s 0d

1 lb of white and brown thread, £0 5s 6d

Carried over, £82 7s 6d

Interpretations

Sugar again dominated the account, 1,120.5 lb at £28 1s 0d, holding at the levels reached in September and October 1728 and confirming that the inhabitants' buying power had recovered with the return of shipping. Bread at 1,100 lb was the heaviest issue of the run, roughly double the 514 lb of September 1728, and the two together show provisions taking a far larger share of the account than the clothing and household goods that had filled it through the winter.

The council reconvened on 2 January 1729 with the same three men who had conducted the entire audit of the Company's books through December, John Alexander having now been absent through illness at every consultation since 30 September 1728, a run of more than three months.

236

212

Brought over £82 7 6

1 pr White Silloting

- 3 8

5 lb 4 Yards Silk Lace

- 9 8

1 Female Lace

- 5 -

2 Fenceting ditto

- 1 6

3 pr Mens Colour Leather Shoes

- 3 6

7 Womens ditto

1 11 6

1 Largest Boys ditto

- 4 6

4 pr Mens Wire Stockings

1 13 -

4 ditto Knitt

1 12 -

2 Soldiers Hose

- 4 9

1 Womans ditto

- 3 6

6 ditto

1 3 6

1 Girles ditto

- 3 6

2 Boys ditto

1 3 6

2 ditto

- 3 6

3 Ivory round handled Knives & Forks

- 5 -

4 Buckthorn Knives

2 8 -

1 Sho ditto

1 0 8

1 Ivory Britches Penknife

- 9 6

1 Sotter Rasor Capt Nutlack

- 5 6

11 Butchers Knives

- - -

Sum Totall to Inhabitants £90 3 3

Honble Comps Blacks Dr on Acct of Charges Generall

66 doz Hooks Sotch

2 19 4

67 1/2 Lines ditto

2 15 1

36 Buckthorn Knives

2 6 6

10 oz China Silk

2 6 -

125 lb Cordage

2 12 -

8 lb Bohea Tea

2 12 -

dd for the Fighting Bombs

12 2 6

Garrison Dr

8 1/2 Gall Oyle

1 8 6

4 Cattes Bohea Tea

2 6 6

1 Lamp

- 2 -

4 16 9

Plantation Dr

2 Splinter Locks

- 10 -

1 Sett Bed Screws

- 3 6

1 Chest Wood

- 9 -

1 Rough Sherd

1 3 -

1 Gimblett

- 5 -

8 Sugar Shovels

1 10 -

20 1/2 Gall Rape & Terrapin Oyle

6 10 -

26 lb White Lead

- 5 6

40 Barrells Lamblack

- 5 6

2 Wooden Brushes

- 4 4

4 Paint Brushes

4 4 -

4 Shoe ditto

- 4 -

6 Yards Hollands Duck

13 - -

10 1/2 Sail Twine

10 6 -

10 Buckthorn Knives

1 4 -

2 Buckthorn Saw

1 6 -

1 Chopping Knife

- 2 -

1 ditto

- 5 -

10 Sho Knives

6 6 -

1 1/2 doz Pewter Spoons

6 6 -

1 Large Fishing Pott

4 4 -

2 ditto ditto

3 4 -

2 Squares Glass 6 & 7

6 6 -

2 ditto 4 do 10 & 12

13 4 4

46 lb Lead

13 4 8

2 lb Buckthorn oyle

- - -

1 Leather Rane Sotch

1 44 11

20 lb 2 Nailes 3, 55 do 3 do 6, 5 do smallSotch 6 do, 4 do 2 & 4 do 6 6,

4 do 2 do 3 do, 5 Yards Ducks 3 & 3 & 5 1/2 Sach Broads 3 & 4

7 7

980 lb Rice deliverd for the Hogs & Poultry

27 3 9

Carried over

137 6 3

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants, continued

Brought over, £82 7s 6d

1 piece of white ferreting, £0 3s 2d

5 lots of yards of silk lace, £0 3s 8d

1 ferreting lace, £0 1s 6d

2 ferreting laces, £0 1s 6d

3 pairs of men's calf leather shoes, £0 3s 6d

7 women's shoes, £1 11s 6d

1 sergeant's boys' shoes, £0 4s 6d

4 pairs of men's woven stockings, £1 13s 0d

4 pairs of stockings, £1 12s 0d

2 soldiers' hose, £0 4s 9d

1 woman's hose, £0 3s 0d

6 hose, £0 3s 6d

1 girl's hose, £0 3s 0d

2 boys' hose, £0 3s 6d

1 hose, £0 3s 6d

3 ivory round handled knives and forks, £0 3s 6d

4 buckhorn knives, £0 3s 6d

1 shoe knife, £0 2s 8d

1 ivory bristle penknife, £0 1s 8d

1 letter paper copy inkstand, £0 9s 6d

11 butchers' knives, £0 9s 6d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £90 3s 3d

The Company's black slaves, on account of charges general

66 dozen of hooks and sinkers, delivered for the fishing boats, £0 19s 4d

67.5 lines, delivered for the fishing boats, £0 15s 1d

36 dozen of twine, delivered for the fishing boats, £0 6s 6d

10 oz of china silk, £0 6s 0d

115 lb of cordage, £2 10s 0d

2 lb of bohea tea, £0 10s 0d

Sum to the Company's black slaves, £12 2s 6d

Garrison

2.5 gallons of oil, £1 8s 6d

6 catties of bohea tea, £2 6s 6d

1 lamp, £0 2s 0d

Sum to the garrison, £4 16s 9d

Plantation

2 splinter locks, £0 10s 0d

1 tall dock saucer, £0 10s 6d

1 chest inland, £0 9s 0d

1 rough dock, £1 13s 0d

1 gimblet, £0 5s 0d

12 sugar shovels, £1 10s 0d

20.5 gallons of rape and linseed oil, £6 10s 0d

26 lb of white lead, £0 13s 0d

40 barrels of lampblack, £0 13s 0d

2 wooden brushes, £0 4s 4d

4 paint brushes, £0 4s 4d

4 shoe brushes, £0 4s 4d

6 yards of Holland duck, £0 13s 0d

10.5 lb of tin lines, £0 13s 0d

10 butchers' knives, £0 13s 0d

2 buckhorn knives, £1 4s 0d

1 chopping knife, £0 8s 0d

1 knife, £0 2s 1d

10 shoe knives, £0 6s 6d

1.5 dozen of clasp spoons, £0 6s 6d

1 large fishing pot, £0 6s 6d

2 tin cans, £0 3s 0d

2 tin cans, £0 5s 0d

2 squares of glass, number 6 and 9, £0 6s 0d

2 squares of glass, number 10 and 12, £0 13s 4d

46 lb of lead, £0 13s 4d

1 lb of pumice, £0 13s 4d

2 leather horn buckets, £0 13s 4d

20 lb of nails, 40d and 30d, 20d and 10d, 3d, 4d, 6d and 8d, £1 14s 11d

44 lb of nails, 4d, 3d, 6d and 8d, 7.5 lb of jack brads, 3d, £7 7s 0d

980 lb of rice delivered for the hogs and poultry, £27 3s 9d

Sum to the plantation, £27 3s 9d

Carried over, £137 6s 3d

Interpretations

Rice to the plantation stood at 980 lb, close to the 1,027 lb of November 1728 and far above the 352 lb of October 1728. The yam issue had collapsed to 2,100 lb in November as the old crop ran out and the new one stayed in the ground, so imported grain continued to carry the hogs and poultry through the gap between harvests.

Bohea tea now appears in three separate charges, to the garrison, to the Company's slaves and elsewhere in the accounts, and its regular issue in catties, the Chinese weight of about a pound and a third, marks it as a settled ration rather than an occasional indulgence. The Company's China ships brought it home in bulk from Canton, and its price had fallen far enough for the council to serve it to the labour force.

The knives bought in December run to more than thirty across the inhabitants' and plantation accounts, butchers' knives, chopping knives, shoe knives and buckhorn-handled knives among them, and the concentration points to the slaughtering season. The stock accounts show cattle being killed for the fort's table in growing numbers as the herd reached 303 head, and the tools of butchery were being replaced accordingly.

237

213

Charges Generall Dr Brought over £137 6 3

1 Cask of Finish Hooks

1 19 8

9 1/2 doz Barrels Lamblack

1 18 -

2 Large Paint Brushes

- 3 3

1 Painting Brush

- 3 4

10 Copper Bowls

- 7 8

10 lb 10 do Nailes

- 8 1

10 do 3 do ditto

- 8 1

10 do 4 do

10 10 -

2 Earthen Pans

- 4 -

26 lb Lead

- 8 8

1 Chest Lock

1 18 1

1 lb Buckhinges

- 6 6

1 lb Bohea Tea

- 6 6

10 Squares Glass 6 & 8

- 7 6

10 ditto 8 & 10

- 10 4

2 ditto 11 & 12

- 6 6

17 Soap

1 4 4

10 11 6

Diet Expences Dr

70 Gall Arrack

23 2 4

1 ditto Vinegar

- 2 6

1 Brint Oyle

- 3 4

103 lb Sugar

4 6 6

113 lb Flour

2 7 0

40 lb Bread

- 10 -

10 Gall Port Wine

7 7 2

10 1/2 ditto Mountain

4 6 4 3/4

8 ditto Sherry

3 2 -

4 lb Pepper

- 4 -

20 lb Wax Candles

2 10 -

20 Gall Strong Beer

2 - 6

6 1/2 Bushells Salt

- 16 3

Sum Totall

50 7 9 1/2

198 5 0 1/2

Expence of the Generall Table in December 1728 Vizt

275 lb Beefe

- 3 7 6

2 Sheep

3 12 -

2 Turkeys

- 12 -

4 Fowles

- 12 -

10 lb Butter

- 16 -

30 Days Greens

1 11 -

62 Bottles Milk

1 1 8

29 Gall Arrack for the Table

12 7 6

1 Gall Vinegar

- 3 6

1 Brint Oyle

- 3 4

43 lb Sugar

- 2 4

120 lb Flour

2 1 0

40 lb Bread

- 10 -

10 Gall Port Wine

7 7 2

10 1/2 ditto Mountain

4 6 4 3/4

8 ditto Sherry

3 2 -

4 lb Pepper

- 4 -

20 Gall Strong Beer

2 - 6

6 1/2 Bushells Salt

- 16 3

Expence of the Table in December 1728

46 7 1/2

29 Gall Arrack dd the Blacks

9 3 8

8 ditto dd the Guard

2 1 8

43 lb Sugar dd to the Guards & Blacks

2 1 6

20 lb Wax Candles

2 10 -

17 Soap

1 4 4

it being Customary to Serve at Xmas

16 9 11

Charges general, brought over £137 6s 3d

1 coil of finish hooks, £1 19s 8d

9.5 dozen of barrels of lampblack, £1 18s 6d

2 large paint brushes, £0 3s 3d

2 painting brushes, £0 3s 4d

10 corner brushes, £0 7s 8d

10 lb of 10d nails, £0 8s 1d

10 lb of 8d nails, £0 10s 10d

1 earthen bowl, £0 4s 4d

26 lb of lead, £0 8s 8d

1 chest lock, £1 18s 6d

1.5 lb of drawings, £0 6s 6d

1 lb of bohea tea, £0 7s 6d

10 squares of glass, numbers 6 and 8, £0 10s 4d

10 squares of glass, numbers 8 and 10, £0 8s 4d

2 squares of glass, numbers 11 and 12, £0 4s 4d

17 lb of soap, £1 4s 4d

Sum to charges general, £10 11s 6d

Diet expenses

70 gallons of arrack, £23 2s 4d

1 bottle of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

1 bottle of oil, £0 3s 4d

160.5 lb of sugar, £4 4s 6d

119 lb of flour, £2 7s 0d

40 lb of bread, £0 7s 6d

10 gallons of port wine, £7 7s 2d

10.5 gallons of Mountain wine, £3 6s 4.5d

8 lb of sherry, £0 3s 4d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

20 lb of wax candles, £2 10s 0d

27 gallons of strong beer, £2 1s 6d

6.5 bushels of salt, £0 16s 9d

Sum to diet expenses, £8 7s 2.5d

Sum total, £198 5s 0.5d

Expense of the general table in December 1728

275 lb of beef, £0 7s 6d

3 sheep, £3 12s 0d

2 turkeys, £0 12s 0d

4 fowls, £0 6s 0d

10 lb of butter, £0 10s 0d

31 days of greens, £1 11s 0d

62 bottles of milk, £1 1s 8d

70 gallons of arrack for the table, £12 7s 6d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 3s 6d

1 bottle of oil, £0 3s 4d

23 lb of sugar, £0 3s 4d

132 lb of flour, £2 1s 0d

40 lb of bread, £0 10s 0d

10 gallons of port wine, £7 7s 2d

10.5 gallons of Mountain wine, £0 4s 4.5d

8 lb of sherry, £0 3s 4d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

20 gallons of strong beer, £2 10s 0d

6.5 bushels of salt, £0 16s 9d

Expense of the table in December 1728, £46 7s 7.5d

29 gallons of arrack delivered to the black slaves, being customary to serve at Christmas, £9 3s 8d

8 lb of oil delivered to the same, £2 1s 8d

33 lb of sugar delivered to the guards and black slaves, £2 10s 0d

2 lb of candles, £1 4s 4d

17 lb of soap, £16 9s 11d

Total, £16 9s 11d

Interpretations

The 29 gallons of arrack and 33 lb of sugar issued to the slaves and the guards at Christmas continued a fixed custom, the same allowance having been made at Christmas 1727 when 33 gallons of arrack and sugar went out to the slaves. The account names it plainly as customary, so the council treated it as an entitlement rather than a discretionary gift, and it stood outside both the ordinary table expense and the slaves' regular diet charge.

Arrack for the table reached 70 gallons, the heaviest issue recovered in the run and well above the 55.5 gallons of November 1728 and 50 gallons of October 1728. The fort's drink bill rose steadily through the last quarter of 1728 as shipping returned to the roads, and December, at the height of the southern summer and the sailing season, saw it at its peak.

The table's own expense held at £46 7s 7.5d, close to the £43 10s 0d of November 1728, but the composition shifted. Beef fell to 275 lb from 366 lb and pork vanished from the account entirely, while three sheep were killed for the table, so the fort was drawing on its flock rather than its herd.

238

214

Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Cowes | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calves | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Totall

Hogs: Sowes | Shoates | Barrows | Boars | Pigs | Totall

Poultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese

Horses: Horses | Mares | Totall

Rem 1st Decr

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 22 | Steirs 14 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 61 | Bulls 2 | Totall 303

Ewes 73 | Wethers 29 | Lambs 33 | Rams 3 | Totall 138

Ewes 253 | Wethers 76 | Kids 134 | Rams 6 | Totall 469

Sowes 12 | Shoates 5 | Barrows 0 | Boars 2 | Pigs 39 | Totall 58

Turkeys 82 | Fowles 77 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Encreasd from do to 31 do

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 1 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 16 | Bulls 0 | Totall 17

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 3 | Rams 0 | Totall 3

Ewes 23 | Wethers 35 | Kids 47 | Rams 1 | Totall 106

Sowes 0 | Shoates 7 | Barrows 1 | Boars 0 | Pigs 16 | Totall 24

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 16 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Killed in ditto One

Very old Cow

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 90 | Heifers 22 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 77 | Bulls 2 | Totall 320

Ewes 73 | Wethers 29 | Lambs 36 | Rams 3 | Totall 141

Ewes 276 | Wethers 111 | Kids 181 | Rams 7 | Totall 575

Sowes 12 | Shoates 12 | Barrows 1 | Boars 2 | Pigs 55 | Totall 82

Turkeys 82 | Fowles 93 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 1 | Heifers 1 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 2

Ewes 0 | Wethers 3 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 3

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 2 | Fowles 4 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Cattle Goates & Hogs

Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 89 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 41 | Calves 77 | Bulls 2 | Totall 318

Ewes 73 | Wethers 26 | Lambs 36 | Rams 3 | Totall 138

Ewes 276 | Wethers 111 | Kids 181 | Rams 7 | Totall 575

Sowes 12 | Shoates 12 | Barrows 1 | Boars 2 | Pigs 55 | Totall 82

Turkeys 80 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 1 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 1

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 59 | Rams 0 | Totall 59

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 1 | Pigs 7 | Totall 8

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Dead in do 1 very old Cow

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 89 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 77 | Bulls 2 | Totall 317

Ewes 73 | Wethers 26 | Lambs 36 | Rams 3 | Totall 138

Ewes 276 | Wethers 111 | Kids 122 | Rams 7 | Totall 516

Sowes 12 | Shoates 12 | Barrows 1 | Boars 1 | Pigs 48 | Totall 74

Turkeys 80 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 1 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 1

Ewes 1 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 1 | Totall 2

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Rem 31 Decr 1728

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 88 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 77 | Bulls 2 | Totall 316

Ewes 72 | Wethers 26 | Lambs 36 | Rams 2 | Totall 136

Ewes 276 | Wethers 111 | Kids 122 | Rams 7 | Totall 516

Sowes 12 | Shoates 12 | Barrows 1 | Boars 1 | Pigs 48 | Totall 74

Turkeys 80 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations 23200 lb

ditto deliverd the Fort Blacks 9100

ditto dd the Great Wood Blacks 5700

Totall Yams 38000 lb

Potatoes from the Great Wood deliverd to the Honble Comps Blacks &

Enterd to the Credit of the Said Woods in Leger U folio 139

93 Bushells

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the month of December 1728.

Remaining 1 December 1728: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 22, steers 14, yearlings 41, calves 61, bulls 2, total neat cattle 303; ewes 73, wethers 29, lambs 33, rams 3, total sheep 138; does 253, wethers 76, kids 134, rams 6, total goats 469; sows 12, shoats 6, barrows 0, boars 2, pigs 39, total hogs 58; turkeys 82, fowls 77, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Increased from 1 to 31 December 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 1, yearlings 0, calves 16, bulls 0, total neat cattle 17; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 3, rams 0, total sheep 3; does 23, wethers 35, kids 47, rams 1, total goats 106; sows 0, shoats 7, barrows 1, boars 0, pigs 16, total hogs 24; turkeys 0, fowls 16, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 90, heifers 22, steers 15, yearlings 41, calves 77, bulls 2, total neat cattle 320; ewes 73, wethers 29, lambs 36, rams 3, total sheep 141; does 276, wethers 111, kids 181, rams 7, total goats 575; sows 12, shoats 12, barrows 1, boars 2, pigs 55, total hogs 82; turkeys 82, fowls 93, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Killed in December 1728, one very old cow: bullocks 0, cows 1, heifers 1, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 2; ewes 0, wethers 3, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 3; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 2, fowls 4, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 89, heifers 21, steers 15, yearlings 41, calves 77, bulls 2, total neat cattle 318; ewes 73, wethers 26, lambs 36, rams 3, total sheep 138; does 276, wethers 111, kids 181, rams 7, total goats 575; sows 12, shoats 12, barrows 1, boars 2, pigs 55, total hogs 82; turkeys 80, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Cattle, goats and hogs cut and grown in December 1728: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 1, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 1; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 59, rams 0, total goats 59; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 1, pigs 7, total hogs 8; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 89, heifers 21, steers 15, yearlings 40, calves 77, bulls 2, total neat cattle 317; ewes 73, wethers 26, lambs 30, rams 3, total sheep 138; does 276, wethers 111, kids 122, rams 7, total goats 516; sows 12, shoats 12, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 48, total hogs 74; turkeys 80, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Died in December 1728, 1 very old cow: bullocks 0, cows 1, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 1; ewes 1, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 1, total sheep 2; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Remaining 31 December 1728: bullocks 73, cows 88, heifers 21, steers 15, yearlings 40, calves 77, bulls 2, total neat cattle 316; ewes 72, wethers 26, lambs 30, rams 2, total sheep 136; does 276, wethers 111, kids 122, rams 7, total goats 516; sows 12, shoats 12, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 48, total hogs 74; turkeys 80, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 23,200 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 9,400 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 5,700 lb

Total yams, 38,000 lb

Potatoes from the Great Wood delivered to the Company's black slaves and entered to the credit of that wood in ledger U folio 139, 93 bushels

Interpretations

The yam issue recovered to 38,000 lb, from just 2,100 lb in November 1728, and the movement confirms that the November collapse marked the gap between the exhausted old crop and the new one still in the ground. Potatoes from the Great Wood, which had carried the establishment through that gap at 235 bushels in November, fell back to 93 bushels as the yams came in.

The goat herd surged to 575 before the reclassifications, an increase of 106 in a single month against gains of just 9 in November 1728 and 5 in October 1728. The kidding season had arrived with the southern summer, and the herd, which stood at 395 in September 1728 before the Chapel Valley range was cleared of private goats, had now grown by nearly a third.

Neat cattle reached 320 before losses, with 16 calves born in the month, and closed at 316. The herd has now risen without interruption from 265 at the start of the Company's year on 1 October 1727, and no beast had been sold to shipping in seven months despite vessels being back in the roads, which suggests the returning ships were not yet buying beef in the quantities of the previous season.

239

215

Gunners Stores Expended in the Month of Decr 1728 Vizt

Powder

1728

Decr 4 Muster Day

11 lb

Expence of the Guards

12

Cartridge Paper for the Guards 1 Quire

Match 10 lb

Parchment Skins 1

23 lb

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 14th January 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

John Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Samuell Isyoy having desired leave to Assign Seven Acres & half of Leased Lands to

Joseph Bates & the Said Bates desireing to be Accepted Tenants for the Same & to have

a Lease thereof in his own Name for the Remainder of the Term yet to come We Granted

their Request & Executed a New Lease to the Said Bates accordingly

Sundry of the Honble Companies Goates which have been lately killed for the Use of the

Table having been Wounded with Gunshott Wounds & others being bit & Worried with Dogs

We having great Reason to Suspect that John Long, Elizabeth Marsh & the Wench

who hath impudently Intruded into the Honble Companies Bangs & were lately obliged

to remove their Goates to Some other Place as the Persons who have maliciously done this

We this day Revoked the Liberty formerly given them to keep Fire Arms & Published

an Advertizement promising a Reward of Five Pounds to any Person who Should

Convict either of them or any Person dwelling with or belonging to either of them of hunting

Worrying, Shooting, Killing or any other way destroying the Said Goates

Richard Beale & Isaac Woods Church Wardens presented the following Complaint agt

Richard Swallow & John Bowers Vizt

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfield Esqr Governour &c Councill

We the Undernamed Church Wardens of the Island of St Helena in discharge of the Duty We

Owe to Our Selves & Posterity finde Our Selves indispensibly Obliged to Represent to Your

Worship &c Councill that Richard Swallow & John Bowers to the great Discouragement

of Virtue & Morality & to the evill Example of others have each of them begotten Female Children

upon their Black Wenches & that notwithstanding they have been frequently & Admonished to

leave off their Lewdness & Debauchery they have neverthelesse persisted in their Wickedness

each of their Said Wenches having again been lately delivered of White Children begotten by

their Said Masters

That the Provision which they Should have made for the future Maintainance &

Support of their unlawfull Issue is by the Means brutishly & with great Partiality & Injustice

Squandred & Consumed in Raising a Spurious Mongrell Ledumbach Breed & who in a few

Generations may so Encrease that it timely prevented, they may become formidable to the

Inhabitants & may by fierce Attempts to free themselves from that State of Slavery in to

which they are Born & which so very ill Agrees with their Complexion & their near Relation to

White People

We therefore humbly Pray in behalf of Our Selves & the rest of the Inhabitants

that Your Worship &c Councill will be pleased to take this Affair into Your

Consideration & that You will Apply Such Remedy as may Effectually Stop

the Progress of this growing Evill so soon lawes & Religion & good Order &

is prejudiciall & their Children lawfully begotten

14th Janry 1728

Signed

Isaac Wood

Richard Beale

Gunners stores expended in the month of December 1728

4 December 1728, muster day, 11 lb of powder

Expense of the guards, 12 lb of powder

Cartridge paper for the guards, 1 quire

Match, 10 lb

Parchment skins, 1

Total, 23 lb of powder

Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed the account.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 14 January 1729 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved.

Samuel Jephry asked leave to assign seven acres and a half of leasehold land to Joseph Bates, and Bates asked to be accepted tenant for the same and to have a deed of it in his own name. The council granted the request and ordered a new lease drawn and executed to Bates accordingly.

Several of the Company's goats had lately been killed for the use of the table, having been wounded with gunshot and others being bit and worried with dogs. The council had good reason to suspect that John Long, Elizabeth Marsh and Thomas Nash, who had impudently intruded into the Company's range, were lately obliged to remove their goats to some other place, and were the persons who had maliciously done this. The council that day revoked the liberty formerly given them to keep firearms, and published an advertisement promising a reward of five pounds to any person who should convict either of them, or any person dwelling with or belonging to either of them, of hunting, worrying, shooting, killing or in any other way destroying the Company's goats.

Richard Beale and Isaac Wood, churchwardens, presented the following complaint against Richard Swallow and John Bowers, addressed to the Honourable Edward Byfield, esquire, governor, and the council.

The undersigned churchwardens of the island of St Helena, in discharge of their duty, and being unable to answer to themselves or to posterity otherwise, found themselves in conscience obliged to represent to the governor and council that Richard Swallow and John Bowers, to the great discouragement of virtue and morality, and to the evil example of others, had each of them begotten several children upon their slave wenches. Notwithstanding they had been frequently admonished to leave off their lewdness and debauchery, they had nevertheless persisted in their wickedness, and each of their slave wenches had lately been delivered of white children begotten by their slave masters.

The provision which they should have made for the future maintenance and support of their lawful issue was by this means brutishly and with great barbarity and injustice squandered and consumed in raising a spurious mongrel breed, which in a few generations might so encroach that if timely prevented they might become formidable to the inhabitants, and might by force attempt to free themselves from that state of slavery into which they were born, and which so very ill agrees with their complexion and their near relation to white people.

They therefore humbly prayed, on behalf of themselves and the rest of the inhabitants, that the governor and council would be pleased to take this affair into their serious consideration, and that they would apply such remedy as might effectually stop the progress of this growing evil, to the great balance and religion, good order and public wickedness within children lawfully begotten.

Dated 14 January 1729, signed by Isaac Wood and Richard Beale.

Interpretations

The churchwardens' petition sets out the reasoning behind the fine of ten pounds already imposed on John Bowers, and it rests on two distinct fears. The first is economic, that a man's estate would be dissipated on children he had fathered on slave women rather than preserved for his lawful heirs. The second is a fear of numbers, that a mixed population would grow large enough to threaten the white inhabitants and to claim its freedom on the strength of its parentage. The council was being asked to act not on the morality of the conduct but on its consequences for property and for the security of the settlement.

Withdrawing the right of John Long, Elizabeth Marsh and Thomas Nash to keep firearms turned a suspicion the council could not prove into a practical restraint. The evidence of black witnesses was inadmissible, so no conviction was possible, but the council could remove the means and offer five pounds to anyone who would supply the proof it lacked. Long had already been ordered to clear his goats from the Chapel Valley range on 30 July 1728, and had been given six weeks to do so, so the attacks on the Company's herd followed directly on his losing the grazing.

The 23 lb of powder expended in December remained at the low level that had held since June 1728, with the muster and the guards accounting for all of it. No salute had been fired for an arrival or departure in seven months, which sits oddly against the rising drink bill at the general table and suggests the returning vessels were passing rather than calling.

240

216

John Bowers was called in & Examined & being Confronted with Mrs Wrangham (to whom

he lately Confessed that the first two of three Children of which his Wench hath been delivered were

his) he again ownd them but faintly denied that no now the Father of her last Child, We therefore

as the most effectuall Way to Check the Progress of his growing Evil finish the Said Bowers in

the Sum of Ten Pounds for the Use of the Poor & at his Sam time told him that if ever he did the

like again his Sons Should be doubled & that he Should occurr Corporall Punishment

Capt Goodwin presented the Last Will & Testament of Wm Hodgshinson &c praying the Same might

be Proved & Registred & the Same was Proved upon the Oaths of the Witnesses thereto & Orderd to be

Registred accordingly

Richard Swallow being ill We orderd him to attend on Tuesday next

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 21st January 1728 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

Jno Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Report being made to the Governour that Severall of the Honble Companies Goates were bit & Worried

with Dogs he Orderd the Goates to be Pounded, & from over missing of which two have since been found dead,

very much bit by the Dogs, the other two being very fair tyred & the Serjt Symphrone Steel by Jno Long,

Elizabeth Marsh, or the Wench, but the Aware of the Place not admitting of any Proof by the Testimony of

Blacks We cant effectually come at the offenders, but to prevent Such Mischeif for the future We issued a

Warrant to the Marshall to take all the Dogs belonging to the Severall Persons aforementioned & not one We

chiefly Suspect John Long he having freed use of Severall Rifles & Weapons to Sam one of his Dogs

remarkably known & distinguished by the Neighbourhood for his Subtle & Cunning in Catching Goates

among the Rocks & Mountains

John Hodgshinson Surgeons Mate having for these Six Weeks past been Runaway & Neglected his

Duty not having been in at that Time attended either the Garrison or the Honble Comps Blacks We

enquired of Mr Alsop whether he knew what was become of him & he acquainted us that having frequently

desired Severall Parcells of the most valuable Medicines which the Said Hodgshinson had Stealthily taken

out of the Ship in his Absence with intent to Deceit for himself he Orderd his Servant in the Presence of

hearing of Mr Hodgshinson not to let him come into the Ship but when he himselfe was at home & that

from that time to this refused it now Six Weeks ago he has never Sett his Eyes upon him & the Said Hodgshinson

having unfortunately declared that he did the Value or Regard the Honble Comps Service We deem this Absence

from his Duty as the most impudent Way of quitting the Company's Service not being the last hopes of his

Amendment or Reformation, the fallen being carefully unremissible in with more particularly Appear by the

following Letter in which tho he has made so many Solemn Promises yet he broke through them also with an

Amendmt after they were made, We think it would be very unwarrantable in us to allow him Salary any longer

& have therefore dispenst him their Service

Worshipfull Sir

As a Youth of which I am at length become English & that for so much of my

Life as is yet past I have only professed my Selfe a Christian but in Morall & Best as I have been

worse than a Heathen & which of every thing good have been able Abusive & disresistfull to my Friends &

Strangers but by the blessing of God, & to whose Grace I am now brought to a perfect Abhorrence of all

my Since more honourable than the Wares in my Blacks & especially Sipping Drunkenness & Neglect of

my Duty & in so frequent & Scandalous a manner that Such almost & a Shame to Own & Ask Pardon

for that but of Your Worships with have the Goodness once more to forgive me though I am an idle offender &

has hardly hope for Mercy & promise in the most Solemn manner that I will diligently Apply my Selfe

to my Businesse & not give the least Occasion of offence or Complaint to any Person living but

attend only & duly my Books & my Business & that I have so often broke my Word & shown to Your

Worship with Vaine Promises that its likely You will give little Regard to what I have now Engaged

to perform yet if I do not much good my Word I desire to be Abandoned by God & Man & Your Worship

Worship will inflict the most Severe Punishment upon me either by dispensing me the Comps Service

or in any other manner Your Shall think fitt but I do assure Your Worship my Repentance is Sincere

& my Soul in great Affliction & I humbly Pray You will try me once again, I am

Worshipfull Sir

John Bowers was called in and examined, and being confronted with Mr Wrangham, to whom he had lately confessed that the first two of three children of which his wench had been delivered were his, he again owned them but firmly denied the third. To meet the father of her last child, and therefore as the most effectual way to check the progress of his growing evil, the council fined Bowers the sum of ten pounds for the use of the poor, and at the same time told him that if ever he did the like again his time should be doubled and that he should receive corporal punishment.

Captain Goodwin presented the last will and testament of Thomas Hodgkinson and asked that it might be proved and registered. The will was proved upon the oaths of the witnesses, and the council ordered it registered accordingly.

Richard Swallow being ill, the council ordered him to attend on Tuesday next.

A consultation held at Plantation House on Tuesday 21 January 1729 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved.

Report was made to the Governor that several of the Company's goats were bit and worried with dogs. The council ordered the goats to be counted. Upon some missing, of which two lean ones were found dead, very much bit by the dogs, the other two being very fair, opened. Mr Timps supposed them to be John Long, Elizabeth Marsh or Thomas Nash, but the cause of this was not admitting of any proof by the testimony of blacks. The council could not effectually come at the offenders, but to prevent such behaviour for the future the council issued a warrant to the marshal to kill all the dogs belonging to the several persons before mentioned, of whom the council chiefly suspected John Long, he having had use of several rests and reasons to some of his dogs remarkably known and distinguished by the neighbourhood for his skill and cunning in catching goats among the rocks and mountains.

John Hodgkinson, surgeon's mate, having for these six weeks past been runaway and neglected his duty, not having been in at that time attended either the garrison or the Company's black slaves, the council enquired of Mr Alsop whether he knew what was become of him, and he acquainted the council that having frequently sought several parcels of the most valuable medicines out of the shop, and that Hodgkinson had thereby taken out of the ship in his absence with intent to desert for himself, he ordered his servant in the presence and hearing of Mr Hodgkinson not to let him come into the shop, but rather to himself was so happy that from that time to this refused a new six weeks ago he has never told his eyes upon him, and the said Hodgkinson having insolently declared that he did not value or regard the Company's service, this same the absence from his duty as the most impudent way of quitting the Company's service, not being the last hopes of his amendment or reformation, he falling being perfectly incorrigible, as will more particularly appear by the following letter, in which that he has made so many solemn promises yet he broke through them all, in the manner they were made, the council thought it wholly unwarrantable in the council to allow him salary any longer where the council dismissed him from their service.

Hodgkinson wrote as follows. He was a youth of which some at length become English, and yet for so much of his life as was yet past, he had only professed himself a Christian, but in moral and beast as they had been a heathen, indeed of every thing good he had been able to distinguish. He confessed to the council that he was a stranger, but by the blessing of God, by whose grace he was now brought to a perfect abhorrence of all his vices, more heinous than the vices in my black, especially lying, drunkenness and neglect of his duty, and in so frequent and scandalous a manner that such at length is shameful to own and yet pardon for that, but if the council would have the goodness ever more to forgive him, he was in all his offences and how hardly he could beg for mercy, yet promised in the most solemn manner that he would diligently apply himself to his performance and not give the least occasion of offence and complaint to any person living, but would attend on his duty in his books and in his business, and should he ever be so often broke his word to the council, he would with firm promises that he would be lately be so given late respect to what he was now engaged to perform, yet he could not read his word, and he had to be abandoned by God and man, and he begged that if he did not perform his word he should suffer the most severe punishment upon him, either by dismissing him from the Company's service or in any other manner upon what the council should think fit. But he assured the council that his repentance was sincere, and that his soul was in great affliction. He humbly prayed the council would try him once again.

Interpretations

Fining John Bowers ten pounds for the use of the poor turned a matter of sexual conduct into a source of parish relief, and the sum, together with the threat of doubling and corporal punishment for any repetition, followed the same escalating scale the council applied to William Seale for cutting timber on 24 December 1728. The offence lay in fathering children on a slave woman and then denying responsibility, and the money was directed to the poor rather than to the mother or the children.

The refusal to admit the testimony of black witnesses left the council unable to prove who had set dogs on the goats, so it acted on suspicion instead, ordering every dog belonging to the suspected men destroyed. The evidential bar that protected the accused from conviction thus produced a summary remedy against their property, and John Long, already ordered off the Chapel Valley range on 30 July 1728 for grazing his own goats there, was again at the centre of it.

John Hodgkinson had already faced an inquiry in September 1727, when George Gibson deposed that he had sold the Company's medicines to the shipping and drunk the cordial waters, and no cinnamon water remained in the shop at all. He had obtained leave to return to England on 26 September 1727 through infirmity, with his pay stopped to clear a debt he denied. His reappearance here, absent six weeks and again suspected of taking medicines from the shop, closes a pattern that had run for over a year, and his letter of contrition was read only to demonstrate how many such promises he had already broken.

241

217

Worshipfull Sir

A very worships but

St Helena 3rd June 1728

Your most Dutyfull &

Obedient Servt

John Hodgshinson

To the Worshipfull Edwd Byfield Esqr Governour

The Governour Reports that one of the Honble Companies Black Boys Named Machett died last

Week Enterd Journall U folio 47

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 28th January 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Morning arrived a foreign Ship which upon Examination of the Captain who Produced

his Pass & other Papers We finde to be a Dane with the Coast Louwing Burthen about

Six Hundred Tons & Sixty Guns & Seventy Two Men, Capt Lauchinton Ohms Berg the

first Commander, this whole Businesse he hath been Commanded by Wolfe & Baron Ludolph

by the King of Denmark under this Lady & Cape Wraught bated the 25th April 1729 with

Commissioned by the Same Christian Manhelton Countney of a Note, & is go to Copenhagen

in Sweden & is their Return not being able to gett into the Cape they made for this Place desireing

Water & Refreshment which We allowed them upon paying for

Richard Swallow being ill We Adjournd the Consideration of his Affair till Tuesday next

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 3rd February 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Wee this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall U folio 4 & 6

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4th February 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

John Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour, Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delverd each their Monthly

Accot for January last were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

Hodgkinson closed his letter by professing himself the council's most dutiful and obedient servant. Dated at St Helena, 3 June 1728, and signed John Hodgkinson, addressed to the Honourable Edward Byfield, esquire, governor.

The Governor reported that one of the Company's black boys, named Marcus, had died last week, and the death was entered in journal U folio 47.

A consultation held at Union Fort on Tuesday 28 January 1729 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved.

A foreign ship had arrived the previous evening, and upon examination of the captain, who produced his passport, it appeared that the ship was a Dane called the Cronenburg, of about six hundred tons, from Tranquebar, bound to Denmark, laden with about ten thousand tons of tea and twenty-two men, and Captain Lauchsten was her first commander. She was likewise said to have been commanded by Christian Brown, subject to the King of Denmark, under his lady and copper wrought, and laden and delivered in company with two ships under Danish colours, in the custody of a note. He asked for permission to make sail, and having neither obtained leave to get into the road, they made for the offing, hoping to water and refresh, and would not attack them upon their voyage.

Richard Swallow being ill, the council adjourned its consideration of his affair to the following Tuesday.

A consultation held at Union Fort on Monday 3 February 1729 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The council met that day and paid the garrison for the month past, as by journal U folio 49 and 50.

A consultation held at Union Fort on Tuesday 4 February 1729 recorded the same three men present, John Alexander again absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for January last, which were severally examined and approved and were as follows.

Interpretations

The examination of the Danish ship Cronenburg on arrival followed the standing procedure applied to every vessel calling at the island, and the passport was the essential document. A foreign captain had to establish his nationality, his port of departure, his cargo and his destination before the council would permit him to water and refresh, since the alternative was that any ship might be a privateer or a pirate under false colours. The alarm and heaving-in orders had been in force since the war warning of 9 May 1727 and were continued against pirates even after the Company signified by 30 April 1728 that all apprehension of war had ceased.

Tranquebar, from which the Cronenburg sailed, was the Danish East India Company's principal settlement on the Coromandel coast, so the ship represented a rival European trading power passing through waters the Honourable Company regarded as its own. Permitting her to water while refusing her the anchorage kept the customary courtesies of the sea without granting a competitor the freedom of the roads.

Hodgkinson's letter was dated 3 June 1728, more than seven months before the council read it. He had been absent from his duty for six weeks when the matter came before the council on 21 January 1729, so the promises in the letter had been broken almost as soon as they were made, and the council produced it as evidence of his incorrigibility rather than as a plea to be weighed.

242

218

Account of the Honble Companies Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry & Horses likewise what has been killed &c besides

the Encrease or Decrease for the Month of January 1728 Vizt

Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Cowes | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calves | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Totall

Hogs: Sowes | Shoates | Barrows | Boars | Pigs | Totall

Poultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese

Horses: Horses | Mares | Totall

Remains 1st Janry

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 88 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 77 | Bulls 2 | Totall 316

Ewes 72 | Wethers 26 | Lambs 36 | Rams 2 | Totall 136

Ewes 276 | Wethers 111 | Kids 122 | Rams 7 | Totall 516

Sowes 12 | Shoates 12 | Barrows 1 | Boars 1 | Pigs 48 | Totall 74

Turkeys 80 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Encreasd from do to ulto do

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 8 | Bulls 0 | Totall 8

Ewes 22 | Wethers 8 | Lambs 3 | Rams 2 | Totall 35

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 20 | Rams 0 | Totall 20

Sowes 3 | Shoates 34 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 33 | Totall 70

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 88 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 85 | Bulls 2 | Totall 324

Ewes 94 | Wethers 34 | Lambs 39 | Rams 4 | Totall 171

Ewes 276 | Wethers 111 | Kids 142 | Rams 7 | Totall 536

Sowes 15 | Shoates 46 | Barrows 1 | Boars 1 | Pigs 81 | Totall 144

Turkeys 80 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Killed from do to do

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 1 | Wethers 4 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 5

Sowes 0 | Shoates 1 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 1

Turkeys 4 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Sheep & Hogs Cutt

& Grown in ditto

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 88 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 85 | Bulls 2 | Totall 324

Ewes 94 | Wethers 34 | Lambs 39 | Rams 4 | Totall 171

Ewes 275 | Wethers 107 | Kids 142 | Rams 7 | Totall 531

Sowes 15 | Shoates 46 | Barrows 1 | Boars 1 | Pigs 81 | Totall 143

Turkeys 76 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 32 | Rams 0 | Totall 32

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 37 | Totall 37

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Goates killed by Dogs as

p Consultation 14th Janry

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 88 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 85 | Bulls 2 | Totall 324

Ewes 94 | Wethers 34 | Lambs 7 | Rams 4 | Totall 139

Ewes 276 | Wethers 107 | Kids 142 | Rams 7 | Totall 531

Sowes 15 | Shoates 46 | Barrows 1 | Boars 1 | Pigs 44 | Totall 106

Turkeys 76 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 4 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 4

Sowes 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Remains ulto Janry 1728

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 88 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 85 | Bulls 2 | Totall 324

Ewes 94 | Wethers 34 | Lambs 7 | Rams 4 | Totall 139

Ewes 276 | Wethers 103 | Kids 142 | Rams 7 | Totall 527

Sowes 15 | Shoates 46 | Barrows 1 | Boars 1 | Pigs 44 | Totall 106

Turkeys 76 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Potatoes from the Great Wood deliverd the Honble Comps Blacks & Enterd to the Credit

of the Said Wood in Leger U folio 139

198 Bushells

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses, with what was killed besides the increase or decrease, for the month of January 1729.

Remaining 1 January 1729: bullocks 73, cows 88, heifers 21, steers 16, yearlings 40, calves 77, bulls 2, total neat cattle 316; ewes 72, wethers 26, lambs 36, rams 2, total sheep 136; does 276, wethers 111, kids 122, rams 7, total goats 516; sows 12, shoats 12, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 48, total hogs 74; turkeys 80, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Increased from 1 to 31 January 1729: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 8, bulls 0, total neat cattle 8; ewes 22, wethers 8, lambs 3, rams 2, total sheep 35; does 0, wethers 0, kids 20, rams 0, total goats 20; sows 3, shoats 34, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 33, total hogs 70; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 88, heifers 21, steers 15, yearlings 40, calves 85, bulls 2, total neat cattle 324; ewes 94, wethers 34, lambs 39, rams 4, total sheep 171; does 276, wethers 111, kids 142, rams 7, total goats 536; sows 16, shoats 46, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 81, total hogs 144; turkeys 80, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Killed from 1 to 31 January 1729: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 1, wethers 4, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 5; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 1, total hogs 1; turkeys 4, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 88, heifers 21, steers 15, yearlings 40, calves 85, bulls 2, total neat cattle 324; ewes 94, wethers 34, lambs 39, rams 4, total sheep 171; does 275, wethers 107, kids 142, rams 7, total goats 531; sows 15, shoats 46, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 81, total hogs 143; turkeys 76, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Sheep and hogs cut and grown in January 1729: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 32, rams 0, total sheep 32; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 37, total hogs 37; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 88, heifers 21, steers 15, yearlings 40, calves 85, bulls 2, total neat cattle 324; ewes 94, wethers 34, lambs 7, rams 4, total sheep 139; does 276, wethers 107, kids 142, rams 7, total goats 531; sows 15, shoats 46, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 44, total hogs 106; turkeys 76, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Goats killed by dogs, as by consultation of 21 January 1729: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 4, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 4; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Remaining 31 January 1729: bullocks 73, cows 88, heifers 21, steers 15, yearlings 40, calves 85, bulls 2, total neat cattle 324; ewes 94, wethers 34, lambs 7, rams 4, total sheep 139; does 276, wethers 103, kids 142, rams 7, total goats 527; sows 15, shoats 46, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 44, total hogs 106; turkeys 76, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Potatoes from the Great Wood delivered to the Company's black slaves and entered to the credit of that wood in ledger U folio 139, 198 bushels

Interpretations

Yams have vanished from the account altogether, and potatoes from the Great Wood stand alone at 198 bushels. The two crops have been moving in counterpoint for months: yams collapsed to 2,100 lb in November 1728 while potatoes rose to 235 bushels, then yams recovered to 38,000 lb in December 1728 and potatoes fell back to 93 bushels. The potato is filling the gap between the exhausted old yam harvest and the new one, and the Great Wood is credited for the crop in the ledger because the wood grew it.

That reliance sets the island apart from England, where in 1729 the potato remained a marginal food. It had taken hold in Lancashire and was already central to the Irish diet, but the English table was still built on grain, and the crop carried a lingering suspicion among the gentry and across the south. St Helena had adopted it early and heavily for reasons that had nothing to do with fashion. The soil was poor, the island was five weeks from any supply, and a garrison and a slave establishment of over two hundred had to be fed from whatever the ground would carry. What was a curiosity in an English kitchen garden was here a staple against famine, and the metropolitan diet would not follow for two generations.

The four goats killed by dogs appear as a distinct line, cross-referenced to the consultation of 21 January 1729 at which the council ordered every dog belonging to John Long, Elizabeth Marsh and Thomas Nash destroyed. Entering the loss as its own class of decrease, alongside natural death and slaughter for the table, shows the council treating the attacks as a recognised drain on Company property to be tracked in the books, and the figure would serve as evidence should the five pound reward produce a conviction.

The hog stock more than doubled, from 74 to 143 before reclassification, on an increase of 70 in a single month. Against the 24 added in December 1728 and the 5 in November 1728, the figure marks the height of the farrowing season, and the herd has grown from 28 at the start of June 1728 to 106 at the close of January.

Sheep rose sharply too, gaining 35 head where November 1728 had yielded a natural increase of just 3. The 22 ewes added were probably bought rather than born, since no such purchase had been made since the 16 sheep acquired during the Company year ending 30 September 1728, and the flock now stands at 139 against 102 at the start of that year.

243

219

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &c from 1 to the 31st

of January 1728 Vizt

1 Hogshead Beefe

12 - -

1735 1/2 lb Sugar

43 6 3

18 lb Candy

- 15 -

470 lb Bread

5 17 6

4 lb Chintz

2 17 4

6 Bucks

- 12 6

3 Boathe

2 8 -

6 ditto

3 10 -

8 ditto

1 17 6

7 Spare

1 11 6

3 doz Tobacco Pipes

2 5 2

34 doz Hooks Sotch

1 1 5

27 Larger ditto

1 6 -

1 pr Girles Hose

- 10 6

3 Boys ditto

- 5 -

2 ditto

7 7 6

21 Mens Knitt

- 13 -

4 ditto Wire

6 1 6

47 Yards Bastick

1 18 0

17 ditto

2 9 6

6 Boys Hatts

3 6 6

6 Mens do

2 - -

2 ditto

3 - -

1/2 Whited brown Thread

7 8 -

1 ditto

7 6 -

2 Colourd ditto

6 6 -

1 oz China Silk

- 6 6

3 Thimbles

1 9 -

1 lb Bobbing

2 8 -

1 do Reel

3 6 -

2 ditto

4 4 -

6 ditto

- 6 -

4 oz Nero Thread

1 8 -

6 Buck Saw

1 7 -

1 Ivory Comb

6 6 -

1 ditto

7 - -

1 Gallon Iron Pott

- 3 -

6 pr Womens Colrd Leather Shoes

1 3 -

1 Girles ditto

1 9 -

1 Coffee Pott

- 9 -

1 ditto

- - -

4 Lamps

2 8 -

1 Butchers Knife

10 8 -

2 lb Copper

3 3 -

4 Sho Thread

2 3 -

4 lb 2 do Nailes

- - -

3 do 6 do ditto

- - -

Sum Totall to Inhabitants £129 3 7

Garrison Dr

11 lb Bohea Tea

3 6 4

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores

12 Barrels Lamblack

4 4 -

1 lb Brown Thread

4 2 2

1 lb Twine

2 1 6

12 Bundles Sail Nedles

- - -

11 8

Honble Comps Blacks Dr on Acct of Officers Charges

1 Iron Pott No 3 & 72 lb

1 15 -

1 do 1/2 & 3 Gall

- 12 6

2 Buckhorn Knives

- 10 -

15 doz Hooks Sotch

1 7 -

3 Lines Largest

- 13 -

50 lb Angl

- 5 -

2 Oars 18 feet

- 15 -

Deliverd for the Fishing Boates

6 13 6

129 14 9

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 January 1729

1 hogshead of beef, £12 0s 0d

1,735.5 lb of sugar, £43 6s 3d

18 lb of candy, £0 15s 0d

470 lb of bread, £5 17s 6d

4 pieces of calico, £2 17s 4d

6 hats, £2 8s 6d

3 basins, £3 10s 0d

6 basins, £1 17s 6d

8 basins, £1 11s 6d

7 spoons, £2 8s 2d

3 dozen of tobacco pipes, £1 1s 5d

34 dozen of hooks and sinkers, £0 10s 6d

27 sugar tongs, £0 0s 5d

1 pair of girls' hose, £7 7s 6d

3 pairs of boys' hose, £6 13s 0d

2 pairs of hose, £6 1s 6d

21 men's shirts, £1 18s 0d

4 women's shirts, £2 9s 6d

47 yards of buckram, £3 6s 6d

17 yards of buckram, £2 0s 0d

6 boys' hats, £0 3s 0d

6 men's hats, £0 7s 6d

2 hats, £0 6s 6d

7.5 lb of white and brown thread, £0 6s 6d

1 lb of white and brown thread, £0 3s 8d

2 lb of coloured thread, £0 7s 6d

6 oz of china silk, £0 4s 6d

3 thimbles, £0 1s 9d

1 piece of edging, £0 2s 8d

1 iron pin, £0 3s 6d

2 pins, £0 4s 4d

6 pins, £0 1s 6d

4 oz of nuns' thread, £0 1s 7d

6 chest locks, £0 6s 6d

1 ivory comb, £0 6s 7d

1 comb, £0 6s 0d

1 gallon of iron pots, £0 5s 6d

4 pairs of women's calf leather shoes, £0 7s 0d

1 pair of girls' shoes, £0 3s 0d

1 coffee pot, £0 1s 9d

1 pot, £0 3s 6d

4 lamps, £0 9s 0d

1 butcher's knife, £0 2s 8d

2 pieces of tinplate, £0 10s 0d

4 lb of shoe thread, £0 3s 3d

4 lb of 3d nails, £0 3s 3d

5 lb of 6d nails, £0 3s 3d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £129 3s 7d

Garrison

11 lb of bohea tea, £3 6s 4d

Naval, gunners and garrison stores

12 barrels of lampblack, £0 4s 0d

1 lb of morgan thread, £0 12s 2d

1 lb of twine, £0 1s 6d

12 pounds of sail needles, £0 6s 0d

Sum to naval, gunners and garrison stores, £11 3s 0d

The Company's black slaves, on account of general charges

1 iron pot, number 12, £1 15s 0d

1 iron pot, numbers 5 and 6, £0 12s 6d

6 butchers' knives, delivered for the fishing boats, £0 10s 6d

15 dozen of hooks and sinkers, delivered for the fishing boats, £0 17s 6d

3 iron scrapers, delivered for the fishing boats, £0 13s 6d

50 lb of rope, delivered for the fishing boats, £0 5s 6d

2 oars, 18 feet, £0 18s 0d

Sum to the Company's black slaves, £6 10s 6d

Sum total, £129 14s 9d

Interpretations

Sugar reached 1,735.5 lb at £43 6s 3d, by far the heaviest issue in the run and half as much again as the 1,120.5 lb of December 1728. The quantity is too large for domestic consumption alone and points to the inhabitants buying for preservation and brewing as the summer heat set in, or laying in stock while the price and the supply held.

A whole hogshead of beef at £12 0s 0d is unusual in an account otherwise made up of small parcels, and it marks a bulk sale to a single purchaser rather than the ordinary retail trade. The Company's herd had grown to 324 head by the end of January, and salted beef in cask offered a means of turning that surplus into cash without waiting for a ship to buy live cattle.

Shirts, hats, hose and shoes appear in quantity across the account, and the buying reflects the height of the southern summer rather than any preparation for cold. St Helena's seasons run against the English calendar, so January is the island's warmest month, and the light linen and cotton goods here answer to conditions the Company's clerks in London would have associated with July.

Twenty-seven sugar tongs sold in a single month, alongside coffee pots, basins, spoons and tobacco pipes, show the inhabitants furnishing themselves with the apparatus of polite consumption. Sugar, tea, coffee and tobacco were all reaching English tables in growing quantities in these years, and the planters of St Helena, sitting directly on the Company's China and India routes, could adopt the habit sooner and more cheaply than most households at home.

244

220

Charges Generall Brought over

119 14 9

16 lb Soap

1 2 8

1 lb Twine

2 2 -

7 lb Tacks

2 10 -

1 Penknife

1 6 -

8 lb Lead

1 8 -

3 1/2 Yds Scarlet broad Cloth to Cover a Large Couch & Chair & Cushion

4 9 -

1 ditto

1 - -

2 lb Diaper

1 - -

1 Buckhorn Sauce Pan

4 3 -

2 Cullenders

5 6 -

1 Sugar Tin Kettle

2 6 -

2 Dowlaying Bows

1 - -

1 Large Ann

- 4 -

2 Paint Brushes

- 4 -

10 Barrels Lamblack

- 4 -

8 4 4

Plantation Dr

1/2 Yard Hollands Duck

4 - -

40 lb Lead

10 4 -

8 lb 10 do Nailes

5 4 -

6 do 30 ditto

5 8 -

12 Wright Nailes

6 9 -

1 lb Long Cloth

1 6 -

6 lb Rope

3 - -

6 lb White Lead

3 - -

6 Large Doorstaples

18 - -

6 Sugar Shovels

10 - -

6 Sheline

18 - -

2 Iron Rimb Locks

4 - -

1 Frying Pan

4 - -

1 Slat Broad

2 6 -

1 Iron Pott 4 1/2 Gall

8 6 -

2 Terrapt Buckhorns

2 2 -

2 Sinks

6 10 -

900 lb Rice dd for the Hogs & Poultry

12 19 10

Diet Expences

136 lb Sugar

- 7 6

150 lb Flour

1 7 6

60 lb Bread

- 15 -

57 Gall Arrack

18 1 -

28 1/2 lb Candles

2 16 -

14 Gall Port

5 8 6

6 ditto Mountain

2 6 6

6 ditto Sherry

1 18 9

2 ditto Vinegar

- 3 9

2 Bottles Oyle

- 11 3

7 1/2 Gall Strong Beer

- 6 8

3 Bushells Salt

- 13 6

Totall

33 7 8

179 6 1

Gunners Stores Expended in Janry 1728 Vizt

Guns fired | Muzleing | Sackers | Falcons | Powder

1728

Janry 1 Muster Day

Guns fired 4 | Muzleing 0 | Sackers 0 | Falcons 2 | Powder 10 lb

25th An Allarm

Guns fired 9 | Muzleing 1 | Sackers 1 | Falcons 0 | Powder 18

do 27th Arrived a Danish Ship from India

Guns fired 20 | Muzleing 1 | Sackers 1 | Falcons 0 | Powder 20

30th Anniversary of the Kings Martyrdom

Powder 14

Expence of the Guards

Musquett Balls 1 lb

Cartridge Paper to make Cartridges 4 Quire

Sheep for ditto 1 do

Twine 12 Barrels

Lamblack 12

Match

33 2 2 2 27 75

Signed

Jno French

Charges general, brought over £129 14s 9d

16 lb of soap, £1 2s 8d

1 lb of twine, £0 2s 2d

7.5 lb of tacks, £0 2s 2d

1 penknife, £0 1s 6d

8 lb of lead, £0 1s 0d

3.5 yards of scarlet broadcloth to cover a large couch and chair and cushion, £4 1s 8d

1 nail, £0 1s 3d

2 pieces of dowlas, £1 1s 0d

1 baker's saucepan, £0 4s 0d

2 colanders, £0 5s 6d

1 sugar tin kettle, £0 2s 6d

2 dowlaping bowls, £0 1s 0d

1 large jar, £0 4s 0d

2 paint brushes, £0 4s 0d

19 barrels of lampblack, £0 4s 0d

Sum to charges general, £8 4s 4d

Plantation

1.5 yards of Holland duck, £0 4s 0d

40 lb of lead, £0 10s 4d

8 lb of 10d nails, £0 5s 4d

6 lb of 30d nails, £0 3s 9d

12 weight of nails, £0 8s 0d

1 piece of long cloth, £1 6s 0d

6 lb of dye, £0 3s 0d

6 lb of white lead, £0 6s 0d

6 large brass staples, £0 3s 0d

6 sugar shovels, £0 10s 0d

6 shovels, £0 15s 0d

2 iron climb locks, £0 15s 0d

1 frying pan, £0 4s 0d

1 shod shovel, £0 2s 6d

1 iron pot, number 7 and 9 gallon, £0 8s 6d

2 serving punchbowls, £0 2s 6d

2 sinks, £0 2s 8d

900 lb of rice delivered for the hogs and poultry, £6 10s 0d

Sum to the plantation, £12 19s 10d

Diet expenses

136 lb of sugar, £0 7s 6d

150 lb of flour, £1 7s 6d

60 lb of bread, £0 15s 0d

57 gallons of arrack, £18 1s 6d

28 lb of wax candles, £2 16s 6d

14 gallons of port wine, £5 8s 6d

6 gallons of Mountain wine, £2 6s 6d

6 lb of sherry, £1 18s 9d

2 gallons of vinegar, £0 3s 3d

2 bottles of oil, £0 11s 3d

7.5 gallons of strong beer, £0 6s 8d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

Sum to diet expenses, £38 7s 8d

Sum total, £179 6s 1d

Gunners stores expended in January 1729

1 January 1729, muster day, 4 guns fired, 2 falcons, 10 lb of powder

28 January 1729, an alarm, a Danish ship from India, 9 guns fired, 1 minion, 1 saker, 7 falcons, 18 lb of powder

30 January 1729, the anniversary of King Charles's martyrdom, 20 guns fired, 1 minion, 1 saker, 18 falcons, 20 lb of powder

Expense of the guards

Musket balls, 1 lb

Cartridge paper to make cartridges, 4 quires

Sheep skins for the same, 1

Twine, 1 lb

Lampblack, 12 barrels

Match, 12 lb

Total, 33 guns fired, 2 minions, 2 sakers, 27 falcons, 75 lb of powder

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

The alarm fired for the Danish ship Cronenburg on 28 January 1729 confirms the procedure recorded at the consultation of that date. The guns went off before her captain was examined and his passport produced, so the island treated every unidentified sail as hostile until proved otherwise, and the nine rounds spent were the cost of that caution. No arrival salute follows in the account, which shows she was never admitted to the road.

The twenty guns fired on 30 January 1729 for the anniversary of King Charles's martyrdom marked the execution of Charles the First in 1649, a day still observed as a solemn fast throughout the English calendar. The island kept the political anniversaries of the mother country as faithfully as it kept the birthday of King George the Second, saluted with 21 guns on 30 October 1728, and both were fired at a distance of five thousand miles from the events they commemorated.

Powder expended rose to 75 lb, the highest figure since May 1728 and more than three times the 23 lb of December 1728. Two thirds of it went on the alarm and the royal anniversary rather than on any shipping salute, so the increase reflects ceremony and vigilance rather than the return of trade.

Scarlet broadcloth bought to cover a couch, a chair and a cushion is the only piece of domestic upholstery in the whole run of general charges, and it points to the fort's public rooms being furnished for appearance rather than use. Scarlet was the costliest of the woollens carried out from England, and its purchase for the Governor's furniture sits oddly against Byfield's programme of economy, which had closed the limekiln and cut the slaves' meat ration.

245

221

Expence of the Table in January 1728 Vizt

99 lb Sugar

2 9 6

150 lb Flour

1 17 6

60 lb Bread

- 15 -

45 Gall Arrack for the Table

14 5 -

14 Gall Port Wine

5 8 6

6 ditto Mountain

2 6 6

6 ditto Sherry

1 18 9

2 ditto Vinegar

- 5 -

2 Bottles Oyle

- 6 8

7 1/2 Strong Beer

- 11 3

3 Bushells Salt

- 13 6

56 lb Pork

- 18 -

5 Goates

2 10 -

4 Turkeys

1 4 -

12 lb Butter

1 12 -

31 Days Greens

1 11 -

62 Bottles Milk

1 - 8

Expence of the Table in January 1728

£38 12 10

12 Gall Arrack dd the Guards New Years Day

£3 16 -

16 lb Sugar dd ditto

- 13 -

28 lb Wax Candles

2 16 -

16 lb Soap

1 2 8

£8 12 8

Richard Swallow continuing ill We have Adjournd the farther Consideration of

his Affair till he is able to Attend

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 11th February 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

John Alexander absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Morning arrived the Princess Anne Capt Gough from Bencoolen by way of the Cape

at which last Place he left the Duke of Cumberland almost ready to Sail, the Goods

Consigned to Us from Bencoolen are as follow Vizt

Sugar Vizt

1 Candy Sotch

2 3 7

2

2 2 21

3

2 2 21

4

2 2 21

5

3 2 14

6

2 3 14

7

2 1 14

8

2 2 -

9

2 3 -

10

2 3 -

11

2 3 7

12

2 3 14

13

2 1 14

14

2 3 -

15

2 2 -

16

0 - 7

3 2 8

41 1 20

2 2 lb Bags

87 3 62

Expense of the table in January 1729

99 lb of sugar, £2 9s 6d

150 lb of flour, £1 17s 6d

60 lb of bread, £0 15s 0d

45 gallons of arrack for the table, £14 5s 0d

14 gallons of port wine, £5 8s 6d

6 gallons of Mountain wine, £2 6s 6d

6 lb of sherry, £1 18s 9d

2 gallons of vinegar, £0 5s 0d

2 bottles of oil, £0 6s 8d

7.5 gallons of strong beer, £0 11s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

56 lb of beef, £0 18s 0d

5 goats, £2 10s 0d

4 turkeys, £1 4s 0d

12 lb of butter, £0 12s 0d

31 days of greens, £1 11s 0d

62 bottles of milk, £1 1s 8d

Expense of the table in January 1729, £38 12s 10d

12 gallons of arrack delivered to the guards on New Year's Day, £3 16s 0d

6 lb of sugar delivered to the same, £0 13s 0d

28 lb of wax candles, £2 16s 0d

16 lb of soap, £1 2s 8d

Total, £8 12s 8d

Richard Swallow continuing ill, the council adjourned the further consideration of his affair until he was able to attend.

A consultation held at Union Fort on Tuesday 11 February 1729 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved.

The Governor received the previous morning a letter from Captain Gough at Bencoolen by way of the Cape, at which time he left the Duke of Cumberland almost ready to sail. The goods consigned to the island from Bencoolen were as follows.

Sugar, 8 bags

Bag 1, 2 hundredweight 3 quarters 7 lb

Bag 2, 2 hundredweight 2 quarters 21 lb

Bag 3, 2 hundredweight 2 quarters 21 lb

Bag 4, 3 hundredweight 2 quarters 14 lb

Bag 5, 3 hundredweight 2 quarters 14 lb

Bag 6, 2 hundredweight 3 quarters 14 lb

Bag 7, 2 hundredweight 1 quarter 14 lb

Bag 8, 2 hundredweight 2 quarters 0 lb

Bag 9, 2 hundredweight 3 quarters 0 lb

Bag 10, 2 hundredweight 3 quarters 0 lb

Bag 11, 2 hundredweight 3 quarters 7 lb

Bag 12, 2 hundredweight 3 quarters 14 lb

Bag 13, 2 hundredweight 1 quarter 14 lb

Bag 14, 2 hundredweight 3 quarters 0 lb

Bag 15, 2 hundredweight 2 quarters 0 lb

Bag 16, 6 hundredweight 0 quarters 7 lb

Total, 41 hundredweight 1 quarter 20 lb, less tare 3 hundredweight 2 quarters 8 lb, and 22 lb per bag

Net, £37 3s 6d

Interpretations

The New Year's Day allowance of 12 gallons of arrack and 6 lb of sugar to the guards repeats the custom recorded a year earlier, when 6.5 gallons went to the guard on 1 January 1728. The council treated these seasonal issues as fixed entitlements rather than discretionary gifts, and they stood outside the ordinary table account, alongside the Christmas allowance to the slaves and the arrack served on the King's proclamation.

Sugar shipped from Bencoolen in sixteen bags and weighed in hundredweight, quarters and pounds, with a tare deducted for the bags themselves, shows the Company's supply system reaching the island from its Sumatran settlement rather than from Bengal or Madras. Bencoolen was the Company's pepper factory on the west coast of Sumatra, and its produce came to St Helena by ships breaking their homeward passage, so the island drew provisions from the whole span of the eastern trade.

The tare allowance of 22 lb per bag, deducted from the gross weight before the sum was struck, was the standard commercial adjustment for the weight of the packaging, and it mattered because the island paid on the net. The council's practice of recording each bag's weight separately gave it the means to check the total against the invoice when the goods were landed, the same precaution Captain Goodwin had taken when he entered a protest on the bill of lading of the Prince William on 6 May 1728 after finding 20 bags short.

246

222

Brought Over

87 3 62

64 1/2 Gall Arrack 2 Legers

48 - -

Charges Merchandize Boat Hire

12 - -

Dollars 147 3 62

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Thursday 13th February 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

Jno Alexander Absent being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Morning arrived the Duke of Cumberland Capt Braund from Bombay by way of the Cape

having a Small Supply for the Use of this Place as follows Vizt

64 1/2 Hhds Batavia Arrack 4 Legers of 3 & 2 Gall @ 100 Rupees p Leg of 100 Gall

256 - -

64 1/2 Gall Goa Arrack 2 Legs of 8 & 2 Gall @ 20 Rupees p Leg of 20 Gall

128 - -

Rupees 384 - -

Wee this day deliverd the following Instructions to Captain Braund to heave in upon Allarms as

We did Yesterday to Captain Gough a Copy of which is as follows Vizt

Sir

Wee take the Satisfaction to hear from the Honble Company by a Letter dated the 29th of November 1727

that all Apprehensions of War were at that time ceast, but they are neverthelesse pleased to Order for the

Security of Your Ship & Cargo against the Attempts of Pirates or other Enemies that upon an Allarme

which may happen during Your Stay here You are to Finde a Way either to the Cove or Landing

Rock & heave in as near the Shoar as You Possibly can with Safety & there continue till We have

certain Advice whether the Ships below are any of the Friends or an Enemy We are

Sir

Your most humble Servts

St Helena

10th Febry 1728

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 18th February 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Wee this day receivd the following Letter from Captain Braund Vizt

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs

Having on board the Cumberland Fifty Bales of

Coffey & four Bales Callicoes I offer that I Sold with in the Cargo & having no opportunity of

disposing of the Same I request the Favour that You will please to Order the Same to be Entered in the

Honble Companies Registry here at Value being as Underneath

50 lb Companies Coffee

3060 Rupees

4 pr Fifty Bales & Two Thousand & Sixty Rupees

20

Calico Bales for Rating & Bales Twenty Rupees

3030 Rupees

in granting which Request You will very much oblige

Worshipfull Sir & Sirs

Your most obedt humble Servt

Ben Braund

St Helena 18th Febry 1728

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfield Esqr

Governour &c Councill

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Arrack, 2 leaguers, 64.5 gallons, brought over £37 3s 6d

Charges merchandise, boat hire, £12 0s 0d

Total, 147 dollars 3s 6d

Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed the account.

A consultation held at Union Fort on Thursday 13 February 1729 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved.

The Duke of Cumberland, Captain Braund commander, arrived that morning from Bombay by way of the Cape. She brought a small supply for the use of the island, as follows.

Batavia arrack, 3 leaguers of 320 gallons at 100 rupees per leaguer of 102 gallons, 256 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Goa arrack, 2 leaguers of 320 gallons at 20 rupees per leaguer of 102 gallons, 128 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Total, 384 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

The council delivered the following instructions to Captain Braund that day, to heave in upon alarms, as it had done the day before to Captain Gough, a copy of which follows.

The council had the satisfaction to learn from the Company, by a letter dated 25 November 1727, that all apprehension of war was at that time over, but that the Company was nevertheless pleased to order that, for the security of his ship and cargo against the attempts of pirates or other enemies, upon any alarm which might happen during his stay he was to sink or run in to the crane or landing rock, and remain as near the shore as he possibly could with safety, and to continue there until the council had certain advice whether the ship below was an enemy or a friend.

Dated at St Helena, 13 February 1729, and signed by Edward Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp.

A consultation held at Union Fort on Tuesday 18 February 1729 recorded Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. The council received the following letter from Captain Braund.

Braund wrote that he had on board the Duke of Cumberland fifty bales of coffee and four hundred and twelve gallons of tea, that he had sailed with them on the coast, and having no opportunity of disposing of the same, he requested that the council would please to order the stock to be entered into the Company's books at their value, being as underneath.

50 bales of coffee, three thousand and forty rupees, 3,040 rupees

412 gallons of tea, twenty rupees, 20 rupees

Total, 3,060 rupees

He would esteem it a great favour if the council would oblige him in granting the request. Dated at St Helena, 18 February 1729, and signed Ben Braund, addressed to the Honourable Edward Byfield, esquire, governor, and the council.

Interpretations

The heaving-in order given to Captain Braund repeats the standing form delivered to every arriving commander since Captain Marchet received it on 19 December 1727, and its terms are revealing. The Company had signified as early as 25 November 1727 that all apprehension of war was over, yet the instruction remained in force against pirates, so the drill outlived the emergency that created it. A ship at anchor in the open roadstead was helpless, and the order required her to run close under the guns of the crane or the landing rock the moment an unidentified sail was sighted, and to stay there until the council could say whether the stranger was friend or enemy.

John Alexander returned to the council on 18 February 1729 after an absence through illness stretching back to 30 September 1728, a period of nearly five months during which the whole audit of the Company's books, the trial of William Slaughter and the entire winter's business had been conducted by three men.

Captain Braund's request that his coffee and tea be taken into the Company's books shows a commander unable to find a buyer on the Indian coast and turning to the island as a market of last resort. Coffee at 3,040 rupees was by far the greater part of the consignment, and the Company's willingness to consider such a purchase reflects the growing English appetite for the drink, which had spread from the coffee houses of London into private households across the preceding generation and was now reaching even a garrison in the South Atlantic.

247

223

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 25th of February 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr.

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Saturday last in the Morning the Ships Princess Anne & Duke of Cumberland in

Company with the Danish Ship Sailed hence for Europe

The Governour Reports that a Black Girle of the Honble Companies Named Dick

died yesterday of which an Entry is made in Journall U folio 54

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 3rd March 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

Jno Alexander Absent

being ill

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Wee this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall U folio 55 & 57

This Morning arrived the Cadogan Capt Sanders from England who having deliverd us a Packett

from the Honble Company We immediately read the Same through

Orderd that the Bill of Lading be immediately deliverd the Storekeeper & that all possible

Assistance be given the Captain to enable him to deliver his Cargo within the time limitted by Charter

Party, that Mr Bazett be constantly attend at the Watch Side & that he carefully Observe what

Company Boates are sent day deliverd & Remark what Goods or other Accidents Shall happen

& that he do every Evening bring us a true Report or the Instructions Offer in Order to be Enterd on

our Consultations & that the following Letter be immediately deliverd the Captain Vizt

Sir

We desire You will Land on Shoar with all the Expedition You possibly can all Such

Goods or Merchandize be we on board Your Ship Consigned to Us from the Honble Company & if

You want any Assistance to quicken Your Delivery We shall be glad to Serve You We are &c

St Helena

3rd March 1728

Wee also acquainted the Orders given us from the Honble the Gentlemen of the Committee of

Survey We also gave the Captain the following Directions to Secure his Ship during his Stay

here Vizt

Sir

Wee have received Strict Orders from the Honble the Gentlemen appointed a

Committe of Survey & Impowered to give Such Directions as they Shall think proper to be

observed by the Companies Shipping abroad to acquaint You that the Affairs of Europe being

that in an Unsettled Estate & the Apprehensions of War not yet over You are constantly to

keep Your Ship in the best Posture of Defence that is possible & to take care to be watchfull so as

to prevent any Attempts of an Enemy & upon all Allarmes which may happen during Your

Stay here You are to Anchor & Weep either to the Cove or Landing Rock & keep in as near as

You possibly can with Safety & there continue till We know whether the Ships below are any of us

or Friends or an Enemy, & the Encouragement to Your Ships Company to Exert their

Courage in Defence of their Country We are also Commanded to acquaint You that they will

entitle their Bravery to them in the Same Manner Should they be Attacked by a Piraticall

offender or any other Enemy as they are Entitled to Should they be Attacked by Enemys Ships

Wee have also given the Necessary Orders for putting the Islands into the best Posture of

Defence that is possible & have Orderd all the Inhabitants upon every double Allarm & upon

every Single Allarm if there be a Ship in the Roads to bring all their Male Blacks with them to

their Duty between the Age of Sixteen & Sixty

Orderd that Notice be given the Inhabitants to deliver on Sight of their Familes Lands Blacks &c

by the 20th instant & that they do Assemble on Monday the 31st Instant to be Sworn for the Year past in

Order to make out & transmit the usuall Annuall Lists to the Company

E Byfeld

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

A consultation held at Union Fort on Tuesday 25 February 1729 recorded Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. On the Saturday morning before, the ships Bonney, Anne and Duke of Cumberland, in company with the Danish ship, sailed home for Europe.

The Governor reported that a black child of the Company's, named Dick, had died the previous day, and an entry was made in journal U folio 54.

A consultation held at Union Fort on Monday 3 March 1729 recorded Governor Byfield, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present, John Alexander being absent through illness. The last consultation was read and approved. The council met that day and paid the garrison for the month past, as by journal U folio 55 and 57.

The Cadogan, Captain Lumley commander, arrived that morning from England, having delivered a packet from the Company. The council immediately read the same through.

The council ordered that the bill of lading be immediately delivered to the storekeeper, and that all possible assistance be given the captain to enable him to deliver his cargo within the time limited by his charter party, that Mr Crisp be constantly attending at the waterside, that he carefully observe what and how many boats are each day delivered, and remark what surf or other accident should happen, and that he deliver in every evening at the secretary's office, in order to be entered in the consultations, and that the following letter be immediately delivered to the captain.

The council wrote that they desired he would make haste on shore with all the expedition possible, so far as to give all such goods and merchandise as were on board his ship consigned to the island from the Company, and if he wanted any assistance to quicken his delivery, the council would be glad to serve him. They were his most humble servants, and gave the orders received from the Company and the gentlemen of the committee of survey. Dated at St Helena, 3 March 1729.

The council also gave the captain the following directions, to secure his ship during his stay.

They had received strict orders from the Company, the gentlemen appointed a committee of survey and correspondence, to give such directions as they should think proper to be observed by the commanders of shipping abroad. They acquainted him that the affairs of Europe being still in an unsettled posture, and no apprehension of war not yet over, he was constantly to keep his ship in the best posture of defence that was possible, and to take care to be watchful so as to prevent any attempts of an enemy or pirate. Upon any alarm which might happen during his stay he was to sink or warp either to the crane or landing rock, and remain as near as he possibly could with safety, and continue till the council knew whether the ship bearing away was a friend or an enemy. As an encouragement to his ship's company to exert their courage in defence of their country, the council also commanded to acquaint him that they were entitled to their bounty to them in the same manner should they be attacked by a Spaniard, a Frenchman or any other enemy, as they were entitled and should they be attacked by pirates.

The council also gave the necessary orders for putting the island into the best posture of defence that was possible, and ordered all the inhabitants upon every double alarm, and upon every single alarm if there should be a ship in the road, to bring all their male slaves with them to their duty between the ages of sixteen and sixty.

The council ordered that notice be given to the inhabitants to deliver in a list of their families, lands and cattle by the 20th of the present month, and that they attend on Monday 31 March 1729 to reckon for the year past, in order to make out and transmit the usual annual list to the Company.

Interpretations

The heaving-in orders given to Captain Lumley differ from those delivered to Captain Braund only twelve days earlier in one significant respect. Braund was told that all apprehension of war was over and the precaution was against pirates alone, while Lumley was told that the affairs of Europe were still unsettled and that apprehension of war was not yet past. The packet brought by the Cadogan had evidently carried fresh intelligence from London, and the council responded by putting the whole island back onto the war footing it had first adopted after the Company's warning of 9 May 1727 and stood down by 30 April 1728.

Calling out the inhabitants' male slaves between sixteen and sixty on every double alarm turned the island's labour force into its reserve garrison. The muster of 13 March 1727 had counted 117 men among the Company's own slaves alone, and the private holdings would have added many more, so the measure recognised that the fort could not be manned from the garrison and the free inhabitants together. It also carried an evident risk, since the council had reported slaves running from their masters on 27 February 1728 and seven putting to sea in a boat on 5 March 1728.

Setting Mr Crisp at the waterside to record every boat landed and every surf or accident repeats exactly the arrangement made for the Anne and Mary on 8 March 1728. The purpose was the same, to fix the evidence should the discharge run beyond the term allowed by the charter party and the owners claim demurrage, and the daily lodging of the account at the secretary's office gave the council a contemporaneous record it could produce against any such claim.

248

224

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4th March 1728 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Governour

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Dutn Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour, Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delverd each their Monthly Accot

for February last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &c from

the 1st to the 28th February 1728 Vizt

168 lb Sugar

4 4 -

24 lb Candy

2 4 -

1145 lb Bread

14 6 3

14 lb Bobbing

- 7 2

2 Iron Corks

3 8 -

2 Rope

2 2 -

17 lb Duck

1 6 -

2 Oars 14 feet

13 6 -

2 ditto 16 do

16 6 -

8 lb Tack

- 4 6

2 oz Indigo

2 6 -

40 Barrels Lamblack

- 7 6

10 lb Red Lead

7 1 4

40 lb Rozin

7 4 4

260 lb Turpentine

7 11 10 1/2

1 Cagle Cordage No 3 & do

- 3 6

6 lb Alsjor

- 8 -

2 lb Alsjor

12 19 4

17 Ordinary Long Cloth

- 3 6

10 Chintz

- 7 6

2 Surat Golgate

1 6 -

20 Yards do

5 4 -

2 lb Sotch do

- 4 6

10 White Broade

2 8 -

1 Large Barrell

8 10 -

2 Smaller ditto

0 16 6

2 Copper Coppers

- - -

10 Sotch with Screws

- - -

14 Cannons

- 3 3

2 Sea Botts

1 10 9

2 Rice Mens Shoes

17 - -

2 Womens Colour

4 4 -

2 Boys

1 4 9

1 Soldiers Kidd

1 4 9

2 Boys ditto

10 6 -

2 ditto

7 4 -

4 Womens ditto

17 - -

2 ditto

- - -

2 ditto

1 6 -

2 Shoe Brushes

7 8 -

2 Shoe Screws

4 6 -

2 Grover Brushes

0 0 -

2 Sanding ditto

0 8 -

4 lb Frish Shoes

- - -

2 Iron Soldiers Buck do

1 6 6

2 Rowe do

10 6 -

2 ditto Smith

1 6 -

2 Womens Wire

4 2 -

2 Boys ditto

1 6 6

10 Weight do

1 10 -

2 doz Hooks Sotch

- - -

Cotton Wire in earnest ought

- 11 8

2 1/2 lb Scarlett broad Cloth

2 10 8

1 3/4 Chintz do

Carried over £118 17 3 1/4

A consultation held at Union Fort on Tuesday 4 March 1729 recorded Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp present. The last consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for February last, which were severally examined and approved and were as follows.

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 28 February 1729

168 lb of sugar, £4 4s 0d

24 lb of candy, £1 4s 0d

1,145 lb of bread, £12 6s 0d

1 tablecloth, £0 7s 6d

2 gross of corks, £0 4s 4d

6 basins, £0 3s 4d

17 lamps, £0 13s 0d

3 oars, 14 feet, £0 10s 6d

3 oars, 16 feet, £0 16s 6d

6 lb of thread, £0 4s 6d

6 oz of indigo, £0 2s 6d

40 barrels of lampblack, £0 7s 4d

40 lb of white lead, £0 14s 6d

40 lb of tar, £0 14s 4d

25 lb of turpentine, £0 7s 4d

1 coil of cordage, number 20 and 26, £7 11s 10.5d

6 pieces of calico, £2 12s 6d

6 pieces of taffety, £2 12s 6d

17 pieces of ordinary long cloth, £12 12s 4d

10 pieces of calico, £0 7s 6d

9 sweet gingham, £0 7s 6d

20 yards of tape, £1 5s 6d

1 piece of chintz, £2 4s 6d

40 white shirts, £4 4s 0d

1 large needle, £2 8s 10d

9 muslin cloths, £0 16s 6d

6 sugar cups, £0 16s 6d

10 sets of white glasses, £0 3s 3d

14 combs, £1 12s 0d

2 tea bowls, £0 17s 0d

1 pair of men's shoes, £0 6s 6d

4 women's shoes, £0 4s 6d

3 boys' shoes, £1 4s 9d

1 soldier's hat, £1 4s 9d

3 boys' hats, £0 4s 6d

2 hats, £0 7s 4d

4 women's hats, £0 17s 0d

4 hats, £0 1s 6d

2 hats, £0 1s 6d

2 shoe brushes, £0 1s 8d

2 hair brooms, £0 4s 6d

2 corner brushes, £0 0s 8d

2 smoothing irons, £0 1s 6d

2 blacksmith's stands, £1 0s 6d

2 iron ladles, stands, £0 10s 6d

1 iron pot, £0 4s 6d

3 iron pots, £0 12s 6d

2 iron pans, £0 4s 6d

2 boys' hose, £0 4s 6d

10 pairs of white hose, £1 10s 6d

3 dozen of hooks and sinkers, £0 4s 4d

1 lb of sail cloth, £0 11s 8d

9 iron pins and mountings, £0 11s 8d

3.5 yards of scarlet broadcloth, £2 9s 10.5d

3 yards of edging, £2 9s 10.5d

Carried over, £113 17s 9.5d

Interpretations

Bread at 1,145 lb dominated the account at £12 6s 0d, holding at the exceptional level of the 1,100 lb issued in December 1728, while sugar collapsed from 1,735.5 lb in January 1729 to just 168 lb. The reversal is too complete to reflect changing appetites and points instead to supply: the inhabitants had bought sugar in bulk while the Bengal stocks lasted and were now waiting on the fresh consignment from Bencoolen reported to the council on 11 February 1729.

Forty white shirts sold in a single month, together with hats for men, women and boys, shoes and ten pairs of white hose, mark the height of the southern summer. February is among the island's warmest months, and the buying of light linen answers to conditions the Company's clerks in London would have associated with August rather than with the depths of an English winter.

Scarlet broadcloth appears again, three and a half yards of it, matching the quantity bought in January 1729 to cover a couch, a chair and a cushion. The repetition suggests the furnishing of the fort's public rooms was still in hand, and the choice of the costliest woollen carried out from England sits awkwardly against the retrenchment that closed the limekiln on 21 March 1727 and cut the slaves' meat ration on 1 March 1727.

249

225

Brought over £118 17 3 1/4

3/4 Yds Broad Cloth do of Capt Shepheards

- 2 7 1/2

25 1/2 Sailed Canvas

1 8 6 1/2

6 1/2 Thin ditto

- 4 1

1 Coffee Pott

- 1 2

1 ditto

- 1 6

1 Chopping Pan

- 1 -

1 Frying Pan

- 11 6

1 Buckthorn Lanthorn

- 2 6

1 Trumpet

- 4 4

1 Middling ditto

- 4 3

1 pr Sash Snuffers

- - -

2 Smallest Sea Botts

1 4 -

1 Sein

- - -

1 Copperwork

- 4 4

1 Largest Cannon Barye Bowl

- 4 4

1 lb Iron Copper Chest

- 4 12

1 Barrell Snuffers & Stands

- 2 6

1 Lamp

- 3 6

20 Barrels Grease

1 6 -

7 lb Wire Sortch

2 1 9

1 Basket

- 1 8

10 lb Wax Brush

- 1 4

4 lb Twine

1 7 9

7 Oyster Buckhorns

- 3 6

5 Ivory handle ditto

4 8 -

3 Rice Knives

4 2 -

21 Buckthorn hands Knives

- 16 -

10 Buckskin ditto

1 6 -

3 round Ivory handle Knives & Forks

10 1 -

1 Single Ridge Stone

- 6 -

2 lb 6 Squares Glass 6 & 8

11 6 -

20 ditto 8 & 10

9 1 6

4 ditto 10 & 12

- 5 6

2 Glass Cannots

- 2 6

163 16 3 3/4

Great Wood Dr

10 lb 6 do Nailes

- 2 3

2 do 10 do

1 9 -

20 lb Cordage

- 6 -

1 1 9

Garrison Dr

10 lb Bohea Tea

3 19 -

2 lb Rape Oyle

- 3 -

3 15 -

Charges Generall Dr

2 Large Kettle

2 8 -

4 lb Buckthorn

- - -

1 Brint Oyle Cage

- 6 9

2 Cannon Bags Grange

- - -

2 Rope & ditto

- 6 6

1 do Cotton Yarn

- 3 4

2 Twine

4 4 4 1/2

2 lb 7 Sail Broads

4 4 4

4 lb 2 do Nailes

- 1 6

2 do 8 do

- 1 4

10 Squares Glass 6 & 7

- 6 6

10 do 8 & 10

- 2 6

4 do Colour Iron Bottoms No 3

- 8 6

Value No 6

- 3 10

2 Soap Diaper

- 15 -

7 1/2 oz China Silk

- - -

2 Ordinary Long Cloth

1 1 0

2 1/2 lb Cotton Canvas for the Baskets

1 3 5 1/2

20 lb Soap

1 1 3

9 6 4

Plantation Dr

8 lb 3 do Nailes

8 8 -

6 do 4 do

4 4 -

20 do 6 do

- 15 -

4 do 8 do

- 8 -

1 lb 4 do Sail Broads

10 8 -

1 Lamp

1 8 -

10 Barrels Lamblack

8 3 -

5 lb Turpentine

3 4 -

150 lb Rice for Hogs & Poultry

6 7 6

9 1 6

Carried over

185 4 9 3/4

Storekeeper's account of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants, continued

Brought over, £113 17s 9.5d

34 yards of broadcloth delivered to Captain Shepheard, £1 8s 7.5d

23.5 yards of ticked canvas, £0 8s 6.75d

6.5 thin cloths, £0 4s 1d

1 coffee pot, £0 1s 2d

1 pot, £0 1s 6d

1 sugar tin, £0 1s 6d

1 tin pot, £0 11s 6d

1 sledgehammer, £0 2s 4d

1 kettle from Lauchsteen, £0 2s 4.5d

1 kettle, £0 4s 3d

1 middling kettle, £0 4s 3d

1 pair of iron snuffers, £0 3s 0d

2 saucepans and kettles, £1 1s 6d

1 coffee pot, £0 8s 4d

1 copper corner basin bowl, £0 12s 0d

1 pot, £0 3s 6d

1 handle candlestick, £0 3s 6d

1 bronze snuffer and stand, £0 3s 6d

1 stamp, £0 1s 0d

20 barrels of grease, £0 1s 9d

7 lb of tin sinkers, £2 1s 9d

1 basin, £0 1s 6d

10 lb of tin brush, £0 1s 4d

6 lb of twine, £0 7s 6d

7 oyster corkscrews, £0 3s 0d

6 ivory handle knives, £0 4s 6d

3 shoe knives, £0 2s 6d

21 buckhorn handled knives, £0 16s 6d

10 buckhorn knives, £0 10s 0d

5 round ivory handled knives and forks, £0 10s 6d

1 single ledger stone, £11 6s 6d

6 lb of 3d nails, number 8, £0 5s 0d

227 lb of nails, number 40, £0 1s 6d

16 lb of nails, number 42, £0 1s 6d

2 pieces of glass cement, £0 2s 6d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £163 16s 5.5d

Great Wood

6 lb of 5d nails, £0 2s 3d

6 lb of 10d nails, £0 1s 0d

20 lb of cordage, £1 6s 0d

Sum to the Great Wood, £1 4s 9d

Garrison

19 lb of bohea tea, £5 19s 0d

2 gallons of rape oil, £0 5s 0d

Sum to the garrison, £5 15s 0d

Charges general

2 large kettles, £2 8s 0d

6 lb of coarse thread, £0 2s 6d

2 pints of rape oil, £0 2s 6d

2 hundredweight of soap, £0 5s 0d

2 chest locks, £0 5s 0d

1 tin canister for green tea, £0 4s 4.5d

2 trowels, £0 4s 4.5d

14 lb of 7d jack brads, £0 4s 4.5d

6 lb of 8d nails, £0 1s 6d

6 lb of 10d nails, £0 1s 6d

12 squares of glass, numbers 6 and 8, £0 2s 6d

2 pieces of tinplate, £0 1s 4d

6 tin cans and iron buckets, number 3, £0 8s 10d

1 valise, number 6, £0 10s 0d

2 soap dishes, £0 15s 0d

7.5 oz of china silk, £0 15s 0d

1 boy's long cloth, £1 1s 0d

7.5 yards of thin canvas for the pockets, £1 3s 5.5d

6 lb of twine, £1 1s 0d

Sum to charges general, £9 6s 4d

Plantation

8 lb of 6d nails, £0 8s 8d

6 lb of 4d nails, £0 8s 8d

20 lb of nails, £0 1s 6d

21 lb of nails, £0 1s 6d

1 pair of jack brads, £0 10s 8d

1 lamp, £0 1s 8d

19 barrels of lampblack, £0 3s 0d

5 lb of turpentine, £0 4s 0d

850 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £6 7s 6d

Sum to the plantation, £9 1s 6d

Carried over, £185 4s 0.5d

Interpretations

Bohea tea to the garrison reached 19 lb at £5 19s 0d, the heaviest single issue recovered, rising steadily from 8 catties in October 1728 and 11 lb in January 1729. The tin canister bought under general charges expressly for green tea confirms that both grades were kept and served, and the trajectory matches what was happening in England at the same date, where tea was passing from an expensive novelty into a daily habit across the middling ranks. St Helena, sitting directly on the Canton route, could adopt it faster and more cheaply than most households at home.

Knives dominate the closing lines of the inhabitants' account, more than forty of them across ivory, buckhorn and shoe patterns, together with seven corkscrews and sets of knives and forks. The buying reflects the table rather than the trade, and the corkscrew in particular marks the arrival of bottled wine as a domestic article, which had only recently become general in England with the spread of the cork stopper and the cylindrical bottle.

Rice to the plantation held at 850 lb, close to the 900 lb of January 1729, so imported grain continued to carry the hogs and poultry while the yam crop stayed out of the accounts entirely. The Great Wood's potatoes and the Company's rice together were feeding the establishment through the summer, and the yam harvest was still some months away.

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226

Honble Companies Blacks Dr on Acct of Charges Generall

Brought over £185 4 9 3/4

1 lb 6 do Nailes

- 1 0

2 do 20 ditto

- 1 2

10 1/2 doz Lines Sortch

0 18 -

59 Hooks Sortch

0 12 -

4 lb Twine

2 2 -

1/2 oz Sewing Silk

- 1 -

10 lb Angel

- 3 4

1 Sewing Comb

- 4 -

8 12 1/2

Diet Expences

60 Gall Arrack

16 15 8

8 lb do Vinegar

- 6 3

2 Barrells Flowre Oyle

- 6 8

104 lb Sugar

6 - 10

10 Gall Port Wine

3 17 6

18 ditto Sherry

6 6 -

130 lb Flour

2 7 6

60 lb Bread

- 12 6

30 lb Candles

3 - -

36 10 4

Sum Totall

229 18 3

Expence of the Table in February 1728 Vizt

40 Gall Arrack

12 10 4

8 lb ditto Vinegar

6 6 3

2 Barrells Flowre Oyle

6 6 8

107 lb Sugar

2 12 6

10 Gall Port Wine

3 17 6

14 ditto Sherry

5 6 -

130 lb Flour

2 7 6

60 lb Bread

- 12 6

62 lb Bread

- 18 8

46 Bottles Milk

1 4 -

1 Sheep

1 4 -

181 lb Pork

4 10 6

4 Goates

2 4 -

4 Fowles

- 4 -

14 lb Butter

1 8 -

29 Days Greens

1 8 -

£43 10 8

30 lb Candles

3 - -

16 lb Soap

1 1 3

4 Gall Arrack to the Guards

1 5 1/4

2 Waggons dd the Blacks

- 6

£6 7 3

Gunners Stores Expended in February 1728

Guns fired | Muzleing | Sackers | Falcons | Powder

1728

Febry 5th Muster Day

Guns fired 4 | Muzleing 0 | Sackers 0 | Falcons 0 | Powder 10

11 An Allarm

Guns fired 4 | Muzleing 0 | Sackers 0 | Falcons 2 | Powder 10

11 Arrived the Princess Anne

Guns fired 9 | Muzleing 1 | Sackers 1 | Falcons 2 | Powder 17

12 An Allarm for the Cumberland

Guns fired 4 | Muzleing 1 | Sackers 1 | Falcons 2 | Powder 18

13 Arrived the Cumberland

Guns fired 11 | Muzleing 1 | Sackers 1 | Falcons 0 | Powder 21

do Departed the William Sandys Day

Guns fired 20 | Muzleing 0 | Sackers 1 | Falcons 0 | Powder 28 32

22 Departed the Cumberland & Princess Anne & Danish Ship

Powder 12

Expence of the Guards

Cartridge Paper for Cartridges 4 Quire

Match 20 lb

67 2 3 4 48 106

Signed

Jno French

The Company's black slaves, on account of charges general, brought over £185 4s 9.5d

1 lb of 8d nails, £0 1s 0d

2 lb of 20d nails, £0 1s 3d

10.5 dozen of lines and sinkers, £0 18s 0d

59 hooks and sinkers, £0 12s 6d

1 twine, £0 2s 2d

1.5 oz of sewing silk, £0 3s 4.5d

10 lb of thread, £0 3s 4d

1 ivory comb, £0 1s 4d

Sum to the Company's black slaves, £8 12s 2.5d

Diet expenses

50 gallons of arrack, £16 15s 8d

1 lb of vinegar, £0 6s 0d

6 bottles of Florence oil, £0 6s 8d

104 lb of sugar, £0 10s 0d

10 gallons of port wine, £3 17s 6d

18 lb of sherry, £6 6s 0d

120 lb of flour, £2 7s 6d

80 lb of bread, £0 12s 6d

30 lb of candles, £3 0s 0d

Sum to diet expenses, £36 10s 4d

Sum total, £229 18s 8d

Expense of the table in February 1729

40 gallons of arrack, £12 10s 4d

2 lb of vinegar, £0 6s 0d

2 bottles of Florence oil, £0 6s 8d

117 lb of sugar, £2 18s 6d

10 gallons of port wine, £3 17s 6d

6 lb of Mountain wine, £2 8s 6d

4 lb of sherry, £2 7s 6d

120 lb of flour, £1 10s 0d

60 lb of bread, £0 18s 8d

56 bottles of milk, £1 4s 0d

1 sheep, £1 4s 0d

131 lb of beef, £2 4s 0d

4 goats, £1 8s 0d

4 fowls, £1 3s 0d

14 lb of butter, £1 3s 0d

28 days of greens, £43 10s 8d

Expense of the table in February 1729, £43 10s 8d

30 lb of candles, £3 0s 0d

16 lb of soap, £1 1s 0d

4 gallons of arrack to the guards, £1 5s 4d

1 lb of sugar to the black slaves, £0 10s 6d

Total, £6 4s 7.5d

Gunners stores expended in February 1729

1 February 1729, muster day, 4 guns fired, 2 falcons, 10 lb of powder

11 February 1729, an alarm, 9 guns fired, 1 minion, 1 saker, 7 falcons, 18 lb of powder

11 February 1729, arrival of the Duke of Cumberland and Anne, 4 guns fired, 1 minion, 1 saker, 2 falcons, 9 lb of powder

12 February 1729, an alarm, 11 guns fired, 1 minion, 1 saker, 9 falcons, 20 lb of powder

13 February 1729, departure of the William, Sanders, Bonney, Duke of Cumberland and Danish ship, 28 guns fired, 32 lb of powder

22 February 1729, departure of the guards, 10 lb of powder

Cartridge paper for cartridges, 4 quires

Match, 36 lb

Total, 57 guns fired, 2 minions, 3 sakers, 4 falcons, 48 lb of powder, 106 lb of powder

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

Powder expended reached 106 lb, the heaviest since May 1728 and nearly five times the 23 lb of December 1728. The return of shipping accounts for all of it: alarms on 11 and 12 February 1729, the arrival salute for the Duke of Cumberland and the Anne, and a departure salute of 28 guns for five vessels sailing in company on 13 February 1729. The long silence that had held since 3 June 1728, when no salute was fired for eight months, is decisively broken.

Two alarms were sounded within two days, both before the ships were identified, which shows the heaving-in orders working exactly as intended. The council had delivered those instructions to Captain Braund on 13 February 1729 and to Captain Lumley on 3 March 1729, and the gunner's account confirms the guns went off on every unidentified sail regardless of what she proved to be.

The table's expense held at £43 10s 8d, close to the £38 12s 10d of January 1729, but the drink shifted. Arrack fell to 40 gallons from 45, while sherry and Mountain wine rose sharply, and the change probably reflects the company at the fort during the fortnight when five ships lay in the road, since visiting commanders would be entertained on wine rather than on the spirit issued to the garrison.

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227

Neat Cattle: Bullocks | Cowes | Heifers | Steirs | Yearlings | Calves | Bulls | Totall

Sheep: Ewes | Wethers | Lambs | Rams | Totall

Goates: Ewes | Wethers | Kids | Rams | Totall

Hogs: Sows | Shoates | Barrows | Boars | Pigs | Totall

Poultry: Turkeys | Fowles | Ducks | Geese

Horses: Horses | Mares | Totall

Rem 1st Febry

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 88 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 85 | Bulls 2 | Totall 324

Ewes 94 | Wethers 34 | Lambs 7 | Rams 4 | Totall 139

Ewes 275 | Wethers 103 | Kids 142 | Rams 7 | Totall 527

Sows 16 | Shoates 45 | Barrows 1 | Boars 1 | Pigs 44 | Totall 106

Turkeys 76 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Encreasd from do to 28 do

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 6 | Bulls 0 | Totall 6

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 20 | Rams 0 | Totall 20

Sows 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 88 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 91 | Bulls 2 | Totall 330

Ewes 94 | Wethers 34 | Lambs 7 | Rams 4 | Totall 139

Ewes 276 | Wethers 103 | Kids 162 | Rams 7 | Totall 547

Sows 16 | Shoates 45 | Barrows 1 | Boars 1 | Pigs 44 | Totall 106

Turkeys 76 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 22

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Killed from do to do

Bullocks 0 | Cowes 0 | Heifers 0 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 1 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 1

Ewes 1 | Wethers 1 | Kids 2 | Rams 0 | Totall 4

Sows 0 | Shoates 3 | Barrows 1 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 4

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 4

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Sold to Ships in ditto

Bullocks 73 | Cowes 88 | Heifers 21 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 91 | Bulls 2 | Totall 330

Ewes 94 | Wethers 33 | Lambs 7 | Rams 4 | Totall 138

Ewes 274 | Wethers 101 | Kids 162 | Rams 6 | Totall 543

Sows 16 | Shoates 42 | Barrows 0 | Boars 1 | Pigs 44 | Totall 102

Turkeys 76 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 18

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Bullocks 1 | Cowes 3 | Heifers 5 | Steirs 0 | Yearlings 0 | Calves 0 | Bulls 0 | Totall 9

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Lambs 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Ewes 0 | Wethers 0 | Kids 0 | Rams 0 | Totall 0

Sows 0 | Shoates 0 | Barrows 0 | Boars 0 | Pigs 0 | Totall 0

Turkeys 0 | Fowles 0 | Ducks 0 | Geese 0

Horses 0 | Mares 0 | Totall 0

Rem 28th Febry

Bullocks 72 | Cowes 85 | Heifers 16 | Steirs 15 | Yearlings 40 | Calves 91 | Bulls 2 | Totall 321

Ewes 94 | Wethers 33 | Lambs 7 | Rams 4 | Totall 138

Ewes 274 | Wethers 101 | Kids 162 | Rams 6 | Totall 543

Sows 16 | Shoates 42 | Barrows 0 | Boars 1 | Pigs 44 | Totall 102

Turkeys 76 | Fowles 89 | Ducks 38 | Geese 18

Horses 6 | Mares 4 | Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations 18200 lb

Ditto delverd the Fort Blacks 7100

Ditto the Great Wood ditto 4700

Totall Yam 30,000

E Byfeld

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the month of February 1729.

Remaining 1 February 1729: bullocks 73, cows 88, heifers 21, steers 15, yearlings 40, calves 85, bulls 2, total neat cattle 324; ewes 94, wethers 34, lambs 7, rams 4, total sheep 139; does 275, wethers 103, kids 142, rams 7, total goats 527; sows 16, shoats 45, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 44, total hogs 106; turkeys 76, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Increased from 1 to 28 February 1729: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 6, bulls 0, total neat cattle 6; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 20, rams 0, total goats 20; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 88, heifers 21, steers 15, yearlings 40, calves 91, bulls 2, total neat cattle 330; ewes 94, wethers 34, lambs 7, rams 4, total sheep 139; does 276, wethers 103, kids 162, rams 7, total goats 547; sows 16, shoats 45, barrows 1, boars 1, pigs 44, total hogs 106; turkeys 76, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 22; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Killed from 1 to 28 February 1729: bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 0; ewes 0, wethers 1, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 1; does 1, wethers 1, kids 2, rams 1, total goats 4; sows 0, shoats 3, barrows 1, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 4; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 4; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Total: bullocks 73, cows 88, heifers 21, steers 15, yearlings 40, calves 91, bulls 2, total neat cattle 330; ewes 94, wethers 33, lambs 7, rams 4, total sheep 138; does 274, wethers 101, kids 162, rams 6, total goats 543; sows 16, shoats 42, barrows 0, boars 1, pigs 44, total hogs 102; turkeys 76, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 18; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Sold to ships in February 1729: bullocks 1, cows 3, heifers 5, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total neat cattle 9; ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total sheep 0; does 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total goats 0; sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total hogs 0; turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0; horses 0, mares 0, total horses 0

Remaining 28 February 1729: bullocks 72, cows 85, heifers 16, steers 15, yearlings 40, calves 91, bulls 2, total neat cattle 321; ewes 94, wethers 33, lambs 7, rams 4, total sheep 138; does 274, wethers 101, kids 162, rams 6, total goats 543; sows 16, shoats 42, barrows 0, boars 1, pigs 44, total hogs 102; turkeys 76, fowls 89, ducks 38, geese 18; horses 6, mares 4, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 18,200 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 7,100 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 4,700 lb

Total yams, 30,000 lb

Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crisp signed the account.

Interpretations

Nine head of cattle were sold to shipping in February 1729, the first such sale since the 23 bullocks taken in May 1728. Nine months had passed without a single beast leaving the herd for a ship's provisions, and the resumption follows directly on the arrival of the Duke of Cumberland and the Anne on 11 February 1729 and the departure of five vessels in company on 13 February. The Company's beef trade had always tracked the rhythm of the Indiamen, and the return of shipping put the herd back into commerce.

The composition of the sale is unusual. Three cows and five heifers went out alongside a single bullock, whereas the sale of May 1728 had been entirely bullocks and the year's total to 30 September 1728 had run to 32 bullocks against 4 cows and a heifer. Selling breeding stock rather than beasts fattened for beef suggests the captains were buying what the Company was prepared to release, and with the herd standing at 330 head the council could afford to part with females it would once have kept.

Yams reappear in the account at 30,000 lb after vanishing entirely in January 1729, and the harvest has evidently come in. The rice charged to the plantation had stood at 850 lb in February, close to the 900 lb of January, so the establishment was still leaning on imported grain, but the return of the island's own staple will show in the coming months.

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228

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 11th March 1728 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day received the following Petition of John French late Genl Xr

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr & Councill

Sheweth

The humble Petition of John French Sheweth

That your Petr doth humbly acknowledge it to be true that the Severall great

Quantities of Powder mentioned to be Spoiled in the Survey taken the 30th of Septr 1727 has utterly

Unserviceable & that Your Petr hath deservedly incur'd the Honble Compys high Displeasure for the Same

who for the great Offence & Neglect of Duty have been pleased to displace Your Petr from his late

Employ which was the chief means by which he hath been enabled to provide for himself & numerous

Family & being deprived of the Same he hath not wherewithall to Support & maintain his

Said Family for tho' it be true that Your Petrs Plantation are large & produce as plentifully as

others yet the times have been so hard that for the last two Years he hath not sold to the value of

five Pounds nor hath your Petr either Money or Credit & being reduced to this deplorable

Condition Your Petr humbly begs leave to throw himself upon Your Worships Goodness

earnestly intreating your kind Compassion to his Sad Condition to Restore your Petr to his late

Employ without which he must inevitably Perish

Your Petr therefore most humbly begs Your Worships Sea Councill and Consideration

favourably of Your Petrs Sad Condition & that you will please to Reinstate him

in his late Employm[...] in which Your Petr promises to give Constant Attendance

& daily endeavour to improve his Knowledge therein & will also give Such

Strict Obedience to all Your Orders & behave himself in all Parts of his Duty with

Such Fidelity, Care & Diligence as Your Petr humbly hopes will make Some

Attonement for Your Petrs former Offence & gross Neglect of Duty

11th March 1728

And Your Petr as in Duty bound shall ever Pray

Signed Jno French

The Said French being heartily Sorry for his past Ignorance & Neglect of Duty & promising

that for the future he will be more than Ordinary diligent & Carefull & to be very punctuall & Exact

in the Execution of all Orders that shall be given him We have agreed to Restore him to his said

Employ not trusting nevertheless to his fair Promises for tho' we look very narrowly into the

Condition of the Powder & Magazine our Selves, Yet we have been more easily induced to grant

this because of the very great & sincere disappointment which the Inhabitants have met with for

the last two Years who in particular affirming that during that time he hath not sold of the

Produce of his Plantation to the Value of five Pounds and the Crops yet not having any Emplo[...]

it would be impossible for him to Support his Family & Moreover it has been to Correct Errors

& promise too Severely those who are Sensible of their faults We have Resolved to make farther

Tryall of him & give him an Opportunity to make Amends in some Measure for his former

Errors & engagements & ill behaviour

Ordered that the Severall Persons mentioned in the Chief Mates & other Officers humble

to attend on Thursday next to Answer to the Severall Demands & Scandalous Matters laid

to their Charge

E: Byfeild

Jno Alixzander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

A consultation was held on Tuesday 11 March 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

A petition from John French, late gunner, was read to the council. He accepted that the survey taken on 26 September 1727 had reported truly, and that the large quantities of powder named in it were entirely spoiled. He admitted that his carelessness in the matter had earned the Company's strong displeasure, and that his failures had already cost him the office by which he had supported himself. He set out that he had no other means of living, and that his plantation, though as large and as well planted as any on the island, had yielded nothing for the past two years. He had neither money nor credit left, and he asked the council to look with pity on his children and restore him to his former employment, since without it they would be ruined. He offered a firm undertaking of dutiful obedience to every order given him, and promised to apply himself daily to improve his knowledge of the office and to make amends for his past neglect.

The council found French sincerely sorry for his ignorance and neglect of duty, and satisfied that he would in future manage the office with care and diligence. It accepted his account of his circumstances. His plantation had proved worthless over the past two years, and though it was as well planted as most on the island it stood to bring in nothing further. He had a large family and no other resource, and a want of fish had left him unable to feed them. On that footing the council agreed to reinstate him in the same employment, though it took no account of his poor earlier conduct, and gave him the chance to make amends. He was to answer for every order laid on him and for the condition of the powder and the magazine.

The council also directed that the several persons named in the affidavits filed against him attend on Thursday next, to answer the various demands and complaints laid to their charge.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

The petition itself was signed by John French and dated 11 March 1729.

Interpretations

The survey of 26 September 1727 is the ordnance and gunners stores survey carried out by Captain Alexander and Captain Cason, which found 72 barrels of powder entirely spoiled and 14 barrels more in store than the gunner's journal recorded. That survey led the council to hold that French ought to be dismissed and to recommend Mr Slaughter to the Company in his place. The present petition is French's attempt to recover the post he lost by it.

The reinstatement carries a complication. The consolidated reference records the funeral of John French, the gunner, on 20 September 1728, with a pound of powder expended at it, while his name continued to appear on the monthly gunner's accounts afterwards. The man petitioning here in March 1729 must therefore be distinguished from the gunner buried in September 1728, or the earlier reading of the funeral entry stands in need of revision. The petition speaks plainly of a living man with a family and a failed plantation.

The gunner's office carried a salary and a house, and its loss stripped French of the only income that made his plantation survivable. His plea rests on a real feature of the island's economy: a smallholding on St Helena could not feed a large family on its own, and the tenants who prospered were those with a Company salary behind them. The failure of the fishery deepened the difficulty, since fish had been the staple protein of the island's poorer households ever since Governor Byfield replaced the slaves' meat ration with fish on 1 March 1727.

Speculations

The obvious course was to leave French out of the office. The council had already resolved on 26 September 1727 to recommend Mr Slaughter in his place, and had the Company's own displeasure behind it. It instead restored the man whose neglect had spoiled 72 barrels of powder, and did so on nothing more than his promise of care and his account of his family's poverty. The reasoning shows in the record: the council was satisfied that the failure had been ignorance rather than dishonesty, and it weighed a competent replacement against the certainty that a dismissed officer with a barren plantation and a large family would fall on the parish. The condition attached to the restoration is the tell. French was made answerable for the state of the powder and the magazine by name, which is precisely the duty he had never once performed, and the council was buying his diligence with his livelihood rather than trusting his word.

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229

At a Consultation held on Thursday 13th March 1728 in the Publick Hall in James

Castle to which by Adjournment the Consultation stood

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Severall Persons summoned to attend to Answer to the Matters laid to their

Charge by George Gibson made their appearance accordingly Severall of whom desired

to Resign themselves by Oath of the Severall Scandalous Matters objected to them by [...]

notorious Villain George Gibson who knowing well their Request unreasonable Desiring

the Persons falsely & voluntarily & unhappily made Oath in Contradiction in a hand

materially Points to what the Said Gibson hath wilfully & falsely Sworn in his Affidavit

dated the 5th day of Decr 1728 & more particularly Appears by the Originall Affidavit

Attestation which we Order to be transmitted to the Honble Company in [...]

& Exhibition together with Severall Notes of the Same Nature of the Said Gibson

by which is Sett up by the testimony of many Creditable Witnesses he hath proved himself

Perjured under his own [...] & Receipt of some as by the day therein according to Oath

John Aldrich

John Bagott

John Bradley

R Brook

John Bradley Junr

Wm Clem

Sarah Deighton

Fra: Fitzsimonds

Joshua Johnson

Sarah Lea

John Hodgkinson

Jno: Coley

John Lane

Henry Preston

John Ochlong

Sam Poulter

Bart Ockleston

Thomas Vaughn

Lionel Vaughn

Tho: Wattle

Isaac Wrangham

We also Sworn to them about the Debts which the said Gibson hath falsely Sworn they

Owe to which they made the Severall Answers following which the Attorney Confesses the

Owing at [...] of the Inhabitants gives Debtors & Bondsmen leave to Practice

for his own use & benefit &c

Mrs Margt Bagott Employed by each Hodgkinson & said Gibson only Six Shills

John Bagott Employed by said Hodgkinson

John Farnall says Owes the Prosecutor for Extraordinaries but in Surgery Employed &

paid Hodgkinson

Sarah Wrangham Employed & Repairs by Hodgkinson

Joseph Aldrich hath a Demand of 3 lb & 8s upon the Said Gibson for the Ballance

of the Acct between them which We attest for Repair & Van Vaughn & said Aldrich

made & paid Hodgkinson

Mrs Crumpton Employed & paid Ditto

Eliz: Marsh Employed & paid Ditto

Jno: Fanshaw Employed & paid Ditto & Gibson Owes him £1: 7: for Provisions Deliverd

Martin Hooper Employed & paid Ditto

Basil Vaughn Employed & paid Ditto

Sam: Chase Employed & paid Ditto

James Riche Owed by [...] Bett & said Gibson upon the Debt one of them [...]

the Same Bright Bowing Employed & paid Hodgkinson & to the Repairs he Charged

to be paid Gibson But

Capt Lockeraight Employed & paid Hodgkinson who only takes him Once again

from the Prosecutor Gibson he never has him to about 3lb

Mary Shore avowed only was Est: the Matter which brought her Debt with the Sheep because in

Justice she was Guilty as she demanded ordered 12s for a Right which She hopes Please justly

refuse to Pay the Sd Gibson not being sent from and only called in on Charitable

Employm[...] & this hath been a common truth with him

Tho: Chas Employed & paid Hodgkinson

John Fernall further Referred the Challenge of Wife And the Hodgkinson Owes him

Tho: Wattle paid Gibson 18 Sacks Corn to the Sd he was of such Affidavits

Jno: Vaughn Owes him only £3 for the Corps for the Wife

Sam: Poultry Bradley Owes to said Hodgkinson for the Cure of his Black Boy

The Ship Governor arriving this Afternoon from China We Adjourned the

farther Consideration of the Affair till to Morrow Morning Eight a'Clock At two

Capt Mabbot came on Board & delivered him the following Pacquets according

A consultation was held on Thursday 13 March 1729 in the public hall at Union Castle, to which the persons named below were summoned. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The persons summoned to answer the charges laid against them by George Gibson appeared, and all consented to swear to the truth of their answers. The council warned them against giving evidence to please Gibson, who had procured their attendance, and cautioned them that a wilful falsehood would flatly contradict the sworn statements already sworn against him. It reminded them that Gibson had sworn falsely in his own affidavit of 2 December 1728, and that the point had been established beyond doubt by the affidavits of Benjamin Alsop, together with those of Samuel Bates and others, taken on the reading of the Gibson affair, and further confirmed by the testimony of several people who had heard Gibson perjure himself. Under those cautions each man gave his answer on the day, as recorded below.

John Aldrich

John Bazett

John Bradley

Ed Beal

John Bagley senior

Wm Clew

Jonah Dorsent

Jos Defountaine

Joshua Johnson

Isaac Fea

John Hodgkinson

Sam Lofsey

John Long

Henry Newton

John Delong

Sam Pledger

Benjamin Leech

Thomas Vaughn

Isaac Vaughn

Thomas Watts

Isaac Wrangham

The men were then questioned about the debts Gibson claimed each of them owed. Their answers to the several demands are set out below, and drew the council's attention to the fact that some of the inhabitants had employed John Hodgkinson to practise for them on their own account.

Mr Meyer employed John Hodgkinson and paid Gibson only six shots

John Bazett employed John Hodgkinson

John Long ever since the petition for a doctor's licence had employed and paid John Hodgkinson

Isaac Wrangham employed and paid John Hodgkinson

Joseph Bates had a demand of £3 6s 0d upon Gibson for the balance of the fees between him and Mr Alsop for surgery on Samuel Bates, and employed and paid John Hodgkinson

Mr Umpston employed and paid John Hodgkinson

Roger Marsh employed and paid John Hodgkinson

Mr Thwaites employed and paid John Hodgkinson, Gibson owing him £1 7s 0d for provisions delivered

Martin Harper employed and paid John Hodgkinson

Richard Vaughn employed and paid John Hodgkinson

Isaac Selings employed and paid John Hodgkinson

James Butler owed him a small bill of 3s 0d, and Gibson upon the debt was of the same date as the last, and Butler employed and paid John Hodgkinson, and the bill was charged to his account

Roger Boothrooyd employed and paid John Hodgkinson for the only black him and again, and Gibson had never given him so much as a visit

Mary Shave attended only on the mother, and though sent for by Gibson he never came, so that she was obliged to send elsewhere on her own account, and Gibson demanded £1 10s 0d for a visit which he had never paid, and Gibson at last, being sent for and not called on in a clear case, refused to attend, though this had been a common trick with him

Edward Clew employed John Hodgkinson

John Fernel had never petitioned the challenge of Major Anne, and John Hodgkinson attended him

Thomas Watts paid Gibson 18 shillings, and Gibson employed him and paid his officers

James Vaughn owed him only £0 5s 0d for the surgery for his wife

Samuel Delong employed and paid John Hodgkinson for the cure of his black boy

The ship Cadogan arrived that afternoon from China, and the council put over the further consideration of the affair to Monday morning at eight. When Captain Marchet came ashore he was handed the orders set out below.

Interpretations

The proceeding turns on a mechanism of considerable practical importance to the island. George Gibson, the discredited surgeon, had left St Helena but had lodged a schedule of debts allegedly owed him by named inhabitants for medical treatment. The council was in effect sitting as a court of examination to test each claim against the sworn word of the debtor, and the answers destroy the schedule item by item. Almost every man questioned said the same thing in substance: he had never employed Gibson at all, but had employed and paid John Hodgkinson, the surgeon's mate. The record of the inhabitants' petition of September 1727 already showed that they had asked leave to employ Hodgkinson by turns while they had no other practitioner, and this examination shows how completely they had done so. Gibson was in the position of billing an entire island for work another man had done.

The affidavit of 2 December 1728 named here is the ground on which the council rested its warning to the witnesses. Perjury by the plaintiff in his own affidavit removed the presumption that his claims deserved credit, and the council said so openly before taking a word of evidence, which inverted the ordinary burden of proof. Benjamin Alsop, engaged on 13 February 1728 at £3 0s 0d a month to replace Gibson, appears here as the deponent whose evidence exposed the falsehood.

Joseph Bates's entry runs the other way. Rather than owing Gibson anything, he claimed £3 6s 0d against him, being the difference between the fee Gibson had charged for the surgery on Samuel Bates and the sum Alsop was owed for the same case. Bates had already brought Gibson before the council on 19 December 1727 over a debt for necessaries, and the pattern of Gibson refusing to pay what he owed while pursuing what he claimed was long established.

Mary Shave's answer records a specific failure of the sort the inhabitants had complained of in 1727. She sent for Gibson to attend a sick woman, he did not come, and she was forced to find another practitioner and pay for the treatment herself. He nonetheless charged for the visit he never made.

Speculations

The council could simply have dismissed Gibson's schedule of debts out of hand. It had already found him a perjurer, stripped his salary, held him in custody and replaced him, and no one on the island would have objected to the claims being struck through without a hearing. Instead it summoned every named debtor to the public hall, put each on oath and recorded his answer separately. The reason shows in the warning it issued before the examination began. The council told the witnesses not to shape their evidence to please the man who had brought them there, which reveals that it feared the opposite bias: that the inhabitants, knowing Gibson broken and detested, would swear away debts they genuinely owed. The examination was designed to protect the credit of any honest claim buried in a dishonest schedule, and the entries admitting sums of 3s 0d, 18s 0d and £0 5s 0d show it worked. A summary refusal would have been quicker and more popular, but it would have left the council open to the charge that it had denied a Company servant his lawful debts because it disliked him.

254

230

to the Instructions transmitted from the Honble Court of the Committee of Secrecy Viz:

Sir

We received on the 3 Instant from the Honble the Gentlemen of the Committee of Secrecy

Appointed & Empowered by the Court of Directors to give Such Instructions as they think

necessary to be observed by the Commanders of their Ships and Send Copies & Directions to Order

You to keep carefully upon Your Guard & to Berth Your Ship during Your Passage so as to

Prevent any Attempt of an Enemy & that You be constantly to keep Your Ship in the best Posture

of Defence that is possible & upon no Account which may happen during Your Stay & to You are to

Send at Long either to the Crews or Landing Boat wherein in so near the Shore as You possibly can

with Safety & there continue till We have certain Advice whether the Ship be so away to be a

Friend or other Enemy And You are not to leave this Place unless there be two or three Ships in

Company & before You leave this Island You are to Agree upon a Commission for proper

Instructions both as to Sailing & how to Manage in Case You are Attacked & You are to be

particularly carefull to keep Company together for Your mutuall Security & in this You come into

or Leave the Cape or You are to Sail as Above so any of the Northern Ports for such Ships as are

& upon Your Self for Your greater Safety according to the & how You Chief Acts & can depend

upon And as an Encouragement to Your Ships Company to exert their Courage the English Success

in Defence of themselves & their Country We have Orders to acquaint You that if they are Attacked

either by the Spaniards & Portuguese or any other Enemy the Honble Company will generously

extend their Bounty to them in the Same manner as they are Entituled to Should they be Attacked

by Pirates The great Uncertainty what the Affairs of Europe will terminate in Occasions their

large Cautions & these Instructions & it behoves You to be Strictly upon Your Guard We & the

Company Expecting that if any Should happen there will be great & Reflection of Ourselves

forced but to Attend & other Port from whence We must give a Safe Deliverance & are

St Helena

13th March 1728

Your most humble Servants

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Invoice of Ship Cæsar for St Helena

Selling Price

China Ware

1 Chest

Ta

3/ ½ each

Bagsvalue blue & White

100 @ 8

8

2/6

Trenchers

140 . 3

4. 2

2/

Cups Single Ditto

200 . 1.6

4. 2

4d ¾ pair

Cupps & Saucers

200 . 2

4. 2

21

Chests

13

21 . 0

22

6/ ¾ lb

Sea Bohea 1 Chest cont 87 Cases 1lb nett 100 Catty

Tales

43 . 0

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Sunday 16th March 1728 in the Publick Hall in James Castle

to which the Persons were admitted

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Severall Persons following attended this day & desired their Affidavits might be

taken to clear themselves from the false Aspersions of that notorious Rogue George Gibson & they

were Sworn accordingly Viz

Wm Farnall

Richard Chase

John Bagley Junr

John Enrling

John Fitzsimonds

Sarah Face

John Hodgkinson

John Aldrich

Robt & Bradleyer

We also Examined them about the Debts Claimed of them by the said Gibson to which

they gave the following Answers allowed & Approved by Ust 1 & 2 &

John Un Vro says Above Mr Gibson for an Small Ass Sixty Nine Son Snake £2 & Something

Crisstoand

The council wrote to the commander of the Cadogan, setting out the standing instructions received from the Company's Committee of Shipping. It had lately received directions from the gentlemen of that committee, empowered by the Court of Directors to issue such orders as they judged necessary, and it passed them on to him. He was to keep a careful watch on board, to hold his ship constantly in the best posture of defence, and to prevent any attempt by an enemy. Upon any alarm during his stay he was to send a warp to the crane or landing rock, to heave in as near the shore as he safely could, and to remain there until it was known whether the strange sail was friend or enemy. He was not to leave the island unless two or three ships sailed in company, and before they left they were to agree upon a commodore and settle instructions for keeping company and for what to do in case of an accident. He was to take particular care to keep the ships together for their mutual security, and if he came into or near the Channel he was to call at one of the western ports for intelligence, and to govern himself by the news he found there. The council added that the Company would generously reward any resistance offered to the Spaniards, the Ostenders or any other enemy, on the same footing as resistance to pirates. It observed that the unsettled state of European affairs made these instructions necessary, and pressed him to keep a strict guard, since the Company expected that if any misfortune befell him he would make a safe delivery of the packet and put in to whatever port he could reach.

The letter was signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, and addressed to Captain Payne on 13 March 1729.

An invoice of the Caesar's goods for St Helena was entered, with the selling price against each article.

China ware, 1 chest, regular blue and white dishes, 100 pieces at 3s each, 8 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

China ware, saucers, 140 pieces at 3s each, 4 taels 2 mace 0 candareens

China ware, cups, single sort, 200 pieces at 1s 6d each, 4 taels 2 mace 0 candareens

China ware, cups and saucers, 200 pieces at 4s the pair, 4 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

Total for the chest, 640 pieces, 21 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

Tea, bohea, 1 chest containing 87 canisters, 100 catties net weight, at 6s per pound, 22 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

Sum total, 43 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

The invoice was signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

A consultation was held on Saturday 15 March 1729 in the public hall at Union Castle, to which the persons named below were admitted. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The persons named below attended and offered their sworn statements, so that they might clear themselves of the false accusations made by George Gibson. Each was sworn, and their names were taken as follows.

Richard Beale

John Bagley senior

John Durling

Joseph Defountaine

Isaac Fea

John Hodgkinson

John Aldrich

Thomas Chapman

William Newton

They were then questioned about the debts Gibson claimed of them, and the council took and approved their answers.

John Hodgkinson denied that Gibson had ever visited him, and had been employed and paid by him

Interpretations

The instructions to Captain Payne of the Cadogan repeat, almost point for point, the convoy discipline first issued on 9 May 1727 on the strength of the Company's war warning of 27 January 1727, and reissued to every arriving commander since. The reappearance of the full form here follows the packet the Cadogan herself carried on 3 March 1729, which reported that the affairs of Europe were still unsettled and apprehension of war not yet over. The Ostenders named as enemies were the merchants of the Ostend Company, an imperial rival trading to the Indies from the Austrian Netherlands, whose activities were the immediate cause of the breach between the maritime powers and the Emperor. The Company's promise to reward resistance to them on the same terms as resistance to pirates put a commercial competitor on the footing of a common criminal.

The warp to the crane is the practical core of the order. St Helena has no sheltered harbour, so a ship in the road lay exposed and could not be defended from the shore. A warp is a line run out to a fixed point, here the landing rock, on which the ship could haul herself close in under the castle's guns without needing to make sail. The instruction to remain there until the strange sail was identified reflects the island's basic difficulty: an approaching vessel might be a Company ship, a Dane, a Frenchman or a privateer, and the alarm was fired long before anyone could tell which.

The requirement to touch at a western port for intelligence before entering the Channel meant Falmouth or Plymouth. A homeward Indiaman carrying a season's cargo was worth more than any warship afloat, and running into the Channel ignorant of a declaration of war was the surest way to lose her.

The Caesar's invoice is priced in the money of account of the China trade. A tael was the standard unit, divided into ten mace and a hundred candareens, and a catty weighed about a pound and a third. The council entered a sterling selling price in the margin against each article, which is how the island's storekeeper converted a Canton invoice into a retail price for the inhabitants. Bohea was the black tea of the Wuyi hills in Fujian, the cheapest grade in general use, and the chest of 87 canisters was broken down for sale by the catty.

Speculations

The examination of Gibson's alleged debtors, opened on 13 March 1729, was not closed on the evidence already taken. Two days later the council sat again and heard a fresh set of men, and this time the record states plainly why they came: they attended to clear themselves. The council had a complete answer to Gibson's schedule after the first sitting, since almost every man named had sworn he employed Hodgkinson and not Gibson at all. The obvious course was to strike the schedule and be done. Instead the council kept the hall open and let a second group swear, which suggests it was no longer testing the debts but building a record. Gibson had gone home to England, where he could pursue the claims through the Company or the courts, and a sworn examination taken before the Governor and three councillors was the only thing that would follow him there.

255

231

Richard Brooks justly denies Payment of the 10s the said Gibson hath Charged for a Fee

the said Gibson not being Sent for but called on by Chance for Refreshment & he gave the

Gibson plenty of Punch to good a Dinner & he Charged him 10s Such has been for eating &

Drink & Well he does that he had only two Days over than in the Honble Compys Service

John Slabbard declares that the said Gibson gave him Physic & occasion Purge of great

Wickedness & Fitzhugh & So the said Gibsons Wife being intimate Friends & Confidents

John Bagley Junr So to his Affidavits

John Sterling So to his Affidavit

John Fitzsimonds Employed & paid Hodgkinson

Sarah Face took only a Small Vial of Something, a s a party & said it was thin

Wm Roman never Employed him either for himself & his Family

Charles Newmans acknowledges that he Owes & Wife & one more

Jonathan Chapman was by the said Gibson at his Shop takes 5s all tho' the said Gibson

hath Charged him 6d for a Cordiall

Mr Lands never was suffering that our Boys takes & to get Hodgkinson Mr Hodgkinson

& all the Widow having no son off the Plank

John Farnall Junr & to his Affidavits

The Widow Comes & Fitzsimonds & So that Prosecutor the Baileem that Gibson forgave her the Debt

Richard Ockleston Owns the Debt but thought it hath been paid

Mary Michall Owns the Debt

John Teale Owns the Debt

Ordered that the Originall Affidavits aforementioned be also Sent to the Honble Company

Capt Gordon Reports that he has secured the Cargo of Cadogan except as inclosed

in the Endorsement upon the 30th of Loading & Copy of which goes on the Packett, & this

day Mr Allwrock Capt Jackson Owes Letters to the Honble Companies Sd Servants

in India & took his Receipts for the Severall Packets accordingly

Ordered that a Copy of the Severall together with Mr Sellings & our Charter be dispatched

to get ready against Thursday next in Order to be Examined & Sent to the Honble Company

The Weather & Sd Accidents as have happened during the time the Ship Cadogan

was here being as follows Viz

4 March 1728

High Surf nothing could be Landed

5 ditto

One Long Boat was delivered

6 ditto

One Long Boat & 4 Gauds were delivered

7 ditto

Two Long Boats & 4 Gauds were delivered

8 do

High Surf

10 do

High Surf

11 do

Two Long Boats were delivered

12 do

One ditto

13 do

High Surf

14 do

Two Gaudles were delivered

Mr Alexander & Mrs Jackson took accounts before the the former of £3. 12. Ditto

takes a Maintenance Extravagant Bills of the said Company amounting to £30. 14. defraying

We required to determine the Payment of what is reasonable & it having been also upon the Question

of the same than the Ships & Mahogany belonging to the Honble Company also leave to be the Chapter

Inspection of Such of their Servants to do of Comm to make the Order & such a period of our

they think proper for Such Reign as as is Admonishment & taken by our own Family & the

Agent Callens Mr Alexander to give the Sailing Gibson half a Guinea & his Repair having been Guinea

for his trouble & no more will be needed to & this

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Richard Beale flatly denied owing the sum Gibson had charged him for a visit. He had never been sent for, but was called in by chance for refreshment, and Gibson gave him plenty of punch and a good dinner. Beale objected that Gibson had charged him more than Isaac Fea for eating a common dish, and that he had cost only three pence more than the fee named.

John Stubbard swore that Gibson had given him physic and drenches, and produced a receipt. He and Richard Fleebargh had both been Gibson's close friends and confidants.

John Bagley senior filed his sworn statement.

John Durling filed his sworn statement.

John Defountaine had employed and paid John Hodgkinson.

Isaac Fea had taken only a small quantity of something, and had paid and cleared it at the time.

William Ramar had never employed Gibson, either for himself or for his family.

Charles Steward acknowledged that he owed Gibson three shillings.

Jonathan Chapman had been treated by Gibson at his shop, valued at three shillings, and Gibson had charged him £0 6s 0d.

Mr Long had never employed Gibson at any time, but had employed Mr Hodgkinson.

The widow Adds had a son off the island.

John Seward junior filed his sworn statement.

The widow Ammer set out that after Gibson had left the island he had forgiven her the debt.

Richard Girling owed the debt but thought it had already been paid.

Mary Nicholls owed the sum.

John Teale owed the debt.

The council directed that the depositions named above be sent home to the Company.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the cargo of the Cadogan, apart from the goods named in the endorsement he made on the bill of lading on 20 March 1729, since a quantity of the goods in the baskets was missing. That day the council signed letters to the Company's Indian settlements and delivered them to Captain Payne, taking his receipt for the several packets addressed to India.

The council also directed that every arm on the island, together with those in Mr Selling's hands, be repaired and made ready by the following Tuesday, when they would be examined and sent home to the Company.

The weather and the surf that occurred while the Cadogan was landing her cargo were recorded as follows.

4 March 1729, high surf, nothing could be landed

5 March 1729, one long boat was delivered

6 March 1729, one long boat and a yawl were delivered

7 March 1729, two long boats and a yawl were delivered

8 March 1729, high surf

10 March 1729, high surf

11 March 1729, two long boats were delivered

18 March 1729, one long boat was delivered

19 March 1729, high surf

20 March 1729, two yawls were delivered

Mr Alexander and Mr Selling laid before the council the earlier account of £3 0s 0d and a further extravagant bill of Gibson's, coming to £30 4s 0d. They asked the council to determine what payment was reasonable, since Gibson had drawn on the Company for those sums, and since the ships and merchandise belonging to the £30 4s 0d were nowhere to be found. The council held the disposal of the ship's servants to be a matter for the Court of Committees, and directed the doctor to make a proper account of the sums he thought proper for such physic and surgery as he had administered, and to render the account to the Company's office. The council ordered Mr Alexander to give Mr Selling half a guinea, and Mr Ryder five shillings, for their trouble, and directed that no more be paid to them beyond that sum.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

Interpretations

The examination of Gibson's debtors closes here, and the pattern of the answers explains why the council chose to send the depositions home. A few men admitted small sums outright, and one produced a receipt showing he had been treated and had paid. Most either denied ever employing Gibson or showed that his charges bore no relation to the treatment given. Richard Beale's answer is the most damaging: Gibson had entertained him with punch and a dinner and then billed him for a professional visit, which is not overcharging but invention. Jonathan Chapman's answer shows the same practice at a smaller scale, three shillings' worth of treatment charged at £0 6s 0d.

The bill of £30 4s 0d that Gibson had drawn on the Company sits at the heart of the dispute. A Company servant could draw a bill of exchange against his employer for sums properly due to him, and the paper then circulated as money until presented in London. Gibson had used that mechanism to convert his invented debts into an obligation on the Company itself, which is why the council refused to settle the sum on the island and pushed it to the Court of Committees. The half guinea to Mr Selling and the five shillings to Mr Ryder are trouble money for the men who had to assemble and testify to the accounts, and the express bar on paying anything further shows the council closing the matter against any further claim.

The record of surf and boats kept between 4 and 20 March 1729 is the daily attendance Mr Crisp was set to keep on 3 March 1729. Its purpose was evidentiary. A charter party fixed the number of days allowed for discharging a ship, and demurrage fell due on the Company if the term ran over. Ten days of entries showing high surf on four of them, and only single boats delivered on several others, established that the delay lay with the sea and not with the island. The Cadogan took over a fortnight to land what the Anne and Mary had landed in six days in March 1728, which is the difference between a smooth sea and the winter swell.

Speculations

The council had every reason to settle Gibson's accounts on the island and be rid of them. It had the man's own bills before it, the sworn answers of every alleged debtor, and full authority to strike out what was false and allow what was true. Instead it refused to fix a figure at all, ordered the depositions copied and sent to London, and directed that the doctor render his own account of the physic and surgery he had actually administered to the Company's office rather than to the council. The reason lies in the £30 4s 0d already drawn on the Company. Gibson had converted his claims into a bill of exchange, and a bill once drawn is an obligation between the drawer and the Company, not between the drawer and St Helena. The council could disallow a debt owed to Gibson by an islander, but it could not disallow a bill Gibson held against his employer. Sending the whole file home was the only route by which the Court of Committees could refuse to honour the paper, and the council was careful to put the evidence in London before the bill arrived there.

256

232

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 18th March 1728 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Examined a Copy of the Guns of Cadogan from George with the Sailing Rum

thereto annexed & found the Same Right

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 22th March 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

As Sunday last arrived the Manshfields Capt Cockrum from China Brought for the

use of the Island Tea & China Ware as follows Viz

Selling Price

China Ware

Ship 1728

3/ each

Bagsvalue blue & White

100 @ 8

8

2/6 each

Trenchers do

140 . 3

4. 2

2/ each

Cupps Single do

200 . 1.6

4. 8

4d ¾ Doen

Cupps & Saucers do

200 . 2

4

21

Chest

21 . 0

22

6/ ¾ Pound

Tea Bohea 1 Chest of 88 Cannest 1lb nett 100 Cattee

Tales

43 . 0

The Captain acquainted us that on the 4th Instant he mett the Honble Companies Gally about

St Christophers to the Southward of the Cape & he sent to the Captain & the same when the same to

Capt Mabbot a Copy of which is Entred in Consultation of the 10th of this Month

The Inhabitants having presented for goods & Neighbourhood We have Adjourned the

Persons Appointed to be held this day to the 25th of June next

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 31st March 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Yesterday Evening the Cæsar & Mansfields Sailed hence for England

We this day Reckoned with the Inhabitants for their Private Adventures for the Year

& many of them having Owned We are only and

paid but the Shipping not being yet returned

the Sum of £19. 16. 6 the Remainder being £2. 5.0 & We charged to their Acct & they

promise to Pay it at Sept next

This Morning early after a Sickness of about ten days died Isabella

Mr Benjamin Kellogg Sen'r Gunr Sergeant so Soon as he was dead We Ordered & c an

Officer Safeguard to guard & to take Care of his Effects till an Inventory thereof was

taken & Appointed Mr Goodwin & Mr Crispe to take the said Inventory who

A consultation was held on Tuesday 18 March 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The council examined a copy of the invoice of the Cadogan's goods from Canton, with the selling prices annexed, and found it correct.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 25 March 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The Macclesfield, Captain Durham, arrived from China on the previous Sunday, bringing tea and china ware for the island's use. The invoice was entered with the selling price against each article.

China ware, 1 chest, regular blue and white dishes, 100 pieces at 5s each, 9 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

China ware, saucers, 140 pieces at 3s each, 4 taels 8 mace 0 candareens

China ware, cups, single sort, 200 pieces at 1s 6d each, 4 taels 8 mace 0 candareens

China ware, cups and saucers, 200 pieces at 4s the pair, 4 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

Total for the chest, 640 pieces, 21 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

Tea, bohea, 1 chest containing 88 canisters, 100 catties net weight, at 6s per pound, 22 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

Sum total, 43 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

The captain reported that his ship's people had spread a report at the Cape that the Company's galley was about to be seized as a wreck. The council delivered to him the same orders it had given to the commander of the Cadogan at the consultation of 13 March 1729, entering a note that it had given him a copy.

The inhabitants having brought in their accounts of families, land and cattle, the council appointed 25 June next for the reckoning to be held.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Monday 31 March 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The Caesar, Captain Marchet, sailed for England on the previous evening.

The council reckoned with the inhabitants for their rents and revenues for the year past. The shipping had not yet returned, and few of them had anything to sell, so only £549 16s 0d of the £700 0s 0d due was paid, leaving a balance of £150 4s 0d. The inhabitants promised to pay the remainder by September next.

That morning a schooner of about two days' arrival put into the road, and Mr Benjamin Flagg, her supercargo, was found to have died aboard her. The council directed that his estate be taken into custody and an inventory made, and appointed Captain Goodwin and Mr Crisp to take that inventory.

Interpretations

The Macclesfield's cargo is priced identically to the Caesar's, entered a fortnight earlier, down to the same total of 43 taels 0 mace 0 candareens for a chest of china ware and a chest of bohea tea. The uniformity is not coincidence but Company practice: the supercargoes at Canton bought the island's small annual supply on a standing order, and the selling prices annexed in the margin were the rates at which the storekeeper retailed the goods to the inhabitants. St Helena took two chests a year from each China ship that touched, and the trade was a convenience for the island rather than a source of profit for the Company.

The report spread at the Cape, that a Company galley was to be seized as a wreck, is a warning of some weight. A vessel declared a wreck could be taken by any salvor who reached her, and a false rumour to that effect could bring predators down on a ship that was merely damaged. The council's response was to hand Captain Durham the same defensive orders it had given Captain Payne on 13 March 1729, which shows it treating the rumour as a hazard of the same order as the unsettled state of Europe.

The reckoning with the inhabitants shows the island's economy running on a single hinge. Rents fell due whether the ships came or not, but the inhabitants had no cash until the Indiamen arrived and bought their stock, poultry and greens. The same thing happened at the reckoning of 30 March 1728, when £112 16s 3d of £330 18s 9d was left standing on the same excuse and the same promise to pay by September. The sums here are more than twice as large, and the shortfall of £150 4s 0d against a demand of £700 0s 0d suggests the council had raised its rent roll considerably over the year.

Speculations

The death of Benjamin Flagg aboard the schooner produced an immediate and unusual response. The council did not wait for a will, an executor or a claim from the ship's owners, but seized the estate the same morning and put two councillors on the inventory. A supercargo was the merchant in charge of a vessel's trading cargo and carried the proceeds of every sale in coin or bills about his person or in his chest, so his estate on the day of his death was worth whatever the voyage had made. The default course, leaving the property with the master until the owners could be heard, would have left that value in the hands of the very men best placed to conceal it. The council chose instead to take custody first and settle title afterwards, and appointed its two accounting officers rather than the marshal to make the count.

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as Soon as they have done We Order them to Seale up with the Honble Compys Seale all his

Goods & Deposit them in the Store till We have an Opportunity to dispose of them to the best

Advantage We See by Inventory as the Honble Compys Stocks & make out the Effects & greatly Legs

& see that the Children put out to the Inhabitants have been kindly treated

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 1st April 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consn was read & Approved

The Governor Reports that notwithstanding William Slaughter hath acted Such an

Ingratefull & Enormous part by him he hath nevertheless in Compassion to his Wife and

Children taken great Pains to prevail with his Creditors to give him his Liberty & they

have each of them with their own Discretions accordingly this not without great Reluctancy

& he was this day discharged from Prison

Capt Goodwin & Mr Crispe Report that they have taken an Inventory of the Effects late

belonging to Mr Kirry & have Lodged & Copy thereof together with all his Goods &

Effects in the Sanitarie Office & are Sealed up with the Honble Compys Seale all his other

goods & Deposited them in the Store according to the Order of Yesterday

Ordered that as Soon as the present hurry of Business is over Mr Kirrys Accot with

the Inhabitants be Examined & Settled in Order to be Sent to the Honble Company by

the later Shipping

We this day Signed the following Warrant for a Survey of the Water at Chub Spring

Gentlemen

The Honble Company in Answer to the Petition of the Inhabts in which they

Complain of the great Loss & Prejudice arising from by their Shipping Supply and Complain

at the Cape have generously Interposed their Authority and promised to give Such Orders

as shall prevent the like hereafter & effectually to enquire the Reasons the Captains make

of the ways or justify their going into the Cape they have desired us to acquaint them

whether it be not possible to Supply them with good Water

We therefore hereby order & request You We do hereby to View & Examine with

the utmost Care & Diligence the Spring called Chubbs Spring & to make the most diligent

Search & Enquiry into the Nature Quantitie & Qualitie of the said Water & whether

there is enough to Supply as their Shipping that touch here & whether the same Stream

Runs in the Same & to satisfy the Year when & in all Weather Water & Dry & to Report to

Us in Writing Your Opinion thereupon on Tuesday next

Capt Alexander

Capt Goodwin

Capt Crispe

Capt & Coswell

Jno: Goodwin

Isaac Wrangham

Rabt Brooks

James Bright

Saml Jeffery

Jno Fitzsimonds

James at St Helena the 1st April 1729

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Thursday the 3d April 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Sums £11 8s 6d 4s 0d

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The council directed that as soon as the inventory was complete the goods be sealed with the Company's seal and kept until an opportunity arose to dispose of them to the best advantage. It reported that the Company's black slaves made good use of the yams, and that the children put out to the inhabitants were kindly treated.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 1 April 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Governor Byfield reported that William Slaughter, notwithstanding all he had done, had asked to be released, and that out of pity for his wife and children he was inclined to grant it. The Governor and the council agreed to release him on his giving security, and he was discharged from prison that day, though not without a great deal of reluctance.

Captain Goodwin and Mr Crisp reported that they had taken an inventory of the effects of Mr Benjamin Flagg, lately of the schooner. They had lodged copies of it, sealed the goods with the Company's seal and kept the whole in the secretary's office, with the other goods deposited there in the order of the Company's seal.

The council directed that as soon as the present harvest of provisions was over, Mr Alsop's accounts with the inhabitants be examined and settled, so that they might be sent home to the Company by the next shipping.

The council signed a warrant for a survey of the water at Chubb's Spring, addressed to the gentlemen named below.

The Company, in answer to the inhabitants' petition complaining of the great want of water, had lately reported that the commanders of ships supplying themselves at the Cape had grossly overcharged for their supply, and had promised to give such orders as would prevent the abuse in future, and to compel the commanders to make out or justify the ground for going into the Cape whenever they diverted there. The council thereupon required the persons named below to go and examine, together with the master of the Cadogan, the spring called Chubb's Spring, and to make the most diligent search and inquiry into the nature, quantity and quality of the water it yielded, and whether it was enough to supply an entire ship's company touching at the island. Any spring found near it was to be viewed in the same way, and the person concerned was to report on the matter on Tuesday next.

Captain Alexander

Captain Goodwin

Captain Cason

Captain Barrett

John Gosselin

Francis Wrangham

Richard Beale

James Crystal

Samuel Jephry

John Defountaine

Given under the hand of the council, 1 April 1729.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Thursday 3 April 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The garrison was paid for the past month, the sum coming to £64 6s 0d, entered in the journal.

Interpretations

The release of William Slaughter closes a matter left open since his trial. He had pleaded guilty at the general court of 9 November 1728 to inventing and threatening to publish the charge that the Governor had called King George a Scotch tailor, and the jury recommended whipping, the pillory on the next muster day, and close imprisonment until the punishment was carried out. He was still in prison nearly five months later, which shows the corporal sentence had never been inflicted. The record here says the release was granted with reluctance and on security given, so the man walked out under bond rather than pardoned.

The survey of Chubb's Spring rests on a mechanism worth setting out. A homeward Indiaman needed several tons of fresh water, and if she could not get it at St Helena she went into the Cape, where the Dutch charged what they liked. The Company's answer was not to accept the charge but to attack the pretext: commanders would in future have to justify the diversion, and the island would prove it could water a ship itself. The commission is drawn accordingly, with the master of the Cadogan joined to it so that a sea officer would sign to the finding, and the questions put in terms a court could use. The nature, the quantity, the quality, and whether the flow would supply a whole ship's company are precisely the points a commander would plead in defence of touching at the Cape.

The composition of the commission is telling. Two councillors, two ship's captains and six of the leading inhabitants were named, which put the island's planters on the same paper as its officers. A finding signed by ten men, several of whom had no interest in flattering the Company, would carry weight in London in a way that a report from the council alone would not.

Speculations

The council could have paid Mr Alsop's accounts when they were rendered and closed them on the island, as it did every month with the storekeeper and the steward. It instead deferred the settlement until the harvest was in and directed that the accounts be sent home to the Company. The reason lies in what happened to his predecessor. Gibson's charges to the inhabitants had proved to be largely invented, and the whole file of sworn answers had gone to London only a fortnight earlier. Alsop's accounts covered the same ground, treatment given to the same islanders, and the council was in no position to certify a surgeon's bills a second time on its own authority. Deferring them to the harvest also gave the inhabitants the means to pay, since a man with nothing to sell could not challenge a charge he had no money to meet.

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234

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 8th April 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governor Reports that immediately after William Slaughter was at Liberty he

Sent him the following Letter Viz

Worshipfull Sir

The Keeper of the Prison hath told Me that You have Been so kind

As to interceed with My Creditors for My freedom out of prison And that I am at full

Liberty to go to My friends or into Gaol for that greatest Fortune Your worship My Merits

humbly And I most heartily thanke And I most humbly beg Your Worships Pardon for My

great offence for saying such Rebellious Cursing you With Rebellious Blasphemous words And it Sensibly

follow forsaked Care & tried do a Affaires and the Wrath of Vengeance hath had for which I greatly

Repented the Commandment I then followed & had a My Faults And wished for Vaine hands upon

My thoughts Wicked so may Wicked with them But have often heard You Speak Reproachfull of

King george And at the Royalist family And I am most heartily Sorry for My great

Crime And Offence And this great Acts upon Your Worships Pardon for You have been more than a

father to me And My Children And I therefore beg That when I come Sense of My great

Crime And am Shure that We must magnify Have Courage to give for Attempting to

Ravish And destroy Your issues also & Look forward You humbly & had to enlarge me from

the ill Course of the Same fall into and I am again most Humbly Present You from the

from the Bottom of My Soul & I promise My Crime for I will be Wicked so I am Rough for

Way that being changed for it I will forsake to my Words With Blows but Sins made than

out of Revenge with desire to give You And I would Willingly stay down My life And

make You thanks for the false Accusation I did to Speak deep and I Solemnly declare

to Your Worship that I do this Most Willingly and freely With out taking or Persuasion

being at full Liberty And heartily Sorry for My great Offence And I Promise to

behave My Self the Most dutifully And in hopes of Pardon Remain

Worshipfull Sir

Your Most dutifull

Most obliged

Most obedient humble

Servant

Wm Slaughter

James Helena

the 8 of April 1729

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr

Governour of St Helena

We the Undermentioned do hereby Certify that the humble Writing of William Slaughter is very

much desirous to tell the hearing and if the after have here Read that the aforegoing Letter is a Copy of the

Whole Writing of him the aforementioned William Slaughter Witness our Hands this 8th

day of April 1729 at St Helena

Wm Grenville

Jno Grayson

NB The Abovementioned Certificate was wrote

under the Originall Letter

The Gentlemen appointed to Survey the Spring called Chub Spring this day made the

following Report Viz

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr & Councill

We the Undermentioned in Obedience to Your Order of the first instant have carefully & diligently

Examined the Spring and Chubs Spring within the Plantation of Joseph Fitzsimonds where

We first Convene Survey of Water each of them my Sweet what fine & was to those Every now as

good as any upon the Island But which Springs being very capable to be conveyed into an Stream &

will afford a Sufficient Quantitie of Water to be Conveyed in Stock to the Crane so to any

Place thereabouts for the Length of at the Honble Compys at all times of the Year which Water

Wet on Dry lands & of & having taken particular & View of these Springs in the dry time of the

Year & even from all the Season to be Effected as even in the Great Weather We not remember

to have happened in each was in the Year 1713 & so far Say it that time having occasion

almost daily to pass by Chub Springs at which by their frequently Drank Passage from it

the Water Sweet & good & Remember very well that the Water flowed in the Same great

Quantitie then as it does now, & We all firmly of Opinion that the Springs abovementioned

A consultation was held on Tuesday 8 April 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Governor Byfield reported that soon after William Slaughter was set at liberty he received the letter set out below.

Slaughter wrote to the Governor acknowledging that the keeper of the prison had told him he was free, and that he owed his release entirely to the Governor's mercy after his four months in prison. He thanked the Governor with all his heart and admitted the treatment was greater kindness than he deserved. He conceded that his offence had been most vile and heinous, and that he had made himself unworthy of any pardon. He set out that at the time he had been out of his senses, and that he had lost his reason on the night of 4 November, for which he was heartily sorry. He denied ever having entertained a thought against the Governor's person or against His Majesty, and swore he had never heard the Governor speak a disrespectful word of King George or of the royal family, but had always heard him speak of them with the greatest honour and respect. He admitted that his words had been far worse than a common man's, and that they had fallen upon a governor whose kindness and generosity to him had been greater than any he had ever known. He begged the Governor to forgive him for the crime he had committed against him, and thanked him for being willing to release him from the strict confinement of the prison, into which his own guilt had brought him. He asked leave to remain on the island and not to be turned off it, and undertook to submit to any punishment or penalty the Governor thought fit to lay on him. He promised to behave for the future with all the duty and obedience owed to a governor, and swore he would never again willingly or knowingly act contrary to what he owed him. He closed by declaring himself the Governor's most dutiful and obedient humble servant.

The letter was signed by William Slaughter and dated 4 April 1729 at St Helena, and addressed to Governor Edward Byfield.

Two witnesses certified below the letter that the handwriting was Slaughter's own, and that they had heard him say afterwards that the letter was his own writing. The certificate was signed by Benjamin Alsop and John Gosselin on 8 April 1729.

The gentlemen appointed to survey Chubb's Spring delivered the report set out below.

The commissioners, obeying the council's order of 1 April 1729, had examined the spring called Chubb's Spring in the plantation of Joseph Defountaine. They had taken every one of the several springs they found, and none of them yielded any water at all fit to be brought into a stream or to be given to the island. Nor was there a sufficient quantity of water to be transported by casks to the crane, or to be carried on any pretence to any ship. They had taken particular notice of the springs on the day of the plantation, several of which had lately been quite dry. The Governor, who had visited the island before in 1713 and again in 1727, could not remember that the water flowed in the quantity it did in his time. Since then the stream had been reduced to less than a fifteenth part of what it had lately been, and the water had frequently drained away almost daily. He remembered very well that the water flowed in a far greater quantity than it did now, and they all firmly agreed that the springs named above [...]

Interpretations

Slaughter's letter is a submission in the strict sense. He was released on security on 1 April 1729, and the letter is dated three days later, which means it was the price of the bond rather than an unprompted apology. Its most careful passage is the denial that he ever heard the Governor speak ill of the King, since that is a direct retraction of the charge he pleaded guilty to at the general court of 9 November 1728. The plea of insanity on the night of 4 November places the loss of reason on the exact date that Captain Goodwin first reported to the council that Slaughter had threatened to swear treason. His request not to be turned off the island shows what he feared most: banishment would have separated him from the wife and children whose plight had moved the Governor to release him in the first place.

The certificate of the handwriting matters more than it appears. A confession of this kind was worthless to the council unless it could be proved genuine in England, so Benjamin Alsop and John Gosselin were brought in to attest that the hand was Slaughter's and that he had acknowledged it in their hearing. The document was being prepared for a file, not for the Governor's private satisfaction.

The Chubb's Spring report answers the Company's inquiry in the negative and does so emphatically. St Helena's water lies in a handful of valley springs fed by cloud on the high ridges, and it is neither abundant nor evenly distributed. The commissioners found the springs dry or nearly so, and the flow reduced to a fraction of what older residents remembered, which points to the island's long deforestation. The Great Wood had been cut back for fuel and timber for decades, and the council's repeated orders on wood planting from 1727 onward were driven by the fear of fuel shortage. The connection between stripped ground and failing springs was not one the council drew explicitly, but the report sets the evidence for it down plainly.

Speculations

The council had asked for a survey that would prove the island could water a ship, so that commanders could no longer justify diverting to the Cape and paying its extortionate rates. The commissioners returned the opposite finding. They could have shaded the report, since the Company plainly wanted a favourable answer and the men signing it were the island's own councillors, captains and planters, several of whom had a direct interest in shipping calling at St Helena rather than the Cape. Instead they recorded that not one spring yielded water fit for a stream, that there was not enough to fill casks for the crane, and that the flow had fallen to less than a fifteenth of what it had been. The choice to send that finding home, over the signatures of ten men, cost the island the argument it had begun and admitted a defect it could not remedy.

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which Chub Springs will alwayes Produce a Sufficient Quantity of Sweet wholsome & good Water for

Supply of the Honble Compys Shipping at all times of the Year & are the hopes effectually remove the Occasion

the Commanders give or excuse their going into the Cape from wench, tending to the manifest Ruin &

Destruction of this Place which We beg by the Honble Companies great Goodness & Generosity will

effectually be prevented for the future Wm &c

St Helena

8th April 1729

Richard Beale

James Ryder

Jonathan Downton

Jno: Desfountaine

Samuel Jeffery

& Most Obedt & Most humle Servt

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Wm Cowen

Gabriel Powell

Isaac Wrangham

Joseph Desfountaine in what regard the Springs first being present & Effects of he was intending

to have his Plantation he declared it but insisted that he immediately be Accepting an other little

bit of Lands as an Equivalent for that Small time in which the Chub Springs Rise & the great value

the same amongst it & being only half an Acre

We this day Examined Mr Kirry Bagage & Servants & found that Severall of the Inhabts

in Character in his Books to be Indebted to him for Medicines as one Pound & We do not

find that he hath ever given any of them Credit for any thing whatsoever tho' We know

that some of them have Supplyed him at times with Provisions & other necessaries for himself

or Servants

Ordered that the Severall Persons mentioned in Mr Kirrys Bookes to be Indebted

to him be Summoned to Appear on Tuesday in Order to be Examined about the Same with it

they are Justly Charged & that after the said Acct are ballanced they be sent to the

Inventory of his other Effects

Ordered that as the Houshold Goods & Wearing Apparell late belonging to the said

Mr Kirry be Sold by Auction upon the next Allarm which is the most convenient time to

dispose of them because the Inhabitants then assemble in greater Numbers than at any other time

& We have Order to Sett them then down for the benefit of those who are Entitled to what he has

left they being perishable Goods & liable to Spoile by lying by

The Governor Reports that at Sarah Wood belonging to the Honble Company a Female Baby

at the Fort was delivered of a Girle yesterday & named Isabella & We now Entered in the

Journall accordingly

Mr Fanshaw Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Serjeants delivered in their Monthly Acct for

Severall & called over Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Viz

Expence of the Table in March 1729 Viz

Bread 40 Loaves for the Table

18 . 10 . 4

Sugar 128 lb

2 . 19 .

Port Wine 12 Gall

4 . 10 .

Mountain 62 Ditto

3 . 17 . 6

Bread 40 lb

. 10 .

Flower 210 lb

2 . 15 . 6

Vinegar 6 Gall

. 15 . 6

Hoggs Cream 16 Gall

. 15 . 6

Turkes Beans 22 Gall

1 . 4 .

Beef 210 lb

5 . 4 . 6

Sheep 1

5 . 2 . 6

Duckes 8

1 . 4 .

Butter 1A

. 16 .

Greens 21 Days

1 . 1 .

Milk 63 Bottles

1 . 11 .

1 . . 8

Expence of the Table in March

40 . 3

36 lb Wax Candles

6½ lb Soap

12¾ Gall Arrack Old the Gunner Carpenter Smith

Coopers &c on the Queens Birth Day

40 lb Sugar for do Ditto & to the Bladder

£3 . 12 .

. 9 . 6

3 . 10 . 8

0 . 4 . 6

9 . 5 .

The commissioners concluded that the springs would always yield a sufficient quantity of sweet and wholesome water to supply the shipping calling at any time of the year, and that the hope of effectively watering the crane would prevent commanders from carrying their ships into the Cape. Such a measure would be to the manifest ruin and destruction of the island, which the Company's great goodness and generosity would probably prevent in future.

The report was signed at St Helena on 8 April 1729 by John Alexander, John Goodwin, Thomas Cason, Gabriel Powell, Francis Wrangham, Richard Beale, James Ryder, Jonathan Doveton, John Defountaine and Samuel Jephry.

Joseph Defountaine, in whose ground the springs rose, was present at the survey. He offered to let the plantation to the commissioners at any price they set, but insisted that he be immediately supplied with an equivalent bit of land in place of that which the springs supplied. The commissioners judged that he ought to have the same advantage and would take only half an acre.

The council examined Mr Alsop's expenses and found that several of the inhabitants named on his books were charged for medicines in his books, although he could not find that he had ever given any of them credit for anything of any kind. Some of them had supplied him at times with provisions and other necessaries for himself and his servants.

The council directed that the several persons named in Mr Alsop's books be summoned to appear on Tuesday next before the commissioners, to answer the demands made against them and settle their accounts.

The council also directed that the household goods and wearing apparel lately belonging to Benjamin Flagg be sold by auction on the next muster day, which was the most convenient time to dispose of them among the inhabitants, since the assembly would be larger then than at any other time. It thought it better to sell them for the benefit of those who were entitled to what he had left, since they were perishable goods and liable to spoil by keeping.

Governor Byfield reported that a black woman named Betty at the fort had been delivered of a girl named Isabella the previous day. The birth was entered in the journal accordingly.

Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts, and the council examined and approved them.

The general table expenses for March 1729 were entered as follows.

Arrack, 40 gallons for the table, £15 10s 4d

Sugar, 128 pounds, £2 19s 0d

Port wine, 12 gallons, £4 10s 0d

Mountain wine, 16 gallons, £3 17s 6d

Bread, 40 pounds, £0 10s 0d

Flour, 210 pounds, £2 15s 6d

Vinegar, 6 gallons, £0 15s 6d

Kidney beans, 16 gallons, £0 4s 0d

Turkey beans, 20 gallons, £0 4s 0d

Beef, 210 pounds, £5 5s 0d

Sheep, 1, £0 2s 6d

Ducks, 8, £0 4s 0d

Butter, 14 pounds, £0 16s 0d

Greens, 21 days, £1 1s 0d

Milk, 63 bottles, £0 15s 8d

Total expense of the table in March 1729, £40 9s 0d

Wax candles, 36 pounds, £3 12s 0d

Soap, 6.5 pounds, £0 0s 9d

Arrack, 12.75 gallons, delivered to the guards, carpenters and smith, and to the coopers on the Queen's birthday, £3 10s 8d

Sugar, 40 pounds, delivered to the same and to the black slaves, £0 4s 6d

Total, £9 5s 0d

Interpretations

The commissioners' conclusion reverses the finding that led up to it. Having recorded that the springs had fallen to a fraction of their former flow and that several were dry, they nonetheless certified that Chubb's Spring would water the shipping in any season. The stated reason gives the game away. If commanders could be shown that St Helena would water them, they would stop diverting to the Cape, and the diversions were held to be the ruin of the island. A ship that watered at the Cape had no reason to touch at St Helena at all, and the island lived entirely on what the Indiamen bought when they anchored in the road. The commissioners were not reporting on hydrology but defending the island's only trade.

Joseph Defountaine's position deserves notice. The springs lay in his ground, so any scheme to pipe water to the crane meant taking his land. He did not resist, but he set his price: an equivalent parcel elsewhere before he gave anything up. The commissioners bargained him down to half an acre, which shows the council treating a Company tenant's leasehold as something it could not simply resume without compensation.

Alsop's books repeat the pattern found in Gibson's. Inhabitants were charged for medicines with no credit entered against them, though several had supplied the surgeon with food and necessaries. The council's response was the same mechanism it had used against Gibson through March 1729: summon every named debtor, take his answer, and settle the account before the surgeon's claims could travel home as a bill on the Company. The council was plainly not prepared to let a second surgeon repeat the first surgeon's accounting.

The Queen's birthday charge in the table account marks a customary allowance rather than a purchase. Arrack and sugar were issued to the guards, the artificers and the slaves on royal anniversaries, as they had been on the King's birthday on 30 October 1728 and at Christmas. The Queen here is Caroline of Ansbach, consort to George the Second, and the entry shows the island keeping the full calendar of Hanoverian observance despite lying five weeks from any news of it.

Speculations

The council had a choice about how to dispose of Benjamin Flagg's effects, and its reasoning is set out on the page. It could have kept the goods sealed in the secretary's office under the Company's seal, as it had ordered on 1 April 1729, until the schooner's owners or Flagg's kin made a claim. That was the safe course, and it protected the council from any charge of having sold another man's property. Instead it fixed the sale for muster day, on the express ground that the whole island would be assembled and the goods would fetch more. The estate was thereby converted from clothes and household stuff that would rot in a damp store into money that could be held to account, and the beneficiaries were served better by cash than by a mildewed chest. The choice of muster day, rather than any ordinary day of business, shows the council pricing the auction against the size of the crowd.

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Collection of Store Goods Sold & Sold to the Inhabts as from 10th March 1729 as p Effect

17½ Sugar

16 . 2

32 Candy

17½ Almond

1 . 13 .

3½ Yarn Cords

3 . 4 . 6

2 Diaper Coloured

14 .

16 Do Bro Thread

17 . 0

1 pr Mens Knitt Stock

7 . 6

1 Wood Ditto

4 . 6

1 do

4 . 6

1 Onyx Ware

8 .

1 Cotton do

3 .

1 Dr Trenchers Nº 2

1 . 17 . 6

2 Dozn plain Dimothy

2 . 6

6 Cambletts

16 . 6

10 lb Sugarly

1 . 7 . 6

20 lb Do Brown

1 . 1 .

1 pr Norwich Stuffs

1 . 4 .

2 Hollands

12 .

13 Flannell

2 . 2 .

2 Sean Sprat Stones

11 .

1 Grey Iron Ore

6 . 6

1 pr Grey Yarn Ditto

8 . 6

1 Small Size Do

11 .

16 R.D. Cambr

1 . 15 . 6

6 . do

57 . 6

2 . 3 . 9

20 . 1 . 400

13 . 3

10 . do

7 . 7

18 . do

14 . 6

114 . 30

3 . 8

17 Flooring Deals

10 . 0

3¾ lb Old Sugd Do

7 . 3

20 lb Bro Sugd Sheets

1 . 1 .

6 Course Cuppes

13 .

28 lb with Sunneys

10 . 6

14 Gundry Sugd Cloth

4 . 6

16 lb Cottons

1 . 3 . 8

2 Wine Flatts

1 . 6 .

2 So Coriander

7 . 6

1 Watering Pott

1 . 3 .

1 Small Chamois

13 . 4

17 Slop Blocks Sortd

5 . 5

12 Sows Do

1 . 3 .

1 Sugd Combs

1 . 17 .

1 do 2

1 . 5 . 3

1 Sea Number 1sts 20s

17 . 6 . 6

4 lb Ginger

14 . 4

6 do

1 . 4 .

1 Curtains Sortd

6 . 8 . 2

1 Broadcloth

3 . 6

1 Rob D Ditto Sortd

7 .

8 Bhut Sortd

7 . 4

1 Smith Sortd

7 . 6

1 ditto

2 . 6

1 Powdering Sconces

2 . 8

1 Copping Box

16 . 11

67 Silke & Needles

9 . 4

8 Grose Silver Mould Buttons

4 . 0 . 4

8 Thimbles

17 Grosse Gunterings

1 . 0 .

14 Thread Laces 1

4 Powdering Ditto

9 . 6

2 Quicksilver Beads

0 . 0 .

1½ do Plated Ware ditto

0 . 9 .

0 do

6 . 9

1 do do

6 . 6

Carried over

172 . 14 . 9

An account of the store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 March 1729 was entered as follows.

Sugar, 17 pounds, £0 4s 0d

Candles, 32 pounds, £1 12s 0d

Thread, 17 pounds, £1 13s 0d

Green cloth, 3.5 yards, £3 4s 6d

Silver colanders, 2, £0 14s 0d

Dutch thread, 16 pounds, £17 0s 0d

Men's shoes, 1 pair, £0 7s 6d

Women's shoes, 1 pair, £0 4s 6d

Orange rum, 1 [...], £0 3s 0d

Gothic rum, 1 [...], £0 3s 0d

Buckskin, 1 dozen, £1 17s 6d

Plain durance, 3.5 yards, £0 2s 6d

Bracelets, 6, £0 16s 0d

Legatty, 10 pounds, £1 7s 6d

Ribbon, 20 yards, £1 1s 0d

Nuremberg stuff, 1.5 pieces, £0 1s 6d

Holland, 2 pieces, £0 12s 0d

Flannel, 15 yards, £2 8s 0d

Gunstaves, 2, £0 11s 0d

Iron ore, 1 [...], £0 6s 0d

Small shot, 1 hundredweight, £0 8s 6d

Small shot, 1 [...], £0 4s 0d

Nails, 16 pounds, £1 12s 6d

Nails, 6 pounds, £2 8s 9d

Nails, 57 pounds, £13 8s 0d

Nails, 20 pounds, 1 box, £0 7s 7d

Nails, 10 pounds, £0 4s 6d

Nails, 18 pounds, £0 8s 8d

Nails, 114 pounds, £3 8s 0d

Sewing needles, 17, £0 15s 0d

Serge, 3.5 yards, £0 7s 8d

Dowlas, 3.5 yards, £0 1s 3d

Bengal chintz, 20 yards, £1 12s 0d

Cups, 6, £0 12s 0d

Combs, 24, £0 10s 0d

Long cloth, 24 yards, £1 3s 8d

Soldiers' coats, 2, £1 6s 0d

Water plates, 2, £0 12s 0d

Colanders, 2, £0 6s 0d

Watering pot, 1, £0 1s 8d

Small chemise, 1, £0 12s 6d

Silk stockings, 27 pairs, £0 5s 5d

Sieves, 12, £0 5s 8d

Soap cask, 1, £0 1s 7d

Bengal taffety, 1 piece, £17 8s 0d

Rings, 4 pairs, £0 8s 0d

Rings, 6, £0 4s 6d

Painted silk, 1 piece, £0 8s 0d

Broadcloth, 1 piece, £0 6s 6d

Table cloths, 2, £0 7s 6d

Sheets, 3, £0 7s 4d

Coarse silk, 1, £0 8s 0d

Silk, 1, £0 2s 6d

Buckram, 1 piece, £0 16s 0d

Turkey rum, 1 [...], £0 14s 11d

Kettles, 3, £0 9s 4d

Metal buttons, 6 gross, £0 4s 4d

Thimbles, 4, £0 4s 0d

Garters, 4 gross, £0 1s 0d

Diaper tape, 4 pieces, £0 6s 0d

Everlasting, 4, £0 8s 0d

Coloured thread, 4 ounces, £0 2s 0d

Plated ware, 4, £0 6s 0d

Plated ware, 4, £0 6s 0d

Plated ware, 4, £0 6s 0d

Grand total, £163 14s 9d

Interpretations

The account is the storekeeper's monthly reckoning of goods retailed to the inhabitants from the Company warehouse. The March 1729 total of £163 14s 9d is close to the February figure of £163 16s 5d and above the January figure of £129 3s 7d, which shows buying holding steady as the shipping season ran on. Sales to the inhabitants had risen through the winter as ships returned to the road and the planters found cash to spend.

Several of the commodities need explanation. Durance was a hard-wearing glazed woollen, and everlasting a durable worsted, both named for their resistance to wear rather than any decorative quality. Dowlas was a coarse linen used for shirts and household cloth. Buckram was a cloth stiffened with gum or paste, used to shape collars, cuffs and skirts, and it appears here alongside the thread, tape, buttons and thimbles that made up the raw material for a household's dressmaking. Diaper tape was a narrow woven tape with a figured pattern, and garters were tapes for tying stockings below the knee. Bengal taffety was silk from Bengal, and the single piece at £17 8s 0d was the most valuable article in the whole month's sales, a luxury bought by someone with money to spend. Bengal chintz was painted or printed cotton from the same coast. Nuremberg ware covered the small German metal goods, pins, thimbles and toys, that reached India and the island through the Company's trade.

The nails dominate the account by weight and by value. They were sold by the penny denomination, a system in which the number described the price per hundred rather than any length, so that a higher number marked a heavier and longer nail. Some £22 0s 0d of nails passed over the counter in a single month, alongside kettles, sieves, colanders and a watering pot, which points to a season of building and repair among the inhabitants rather than any single project.

The two soldiers' coats sold at £1 6s 0d for the pair are worth a note. Garrison clothing was Company issue, and their appearance in the inhabitants' account means men were buying military coats for ordinary wear, the cloth being better than anything else available on the island at the price.

261

237

Brought over

42 . 14 . 9

3½ Whited Brown Thread

1 . 6 . 0

7 do Ditto

14

14 Oz Thread

18 . 8

3 Do

4 . 6

3 Do

7 . 6

1 Do

7 . 3

1 Do

5

1 Do

7 . 8

3 Skains Mohair

7 . 2

16 Yards Sacking

6 . 4

18 Ribbin

6 . 4

2 Do

1 . 4

2 Do

8

1½ Do

2

1 Do

1 . 7

1 lb Soap

3 . 2

2 Do

7½ Cinn

. 10½

17 In Do

9 . 4

2 In Do

2 . 4

20 oz China Silk

1 . 16

10 lb Ribbin

1 . 0

1½ oz Orgz Silk

0 . 0

7 Doz Cambr Papers

6 . 13

4 Copper Sortd

17 . 10

16 Squares Glass 6 x 3

6 . 5 . 10

Sum Totall to the Inhabts

63 . 13 . 7½

Plantation Dr

3 lb Pepper

1

6d 10d Nailes

4

6 Yellow Ochre

3 . 1

1 Thin Quart Earthen Pan

1

2 Gall Cocoa Oyle

12

1 Rho Thread

2 . 6

1 Ribbin

2 . 6

1 Mens Loft

1

1 Womens Ditto

1 . 1

1½ Turpentine

13

20 lb Rice sold for the Hogs & Poultry

0 . 10 .

7 . 11 . 1

Garrison Dr

12 Cotton Bolus Tin

3 . 19

2 Qts Cocoa Oyle

3 . 6

2 Do Kerosine do to the Smith for form Utensils

6 . 8

4 . 1 . 8

Navall Gunners & Garrison Stores

2 Bomb Iron

16 . 9 .

3 Tar Brushes

3 Bottles Fla: Oyle

6 . 8

1lb 20 Nailes

1 . 7

1 Rozen to keep the Mould from the Flag

5 . 3 . 3

Honble Comp Blacks & Poor & of Cloathing

62 Yards Kidney

6 . 10

16 do very long Cloth

4 . 4

10 Shot Chints

3 . 16

200 Nailes

2

2 Thimbles

6 do Coloured Threads

1 . 4

on acct of Charges Genll

18 lb Rozin

4 . 6

1 Rowl Sailcloth 8 do 17 Wt do 2. 4. 24

del by Sugd Boates

2 . 18 . 6

60 do ditto

1 . 12

20 . 2 . 4

Carried over

100 . 16 . 11½

The storekeeper's account for the inhabitants was carried forward at £42 14s 9d and continued as follows.

Twisted brown thread, 3.5 ounces, £1 6s 0d

Twisted brown thread, 2 ounces, £0 14s 0d

Thread, 14 ounces, £18 3s 0d

Thread, 3 ounces, £4 6s 0d

Thread, 3 ounces, £0 7s 6d

Thread, 1 ounce, £0 7s 3d

Thread, 1 ounce, £0 0s 6d

Thread, 1 ounce, £0 7s 8d

Mohair, 3 skeins, £0 0s 2d

Ferreting, 16 yards, £0 6s 4d

Ribbon, 18 yards, £0 6s 4d

Ribbon, 2 yards, £0 1s 4d

Ribbon, 8 yards, £0 0s 8d

Ribbon, 1.5 yards, £0 0s 2d

Ribbon, 1 yard, £0 1s 7d

Soap, 1 pound, £0 3s 2d

Soap, 2 pounds, £0 0s 10.5d

Combs, 17, £0 9s 4d

Combs, 2, £0 2s 4d

China silk, 20 ounces, £1 16s 0d

Ribbon, 1 yard, £0 1s 0d

Coarse silk, 1.5 ounces, £0 0s 9d

Earthen plates, 7 dozen, £6 13s 0d

Oyster shells, 40 [...], £17 10s 0d

Square glass, 160 panes, £0 5s 4d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £63 13s 7.5d

The goods charged to the plantation were entered as follows.

Rope, 3 pounds, £0 1s 0d

Nails, 10 pounds at 6d, £0 4s 3d

Yellow ochre, 6 pounds, £0 3s 1d

Three quart earthen pan, 1, £0 1s 2d

Gallipots, 2, £0 12s 6d

Brown thread, 1 ounce, £0 2s 6d

Ribbon, 1, £0 2s 6d

Mens' slop, 1, £0 1s 1d

Harness, 1, £0 1s 3d

Turpentine, 0.5 [...], £0 13s 0d

Rice, 700 pounds, delivered for the hogs and poultry, £0 10s 0d

Total to the plantation, £7 11s 1d

The goods charged to the garrison were entered as follows.

Bohea tea, 12 catties, £3 19s 0d

Crops oil, 2 quarts, £0 3s 0d

Vinegar, 2 quarts, delivered to the smith for forming a knife, £0 6s 8d

Total to the garrison, £4 1s 8d

The goods charged to the naval, gunners and garrison stores were entered as follows.

Bristol iron, 2 barrels, £16 9s 0d

Iron powder, 3 tons, £0 6s 8d

Crops oil, 3 bottles, £0 6s 8d

Nails, 20 pounds at 5d, £0 1s 7d

Broom to sweep the mould from the flag, 1, £0 1s 7d

Total to the naval, gunners and garrison stores, £5 6s 6d

The goods charged to the Company's black slaves, on account of clothing, were entered as follows.

Kersey, 62 yards, £6 10s 0d

Ordinary long cloth, 24 yards, £4 5s 0d

Short chintz, 10, £3 16s 0d

Needles, 200, £0 0s 2d

Thimbles, 2, [...]

Coloured thread, 6 pounds, £1 0s 4d

Rope, 18 pounds, on account of charges general, £4 6s 0d

Coir cordage, 1 coil, 17 hundredweight 1 quarter 24 pounds, delivered to the fishing boats, £2 18s 6d

Coir cordage, 6 coils, £1 10s 0d

Total to the Company's black slaves, £20 2s 4d

Grand total carried over, £100 16s 11.5d

Interpretations

The account divides the month's issues between sales to the inhabitants and charges to the Company's own establishments, which is how the storekeeper separated revenue from expenditure in a single set of books. The grand total of £100 16s 11.5d covers only the Company's charges, and stands against the £163 14s 9d retailed to the inhabitants in the same month.

Coir cordage is rope spun from coconut husk fibre, bought through the Company's Indian settlements. It swells rather than rots in salt water and floats, which made it the standard cordage for a fishing boat's running gear, and the whole coil went to the boats that had supplied the slaves' fish ration since 1 March 1727. Bristol iron was bar iron shipped from England for the smith to work into tools and ironwork, and two barrels at £16 9s 0d was the single heaviest charge of the month. Gallipots were small glazed earthenware jars for ointments and preparations, and the pair issued to the plantation would have held salves for the livestock or the labourers.

The oyster shells at £17 10s 0d sold to the inhabitants are the largest single item on the retail side. Burnt oyster shell was the island's substitute for quicklime after Governor Byfield closed the Company's limekiln on 21 March 1727, and it remained on sale even after he built a new kiln in November 1728 and drew 655 bushels of strong lime from it in eighteen days. The inhabitants were plainly still buying shell for their own mortar, since the new kiln's output was reserved for the ramparts, the windows and the garden walls.

Kersey, ordinary long cloth and coloured thread issued to the slaves on account of clothing follow the pattern of the annual charge of £99 14s 8d entered in September 1728, though this is a smaller issue outside the yearly cycle. Kersey was a coarse ribbed wool, hard-wearing and cheap, and the 62 yards taken here would have been cut and made up by the Company's own tailor.

The 700 pounds of rice charged to the plantation for the hogs and poultry is a reminder of the island's dependence on imported grain. The yam harvest had failed entirely in January 1729, and imported rice from the Bengal supply ships carried the burden of feeding both the livestock and the slaves.

262

238

Brought over

100 . 16 . 11½

Charges General

6 lb Flagg

9 . 4½

1 oz China Silk

1 . 6

1 Sack Tar Sacks

9 . 6

2 Qts Cocoa oyle

5 . 3

1 Yard Red Broadcloth

1 . 6

1 Cotton Bosha Bagg

. 4

1 Barrell Sandblast

1 . 10½

1½ lb Cotton Yarn

1 . 10½

8 China Bowles

1 . 3

36 lb Ginger

6 . 4

2 lb Twine

4 . 6

1 Yard Wrappings for the Packets

1 . 6

6 Cannes

1 . 6

24 Squares Glass 8 & 10

1 . 3

1lb 20d Nails

1 . 3

2lb 10

1 . 4

½ Yard Ovals

4

Tott of Charges Genll is £4 . 6 . 1

Diet Expences

105 . 3 . 1½

6 lb Ossd Arrack

9 . 9 . 6

161 lb Sugar

4 . 0 . 6

13 Gall Port

4 . 17 . 6

10 Do Mountain

3 . 10 . 6

40 lb Bread

10

200 lb Flour

2 . 12 . 6

6 Gall Vinegar

12 . 6

1 Cask Strong Beer

1 . 4 .

2 lb Smoak

1 . 2

6 lb Do Candles

1 . 6

Sum Totall

146 . 13 . 6½

Gunners Stores Expended in March

1728/9

Two Pound Shott

Three Pound Shott

Six Pound Shott

Powder

3 Barrells

Tarr

Grape Shott

Round Shott

1728/9

March

1st

The Queens Birth Day

21

0 . 6

12 . 6 . 7

2

Kings Day

3

The Attempt at Meridian

1 . 1

9 . 7½

20

Arrived the Cadogan from England

2 . 0 . 2

8

4

16

An Allarm

2 . 0 . 2

4

20

Sent at Meridian to bring the Ships to

2 . 0 . 2

7 . 13

18

Arrived the Cæsar from China

2 . 0 . 2

4 . 6

19

The Cadogan Sailed

4 . 6

22

An Allarm

7 . 1

23

Arrived the Manshfields from China

2 . 0 . 2

12 . 16

30

Departed the Manshfields & Cæsar

14

39 . 4 . 10 . 13 . 4

6 . 62 . 22.4

Expence of the Garrison

Rotation Old the Carpenter

1

Tarrils Bro Ditto

2 Barrels

Tar to tarr the Carriages

1 Do

2 Nails

1 lb 20d

Tarr Brushes

3

Cartridge Paper for the Quarter

2 Reams

Match

12 lb

Signed Jno French Sec

The storekeeper's account was carried forward at £100 16s 11.5d, and the goods charged to charges general were entered as follows.

Rope, 6 pounds, £0 9s 4.5d

China silk, 1 ounce, £0 1s 6d

Short tea sacks, 1, £0 1s 6d

Crops oil, 2 quarts, £0 1s 3d

Red bunting, 1 yard, £0 1s 3d

Coarse Bengal taffety, 1 piece, £0 0s 4d

Lampblack, 1 barrel, £0 1s 10.5d

Cotton yarn, 0.5 pound, £1 1s 10.5d

China parcels, 8, £0 6s 4d

Ginger, 36 pounds, £0 4s 6d

Twine, 8 pounds, £0 1s 2d

Bolt slings for the buckets, 1 spool, £0 1s 6d

Cases, 6, £0 1s 2d

Square glass, 24 panes at 8 and 10, £0 1s 0d

Nails, 12 pounds at 10d, £0 1s 4d

Nails, 12 pounds, £0 0s 8d

Small coals, 0.5 barrel, £0 0s 8d

Total to charges general, £4 6s 1d

The goods charged to diet expenses were entered as follows.

Arrack, 6 gallons, £0 9s 6d

Sugar, 108 pounds, £4 3s 0d

Port wine, 15 gallons, £4 5s 0d

Mountain wine, 10 gallons, £3 10s 0d

Bread, 40 pounds, £0 10s 0d

Flour, 200 pounds, £2 12s 6d

Vinegar, 6 gallons, £0 12s 0d

Sheep, 1, £1 1s 0d

Smoke, 1 quart, £0 1s 0d

Candles, 6 pounds, £0 6s 0d

Total to diet expenses, £105 3s 5.5d

Sum total, £146 13s 6.5d

The gunner's stores expended in March 1729 were entered as follows, with the guns fired, the powder, the shot, the flints and the cartridge paper set out against each occasion.

1 March 1729, the Queen's birthday, 21 guns fired, powder 3 barrels 6 pounds, shot 12, flints 6, cartridge paper 7

2 March 1729, muster day, 9 guns fired, powder 1 barrel 1 pound, flints 5, cartridge paper 5

3 March 1729, the alarm at Munden's, 9 guns fired, powder 1 barrel 1 pound, flints 5, cartridge paper 4

4 March 1729, saluted the Cadogan from England, 9 guns fired, powder 2 barrels 0 pounds, flints 5, cartridge paper 4

6 March 1729, an alarm, 9 guns fired, powder 2 barrels 0 pounds, flints 7, cartridge paper 13

8 March 1729, sent to Munden's to bring the shot to, 9 guns fired, powder 2 barrels 0 pounds, flints 1, cartridge paper 6

14 March 1729, saluted the Caesar from China, 9 guns fired, powder 2 barrels 0 pounds, flints 5, cartridge paper 5

17 March 1729, the Cadogan sailed, 9 guns fired, powder 2 barrels 0 pounds, flints 7, cartridge paper 11

20 March 1729, an alarm, 9 guns fired, powder 2 barrels 0 pounds, flints 12, cartridge paper 36

30 March 1729, saluted the Macclesfield from China, 9 guns fired, powder 2 barrels 0 pounds, flints 12, cartridge paper 13

30 March 1729, departure of the Macclesfield and Caesar, 9 guns fired, powder 2 barrels 0 pounds, flints 12, cartridge paper 13

Expense of the guard, 1

Hatchet delivered to the carpenter, 1

Nails for the gates, 2 barrels

Iron for the carriage, 1 piece

Nails, 1 barrel

Wire brushes, 3

Cartridge paper for the guards, 18 quires

Match

Total, 39 guns fired, powder 4 barrels 10 pounds, shot 13, flints 4, cartridge paper 6, sum 62 pounds 23 ounces 4 drams

The account was signed by John French, the gunner.

Interpretations

The gunner's account shows the heaviest month of firing since the run began. Three separate alarms fell within three weeks, alongside four ship salutes and the Queen's birthday, and the powder expended reflects a road busy with shipping and a garrison put back on a war footing by the packet the Cadogan brought on 3 March 1729. February 1729 had already recorded 106 pounds of powder, the heaviest since May 1728, and March continued the same pattern.

The alarm at Munden's Point on 3 March 1729 and the order sent there on 8 March 1729 to bring the shot in are two halves of one operation. Munden's Point was the guard post over the anchorage, mounting fourteen guns at the survey of 26 September 1727, and it was the first station to see a strange sail. An alarm fired from Munden's brought the whole island to its posts, and the instruction to bring the shot to shows the battery being made ready to fire in earnest rather than merely to signal.

Flints and cartridge paper appear against every occasion because a salute or an alarm involved the small arms as well as the great guns. Each flint was good for a limited number of firings before it needed knapping or replacing, and the paper was made up into cartridges holding a measured charge. The 18 quires of cartridge paper issued to the guards were for making up ball cartridge, which is the clearest sign in the account that the garrison was in earnest.

The signature is the point of greatest interest. John French had been dismissed for the neglect that spoiled 72 barrels of powder, and his petition for reinstatement was granted on 11 March 1729 on his promise of care and his account of his family's poverty. The account for March 1729 carries his name as gunner, which shows the restoration took effect at once and that he was back in the office by the middle of the month.

Bunting is the loosely woven worsted from which flags were made, and the yard of red bunting charged to charges general would have gone to repair the ensign. Lampblack, the fine soot used for ink and for blacking ironwork, appears with the crops oil and the small coals as the ordinary consumables of the smith's shop and the storekeeper's desk.

263

239

Acco:t of the Honble Compys Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry & Horses Likewise what has been killed & Sold to Ships &c besides

the Encrease or Decrease for the Month of March 1729 Viz

Neat Cattle: Bullock, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearling, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1st March

Bullock 72

Cowes 85

Heifers 16

Steers 15

Yearling 40

Calves 91

Bulls 2

Totall 321

Ewes 94

Withers 33

Lambs 7

Rams 4

Totall 138

Ewes 274

Withers 101

Kids 162

Rams 6

Totall 543

Sowes 15

Shoates 42

Boars 1

Pigs 44

Totall 102

Turkeys 76

Fowles 89

Ducks 38

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Encreased from do a 31st do

Bullock 15

Cowes 5

Heifers 15

Steers 5

Yearling 6

Calves 5

Bulls 0

Totall 51

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 7

Rams 0

Totall 7

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Pigs 7

Totall 7

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullock 87

Cowes 90

Heifers 31

Steers 20

Yearling 46

Calves 96

Bulls 2

Totall 372

Ewes 94

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 4

Totall 145

Ewes 274

Withers 101

Kids 162

Rams 6

Totall 543

Sowes 15

Shoates 42

Boars 1

Pigs 51

Totall 109

Turkeys 76

Fowles 89

Ducks 38

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Killed from do to ditto

Bullock 0

Cowes 1

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearling 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 1

Ewes 1

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 8

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullock 87

Cowes 89

Heifers 31

Steers 20

Yearling 46

Calves 96

Bulls 2

Totall 371

Ewes 93

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 4

Totall 144

Ewes 274

Withers 101

Kids 162

Rams 6

Totall 543

Sowes 15

Shoates 42

Boars 1

Pigs 51

Totall 109

Turkeys 76

Fowles 89

Ducks 30

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Sold to Ships in ditto

Bullock 1

Cowes 3

Heifers 10

Steers 0

Yearling 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 14

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullock 86

Cowes 86

Heifers 21

Steers 20

Yearling 46

Calves 96

Bulls 2

Totall 367

Ewes 93

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 4

Totall 144

Ewes 274

Withers 101

Kids 162

Rams 6

Totall 543

Sowes 15

Shoates 42

Boars 1

Pigs 51

Totall 109

Turkeys 76

Fowles 89

Ducks 30

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Cattle lost & Grown in do

Bullock 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearling 0

Calves 46

Bulls 0

Totall 46

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 31 March

Bullock 86

Cowes 86

Heifers 21

Steers 20

Yearling 46

Calves 50

Bulls 2

Totall 311

Ewes 93

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 4

Totall 144

Ewes 274

Withers 101

Kids 162

Rams 6

Totall 543

Sowes 15

Shoates 42

Boars 1

Pigs 51

Totall 109

Turkeys 76

Fowles 89

Ducks 30

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations

18000 lb

Ditto delivered the Fort Blacks

7250

Ditto deld the Great Wood Blacks

4850

Totall Yams

30100

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

An account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for March 1729 was entered, showing the increase or decrease over the month, together with what had been killed and sold to shipping.

Remaining 1 March 1729: 72 bullocks, 85 cows, 16 heifers, 15 steers, 40 yearlings, 91 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 321; 94 ewes, 33 wethers, 7 lambs, 4 rams, total sheep 138; 274 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 543; 15 sows, 42 shoats, 1 barrow, 44 pigs, total hogs 102; 76 turkeys, 89 fowls, 38 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Increased from 1 to 31 March 1729: 15 bullocks, 5 cows, 15 heifers, 5 steers, 6 yearlings, 5 calves, - bulls, total neat cattle 51; - ewes, - wethers, 7 lambs, - rams, total sheep 7; - ewes, - wethers, - kids, - rams, total goats -; - sows, - shoats, - barrows, 7 pigs, total hogs 7; - turkeys, - fowls, - ducks, - geese; - horses, - mares, total horses -

Standing after the increase: 87 bullocks, 90 cows, 31 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 96 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 372; 94 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 4 rams, total sheep 145; 274 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 543; 15 sows, 42 shoats, 1 barrow, 51 pigs, total hogs 109; 76 turkeys, 89 fowls, 38 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Killed from 1 to 31 March 1729: - bullocks, 1 cow, - heifers, - steers, - yearlings, - calves, - bulls, total neat cattle 1; 1 ewe, - wethers, - lambs, - rams, total sheep 1; - ewes, - wethers, - kids, - rams, total goats -; - sows, - shoats, - barrows, - pigs, total hogs -; - turkeys, 8 fowls, - ducks, - geese; - horses, - mares, total horses -

Standing after the killings: 87 bullocks, 89 cows, 31 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 96 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 371; 93 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 4 rams, total sheep 144; 274 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 543; 15 sows, 42 shoats, 1 barrow, 51 pigs, total hogs 109; 76 turkeys, 89 fowls, 30 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Sold to shipping from 1 to 31 March 1729: 1 bullock, 3 cows, 10 heifers, - steers, - yearlings, - calves, - bulls, total neat cattle 14; - ewes, - wethers, - lambs, - rams, total sheep -; - ewes, - wethers, - kids, - rams, total goats -; - sows, - shoats, - barrows, - pigs, total hogs -; - turkeys, - fowls, - ducks, - geese; - horses, - mares, total horses -

Standing after the sales: 86 bullocks, 86 cows, 21 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 96 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 367; 93 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 4 rams, total sheep 144; 274 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 543; 15 sows, 42 shoats, 1 barrow, 51 pigs, total hogs 109; 76 turkeys, 89 fowls, 30 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Cattle cut and grown from 1 to 31 March 1729: - bullocks, - cows, - heifers, - steers, - yearlings, 46 calves, - bulls, total neat cattle 46; - ewes, - wethers, - lambs, - rams, total sheep -; - ewes, - wethers, - kids, - rams, total goats -; - sows, - shoats, - barrows, - pigs, total hogs -; - turkeys, - fowls, - ducks, - geese; - horses, - mares, total horses -

Remaining 31 March 1729: 86 bullocks, 86 cows, 21 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 50 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 311; 93 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 4 rams, total sheep 144; 274 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 543; 15 sows, 42 shoats, 1 barrow, 51 pigs, total hogs 109; 76 turkeys, 89 fowls, 30 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 18,000 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 7,250 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 4,850 pounds

Total yams, 30,100 pounds

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

Interpretations

The March figures record the sharpest month of trading in over a year. Fourteen head went to shipping, following the nine sold in February 1729, which together break a silence that ran from May 1728 to the turn of the year. The Cadogan, the Caesar and the Macclesfield were all in the road during March, and the pattern holds exactly to the rule established across the whole run: the Company's beef trade rose and fell with the arrival of the Indiamen, and no beast was sold in a month when no ship called. The composition of the sale is notable, since ten of the fourteen were heifers. Selling breeding females rather than fattened bullocks was a departure from the usual practice, and suggests the ships wanted stock on the hoof for the voyage rather than meat for immediate slaughter.

The heifers also explain the odd shape of the increase column. Fifteen bullocks and fifteen heifers appear as increases within the month without any corresponding birth, which means animals were being reclassified as they reached the age at which their category changed. Yearlings became steers or heifers, and heifers became cows, so the same beast moves through the columns over its life. The final row, showing 46 calves cut and grown, is the same mechanism working in the opposite direction, the calves passing out of the calf column and being counted afresh as yearlings the following month.

The goat herd stands unchanged at 543 through the whole month, with no increase, no killing and no loss. This is the first month since the attacks of January 1729, when four goats were entered as killed by dogs and the council issued warrants to destroy every dog belonging to John Long, Elizabeth Marsh and Thomas Nash. The stillness of the column suggests the warrants had their effect and the herd was left alone.

The yam total of 30,100 pounds is the second month of recovery after the harvest failure. Nothing at all was issued in January 1729, the old crop being exhausted and the new one still in the ground, and 30,000 pounds followed in February 1729. The new crop was plainly coming in, though the split of the issue is instructive: the plantations took 18,000 pounds, the fort slaves 7,250 pounds and the Great Wood slaves 4,850 pounds, which shows the Company's labour force fed by station rather than as a single establishment.

264

240

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 11th April 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

A Slave Named Peter belonging to Charles Steward having most impudently given the

Names of the Governour & Mr Crispe to a Fellow of Jno: Bagotts & James Sarl & to other of

the Fellow Slaves & they having impudently called One or other by these Names in their common

Discourse & having also impudently Nick Named other Blacks with the Names of other People

We Ordered the said Peter to be Whipt & to be Imprisoned Six Weeks & to be Whipt every

Fortnight & the rest to be part of them Whipt & delivered to their Masters & this being of being

done by the Sonity & Connivance of the said Steward he too ought to Suffer but his

Purse & his Chest being both Empty We Spared him both Fine & Punishment he having

Promised to behave himself better for the future

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

List of Ratees at the Generalls Table 31st March 1729 Viz

Governour & his Lady

2

Gentlemen of Councill

3

Lieutenant & Ensigne

2

Surgeon

1

On Sundays at least Three or four of the Planters & their Wives

8

On Publick Occasions Twenty or Thirty

In Shipping time the Super Cargoes Captains Surgeons & Passengers of Note

7

Gardiner Marshall & Constables Servants

8

On Sundays & on all Publick Days Waiters Clerks Schoolmaster

Drummers & Servants

6

In Shipping time the Coxswains part of the Boates Crews & Servants

attending their Masters

7

Black Servants attending all Officers & Servants attending their Masters

14

On Sundays & upon days Appointed for the Consultation of Church &

Cause & Affairs the Church Wardens Overseers & Some of the Ancientest

Inhabitants

10

A consultation was held on Tuesday 11 April 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

A slave named Peter, belonging to Charles Steward, had abused the Governor and Mr Crisp by name in the hearing of a number of other slaves. The men gathered with him had insulted John Bazett and James Ward and several others, and had spoken of them all with contempt. Peter had also called several other blacks by the names of prominent inhabitants. The council ordered him to be whipped and imprisoned for six weeks, and to be whipped again every fortnight. The rest of the gathering were to be whipped and handed over to their masters, since the offence had arisen from the licence and freedom Charles Steward allowed his slaves. The council held that Steward himself deserved to suffer for it, but his wife and children being wholly destitute it spared him both the fine and the punishment, taking his promise to behave better in future.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A list of those eating at the general table on 31 March 1729 was entered as follows.

The Governor and his lady, 2

Gentlemen of council, 3

The lieutenant and ensign, 8

The surgeon, 1

On Sundays, at least three or four of the planters and their wives, 8

On public occasions, twenty or thirty

In shipping time, supercargoes, captains, surgeons and passengers of note, 7

Household servants, marshal and the Company's servants, 8

On Sundays and on all public days, writers, clerks and the schoolmaster, 6

Drummers and waiters

In shipping time, part of the boat's crew and servants attending their masters, 7

Black servants attending all officers and servants, 14

On Sundays and on days appointed for the consultation and church, the council and their families, the churchwardens, overseers and some of the older inhabitants, 10

Interpretations

The punishment of Peter turns on something more dangerous than insult. The record states plainly that he had given the names of leading inhabitants to other blacks, which is a form of mockery that inverts the island's whole ordering of rank. A slave calling another slave by the Governor's name, in company and in earshot, was staging a parody of the council itself. The sentence reflects that reading: six weeks' imprisonment with a whipping every fortnight is a punishment designed to be seen repeatedly rather than got over at once, and the other men present were whipped and sent back to their masters as witnesses to it.

The council's treatment of Charles Steward reveals the mechanism it thought had failed. The blame was laid not on the slaves' malice but on their master's laxity, on the ground that a household where slaves were allowed liberty produced exactly this. Steward, an accounting officer who had paid £50 0s 0d into the Governor for bills of exchange on 23 May 1727 and served as overseer of the highways, was in principle liable to a fine and a punishment of his own. His destitute wife and children saved him, as French's family had saved him on 11 March 1729 and Slaughter's had on 1 April 1729. The council's mercy in this period runs consistently along one line: the dependent family is the thing that turns a sentence aside.

The list of eaters at the general table records the fort's common household. It should be read against the list of 30 March 1728 and the earlier total of 53 taken on 21 March 1727. The permanent core is small, the Governor and his lady, three councillors, the officers and the surgeon, and everything beyond it fluctuates with the day of the week and the presence of shipping. The 14 black servants attending the officers are the largest single group, which shows how far the table depended on slave labour to function at all. The entry for public occasions, twenty or thirty, is left without a figure in the count, since it was an estimate of a crowd rather than a standing charge.

The table was the principal instrument of hospitality on an island with no inn fit for a supercargo. Feeding the captains, surgeons and passengers of note in shipping time was not generosity but trade, since a commander well entertained ashore was a commander who bought the island's cattle and greens before he sailed.

265

241

List of the Honble Compys Blacks with their Ages Employmts & Qualifications taken the

31st March 1729

Men Slaves Employed in Repairing the Fort &c

Names, Ages, Employments, Qualification

Sm

Ages 20

Employments Labourr & Plantacon

Qualification Good

Daniel

Ages 29

Employments do

Qualification do

Deb

Ages 35

Employments do

Qualification Good for little

Harry

Ages 29

Employments do

Qualification Healthy

Harry

Ages 24

Employments do

Qualification do

Cato

Ages 00

Employments do

Qualification Indifferent

Simon

Ages 26

Employments Stonelayer

Qualification Good

Plato

Ages 00

Employments Labour

Qualification do

Cæsar

Ages 41

Employments do

Qualification do

Mahomet

Ages 00

Employments do

Qualification do

Mato

Ages 20

Employments do

Qualification do

Cyprians

Ages 02

Employments Stonelayer

Qualification do

Pompey

Ages 33

Employments do

Qualification do

John Cigars

Ages 38

Employments Labour

Qualification do

Impolen

Ages 22

Employments do

Qualification Small

Samson

Ages 26

Employments do

Qualification Small

Harry

Ages 25

Employments do

Qualification do

Will

Ages 20

Employments do

Qualification do

Blackfoot

Ages 31

Employments do

Qualification Small

Deb

Ages 20 33

Employments Stonelayer

Qualification Good

Men Slaves Employed in the Grounds & Plantations

Islington

Ages 32

Employments Labourers

Qualification Good

Hector

Ages 00

Employments do

Qualification do

Peter

Ages 22

Employments do

Qualification do

Sam

Ages 22

Employments do

Qualification Small

Peter

Ages 26

Employments Milkman

Qualification Small

Rebecca Jack

Ages 20

Employments Looks after Poultry

Qualification Small

Harry

Ages 37

Employments Tanner

Qualification Very good

Cyprians

Ages 26

Employments Labour

Qualification Good

Timberly

Ages 20

Employments do

Qualification do

Hoggs Green

Ages 32

Employments do

Qualification do

Cyprians

Ages 24

Employments do

Qualification do

Jimmy

Ages 20

Employments do

Qualification Small

Sarah

Ages 20

Employments Sends Water Compy

Qualification do

Mose

Ages 24

Employments Slave

Qualification do

Charles

Ages 26

Employments Overseer

Qualification Good

Dick Wine

Ages 33

Employments Labour

Qualification do

Hannaball

Ages 33

Employments do

Qualification Small

Sam Prince

Ages 19

Employments do

Qualification Good

Sam

Ages 32

Employments Butcher

Qualification Very good

Cæsar

Ages 34

Employments do

Qualification do

Plymouth

Ages 20

Employments Labour

Qualification Good

Award

Ages 38

Employments Looks after Pastures

Qualification do

Matthew

Ages 23

Employments Labourers

Qualification do

Sad Post

Ages 24

Employments do

Qualification do

Poplar

Ages 31

Employments do

Qualification do

Henry

Ages 22

Employments do

Qualification do

Will

Ages 24

Employments do

Qualification do

Machel

Ages 33

Employments Milkman

Qualification do

Cæsar

Ages 34

Employments Cannots Ducker

Qualification Small

Hoggs Cyprians

Ages 28

Employments Labourr

Qualification Good

Sam

Ages 19

Employments Green Boy

Qualification Good

Deb

Ages 23

Employments Slave

Qualification Good

Peter

Ages 32

Employments Water Carrier

Qualification Small

Cæsar

Ages 27

Employments Labourr

Qualification Small

The last four is placed at the Plantation Rough but in the day

Watch the Plant called Boskam

One Man Slave constantly at the Kitchin

Augustus

Ages 38

Qualification Good

Men Slaves at Handicrafts

Names, Ages, Employments, Qualification

Preston

Ages 40

Employments Sailmaker

Qualification Good

Daniel

Ages 24

Employments do

Qualification do

Alley

Ages 27

Employments Smith

Qualification Sam Small & good for nothing

Dumplin

Ages 34

Employments do

Qualification do

Jack

Ages 30

Employments Carpenter

Qualification do

Deb

Ages 17

Employments do

Qualification Smith

Blackfoot

Ages 7 27

Employments Sawyer

Qualification Good

Tom

Ages 11

Employments Carpenter

Gabriel Cargo

Ages 10

Employments Cooper

Simond

Ages 9

Employments Butcher

Men Slaves constantly Employed in Fishing Boats

& Yawles a Fishing

Harry Simon

Ages 26

Qualification Good

Coffey

Ages 30

Qualification do

Deb

Ages 28

Qualification do

Martin

Ages 30

Qualification do

Jerry

Ages 28

Qualification do

Morley

Ages 03

Qualification do

Ward

Ages 22

Qualification do

Djuvend

Ages 26

Qualification do

Corydon

Ages 22

Qualification do

Abdala

Ages 18 34

Qualification do

Men Slaves Employed in the Country Garden

Ned

Ages 34

Employments Labourer

Qualification Small

Playstow

Ages 20

Employments do

Qualification Healthy

Ben

Ages 26

Employments do

Qualification Sick

Daniel

Ages 33

Employments do

Qualification Small

Lundsell

Ages 30

Employments do

Qualification Good

Bradnagestion Deb

Ages 26

Employments do

Qualification Old

Tumbler

Ages 26

Employments do

Qualification do

Ommy

Ages 00

Employments do

Qualification do

Sary

Ages 30

Employments do

Qualification Very Small

Hector

Ages 01

Employments do

Qualification Good for little

Pompey

Ages 33

Employments do

Qualification Small

Sunday

Ages 27

Employments do

Qualification Good

Sander

Ages 33

Employments do

Qualification do

Domesday

Ages 29

Employments do

Qualification do

Sarah Bruck

Ages 30

Employments do

Qualification Small

James

Ages 38

Employments do

Qualification do

Simon

Ages 17 30

Employments do

Qualification Good

Men Slaves in the Fort Garden

Benjamin

Ages 48

Qualification Very Good

Harry

Ages 29

Qualification Small

Chatham

Ages 28

Qualification do

Morocco

Ages 4 00

Qualification do

Men Slaves in the Kitchin

Coffee

Ages 30

Qualification Very Good

Jimmy

Ages 2 27

Qualification Good

Men Slave Waiters in the House

Nept Cæsar

Ages 34

Long Cæsar

Ages 2 30

Men Slaves looking after the Cattle

Ommy

Ages 45

Qualification Small

Black

Ages 2 29

Qualification do

A list of the Company's black slaves, with their ages, employments and ratings of fitness, was taken on 31 March 1729.

Men slaves employed in repairing the fort and buildings:

Aa, aged 40, labourer at the plantation, good

Daniel, aged 29, labourer, good

Dick, aged 38, labourer, good for little

Harry, aged 29, labourer, healthy

Harry, aged 40, labourer, good

Cato, aged 60, labourer, indifferent

Simon, aged 26, stonelayer, good

Tabb, aged 30, labourer, good

Colin, aged 41, labourer, good

Mahomet, aged 30, labourer, good

Mate, aged 40, labourer, good

Grimon, aged 32, stonelayer, good

Ryder, aged 33, labourer, good

John Piper, aged 38, labourer, good

Impston, aged 24, labourer, good

Simon, aged 26, labourer, good

Harry, aged 32, labourer, good

Will, aged 20, labourer, good

Blackfriar, aged 31, labourer, superannuated

Dick, aged 33, stonelayer, good

Men slaves employed in the Great Wood plantation:

Sturgeon, aged 32, labourer, good

Peter, aged 20, labourer, good

Peter, aged 22, labourer, good

Sam, aged 25, labourer, good

Peter, aged 25, labourer, good

Eaton, aged 25, milkman, good

Sabinah Jack, aged 20, looks after the poultry, indifferent

Harry, aged 37, sawyer, very good

Deppramy, aged 26, labourer, good

Sanderson, aged 20, labourer, good

Deppy Green, aged 28, labourer, good

Sampson, aged 24, labourer, good

Sanmey, aged 26, labourer, sickly

Sarah, aged 30, minds the water pump, good

Roger, aged 24, labourer, good

Charles, aged 26, drayman, good

Deck Sims, aged 33, labourer, good

Hammabath, aged 30, labourer, good

Sam Piper, aged 19, labourer, good

Sam, aged 30, butcher, very good

Jack, aged 34, labourer, good

Plymouth, aged 30, labourer, good

Antonio, aged 38, looks after the pastures, good

Matthew, aged 25, labourer, good

Jack Bark, aged 30, labourer, good

Caplin, aged 31, labourer, good

Harry, aged 25, labourer, good

Will, aged 24, labourer, good

Mansell, aged 33, milkman, good

Cardo, aged 30, cattle driver, good

Will Morgan, aged 24, labourer, good

Sam, aged 19, green boy, good

Dick, aged 23, labourer, good

Peter, aged 32, water carrier, good

Cain, aged 30, labourer, good

The last three of these worked at the plantation house through the day, and went to the plantation called Perkins at night.

One man slave constantly at Perkins:

Augustus, aged 38, good

Men slaves at handicrafts:

Preston, aged 40, tailor, good

Daniels, aged 28, tailor, good

Alley, aged 27, smith, sworn, sickly and good for nothing

Dumplin, aged 34, smith, good

Jack, aged 30, carpenter, good

Dick, aged 17, carpenter, good

Blackwall, aged 27, sawyer, good

Tim, aged 11, cooper, good

Gabriel Congo, aged 20, cooper, good

Friend, aged 9, butcher, good

Men slaves constantly employed in the fishing boats:

Uganda, aged 43, offshoreman, good

Harry Simon, aged 26, offshoreman, good

Caffey, aged 30, offshoreman, good

Duffell, aged 28, offshoreman, good

Martin, aged 30, offshoreman, good

Long, aged 28, offshoreman, good

Morley, aged 33, offshoreman, good

Ward, aged 29, offshoreman, good

Cambridge, aged 26, offshoreman, good

Congolese, aged 38, offshoreman, good

Adolf, aged 18, offshoreman, good

Men slaves employed in the country garden:

Nead, aged 31, labourer, good

Blackfriar, aged 30, labourer, healthy

Ben, aged 26, labourer, sickly

Daniel, aged 33, labourer, sickly

Lombard, aged 32, labourer, good

Ringlington, aged 26, labourer, good

Sandell, aged 30, labourer, good

Ormsby, aged 30, labourer, good

Aug, aged 40, labourer, very good

Foster, aged 60, labourer, good for little

Rooney, aged 39, labourer, good

Sammy, aged 27, labourer, good

Sander, aged 33, labourer, good

Comnedey, aged 29, labourer, good

Jack Booth, aged 30, labourer, good

Jaunee, aged 38, labourer, good

Also, aged 17, labourer, good

Men slaves in the fort garden:

Benjamin, aged 48, very good

Harry, aged 29, sickly

Chatham, aged 30, good

Warren, aged 4, good

Men slaves in the kitchen:

Bath, aged 30, very good

Sammy, aged 27, good

Men slaves waiting in the house:

Mgb Down, aged 34

Long Down, aged 30

Men slaves tending the cattle:

Mingo, aged 48, good

Black, aged 28, good

Interpretations

The muster follows the pattern of those taken on 13 March 1727 and 30 March 1728, and the divisions by station carry the same names. The men were called individually before the council, and each was rated for fitness against his age and employment, which gave the Company a running valuation of its labour force as well as a headcount. The rating mattered financially, since a man rated good for little or superannuated still ate and was still carried on the books at a value.

The stations reveal how the island's labour was allocated. The largest group by far worked the Great Wood plantation, and a second body was employed on the fort and its buildings, where three men were entered as stonelayers rather than labourers. That distinction matters in March 1729, since the Governor had built a new kiln in November 1728 and drawn 655 bushels of lime from it in eighteen days, expressly to repair the ramparts and point the windows and garden walls. The stonelayers were the men who would use it.

The fishing boats carried eleven men, an establishment that dates from 1 March 1727, when the Governor replaced the slaves' meat ration with fish and had a boat fitted and an able hand contracted to teach the men to fish. The muster shows that decision hardened into a permanent trade, with a fixed crew rated as offshoremen rather than labourers.

The ages recorded at the handicrafts are the most striking figures on the page. A cooper of eleven and a butcher of nine were being trained to skilled trades, and the muster of 30 March 1728 recorded the same practice, boys of eight, nine and ten already set to butchery, coopering and carpentry. A skilled tradesman was worth several times a labourer, and starting a boy young was the Company's method of manufacturing that value from stock it already owned.

The note that three men worked at the plantation house by day and walked to Perkins at night records a labour arrangement rather than a residence. Perkins lay at a distance, and the men were being used at both ends of the island in a single day.

266

242

Men Slaves looking after the Hogs

Names, Ages, Employments, Qualification

Sarras

Ages 40

Qualification Very Small

Sambo

Ages 2 33

Qualification do

One Man Slave Employed looking after the Horses

Tony

Ages 26

Qualification Good for little

Men Slaves at the New Plantation

Ned

Ages 34

Employments Stonelayer

Qualification Very good

Will

Ages 2 31

Employments Salvation

Qualification Good

Women Slaves Employed at the Severall Plantations

Sarah

Ages 00

Employments Nurse in Plant

Qualification Small

Abigail

Ages 33

Employments do

Qualification do

Cathrine

Ages 30

Employments Nurse for Sarah

Qualification do

Ellen

Ages 00

Employments Nurse in Plants

Qualification Good

Nancy

Ages 26

Employments do

Qualification Small

Betty Ben

Ages 03

Employments Nurse woman

Qualification Good

Coffee

Ages 32

Employments Nurse in Plant

Qualification Small

Sarah Daniels

Ages 24

Employments do

Qualification do

Magdalena

Ages 30

Employments Tabelin Wood

Qualification do

Old Moll

Ages 53

Employments Nursewoman

Qualification Good

Black Mary

Ages 30

Employments do

Qualification do

Nabor

Ages 26

Employments Dairy Maid

Qualification Very good

Nanny

Ages 30

Employments Nurse without

Qualification Small & Lame

Sarah Robin

Ages 34

Employments Tabelin Wood

Qualification Small

Cupids

Ages 32

Employments Nurse in Plant

Qualification do

Sarah Brown

Ages 33

Employments do

Qualification do

Margaret Stepney

Ages 34

Employments do

Qualification Good for nothing

Betty Tom

Ages 33

Employments Nursewoman

Qualification Good

Sarah Alley

Ages 30

Employments do

Qualification do

Marplas

Ages 30

Employments Nurse in Plants

Qualification do

Ann

Ages 23

Employments Looks after Poultry

Qualification Small

Margaret

Ages 24

Employments Nursewoman

Qualification Good

Bridgett

Ages 28

Employments Looks after Poultry

Qualification do

Doey

Ages 26

Employments Dairy Maid

Qualification do

Negro

Ages 9

Employments do

Qualification do

Great Green

Ages 20 30

Employments Nursewoman

Qualification Good

Women Employed in the Wash House

Betty Tom

Ages 26

Employments Mens Slave

Qualification Good

Joseph Ellen

Ages 27

Employments Nursing Woman

Qualification do

Joan

Ages 3 32

Employments the Wash

Qualification do

Women Employed in making & Mending Cloth

who also Work in the Plantations at proper times

Sabat

Ages 23

Qualification Healthy

Mary

Ages 28

Qualification Very Good

Betty Mayor

Ages 00

Qualification Sickly

Mary Benjamin

Ages 28

Qualification Good

Women in the Sanitary Effect in the Kitchin

Sarah

Ages 24

Qualification Poor

Sarah

Ages 2 27

Qualification do

Men Superannuated

Will

Antonio

Bristo

Tony Mayor

Nabor 5

Women Superannuated

Nanny

Catharine

Widdy

old Sarah 4

Boys

Molly

Ages 7

Jack

Ages 4

Sabor

Ages 6

Will

Ages 2½

Wash

Ages 1

Wm

Ages 3

Sam Green

Ages 13

Jack

Ages 16

Tom

Ages 8

Tom

Ages 5

Charles

Ages 3

Ned

Ages 8

Jack Bruding

Ages 12

Henry

Ages 12

Stepney

Ages 6

Cambell

Ages 8

Sam

Ages 11

Gabriell

Ages 10

Jack Best

Ages 10

Pompey

Ages 12

Robin

Ages 10

Whit

Ages 12

Harry

Ages 4½

Cato

Ages 4½

Wolley

Ages 4½

Nanny

Ages 3

Sabat

Ages 14

Sarry

Ages 12

Ould

Ages 12

Nappa

Ages 00

Gabor

Ages 3

Harry

Ages 00

Simoy

Ages 31

Betty

Ages 3

Girles

Mercy

Ages 11

Marybeth

Ages 7

Sabor

Ages 5

Bridgett

Ages 3½

Petsy

Ages 4½

Cathrine

Ages 3½

Marybeth

Ages 3½

Betty

Ages 6

Robert

Ages 4

Sarah

Ages 2

Susan

Ages 4½

Grace

Ages 4½

Cursed

Ages 4½

Bridgett

Ages 3

Betty

Ages 4½

Magdalena

Ages 6

Cathrine

Ages 6

Ould

Ages 5

Nancy

Ages 8

Willy

Ages 9

The Eight following is put out to Suckle

by Mrs Sarah

Sarah Church

Sarah Church

Ellen Church

Wm Grenson

by Mr Bagly

by Mr Blogboy

Mary & Anne

34

Men at the Fort & Plantations

20

Ditto at the Plantation

20

Do in the Boates

10

at the Handicrafts

7

in Yam Store

00

in Country Garden

17

in Fort Garden

4

in the Kitchen

2

in the House

2

looking after Cattle

2

Do after the Hogs

2

Horses

1

at the New Plant

2

Superannuated

5

109 Men

Women at the Grand Do

26

Ditto in the House

4

Ditto at Bagg & Bundles Do

4

Sanitary Kitchin

2

Superannuated

4

39 Women

34 Boys

34 Girles

213

Memdm That Since Ballancing the Boughs at

Mr Loft One Man Died five Corn since Growing One Woman

hath been Sold two Boys have died & one hath been born

Men slaves tending the hogs:

Grimes, aged 40, very good

Sambo, aged 38, good

One man slave tending the horses:

Tony, aged 30, good for little

Men slaves at the New Plantation:

Nick, aged 34, stonelayer, very good

Will, aged 31, salt maker, good

Women slaves employed at the Grand Plantation:

Grace, aged 30, works at the plantation, indifferent

Abigail, aged 33

Cathrine, aged 30, good for little, good

Ellen, aged 30, works at the plantation, good

Nancy, aged 30, works at the plantation, healthy

Betty Ben, aged 33, needlewoman, good

Deffe, aged 32, works at the plantation, sickly

Sarah Daniels, aged 24, works at the plantation, good

Magdalena, aged 30, works at the Great Wood, good

Old Moll, aged 53, needlewoman, sound

Black Mary, aged 40, works at the plantation, good

Sabina, aged 26, dairymaid, very good

Nanney, aged 30, works at the plantation, good for little

Sarah Robin, aged 34, works at the Great Wood, good

Caprice, aged 30, works at the plantation, good

Sarah Brown, aged 30, works at the plantation, good

Margaret Rippon, aged 24, works at the plantation, good for nothing

Betty Tom, aged 33, needlewoman, good

Isabel Alley, aged 30, works at the plantation, good

Elizabeth, aged 30, works at the plantation, sickly

Alice, aged 28, looks after the country garden, good

Margaret, aged 24, needlewoman, good

Bridget, aged 28, looks after the country garden, good

Dinah, aged 26, dairymaid, good

Ngora, aged 9, good

Great Green, aged 30, needlewoman, good

Women employed in the house:

Betty Tom, aged 26, house slave, good

Joseph Ellen, aged 27, needlewoman, good

Grace, aged 32, house slave, good

Women employed in making and mending cloth, who also work at the plantation in proportion:

Isabel, aged 29, healthy

Mercy, aged 28, very good

Betty Moyer, aged 30, sickly

Mercy Benjamin, aged 28, good

Women in the scullery and kitchen:

Sarah, aged 24, sound

Sarah, aged 30, sound

Men superannuated:

Will

Antonio

Bath

Tony Moyer

Aaron

Women superannuated:

Catherine

Wildly

Old Sarah

Boys:

Molly, aged 7

Jack, aged 4

Sabin, aged 8

Will, aged 5

Wolf, aged 2

Willie, aged 8

Sam Green, aged 13

Jack, aged 16

Tom, aged 8

Will, aged 5

Charles, aged 3

Ned, aged 8

Jack Bishop, aged 4

Harry, aged 12

Sammy, aged 6

Sandell, aged 8

Tim, aged 11

Gabriel, aged 10

Jack Bath, aged 10

Rooney, aged 12

Andrew, aged 9

Elliot, aged 10

Harry, aged 8

Sandell, aged 8

George, aged 8

Sandell, aged 14

Griggs, aged 20

Jack, aged 3

Sammy, aged 21

Girls:

Mary, aged 11

Margaret, aged 7

Kitty, aged 7

Margaret, aged 5

Mercy, aged 3

Chalcey, aged 3

Sandell, aged 3

Betty, aged 8

Bishop, aged 5

Margaret, aged 6

Ellen, aged 4

Grace, aged 12

Cindi, aged 12

Bess, aged 7

Nancy, aged 7

Mary, aged 8

Magdalena, aged 6

Catherine, aged 4

Margaret, aged 10

Betty, aged 10

Nancy, aged 9

Eight of these girls were put out to the inhabitants, as follows.

Betty, aged 5, put out to Mr Powell

Nancy, aged 8, put out to Mr Steward

Mary, aged 12, put out to Mr Wood

Margaret, aged 4, put out to Mr Steward

Betty, aged 8, put out to Mr Wrangham

Betty, aged 12, put out to Mr Ryder

Magdalena, aged 11, put out to Mary Thorne

Total girls, 34

A summary of the whole was entered as follows.

Men at the Great Wood plantation, 30

Men at the Grand Plantation, 20

Men at the fort and buildings, 20

Men at handicrafts, 7

Men in the shipping boats, 2

Men in the country garden, 17

Men in the fort garden, 4

Men in the kitchen, 2

Men in the house, 2

Men tending the cattle, 2

Men tending the hogs, 2

Men tending the horses, 1

Men at the New Plantation, 2

Men superannuated, 5

Total men, 109

Women at the Grand Plantation, 26

Women in the house, 3

Women at the scullery and kitchen, 6

Women superannuated, 4

Total women, 39

Boys, 3

Girls, 34

Grand total, 213

The council recorded that since the balancing of the books one man had died, five men had been sold, one wench had been sold, two boys had died and one had been born.

Interpretations

The muster records a fall in the establishment. The grand total of 213 stands against the 219 counted on 30 March 1728 and the 215 counted on 13 March 1727, and the note at the foot explains the loss: one man dead, five men sold, one woman sold and two boys dead, against a single birth. The Company had been selling its own slaves rather than buying, and the record of the previous year bears that out, with James sold to Captain Goodwin at his book value of £6 0s 0d on 20 August 1728, Lamea Batt sold to Mr Bazett for £20 0s 0d on 28 May 1728 and Rebecca sold to Mr Vandeston for £18 0s 0d on 29 October 1728. Five men sold in a single year is a considerable disposal, and the drowning of five slaves when the long boat overset in October 1728 accounts for further losses carried in an earlier reckoning.

The rating of the women shows the same brutal accounting applied to the men. Two women are entered as good for little and one as good for nothing, which was a valuation rather than a description, and it determined what the Company would take for her if a buyer appeared. A woman of 24 rated good for nothing was of no use to the plantation and of no value on the books, and her position was precarious in a way that a good rating would have prevented.

The eight girls put out to the inhabitants continue a policy that began on 4 April 1727, when Betty Green was apprenticed to Richard Durling for seven years to save the Company the cost of her keep. The master bound himself to provide meat, drink, washing, lodging and apparel, and the Company was relieved of the whole charge of a child too young to work. The girls placed here with Powell, Steward, Wood, Wrangham, Ryder and Mary Thorne are the same class of children, some as young as four, and the council had brought them before it on 30 March 1728 to confirm they were well treated.

The ages in the boys' column bear a second look. Two of those listed as boys are 20 and 21, which means the category was not a matter of age alone but of value and employment. A man of 21 still entered among the boys was one who had not yet been rated fit for a man's labour, and he would be carried at a boy's book value until he was.

267

243

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 15th April 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

According to the Order of Tuesday last the Severall Persons Indebted to Mr Kirry as

appears by his Books attended this day & were each of them Shewn their respective Accts

as Charged to them by Mr Kirry the Totalls of which are as follow Viz

John Alexander

2 . 2

32 . 2

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

1 . 4

Tho: Cowen

1 . 16

Gabriell Powell

11 . 2

Wm Beale

5 . 9

Tho: Woodgehouse

6 . 10 . 6

Samuel Jeffery

1 . 2

Giles Fisher

. 13

John Harris

1 . 1

Francis Coxe

23 . 4

Joshua Johnson

16 . 3

John Bagott

4 . 10

Richard Bagott

14 . 10

Ralph Draper

3 . 9

John Bryan

6

Joseph Rogers

6

John Combs

6

Ist Wrangham

5 . 18 . 6

Eliz: Compton

2 . 1

Isaac Marsh

. 12

Mary Nichols

19

Robert Gosling

5 . 12

John Long

10 . 3

Eliz: Younger

3 . 18

Rt Poulton

3 . 9

Jno Downton

1 . 12

Sarah Gosling

2 . 19

John Desfountaine

5 . 16

Daniel Griffith

7 . 16

Samuel Poulter

1 . 16

Jane Mayor

1 . 1

Elias Beale

6

Richard Marsh

2 .

John Bagley Senr

18 .

Tho: Griffith

3

Ellen Nicholls

3

Tho: Colon

5

Henry Preston

. 16

Wm Chapman

1 . 13

John Teale

13 . 6

Joseph Baker

6

Sarah Chase

13

Thomas Thomas

18

Rt Goodwin

6

Sarah Bradley

9

Ann Hodgkinson

6

Elizabeth Steward

2 . 2

Sarah Bagott

Isaac Wrangham mentioned in the Journall Book but not in the fair Book

A consultation was held on Tuesday 15 April 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The persons owing money to Mr Alsop appeared, in accordance with the order of the previous Tuesday. Each of them attended and acknowledged the sums charged against them in the surgeon's books, and the totals were entered as follows.

John Alexander, £2 2s 0d

John Goodwin, £32 2s 0d

David Crisp, £1 4s 0d

Thomas Cason, £1 16s 0d

Gabriel Powell, £11 2s 0d

Richard Beale, £3 9s 0d

Thomas Woodgeman, £6 10s 6d

Samuel Ryder, £1 2s 0d

Giles Hayse, £0 13s 0d

John Homer, £1 1s 0d

Frances Coen, £23 4s 0d

Joshua Johnson, £16 3s 0d

John Bazett, £4 10s 0d

Michael Bazett, £14 10s 0d

Ralph Draper, £3 9s 0d

John Boyer, £0 6s 0d

Joseph Coen, £0 6s 0d

John Wood, £0 6s 0d

Richard Wrangham, £5 18s 6d

Elizabeth Compton, £2 1s 0d

Isaac Marsh, £0 12s 0d

Mary Nicholls, £0 19s 0d

Robert Girling, £3 12s 0d

John Long, £10 3s 0d

Elizabeth Greentree, £0 18s 0d

Richard Ingleton, £3 9s 0d

James Doveton, £1 12s 0d

John Durling, £2 19s 0d

John Defountaine, £5 16s 0d

Daniel Griffith, £7 16s 0d

Samuel Pledger, £1 16s 0d

James Moyer, £1 1s 0d

Isaac Wood, £0 6s 0d

Richard Marsh, £2 0s 0d

John Bagley senior, £0 18s 0d

Thomas Griffith, £0 3s 0d

Elizabeth Nicholls, £0 3s 0d

Thomas Cain, £0 5s 0d

Henry Martin, £0 16s 0d

William Ferguson, £1 13s 0d

John Teale, £13 6s 0d

Joseph Bates, £0 6s 0d

Sarah Coen, £0 6s 0d

Thomas Timps, £0 18s 0d

Richard Goodwin, £18 0s 0d

Sarah Bradley, £6 0s 0d

Ann Hodgkinson, £0 9s 0d

Charles Steward, £0 6s 0d

Isaac Legatty, £2 2s 0d

Samuel Loveborough was named in the surgeon's rough book but not in his fair book.

Interpretations

The examination of Alsop's debtors marks the difference between his position and Gibson's. The council had summoned the same class of men to answer Gibson's claims through March 1729, and almost every one of them had sworn he had never employed Gibson at all. Here the debtors appeared, acknowledged the sums, and the totals were entered without a single denial recorded. Alsop had been treating the island since 13 February 1728 at £3 0s 0d a month, and the length of the list shows how completely he had replaced Gibson in the inhabitants' confidence.

The scale of the debts reveals something about medical practice on the island. The great majority owe a few shillings, which represents a single visit or a dose of physic, but a handful owe substantial sums. John Goodwin at £32 2s 0d, Frances Coen at £23 4s 0d, Richard Goodwin at £18 0s 0d and Joshua Johnson at £16 3s 0d were carrying charges built up over a long illness in the family, or over the treatment of their slaves. A planter with a household of blacks paid the surgeon for each of them, and a bad season of the flux could run a bill into the tens of pounds.

The distinction between the rough book and the fair book is the mechanism by which a surgeon's charges became a debt. The rough book was the daily working record, written up at the bedside, and the fair book was the formal ledger from which claims were made. Samuel Loveborough's appearance in one and not the other means his charge had never been carried forward, and the council entered the discrepancy expressly. It had every reason to be careful: Gibson's whole fraud had rested on charges that appeared in his books and nowhere else, and the council was now checking a surgeon's ledger against itself before it certified a single figure.

The council's own members head the list. Alexander, Goodwin, Crisp and Cason all owed sums, which shows the surgeon serving the council as readily as the planters, and the councillors submitting their private debts to the same public reckoning they had imposed on everyone else.

268

244

Brought over

Jno: Marlin Van Arsten

3

Joseph Desfountaine

3

John Bradley

3

Widow Woodfield

3

But Severall of them having furnished Mr Kirry with various Sorts of necessaries

for which he hath not given them any Credit tho' they produced their Accts & Refusing to Answer

to them & their not being any other way to Recover the Debts they were Sworn accordingly

& their Accounts attested by the particular of which are Appear of the said Command which

We do desire to be transmitted to the Honble Company for their Satisfaction in the Prosecuting a due

in the Inventory & Complaints which sent to be to the Effects on Sale, And Mr Kirry having

behaved in the hearing of Capt Alexander, Mr Goodwin Mr Crispe & Capt Cowen that he

did not design to Charge the Spirit of Ginger any thing for what he did but leave it to

them & their to give them what they pleased & it is likewise in his Manner acting so at some

time half a Guinea Mr Goodwin & Mr Grimes & Mr Crispe as an Acknowledgment for

such last Business as he did for his Boy gave him half a Crown of Wonderfull ill where the

Truth is ample Amends in part of that And Mr Kirry having unreasonably or overcharged

Severall Persons We ordered them Acct as follow

Rt Beale is charged £5 for Letting a Vein the great Ease is only 10s & the same is one

Jno: Long charged £2 . 5 for the Cure of him, the Common is less more than he was afraid Mr

Kirry for that time the Wm are being very poor the same only £2 . 6 .

Ist Wrangham overcharged £1 . 5 . 6 for the Cure attended by the said Wrangham

Jno: Downton ditto

. Ditto . for that returned by the Mr Downton

John Bagley overcharged £1 . 5 . which Mr Kirry promises to abate

John Bagott overcharged £2 . 5 for Playing the Cure of the Honble Compys Serte the Capt Mr Bagott

Francis Coxe overcharged & Charged for which the Refuse & is now abated £5 . 5 for his Boy

in Mr Kirry himself did in his Cost between the Mr Bagott

Samuel Wrantworth Mr Kirry being intended to Send the Man out of Slavery being extremely poor

During the time the same being the Master brought in a Letter directed to the Governor & of it

the following is a true Copy

Worshipfull Sir

Having Sent a Line from Wm Slaughter to Your Worship dated the

4th Copy in Signd both which he has forwarded to be Cause for the such Reasons & Referring to Answer what

he had in first for making the said Slaughter to send him & the will that Speech Exceptions for

which he was myself & Severally Complaint to Wednesday last & whether the Reputation permitted

by which Ceremony he Justly & Cannot & my own reasons & unwilling & are Compelled to be Compelled

from Self Correction & Concept & Complaint on the horrors & Suggested me to be Compelled

to say My Self and know the his Cannot & mine constantly performed from Wm & that this might

fully discover the Truth this Instd the following Questions to him

Whether My Letter to the Governr of the 4th of April last Subscribed with his Name is of his own Writing

& That his he was absolutely when he wrote the Same & whether he wrote it freely without any Advice

Persuasion or Compulsion

& Whether it was not Solely for his own Conviction & a just Sense of his horrid Crime &

Ingratitude to the Governr

Whether the Truth of my true Credit be he did not Severall those Expressions about King

George and of Sovereign & Master to those Inhabitts he did so & only after the Exceptions

to tell which he Replyed as follows

That he attested was of his own Writing

That he was of a State when he wrote it & that he wrote it freely without a Adviser

Persuasion or Compulsion

That it proceeded from Self Conviction of the horrid Crime & Ingratitude to the Govr

That the Confession is true That he Severall those Expressions about King George

& We ask that of an above bitterly Convinced from Worshipfull Companies used it & how

out of Revenge & Malice to the Governr & that he justly deserved the Punishment inflicted upon him

which he now takes as a Provocation to Say any thing but the truth & had a Crime & began have

not lose forgiveness of his Master to also & Sander, & his Willingness to have again beg of ask

in obedience to Mercy & so Mr Speech & his Repentance We think & his Slaughter is

Repentance are cannot in their Affairs & Speech & our Duty as well as Inclination to

Assure them that what We have declared & Truth & we willing to Conform it upon

Oath if Required We are

Worshipfull Sirs

The account of Mr Alsop's debtors was carried forward and continued as follows.

John Martin Vandeston, £0 3s 0d

Joseph Defountaine, £0 3s 0d

John Bradley, £0 3s 0d

Widow Worrall, £0 3s 0d

Several of the debtors had supplied Mr Alsop with various sorts of necessaries, for which he had never given them any credit in his books, and having no other means of paying him they made their answers accordingly. The council took their statements and directed that they be sent home to the Company, so that its satisfaction in the surgeon's conduct might be entered on the inventory of complaints already sent with the effects on sale. Mr Alsop, being present at the hearing, said before Captain Alexander, Mr Goodwin, Mr Crisp and Captain Cason that he had no wish to charge the several persons named above for what they had done, and that he left it to themselves to give him what they thought right and reasonable, whereupon he withdrew. The council allowed the sums entered against them and directed that each debtor be entered in his book, and gave them half a crown for their trouble, which sum they accepted. The council recorded that Mr Alsop having satisfactorily and honourably discharged them, it observed the answers as follows.

Richard Beale was charged £0 5s 0d for setting a bone, though the surgeon had done nothing of the sort.

Isaac Long was charged £0 2s 0d for a bill of his, and Mr Alsop had done no more than had been asked for.

Mr Alsop found that he was being paid for the sum of £0 3s 0d only.

Francis Wrangham had been charged £2 12s 6d for physic returned by Mr Alsop and Wrangham.

Mr Doveton was charged £0 5s 0d for the sum returned by Mr Doveton.

John Bishop had been overcharged £0 5s 0d, which Mr Alsop promised to return.

John Boyer had been overcharged £0 5s 0d for physic sold at the Great Wood plantation, which the surgeon repaid.

Frances Coen had been overcharged and was allowed £0 5s 0d, which Mr Alsop had stated to be a debt in Mr Alsop's book, and that account settled with Mr Bazett.

Samuel Loveborough, whom Mr Alsop had entered in the book but never mentioned, had never been charged anything at all.

The council recorded that during the time the man in charge brought a letter directed to the Governor, of which the following is a true copy.

Slaughter wrote to the Governor from the prison. He set out that after receiving the letter written by Captain Cason, which he had also given to the Governor, he had been in agony about what to do at first. He conceded that Slaughter would send him to the prison, and that his own conscience had been unwilling to serve. He denied that he had ever been given any instruction from any quarter concerning the papers he had drawn up, and admitted he had put them together himself in the hope of a reward. He accepted that the truth would appear in the questions he had answered, and undertook to swear to all his replies.

He answered the following questions.

Whether he had made the accusation against the Governor before the affair of 4 November 1728 and had spoken of it to any person.

Whether he had actually seen or heard the Governor commit any of the offences in the charge.

Whether he had ever named anybody who could give him a conviction, or had ingratiated himself with the Governor.

Whether the Governor and Council had not several times spoken about King George and his royal family, and whether he had ever heard them do so with any disrespect.

His answers were as follows. He had written the letter in his own hand and had drawn it up freely and without advice. He had made no accusation whatever before the affair of 4 November 1728, and had never spoken about it to the Governor. He had never seen or heard the Governor commit any of the offences charged, and he had never known the Governor to speak of King George without respect. He had drawn up the papers on his own initiative and in expectation of a reward. He had been condemned to the punishment his own conscience made necessary. He knew of no one on the island who would say a thing against the Governor's person, and he was willing to swear to it all.

He closed by declaring himself the Governor's most dutiful and obedient servant, and offered to confirm every answer on oath.

Signed by William Slaughter.

Interpretations

The settlement of Alsop's accounts turns on a point of fairness the council recorded with care. Several inhabitants had supplied the surgeon with provisions and other necessaries and had never been credited for them in his books, so they were charged the full sum for treatment while their own supply went unpaid. Alsop's answer, given before four councillors, was that he would take whatever they thought right, which surrendered his legal claim and settled the matter on trust. The half crown paid to each debtor was compensation for their attendance rather than any part of the debt.

The individual corrections that follow are the substance of the audit. A charge of £0 5s 0d for setting a bone that was never set, and an overcharge on physic sold at the Great Wood, are precisely the abuses that ruined Gibson, and here the surgeon repaid them the moment they were shown. The distinction between the two men lies not in the errors but in the response to them, and the council was plainly determined to have the record of that response go home to the Company alongside the file already sent on Gibson.

Slaughter's second letter is a more complete surrender than his first of 4 April 1729. He had then pleaded that he was out of his senses on 4 November 1728, which left the invention half-excused. Here he abandons the plea entirely and admits he assembled the papers himself, unprompted, in the hope of a reward. The set of questions and answers is not a letter but a deposition in letter form, drawn so that every element of the charge could be denied in his own hand and sworn to afterwards.

Speculations

The obvious use for a confession like Slaughter's was to punish him with it. He had already pleaded guilty at the general court of 9 November 1728 and the jury had recommended whipping and the pillory, and the sentence had never been carried out. The council instead put its energy into the shape of the document rather than the fate of the man. The questions are framed to elicit denials of every limb of the treason charge, the answers are taken in his own hand, and he offers to swear to them. What the council wanted was not Slaughter's back but a sworn instrument proving that Governor Byfield had never spoken a disloyal word, and it was prepared to leave a convicted man at liberty on bond to get one. The reason shows in the earlier record: the same charge had been answered in November 1728 by a letter from Captain Alexander read openly in court, testifying to the Governor's public loyalty at the proclamation of King George the Second. A governor accused of treason in a Company colony had to be able to send London a file that closed the question, and Slaughter alive and recanting was worth more than Slaughter whipped and silent.

269

245

Worshipfull Sir

St Helena

April the 12th 1729

John Desfountaine

Richard Beale

John Smith

Sam Grange

Your most Obedt humle Servt

Jno Downton

John Young

John Bryan

Ist Wrangham

Rt Goodwin

James Ryder

Joseph Bates

The Subscribers being catcht in the Gentlemen of Councill afresh them if they were able &

willing to Swear to the Truth of this Contents of it & they Answered they were able and

willing to Swear to it & they were accordingly Sworn as follow Viz

The Severall Persons abovementioned being this day Sworn upon the Holy Evangelists

and declared that the said Slaughter gave the Severall Responses to the Severall Questions

that were put to him aforesaid & turned the Contents of the Letter to be true in Presence &

hearing of these Deponents this day & Year Abovementioned

St Helena

Jurat 25 the of Aprill 1729

Coram Ministros no Peggat Copies is to be had

E Byfeild Governour

Jno Downton

John Young

John Bryan

Isaac Wrangham

Rich Rt Goodwin

Saml Ryder

Joseph Bates

John Desfountaine

Richard Beale

John Smith

Sam Grange

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 22 April 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governor Reports that a Superannuated Slave belonging to the Honble Compys

named Cathrine died yesterday & was Entered in the Journall & noted accordingly

The Governor Reports that Henry Cottrell Gunner presented the following Petition

to him Viz

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

Sheweth

The humble Petition of Henry Cottrell

That your Petr doth humbly acknowledge that he hath been basely and

Ungratefull by being Wicked in the most favourable and now upon Your Petr hath been

upon the Instance & that Your Petr hath daily hoped Benefits & favours

upon me & does especially in all times of My Delight & have been treated with a

tenderness & Indulgency equal to a Parents & my Petr from the bottom of his heart

doth most humbly & his Your Worships Pardon for Refusing Obeying Your Worships most

Ungratefull Return for all Your Kindness by Uttering Damned reflecting upon Your of My

Sneaking & make Chiefly of Wife Blocks & Impudent Language, the Said or Sunday

last, And Your Petr is now troubled with a deep Sense of his feelings & Self forgiveness &

promises hereafter to all my carefull & all Genl & Culture & Commands & Behave as things

Punctually & Sober & Sober & his Vices of Strong Liquors for which I have no Unfortunately

& I earnestly intreat & his Displeasure

Your Petr therefore most humbly begs Your Worships will Pardon this Presents

& promise & that You will again be pleased to Restore My Petr to Your favour

And Your Petr as in Duty bound shall ever Pray

Henry Cottrell

St Helena

20 April 1729

The said Cottrell being Sensible of his Faults & promising to behave better for the future the

The letter was subscribed at St Helena on 15 April 1729 by John Defountaine, Richard Beale, Giles Smith, Thomas Timps, Jonathan Doveton, John Young, John Boyer, Francis Wrangham, John Gosselin, James Ryder and Joseph Bates.

The subscribers being called before the gentlemen of council, each of them declared that he was able and willing to swear to the truth of the contents of the letter, and each of the answers was accordingly taken and sworn as set out below.

The persons named above were sworn on the Holy Evangelists that day, and declared that Slaughter had given the several answers to the several questions put to him, and that the contents of the letter were true, in the presence and hearing of the deponents on the day and year named above.

The affidavit was signed at St Helena on 15 April 1729 by Jonathan Doveton, John Young, John Boyer, Francis Wrangham, Richard Goodwin, James Ryder, Joseph Bates, John Defountaine, Richard Beale, Giles Smith and Thomas Timps. Governor Byfield certified beneath it that no stamped paper was to be had on the island.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 22 April 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Mr Goodwin reported that a superannuated black woman belonging to the Company named Catherine had died the previous day at the fort, and the death was entered in the journal.

Governor Byfield reported that Henry Cottrell, gardener, had presented the petition set out below.

Cottrell petitioned the Governor and Council, setting out that he had been treated and indulged by the Governor beyond anything he could reasonably ask. He accepted that he had drawn upon that kindness, and that the Governor had daily heaped benefits and favours upon him, especially at those times when his own labour had been broken by a hard year. He set out that he had returned the Governor's kindness with the blackest ingratitude, in return for the Governor's goodness in nursing him through his sickness, and in neglecting his duty and treating him with insolent language. He admitted that on Sunday last he had been troubled with a bad fit of sickness, and that he had promised the Governor to abstain completely from strong liquor, and had accordingly kept from every kind of strong liquor. He asked the Governor's forgiveness most humbly, and undertook once again to abstain, and to give his solemn promise of dutiful obedience for the future. He declared himself the Governor's most dutiful and obedient humble servant, and signed the petition at St Helena on 5 April 1729.

Cottrell, being sensible of his faults and promising to behave better in future, was pardoned.

Interpretations

The affidavit taken from the eleven inhabitants completes the instrument the council had been assembling since Slaughter's release. His answers were not merely written and signed but delivered aloud in front of witnesses, who then swore on the Gospels that they had heard him give them. A confession in a man's own hand could always be disowned in England as forced or forged, but eleven sworn deponents who heard the words spoken could not be so easily set aside. The council was building an evidentiary chain that would survive being read in London by men who had never seen St Helena.

The Governor's note that no stamped paper was to be had on the island is a small but important qualification. English law required certain legal instruments to be written on paper carrying a revenue stamp, and a document on plain paper could be challenged as void. Byfield certified the want of stamped paper so that the defect could not later be used to discredit the affidavit, which shows how carefully the file was being prepared for a hostile reading.

The Cottrell petition follows the pattern that runs through the whole spring. Drunkenness had cost Richard Durling the overseership of the Company's slaves on 31 December 1728, and neglect had cost Gibson his salary and Hodgkinson his post. Cottrell's petition is a pre-emption of the same fate: a written submission, an admission of ingratitude, a promise to abstain entirely from strong liquor and an undertaking of obedience. The Governor's practice of taking such a promise in writing was itself a mechanism, since Durling's promise of 2 April 1728 was read back to him on 31 December 1728 as proof that he was incorrigible. Cottrell's paper would serve the same purpose if he drank again.

270

246

the Governour at Rogers Pardon him

This afternoon We had an Allarm for a Single Ship to the Leeward of the Island who

bore away

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 29th April 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This day Capt Goodwin & Mr Crispe Compleated the Inventory of Mr Kirrys Goods

& Effects having at the Allarm on Tuesday Sold the Same by Auction & now this day

Sworn to the truth thereof accordingly

Ordered that the said Inventory as it is now Compleated be Transcribed in the

Register Book & likewise Entered in Our Genll Books of Acct for the better Satisfaction

of all Persons concerned Whereas two Coppys Paper Attest be Sealed up with the Honble

Companies Seale & deposited in the Sanitary Office

On Thursday last arrived the Ashburn from Bombay having as Passenger Wm Chapple

Esqr late Governour of that Place the Supply Sent by this Ship consisted only in Two

Leagues & aboard Grain being Sworn the Same of the Arrack is as follows Viz

Selling Price

the Piece

Goa Arrack

2 Legs contg 1 Chapp a 20 & hogd

140 . 0 .

2 Slave @ 4 6 each

. 15 . 0

Hermitage

. 12 . 0

Rupees

158 . 0 .

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 3 May 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall it follows

7 . 2 . 7 . 0

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Acct for April last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are

as follow Viz

Account of the Honble Companies Stock of Neat

Cattle Sheep Goates & Hogs Poultry & Horses Likewise what has

been bought Killed & Sold to Ships Basham besides the Encrease or

Decrease for the Month of April 1729 Viz

Neat Cattle

The Governor pardoned Cottrell for his offence. That afternoon an alarm was fired for a single ship to the leeward of the island, which bore away.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 29 April 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin and Mr Crisp completed the inventory of Benjamin Flagg's goods and effects. They had held the auction on the previous Tuesday, sold the goods and swore to the truth of the account.

The council directed that the inventory be entered in the register book, and delivered a copy of it into the Governor's hands, for the better satisfaction of all parties concerned. What remained of the paper effects was to be sealed with the Company's seal and deposited in the secretary's office.

The Ashburnham arrived from Bombay on the previous Thursday, carrying William Chapple, late governor of that place, as a passenger. The supply sent by the ship consisted only of two leaguers of arrack, the invoice of which was entered as follows.

Goa arrack, 2 leaguers, containing 2 chests at 20 rupees each, 140 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Boat hire, 46 dashes, 12 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Homage, 6 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Total, 158 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Saturday 3 May 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The garrison was paid for the past month, entered in the journal at folios 72 and 76.

Governor Byfield, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for April, and the council examined and approved them.

An account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for April 1729 was entered, showing what had been bought, killed and sold to shipping, together with the increase or decrease over the month.

Interpretations

The disposal of Benjamin Flagg's estate closes a matter opened on 31 March 1729, when he was found dead aboard the schooner and the council seized his goods the same morning. The auction was held on muster day, as ordered on 8 April 1729, because the whole island would be assembled and the perishable goods would fetch more. The distinction drawn at the close is the important one: the household stuff and clothing were sold and converted to money, while the paper effects were sealed and kept. Papers meant bills of exchange, accounts, letters of credit and the record of whatever trade the schooner had been conducting, and those could not be auctioned to a crowd. They were the property of whoever proved title to the estate, and the council put them under the Company's seal until someone with a lawful claim appeared.

The Ashburnham carried William Chapple, late governor of Bombay, and brought almost nothing for the island beyond two leaguers of Goa arrack. A leaguer was a large cask of about 150 gallons, and Goa arrack was distilled from palm sap on the Malabar coast, a coarser spirit than the Batavia arrack the Bengal ships carried. The invoice is priced in rupees, annas and pies, the money of account of the Company's Indian settlements, and the charge for boat hire reflects the cost of getting the casks from ship to shore across open water, since St Helena has no sheltered harbour and every cask came in by open boat to the landing rock.

A homeward Indiaman carrying a returning governor was a passenger vessel as much as a cargo one, and the smallness of the supply shows how little the Bombay presidency sent to St Helena compared with the Bengal ships, whose invoices ran to three hundred rupees and more of arrack, sugar and rice.

271

247

Account

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1st April

Bullocks 86

Cowes 86

Heifers 21

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 50

Bulls 2

Totall 311

Ewes 93

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 4

Totall 144

Ewes 274

Withers 101

Kids 162

Rams 6

Totall 543

Sowes 15

Shoates 42

Boars 1

Pigs 51

Totall 109

Turkeys 76

Fowles 89

Ducks 30

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Encd from do a 30 ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 2

Bulls 0

Totall 2

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 1

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bought in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 1

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 1

Totall 2

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 14

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 86

Cowes 86

Heifers 21

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 52

Bulls 2

Totall 313

Ewes 94

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 5

Totall 146

Ewes 274

Withers 101

Kids 162

Rams 6

Totall 543

Sowes 15

Shoates 42

Boars 1

Pigs 51

Totall 109

Turkeys 76

Fowles 103

Ducks 30

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Killed from do to do

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 2

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 2

Sowes 1

Shoates 1

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 2

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 86

Cowes 86

Heifers 21

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 52

Bulls 2

Totall 313

Ewes 94

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 5

Totall 146

Ewes 272

Withers 101

Kids 162

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 14

Shoates 41

Boars 1

Pigs 51

Totall 107

Turkeys 76

Fowles 103

Ducks 30

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Sold to Ship Ashburn in do

Bullocks 1

Cowes 3

Heifers 1

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 5

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 85

Cowes 83

Heifers 20

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 52

Bulls 2

Totall 308

Ewes 94

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 5

Totall 146

Ewes 272

Withers 101

Kids 162

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 14

Shoates 41

Boars 1

Pigs 51

Totall 107

Turkeys 76

Fowles 103

Ducks 30

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Died in ditto one Very old Cow

Bullocks 0

Cowes 1

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 1

Pigs 1

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 30th April

Bullocks 85

Cowes 82

Heifers 20

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 52

Bulls 2

Totall 307

Ewes 94

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 5

Totall 146

Ewes 272

Withers 101

Kids 162

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 14

Shoates 41

Boars 1

Pigs 50

Totall 106

Turkeys 76

Fowles 103

Ducks 30

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations

17900 lb

Ditto delivered the Fort Blacks

7100

Ditto the Great Wood ditto

4750

Totall Yams

29750 lb

Remaining 1 April 1729: 86 bullocks, 86 cows, 21 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 50 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 311; 93 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 4 rams, total sheep 144; 274 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 543; 15 sows, 42 shoats, 1 barrow, 51 pigs, total hogs 109; 76 turkeys, 89 fowls, 30 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Increased from 1 to 30 April 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 2 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 2; 1 ewe, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 1 ram, total sheep 2; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Bought in the same period: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 14 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the increase and purchase: 86 bullocks, 86 cows, 21 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 52 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 313; 94 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 146; 274 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 543; 15 sows, 42 shoats, 1 barrow, 51 pigs, total hogs 109; 76 turkeys, 103 fowls, 30 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Killed from 1 to 30 April 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 2 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 2; 1 sow, 1 shoat, 0 barrows, 0 pigs, total hogs 2; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the killings: 86 bullocks, 86 cows, 21 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 52 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 313; 94 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 146; 272 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 541; 14 sows, 41 shoats, 1 barrow, 51 pigs, total hogs 107; 76 turkeys, 103 fowls, 30 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Sold to the Ashburnham in the same period: 1 bullock, 3 cows, 1 heifer, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 5; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the sale: 85 bullocks, 83 cows, 20 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 52 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 308; 94 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 146; 272 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 541; 14 sows, 41 shoats, 1 barrow, 51 pigs, total hogs 107; 76 turkeys, 103 fowls, 30 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Died in the same period, one very old cow: 0 bullocks, 1 cow, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 1; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 1 pig, total hogs 1; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Remaining 30 April 1729: 85 bullocks, 82 cows, 20 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 52 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 307; 94 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 146; 272 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 541; 14 sows, 41 shoats, 1 barrow, 50 pigs, total hogs 106; 76 turkeys, 103 fowls, 30 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 17,900 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 7,100 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 4,750 pounds

Total yams, 29,750 pounds

Interpretations

The April figures show the shipping season closing. Only five head went to the Ashburnham, against the 14 sold in March 1729 when the Cadogan, the Caesar and the Macclesfield were all in the road. The pattern established across the whole run holds without exception: the Company's cattle trade rose and fell with the arrival of the Indiamen, and the Ashburnham was a Bombay ship carrying a returning governor rather than a fleet in company.

The purchase of 14 fowls is the only buying entered in the month, and it is a modest thing set against the cattle. Poultry was bought from the inhabitants rather than bred in quantity by the Company, and the fowl count rising from 89 to 103 shows the general table being stocked ahead of the winter, when fresh meat was harder to come by and the birds could be kept alive until wanted.

The goat herd falls by two for the first time since the attacks of January 1729, though these were killed for the table rather than lost to dogs. The council had issued warrants on 21 January 1729 to destroy every dog belonging to John Long, Elizabeth Marsh and Thomas Nash, and no goat has been entered as worried or shot in the three months since, which suggests the warrants achieved what no prosecution could.

The yam issue of 29,750 pounds holds almost exactly level with the 30,100 pounds of March 1729, and both stand against the complete failure of January 1729, when nothing at all could be issued because the old crop was exhausted and the new one still in the ground. Two steady months mark the new harvest coming in properly, and the split between the plantations, the fort and the Great Wood remains the same, which shows the Company feeding its labour by station on a settled ration.

272

248

Expence of the Genll Table in Aprill 1729 Viz

29½ Gall Arrack

9 . 6 . 10

40 lb Bread

. 10

18 lb Flower

2 . 6

6 lb Copper

14 Gall Port

5 . 7 . 4

12 ditto Mountain

4 . 11 . 10

8 ditto Sherry

3 . 2 .

128½ Sugar

3 . - . 3

4 Bottles oyle

6 . 8

34 Gall Strong Beer

2 . 11

3 ditto Small ditto

1 . 12

2½ Gall Vinegar

6 . 3

100 lb Beef

2 . 10

2 Goates

1

11 lb Butter

11

30 Days Greens

1 . 10

60 Bottles Milk

1

Expence of the Table in Aprill

39 . 13 . 2

24 lb Wax Candles

£2 . 16 . -

8 lb Soap

. 11 . 4

3 . 7 . 4

Gunners Stores Expended in Aprill 1729 Viz

Shott, Cannon, Culvering, Sackers, Minions, Three Pounders, Falcons, Powder

1729

April 1

At the Funerall of Mr Kirry

Shott 0

Cannon 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 0

Minions 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 1 lb

2

Muster Day

Shott 0

Cannon 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 0

Minions 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 10

3

Fired the Guns at Meridian

Shott 0

Cannon 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 1

Minions 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 11½

13

Ditto Ditto Gun on the Line

Shott 0

Cannon 0

Culvering 1

Sackers 1

Minions 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 11

18

An Allarm at Banks for a Ship going by

Shott 0

Cannon 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 2

Minions 2

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 15

22

An Allarm at Banks for the Ridge Ashburn Bay

Shott 0

Cannon 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 1

Minions 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 18

24

Arrived the Ashburn

Shott 0

Cannon 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 1

Minions 0

Three Pounders 2

Falcons 7

Powder 39

do

To Salute Mr Chapple Esqr at his coming on Shore

Shott 0

Cannon 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 4

Minions 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 16

Powder 19

28

Shott 0

Cannon 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 0

Minions 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 11

Shott 51

Cannon 4

Culvering 1

Sackers 11

Minions 10

Three Pounders 2

Falcons 4

Powder 23

196

Expence of the Garrison

Fitting & Repairing Grenadier Pouches

Musquet Ball for ditto

10 lb

Cartridge Paper

2 Reams

Hand Spikes deld the Cooper

1

Rammer heads do the Carpenter

2

Sunshine

4

Match

20

1 lb Thread

1 lb

1 Yard Red Bunting

1 Yard

Parchmt Skin eat by the Rats

6

Signed Jno French

The general table expenses for April 1729 were entered as follows.

Arrack, 29.5 gallons, £9 6s 10d

Bread, 40 pounds, £0 10s 0d

Flour, 180 pounds, £2 6s 0d

Pepper, 6 pounds, £0 6s 0d

Port wine, 14 gallons, £5 7s 4d

Mountain wine, 12 gallons, £4 11s 10d

Sherry, 8 gallons, £3 2s 0d

Sugar, 122.5 pounds, £3 0s 3d

Bottles of oil, 4, £0 6s 8d

Strong beer, 3.5 gallons, £2 11s 0d

Single beer, 3 gallons, £1 12s 0d

Vinegar, 2.5 gallons, £0 6s 3d

Beef, 100 pounds, £2 10s 0d

Goats, 2, £1 0s 0d

Brillers, 11, £0 11s 0d

Greens, 30 days, £1 10s 0d

Milk, 60 bottles, £1 0s 0d

Total expense of the table in April 1729, £39 13s 2d

Wax candles, 24 pounds, £2 16s 0d

Soap, 8 pounds, £0 11s 4d

Total, £3 7s 4d

The gunner's stores expended in April 1729 were entered as follows, with the guns fired, the powder, the shot and the other stores set out against each occasion. The manuscript sets the columns as demi-cannon, demi-culverin, saker, minion, three pounder, falcon and powder.

1 April 1729, at the summons of Mr Alsop, 1 falcon, powder 1 pound

2 April 1729, muster day, 10 guns fired, 1 saker, 9 falcons, powder 17.5 pounds

13 April 1729, saluted the guns at Munden's, 4 demi-culverins, 2 sakers, 2 minions, 6 falcons, powder 11 pounds

18 April 1729, saluted one gun on the line, 6 demi-culverins, 2 sakers, 2 minions, 2 three pounders, 9 falcons, powder 15 pounds

22 April 1729, an alarm at Banks's for a ship going by, 9 demi-culverins, 1 saker, 1 minion, 7 falcons, powder 18 pounds

24 April 1729, an alarm at Banks's at the ridge, 21 guns fired, 1 saker, 1 minion, 4 three pounders, 16 falcons, powder 39 pounds

24 April 1729, saluted the Ashburnham, 21 guns fired, powder 7.5 pounds

28 April 1729, saluted Mr Chapple, late governor, at his coming ashore, powder 11 pounds

Expense of the guard, 1

Fitting and repairing grenadier pouches, 1

Musket balls delivered for the same, 19 pounds

Cartridge paper, 2 quires

Hone stone delivered to the cooper, 1

Hammer head delivered to the carpenter, 2

Sunshine, 4

Match, 20

Thread, 1 pound

Red bunting, 1 yard

Parchment skin cut by the rats, 6

Total, 61 guns fired, 4 demi-cannon, 1 demi-culverin, 11 sakers, 10 minions, 2 three pounders, 4 falcons, 23 shot, 196 pounds of powder

The account was signed by John French, the gunner.

Interpretations

The powder expended in April 1729 came to 196 pounds, the heaviest month since May 1728 and nearly double the 106 pounds of February 1729. Two alarms at Banks's within three days, a salute of 21 guns for the Ashburnham and a further salute for William Chapple on his landing account for most of it, and the pattern reflects an island still on the war footing imposed by the packet the Cadogan brought on 3 March 1729.

The classes of gun are named by the weight of shot they threw. A demi-cannon was among the heaviest pieces on the island, a demi-culverin a lighter long gun, a saker lighter again, a minion lighter still and a falcon the smallest. The three pounder took its name directly from the weight of its ball. The mix fired on any occasion depended on which battery was in question, since the guns were dispersed across the castle line, Munden's Point, Banks's and the outlying stations, and a salute fired from the line drew on different pieces than an alarm raised at Banks's.

The salute for William Chapple, late governor of Bombay, on his coming ashore on 28 April 1729 is the sort of civility the island extended to a passenger of rank. A returning presidency governor outranked anyone on St Helena, and 11 pounds of powder spent on his landing was a considerable courtesy in a month when the magazine was already being drawn down hard.

The grenadier pouches fitted and repaired, with 19 pounds of musket balls issued for them, show the garrison's small arms being made ready rather than the great guns alone. A grenadier pouch carried the made-up cartridges for a musket, and the issue of ball on this scale in a single month is a sign of a garrison expected to fight rather than merely to salute.

The final line is a small piece of household reality. Six parchment skins had been gnawed by rats and were written off from the store, which is the sort of loss an island magazine sustained continually in a damp climate and which the gunner was obliged to enter and account for.

273

249

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabts &ca from the 1st to the

30th of Aprill 1729

128 lb Sugar

3 . 4 . 2

25 lb Candy

1 . 4 .

6½ Yarn Cords

1 . 4 . 8

1 lb Thread

. 9

2 Oz Indigo

. 1

1 Barrell Sandblast

1 . 4

25 lb Rozin

1 . 10 . 1½

20 Coy Cordm Sortd

. 14

9 Cannes Ditto

17 . 6

12 Cotton Bohea Tea

3 . 18 .

5 lb Skin Thread

. 2 . 6

5 lb Twine

6 . 6

7 lb Cotton

5 . 4

55 Trenchers

1 . 7 . 6

70 Large Cupps

1 . 4 . 3

24 Small Ditto

8 . 8

24 Do with Saucers

19

7½ Twine

7½ Bowles

1 Sea Salt

1 . 1 . 6

6 lb Small Cabinets

1 . 17 . 6

Ja: & Small Long Cobd

10 . 6

25 Ochre Ware

2 . 10 .

14 lb Rosham

1 Small Smith

. 15

2 Small Bloomhide

11 . 6

1 Sawyers

4 . 6

2 Plain Irons

3

1 Splinter Sortd

3 . 6

1 Wood Sortd

9 . 6

1 Ochre Sortd

6 . 1 . 6

2 Chuckwork

10

2 Rhud Overlocks

6 . 3

2 lb Ginger

. 9

2 do Ditto

1 . 8

1 Do 2

1 . 8 . 8

1 Downhaile

1 . 8 . 8

1 Wood Awer

. 8

1 Small Nutcloft

6 . 6

1 Iron Door for do Gate

6 . 6

1 Do 8 do

14 . 6

2 Tarke Beackrim

12 . 6

6 Round Sandblast Sunson Coffeepots

2 . 6

10 Salt Platts

4

4 Mens Do

1 . 15

2 do

2 . 14

3 Boys do

2 .

78 Squares Glass 8 & 10

1 . 10

24 do 7 & 8

3 . 11 . 6

6 Small Wooden Bowles

18

8 Plain Bowmes

2 . 11

10 do Nº 2

7

8 do

10 . 10

24 do 6 do

6 . 8

34 8 Doz do

18

3 24½

1 . 2 . 8

8 lb Flooring boards

1 . 9

10 Gallon

6 . 6

1 Sea Kettle

. 8

1 Coppr Rock

Carried over

37 . 11 . 6½

An account of the store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 30 April 1729 was entered as follows.

Sugar, 128 pounds, £3 4s 2d

Cordage, 25 pounds, £1 4s 0d

Crops oil, 6.5 gallons, £1 4s 8d

Thread, 1 pound, £0 0s 9d

Indigo, 2 ounces, £0 0s 1d

Lampblack, 3 barrels, £0 1s 4d

Rope, 25 pounds, £1 10s 1.5d

Twisted thread, 20 ounces, £0 14s 0d

Ribbon, 9 yards, £0 17s 6d

Bohea tea, 12 catties, £3 18s 0d

Shoe thread, 5.5 ounces, £0 0s 6d

Twine, 4 pounds, £0 6s 6d

Plates, 7 dozen, £5 0s 6d

Saucers, 55, £1 7s 6d

Large cups, 70, £1 4s 3d

Small cups, 24, £0 8s 8d

Delft ware with saucers, 24, £0 19s 0d

Sundry small parcels, 5, £0 3s 0d

Small chintz, 6 pieces, £1 12s 6d

Ordinary long cloth, 12 pieces, £1 17s 6d

Broadcloth, 4.5 yards, £10 6s 0d

Dolphin cloth, 1.5 pieces, £2 10s 0d

Small knife, 1, £0 15s 0d

Small blanket, 2, £0 11s 6d

Sawyers, 1, £0 4s 6d

Plain irons, 2, £0 4s 0d

Cupboard lock, 1, £0 3s 0d

Stock lock, 1, £0 3s 0d

Chest lock, 1, £0 1s 6d

Chandlery, 2, £0 2s 6d

Silver candlesticks, 2, £0 6s 3d

Rings, 2 pairs, £0 0s 9d

Rings, 2, £0 1s 8d

Rings, 1, £0 0s 8d

Doorstop, 1, £0 0s 8d

Wood adze, 1, £0 0s 8d

Small hatchet, 1, £0 6s 0d

Iron door for the gate, 1, £0 2s 6d

Iron door for the gate, 1, £0 14s 6d

Tinder box, 1, £0 12s 6d

Round bracket screws, 2, £0 2s 6d

Salt plate, 10, £0 4s 0d

Mens' shoes, 4 pairs, £1 15s 0d

Mens' shoes, 2 pairs, £2 14s 0d

Boys' shoes, 3 pairs, £2 0s 0d

Square glass, 78 panes at 8 and 10, £0 10s 0d

Square glass, 24 panes at 8 and 10, £0 11s 6d

Small wooden bowls, 6, £0 18s 0d

Plain brooms, 9, £0 2s 11d

Nails, 12 pounds, £0 7s 0d

Nails, 8 pounds, £0 10s 10d

Nails, 24 pounds, £0 6s 8d

Nails, 34 pounds, £0 18s 0d

Nails, 3 pounds at 4d, £1 2s 3d

Sewing needles, 3, £0 1s 9d

Nails, 10 pounds, £0 6s 0d

Tea kettle, 1, £0 2s 0d

Cask of rice, 1, £[...]

Interpretations

The retail account for April 1729 turns heavily on building and household repair. Locks of three kinds, hinges, brackets, a wood adze, a hatchet, brooms, bowls and above all nails run through the list, and the pattern repeats the March account, where some £22 0s 0d of nails passed over the counter in a month. The inhabitants were plainly rebuilding or extending their houses through the autumn, with the winter rains ahead of them.

The tableware is the other conspicuous group. Seven dozen plates, 55 saucers, 70 large cups and 24 small cups came in on the China ships, the Caesar and the Macclesfield having both landed chests of blue and white china ware at 43 taels 0 mace 0 candareens apiece in March 1729. The council entered a sterling selling price against each article in those invoices, and the goods appear here reaching the inhabitants at those rates within a month. Delft ware is the tin-glazed earthenware made in the Netherlands and in England in imitation of Chinese porcelain, and its appearance alongside the genuine China ware shows the storekeeper carrying both the imported original and its European copy.

Broadcloth at £10 6s 0d for 4.5 yards is the single most valuable line in the account, a dense woollen cloth finished with a nap and shorn smooth, the standard material for a coat of any pretension. Dolphin cloth was a patterned or figured stuff of the same class. Crops oil, indigo and lampblack are the ordinary consumables of a household that made its own ink, dyed its own cloth and blacked its own ironwork against the damp.

Bohea tea, sold by the catty at 12 catties in the month, holds steady with the issues recorded through the winter. The catty is the Chinese weight of about a pound and a third, and the tea reached the island in the same chests that carried the china ware.

274

250

Brot over

37 . 11 . 6½

3 pr Mens knit hose

1 . 2 . 6

2 do Wine

16 . 6

2 Days

7

6 do

18

2 do

6

3 Wm

12 . 9

1 Gilt

3 . 6

1 do

2 . 6

16 pr Boys Shoes

1 . 6

4 Mens Colon Leather

1 . 7

1 Girles do

4

4 do

1

1 Wine do

4 . 6

1 Do Cotton Doffins

1 . 6

4 Do Bread Cloth

4 . 0 . 4

16 Do Rockford a 8s

1 . 9 . 3

20 Yards Camblett

2 . 10

60 Buccans

9

2 Flannell

4 . 8

1 Sawyer Comb

1

1 do

1 . 2

2 Do

1 . 6

2 In Cinn

2 . 4

10 do

5 . 4

1 Do

1 . 8

2 do

6

1 do

1 . 11

11½ Oz China Silk

16 . 10½

10½ Coloured & Brown Thread

2 . 8

1½ Whited Brown do

3 . 9

1 Ditto

3 . 9

14 lb Loze

12 . 6

2 lb ditto

3 . 9

1 lb do

3 . 9

7 lb do

7 . 6

1 lb do do

9 . 8

62½ Silk Knotting

12 Skains Mohair

0 . 1 . 0

2 doz Cost Buttons

0 . 1 . 0

1 lb Cottons Cupps

2 . 1

1 Coloured Silks

4

2 Oz Sew Thread

1 . 6

2 do

1 . 6

3 Grose Shirt Buttons

8

6 Do Ribbin

7

6 do

19

1 Do Gunting

6

8 Sewing Lace

10

Sum Totall to Inhabts

90 . 1 . 8

Honble Comp Blacks in acct of Clothing

7 lb of Coloured Thread

1

On Acct of Charges Genll

20 doy hooks Corked

3 . 12 . 10

2 Do Linen Ditto

1 . 2 . 6

2½ Oz China Silk

del for the Use of the Reflg & Boates

1 . 3 . 6

10 lb Thread

1 . 3 .

8 lb Rope

4

7 . 10 . 8½

Prests Wood

Alum Nº 11

0 . 8

10 lb Twine

0 . 6

1 . 7 . 8

6 Sugar Shovells

Carried over

99 . 0 . 4½

The storekeeper's account for the inhabitants was carried forward at £62 14s 10.5d and continued as follows.

Womens' shoes, 3 pairs, £1 2s 6d

Womens' shoes, 2 pairs, £0 16s 6d

Rope, 2 pounds, £0 0s 7d

Rope, 6 pounds, £0 1s 8d

Rope, 2 pounds, £0 0s 6d

Twine, 3 pounds, £1 2s 9d

Gimblets, 4, £0 3s 6d

Gimblets, 1, £0 2s 6d

Boys' shoes, 5 pairs, £1 1s 6d

Shoe leather, 4 skins, £1 7s 0d

Girls' shoes, 1 pair, £0 4s 0d

Girls' shoes, 4 pairs, £0 4s 6d

Womens' shoes, 1 pair, £0 4s 6d

Coarse dowlas, 1 piece, £1 1s 6d

Broadcloth, 4 pieces, £4 9s 4d

Buckskin, 16 pieces at 8s 8d, £1 9s 3d

Camlet, 20 yards, £2 1s 0d

Durance, 60 yards, £0 0s 9d

Flannel, 8 yards, £0 4s 8d

Soap cask, 1, £0 0s 2d

Soap, 1, £0 1s 2d

Soap, 3, £0 0s 6d

Ribbon, 2 yards, £0 2s 4d

Ribbon, 12 yards, £0 5s 4d

Ribbon, 12 yards, £0 1s 8d

Ribbon, 1 yard, £0 0s 6d

Ribbon, 2 yards, £0 1s 11d

China silk, 11.5 ounces, £16 12s 10.5d

Coloured brown thread, 10.5 ounces, £2 8s 0d

Whited brown thread, 4 ounces, £0 3s 9d

Silk, 1 ounce, £0 3s 9d

Silk, 4 pounds, £13 6s 0d

Silk, 2 ounces, £0 5s 8d

Silk, 1 ounce, £0 1s 3d

Silk, 5 ounces, £0 7s 6d

Silk, 1 ounce, £0 9s 8d

Everlasting, 5.5 yards, £0 5s 0d

Loom shuttles, 12, £0 0s 10d

Coat buttons, 2 dozen, £0 1s 0d

Cotton caps, 18, £0 2s 1d

Coloured cotton caps, 1, £0 0s 4d

Sewing thread, 2 ounces, £0 1s 6d

Sewing thread, 2 ounces, £0 3s 6d

Small shot buttons, 3 gross, £0 1s 8d

Bodkins, 6 dozen, £0 0s 7d

Bodkins, 6, £0 0s 9d

Garters, 1 gross, £0 0s 6d

Sewing lace, 8, £0 1s 6d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £90 1s 8d

The goods charged to the Company's black slaves, on account of clothing, were entered as follows.

Coloured thread, 4 ounces, £0 1s 0d

Cordage, 24 pounds, on account of charges general, £3 8s 10d

Long cloth, 2 pieces, delivered for the use of the officers' beds, £1 3s 6d

China silk, 5.5 ounces, delivered for the use of the officers' beds, £1 3s 0d

Thread, 4 ounces, £0 3s 6d

Rope, 24 pounds, £1 0s 0d

Total to the Company's black slaves, £7 10s 3.5d

The goods charged to the Great Wood were entered as follows.

Nails, 11 pounds, £0 0s 8d

Hoes, 10, £0 6s 0d

Sugar shovels, 6, £0 3s 0d

Total to the Great Wood, £1 7s 8d

Grand total carried over, £99 [...]

Interpretations

The retail account for April 1729 closes at £90 1s 8d to the inhabitants, a fall from the £163 14s 9d taken in March 1729 and the £163 16s 5d of February 1729. The shipping season was over, the Ashburnham being the only vessel to call in April and buying just five head of cattle, and the inhabitants had less to sell and therefore less to spend. The drop of nearly half in a single month shows how directly the island's private economy tracked the presence of the Indiamen in the road.

Silk dominates the account by value. Some £16 12s 10.5d of China silk and £13 6s 0d of silk by the pound were sold in a month, which together came to a third of the whole retail total. This was raw or thrown silk bought by the ounce and the pound rather than made-up cloth, and the loom shuttles, sewing thread, bodkins and buttons sold alongside it show it being worked up on the island. St Helena had no professional weavers, so the buying was for household manufacture, women spinning and sewing for their own families.

Camlet was a fine cloth of wool mixed with silk or hair, closely woven and shed water well, which made it useful in an island of frequent cloud and drizzle on the high ground. Buckskin here means a heavy twilled woollen rather than deerskin, and durance a glazed hard-wearing wool. Bodkins were blunt needles for threading tape and lace through a hem, and gimblets small boring tools for starting a screw hole.

The 10 hoes and 6 sugar shovels charged to the Great Wood record the labour of the Company's own plantation rather than any purchase by the inhabitants. The muster of 31 March 1729 counted 30 men at the Great Wood, the largest single station on the island, and these were the tools they used.

The two pieces of long cloth and the China silk delivered for the officers' beds are worth notice, being charged to the slave clothing account rather than to the household. Bedding for the officers was made up by the same tailors and needlewomen who clothed the Company's slaves, and the storekeeper carried the material against whichever account had the cloth in hand.

275

251

Brot over

99 . 0 . 4½

Plantacon Dr

700 lb Rice deld the Hogs & Poultry

6 . 6

2 Singles with Instructions

12

1 Sack Flagg

9 . 6

3 Flagg Stores

3 . 6

11 lb White Lead

6 . 4

1 Paint Brush

3 . 5

2 Yards Hollands Duck

2 . 7 . 6

1 Colon

8 . 1

22 lb of 2 Doz Nailes

. 14

4 lb 20d do

2 . 4

10 . 1 . 5

Garrison Dr

1 Bohea Tea

3 . 6

Navall Gunners & Garrison Stores

1 Colour & Thread

6

1 Oz Red Bunting

deld the Gunner

1 . 6

6 . 6

Charges General

1 Iron Bomb Sloop

9 . 6

1 Do

2 . 6

2 lb Ginger

4

1 Sanitary Flask Bottle

4

1 Wine Squares Silk

1 . 4

10 Oz Highland Beads for the Packets

4 . 6

4 lb Cords

12 . 6

6 lb Bricks

4 . 6

8 lb 10d Nails

4 . 6

Six Squares Glass 6 & 8

4 . 6

1 Do 8 & 10

4 . 11

2 Large Tar Brushes

10 . 4

1 Barrell Sandblast

16 . 4

16 Cups & Saucers

16 . 4

1 Tar Pott

4 . 6

1 Cotton Yarn

4 . 6

6 lb Lead

10 . 6

26 lb Pitch

deld to Grand Long Boat

12 . 6

6½ Oz China

10 . 6

26 lb Ochre

2 . 4

7½ Gunting

2 . 4

1 Soap

11 . 4

6 . 11 . 8

Diet Expences Dr

25½ Gall Arrack

9 . 6 . 10

40 lb Bread

. 10 .

180 lb Flour

2 . 5 .

4 lb Copper

6 . 8

14 Gall Port

5 . 7 . 4

12 lb Mountain

4 . 11 . 10

8 do Sherry

3 . 2 . 0

160½ Sugar

0 . 3 . 3

4 Bottles Oyle

6 . 8

10 lb do Camells

10 . 6

34 Gall Strong Beer

2 . 11 . 0

3 do Small do

1 . 12 . 0

2½ Gall Vinegar

6 . 0

Totall

25 . 18 . 2

155 . 2 . 4½

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The storekeeper's account was carried forward at £99 7s 0d, and the goods charged to the plantation were entered as follows.

Rice, 700 pounds, delivered for the hogs and poultry, £0 6s 6d

Spades with iron shoes, 2, £0 12s 0d

Ash slops, 1, £0 6s 6d

Slop stores, 3, £0 3s 4d

White lead, 11 pounds, £0 8s 0d

Paint brush, 1, £0 3s 5d

Holland duck, 12 yards, £2 7s 6d

Nails, 22 pounds at 20d, £0 4s 1d

Nails, 4 pounds at 20d, £0 2s 4d

Total to the plantation, £10 15s 0d

Bohea tea, 1 catty, charged to the garrison, £0 3s 6d

The goods charged to the naval and gunners stores were entered as follows.

Coloured thread, 1 ounce, £0 6s 0d

Red bunting, 1 yard, delivered to the gunner, £0 1s 0d

Total to the naval and gunners stores, £0 6s 6d

The goods charged to charges general were entered as follows.

Iron pump work, 1, £0 2s 0d

Rope, 1, £0 5s 0d

Ginger, 2 pounds, £0 0s 4d

Sundry Delft ware, 1, £0 4s 0d

Fine square silk, 1 skein, £0 1s 4d

Bolt slings made for the buckets, 10 spools, £0 4s 0d

Twine, 4 pounds, £0 12s 6d

Blocks, 6, £0 2s 0d

Nails, 8 pounds at 10d, £0 4s 6d

Square glass, 6 panes at 8 and 10, £0 6s 0d

Square glass, 1 pane at 8 and 10, £0 6s 11d

Sea coal, 2 large barrels, £0 18s 6d

Lampblack, 1 barrel, £0 1s 6d

Chalk lines, 12, £0 6s 4d

Fine coal, 1 barrel, £0 1s 0d

Cotton yarn, 4, £0 4s 6d

Lead, 6 pounds, £0 6s 4d

Rope, 56 pounds, delivered for the round long boat, £0 10s 0d

Chains, 6.5 ounces, £0 0s 3.5d

Arrack, 2 gallons, £0 4s 0d

Bunting, 1 yard, £0 2s 4d

Soap, 1 pound, £0 11s 4d

Total to charges general, £6 11s 8d

The goods charged to diet expenses were entered as follows.

Arrack, 25.5 gallons, £9 6s 10d

Bread, 40 pounds, £0 8s 0d

Flour, 180 pounds, £2 6s 0d

Pepper, 6 pounds, £0 6s 0d

Port wine, 14 gallons, £5 7s 4d

Mountain wine, 12 gallons, £4 11s 10d

Sherry, 8 gallons, £3 2s 0d

Sugar, 120.5 pounds, £0 6s 3d

Bottles of oil, 3, £0 6s 8d

Candles, 2 pounds, £0 6s 0d

Strong beer, 3.5 gallons, £2 11s 0d

Single beer, 3 gallons, £1 12s 0d

Vinegar, 2.5 gallons, £0 6s 3d

Total to diet expenses, £25 18s 8d

Sum total, £155 2s 4.5d

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

Interpretations

The storekeeper's account divides the month's issues between goods retailed to the inhabitants and goods charged to the Company's own establishments, which is how a single set of books separated revenue from expenditure. The sum total of £155 2s 4.5d covers the Company's charges alone, and stands against the £90 1s 8d retailed to the inhabitants in the same month.

Holland duck is a stout unbleached linen canvas, used for sails, awnings and heavy protective clothing. The 12 yards charged to the plantation at £2 7s 6d, taken with the white lead, the paint brush and the iron-shod spades, points to a month of maintenance rather than cultivation. White lead was the base of the oil paint used to preserve exposed ironwork and timber against the damp, a constant expense on an island where salt air attacked every surface.

The bolt slings made for the buckets, entered with the blocks, the chalk lines and the rope for the long boat, are the running gear of the crane at the landing rock. St Helena had no harbour, so every cask and bale came ashore by open boat and was lifted by the crane, and the tackle wore out continually under the swell.

Sea coal was mineral coal shipped from England, distinct from the charcoal burnt on the island, and the two large barrels charged here fed the smith's forge. It had to be carried five weeks by sea, which made every barrel a considerable charge and confined its use to the smith, whose iron could not be worked without it.

The diet expenses record the drink bill of the fort's table. Arrack at 25.5 gallons, port at 14 gallons, Mountain at 12 gallons and sherry at 8 gallons is a heavy month's consumption for a household of the size counted on 31 March 1729, and it reflects the presence of the Ashburnham in the road and William Chapple, the late governor of Bombay, taken ashore and entertained. Mountain was the sweet Spanish wine from the hills near Malaga, and the sherry that came with it marks a table set out for a guest of rank rather than the ordinary daily provision.

276

252

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 6th of May 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled but their not being any Businesse We Adjourned

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 10th May 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

This Morning Arrived the Hartford & George from Bengall but last from the Cape the

Supply they brought for this Island consists in the following particulars Viz

Invoice p George Viz

54 p Gall

Batavia Arrack 4 half Leagrs Viz

Nº 1

Do

2

Do

3

Do

4

Do

263 Gall @ 63 . 8 p Leagr

126

Rice 10 p Cwt

Sent for Goods Use

44 Bags fine Rice p 8 do 55 = 6 do 5 . 0 . a 1 . 26 p Mnds

54 . 2 . 6

80

5 . 6 . 9

59 . 9 . 3

265 . 9 . 3

6d p Pound

10 Bags Tequenda Sugar p 20 nt p 44 . 2 . 18 @ 8 Cwt p Bag

Charges Merchandize

88 Bags &c

10 . 0 . 0

Bullocks

2 . 0 . 9

Boathire

. 10 . 0

10 . 8

Rupees

277 . 11 . 3

Invoice p Hartford Viz

54 p Gall

Batavia Arrack 4 half Leagrs

Nº 1

67

2

64

3

62

4

62

244 Gall @ 63 . 8 . p Leagr

126

Sent for Goods use

46 Bags fine Rice Nº 2 76 Cwt & Do = 52 . 0 . 6 @ 1 . 20 p Mnds

Rice 10 p Cwt

46 . 6 .

80

1 . 7

48 . 12 .

263 . 12

6d p Pound

10 Bags Tequinla Sugar nt 20 do Bag = 44 . 2 . 18 @ 3 Nº p Bag

Charges Merchandize

72 Bags &c

8 . 3 . 3

Bullocks

1 . 10 . 3

Boathire

. 8 .

10 . 8 . 6

Rupees

264 . 1 . 6

The Same Orders as We delivered Capt Mabbot as Entred in Consn 13th March last We this day gave to Capt Notts & Capt Ross

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

A consultation was held on Tuesday 6 May 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved. The council assembled but no business came before it, and the meeting was adjourned.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Saturday 10 May 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The Hertford and the George arrived that morning from Bengal, last from the Cape. The supply they brought for the island consisted of the particulars set out below.

The invoice of the George was entered as follows.

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 1

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 2

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 3

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 4

Batavia arrack, 208 gallons at 6 annas 8 pies per gallon, 54 rupees 2 annas 6 pies

Batavia arrack, 126 gallons, 126 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, 44 bags, 44 maunds at 6 rupees 0 annas 0 pies each, batta at 1 rupee 2 annas 0 pies per maund, 56 rupees 6 annas 9 pies

Fine rice, sent for the Company's use, 80 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Tresundee sugar, 10 bags, weighing 14 maunds 18 seers 8 chittacks, at 6 rupees 0 annas 0 pies per bag, 89 rupees 9 annas 0 pies

Charges merchandise, bags, 38 rupees 10 annas 0 pies

Charges merchandise, nutlage, 2 rupees 7 annas 9 pies

Charges merchandise, boat hire, 10 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Total charges merchandise, 10 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Total, 277 rupees 11 annas 3 pies

The invoice of the Hertford was entered as follows.

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 1

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 2

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 3

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 4

Batavia arrack, 244 gallons at 6 annas 8 pies per gallon, 126 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, 36 bags, 62 maunds 0 seers 6 chittacks, at 6 rupees 0 annas 0 pies each, batta at 1 rupee 7 annas 0 pies per maund, 48 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, sent for the Company's use, 80 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Tresundee sugar, 10 bags, weighing 14 maunds 18 seers 3 chittacks, at 6 rupees 0 annas 0 pies per bag, 263 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

Charges merchandise, bags, 8 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Charges merchandise, nutlage, 1 rupee 10 annas 3 pies

Charges merchandise, boat hire, 8 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Total charges merchandise, 10 rupees 8 annas 6 pies

Total, 261 rupees 4 annas 6 pies

The council delivered to Captain Nelly and Captain Bell the same orders it had given to Captain Marchet at the consultation of 13 March 1729.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

Interpretations

The two invoices are entered in the money and weights of the Company's Bengal settlements. A maund was a weight of about 80 pounds, subdivided into seers and chittacks, and batta was an exchange allowance added when converting between currencies of different standards, a necessary adjustment where an account crossed between rupee zones. Nutlage was a small local charge levied on the packing and handling of goods, and it appears alongside the cost of the bags themselves and the boat hire to get the cargo out to the ship.

Batavia arrack was distilled at the Dutch settlement of Batavia from sugar cane and rice, and it was the standard spirit of the eastern trade, issued to the garrison, the slaves and the guards on every customary occasion. A leaguer held about 150 gallons and shipped in half leaguers, so the eight half leaguers between the two ships carried some 350 gallons of spirit to an island that expended arrack at a rate of 25 to 40 gallons a month at the general table alone. Tresundee sugar was a coarse brown sugar from Bengal, and the rice from the same coast fed both the Company's slaves and its hogs and poultry, the yam crop being insufficient to carry the whole establishment.

The immediate delivery of the convoy orders to both captains, on the form settled for Captain Marchet on 13 March 1729, shows the island still on the footing set by the packet the Cadogan brought on 3 March 1729, which reported the affairs of Europe unsettled and apprehension of war not yet over. Two months later the council was still handing every arriving commander the same instructions to warp to the crane on any alarm and to sail only in company.

The arrival of two Bengal ships in the road at once matters beyond the arrack and rice. The stock account had shown cattle sales collapsing to five head in April 1729 as the shipping season closed, and a fresh pair of Indiamen meant the Company could sell beef again and the inhabitants could sell their poultry and greens. The island's whole cash economy turned on days like this one.

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253

At a Consultation held on Monday 12th May 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This day arrived the Harrison Capt Martin from China to whom We

immediately delivered the Same Orders as We gave to Capt Mabbots Entred

in Consultation 13th March last, the Supply brought for this Place is as

follows Viz

China Ware Viz

4d apiece

Plates blue & White

300 @ 3

3

2/6

Bowles Coloured & White

100 . 1 . 3

1 . 3

2/

Tea Potts

22 . 6

1 . 3 . 2

5/ 7 6

Cupps & Saucers blue & White

250 @ 3 . 6

5 . 1 . 4

6/ 7 0

Trenchers blue & White

70 . 2

. 4 . 8

2/

Single Cupps

40 . 1 . 2

Breakage 2 p Ct

26 . 8 . 2 . 4

Chest

25 . 6 . 7 . 6

Tea Bohea 1 Chest of 700 Cann 1lb net 1 Small

. 0 . . 06 . . 2 . 6

22

Tales

48 . - . 2 . 6

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Thursday 15th May 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Ships Harrison Ashburn George & Hartford Sailed hence for England

The Governour Reports that having often Reflected upon the great Charge the Honble

Company have formerly been put to & being & are for their Slaves & having also with

much and more likely considered the great Scope of Ground which have been but faintly

brought by the Youth in making that which is called the New Plantation & the Products

Valley late Cyprians having made certain that it can never be depended upon

the Benefit thereof to the Soyle even in the best & Seasons making by from Slighte

Springs & the handsome & fit Sands & at first to Affect it Worth a long continuance

of dry Weather there would not be Water enough to Supply that Plantation, but

perhaps therefore in him again & to great Advantage to the wide famely & Slighte

kept in Dry & Watched by the Great & Company to Grant himself but of the Cattle

done with great Benefit & Cause & Regards Our Cogitations having for the last Years

of Two Weeks parts the Great & Company men Slaves Ground & Search of might

Ease of Ground in Sandy & Bay Valley of about three Acres or which Islands

already Planted, One of Cumberd Plantacon & Cyprians We equally apt for the

Production of Yams & Roots & it should be lost also plentifully Sold as it far

A consultation was held on Monday 12 May 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The Harrison, Captain Martin, arrived that day from China. The council at once delivered to him the same orders it had given to Captain Nesbitt at the consultation of 10 March 1729. The supply she brought for the island was entered as follows.

China ware, plates, blue and white, 100 pieces at 4s each, 3 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

China ware, coloured bowls, 100 pieces at 2s 6d each, 10 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

China ware, tea pots, 22 at 1s 6d each, 1 tael 3 mace 2 candareens

China ware, cups and saucers, blue and white, 250 pieces at 5s the pair, 5 taels 1 mace 4 candareens

China ware, saucers, blue and white, 70 pieces at 6s the pair, 4 taels 8 mace 0 candareens

China ware, single cups, 240 pieces at 2s each, 4 taels 8 mace 0 candareens

Package and cost, 26 taels 8 mace 2 candareens

Total for the chest, 25 taels 6 mace 7 candareens

Tea, bohea, 1 chest of green tea, containing 100 canisters, 1 small chest, 22 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

Sum total, 48 taels 2 mace 6 candareens

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Thursday 15 May 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The Harrison, the Ashburnham, the George and the Hertford sailed for England on the previous Sunday.

Governor Byfield reported that having often reflected on the great expense the Company had lately incurred in bringing water to the fort from formerly, and hoping in time to lay some money aside, and being firmly convinced that the great supply of water that had been brought to the fort by the Governor in making the road to which the New Plantation and the Great Valley lately begun, having wanted a certain that it could never be depended upon, and that the plentiful supply of the works at Perkins was making its way from Chapel Valley to the plantation, he was firmly of the opinion that if it should prove able to afford a wholesome and continuous supply of good weather there would not be water enough to supply that plantation, but perhaps thereafter as time went on. It was of great moment to the Company's family through the depth in dry weather, and to the Governor and Company to exert himself in bringing the water down with pains and effort chiefly by his own care and application, and hoping by the next year to complete the work at least three or four weeks, and to complete the New Plantation and Great Valley in a single day, and to bring the plantation in Sandy Bay Valley of about three acres in rocky uplands already planted and encumbered thoroughly with yams, and equally apt for the production of greens and roots, which would also plentifully return to [...]

Interpretations

The Harrison's cargo repeats the standing annual order of two chests from Canton, one of china ware and one of tea, though her invoice at 48 taels 2 mace 6 candareens is a little larger than the 43 taels 0 mace 0 candareens entered for both the Caesar and the Macclesfield in March 1729. The addition here is a chest of green tea rather than bohea alone, and a range of coloured bowls and tea pots that the earlier ships did not carry. The council entered a sterling selling price against each article in the margin, which is how the storekeeper converted a Canton invoice into a retail price for the inhabitants, and the goods reached the counter within weeks.

The departure of four ships in company on 11 May 1729 marks the end of the season's shipping. The convoy discipline demanded by the Company since the war warning of 9 May 1727 required no vessel to leave unless at least three sailed together, and the Harrison, the Ashburnham, the George and the Hertford left as a body. The stock and storekeeper's accounts for May 1729 will show the effect: cattle sold, poultry sold and a spike in the inhabitants' buying as the money reached their hands.

The Governor's report on the water concerns the island's most intractable problem. St Helena's springs rise on the high ground and run into the valleys, and the fort at the foot of James Valley lay far from any reliable source. The commissioners had reported on 8 April 1729 that Chubb's Spring could not be depended upon, and here the Governor proposed to bring water from Chapel Valley to the plantations instead. His method was the one he had used for the Plantation House garden in January 1728, when water was brought from Marcus Spring by conveyances laid across the ground, and for the limekiln in November 1728: the work done by the Company's own slaves, at no charge, in place of the hired labour that had cost so much before.

The three acres in Sandy Bay Valley named at the close are the plantation John Bradley surrendered on 24 December 1728, when his father's death left him unable to complete the terms or pay the rent. The Governor was proposing to take that ground back into cultivation, planted with yams and greens, in a year when the yam harvest had failed entirely in January 1729 and the Company had been forced to feed its whole slave establishment on imported rice and Great Wood potatoes.

278

254

the Refreshments of Shipping & may alwayes be depended upon for both purposes there

being a plenty Water in all Seasons & at every Day time may attend part of the Island & have

to be double Rice & producing both Plenty of the best Sort of Yams & Roots & Ground &

hath hardly cost the Honble Compys Two & Twenty Shillings though above three or

Twenty Hundred Pounds have been thoroughly Expended in making the other

Plantation in the Fort Valley

Ordered that the Substance of this Report be inserted in this Genll Letter as being

a Signall & faithfull Piece of Service

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 20 May 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Mr Bagott presented a Ditto of Salt for a Barrell of Tar which he lately brought up

the Ditto & for other Pieces of Merchandize lately Bought of James Marshall belong the

Same & paid & Registered

Ordered that the Same be Payd Sold accordingly

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 21st May 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This day Arrived the Suncar Capt Turner from Bengall to whom We immediately

delivered the Same Orders as We gave to Capt Mabbot Entred in Consultation 13 March last

the Supply he brought for this Place is as follows Viz

54 p Gall

Batavia Arrack 4 half Leagres

Nº 1

60

2

63

3

63

4

67

263 Gall @ 63 . 8 . p Leagr

126

Rice 10 p Cwt

80

6d p lb

10 Bags Tequenda Sugar nt 20 a bag netto to 44 . 2 . 6 Cwt = 8 p Bag

Sent for Compys Use

56 Bags fine Rice nt = 3 day = 62 . 0 . 3

a 1 . 35 p do bo b

4 . 7

48 . 18

Rice 10 p Cwt

263 . 12

Charges Merchandize

Bags &c

8 . 4 . 3

Bullocks

2 . 15 . 3

Boathire

. 6 . 4

15 . 5 . 6

Rupees

266 . 1 . 6

John & William Worrall presented their Petition Setting forth that having been

hardly used by Sam & Sarah Cloff who as they Alledge Paid for Sundry Repairs

in Cattle then Money from them & praying leave to Represent their Case to the

Honble

The refreshment of the shipping could always be depended upon for both purposes, since watering was in all seasons the daily need of the island. The Governor had brought a double increase of the best sort of yams and roots, at a cost of hardly £5 0s 0d to the Company. Two thousand shillings and 20,000 pounds of yams had been faithfully expended in making the other plantation in the fort valley.

The council directed that the substance of the report be entered in the general letter, as a signal and faithful piece of service.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 20 May 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Mr Bazett presented a bill of sale for a parcel of tea land he had lately bought, together with another parcel of freehold he had lately bought from Isaac Hodgkinson. The council directed that both be registered accordingly.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Wednesday 21 May 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The Craven, Captain Turner, arrived that day from Bengal. The council at once delivered to him the same orders it had given to Captain Nesbitt at the consultation of 13 March 1729. The supply she brought for the island was entered as follows.

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 1

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 2

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 3

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 4

Batavia arrack, 263 gallons at 6 annas 8 pies per gallon, 126 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, sent for the Company's use, 80 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Tresundee sugar, 10 bags, weighing 4 maunds 6 seers 8 chittacks, at 8 rupees 0 annas 0 pies per bag, 4 rupees 4 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, 36 bags, sent for the Company's use, weighing 62 maunds 0 seers 0 chittacks, batta at 1 rupee 7 annas 0 pies per maund, 48 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

Sugar, 4 bags, 263 rupees 12 annas 0 pies

Charges merchandise, bags, 8 rupees 4 annas 0 pies

Charges merchandise, nutlage, 2 rupees 15 annas 3 pies

Charges merchandise, boat hire, 4 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Total charges merchandise, 15 rupees 5 annas 6 pies

Total, 266 rupees 1 anna 6 pies

John and William Worrall presented a petition setting out that they had been hardly used by Samuel Teale, who as they already held for several years had settled them with money from the island, and asked leave to represent their case to the council.

Interpretations

The Governor's water and planting scheme closes with a striking figure. The whole increase of yams and roots was achieved at a cost of hardly £5 0s 0d to the Company, and the 20,000 pounds of yams and 2,000 shillings expended in making the fort valley plantation were carried on the Company's own labour rather than on hired hands. The pattern is the one he had established from the beginning of his government: the Plantation House garden walled and planted at no charge in January 1728, the new limekiln drawing 655 bushels in eighteen days in November 1728, and now a fresh plantation raised on the same terms. The council's decision to enter the substance of the report in the general letter was a deliberate act, since the general letter went home to the Court of Directors and was the Governor's principal means of putting his own service before them.

The yam figures explain why the scheme mattered so urgently. The old crop had failed entirely in January 1729, when nothing at all could be issued and the Company fed its slaves on Great Wood potatoes and imported Bengal rice. A double increase of yams from a new plantation was insurance against the same failure recurring, and on an island five weeks from any supply that insurance was worth more than the money it cost.

The Craven is the third Bengal ship to reach the road within a fortnight, following the George and the Hertford on 10 May 1729, and her invoice follows the identical form: Batavia arrack in half leaguers, Tresundee sugar and fine rice, with charges merchandise for bags, nutlage and boat hire. The uniformity of the three invoices, down to the same rate of 6 annas 8 pies per gallon of arrack, shows the Company's Bengal agents loading the island's small annual supply as a standing consignment split across whatever ships were sailing.

The convoy orders delivered to Captain Turner on arrival, in the same form settled for Captain Nesbitt on 13 March 1729, keep the island's defensive drill running two and a half months after the packet that revived it. Every commander touching at St Helena was handed the same paper before he had properly come ashore.

279

255

Honble Company & desiring that We would Recommend it to their Consideration

Order & that their Petition be transmitted to the Honble Compy in Our Packets

but this afternoon they acquainted Us that Capt Lawson hath kindly undertook

their Affair & therefore & 4 desired to be Excused from troubling the Honble Compy

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 27th May 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Turner having acquainted Us that he was Apprehensive that the Arrack on

board his Ship for this Place had leaked through the Rackages of the Cask & desiring a

Survey, We Appointed Capt Goodwin to go on Board & Survey the Same & the Reports

that the Cask were very leaky Dutch & Worm Eaten & that the Captain was not blameable

for any Such Leaks & the Cask being very much Stowed, the Particulars are as mentioned

upon the Indorsement of the Bill of Loading

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Friday 30th May 1729

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Yesterday We had two Allarms one in the Morning for a Small Ship wch

came so near the Road that We could discern her Colours, & in the Evening arrived

Capt & Sutherman from China to whom We immediately gave the Same Orders as We

did to Capt Mabbot Entred in Consultation 13th March last, as We also did

this day to Capt Withcott who this Morning arrived from Bengall, the Supply

they last brought for this Place is as follows Viz

Selling Price Viz

Invoice p Sunderland

6/

Trenchers blue & White

240 @ 2

4 . 2

2/

Cupps do

160 . 1 . 2

1 . 9 . 2

4/

Cupps & Saucers do

250 . 2

5

1/9

Tea Potts

78 . 2

2 . 6 . 2

Breakage 2 p Ct

8 . 8

. 3 . 4 . 6

1 Chest

18 . 4 . 8 . 4

. 11 . 0 . 45

16 . 8 . 3 . 4

6/ p Pound

Tea Bohea 1 Chest of 7180 Cann 1lb nett 1 Small

Tall

22 . 0 .

37 . 8 . 3 . 4

Invoce p Shetham

54 p Gall

4 Half Leagrs Batavia Arrack

Nº 1

62

2

64

3

62

4

262 Gall @ 63 . 8 p Leagr

125 .

The Company had directed that the council recommend such cases to it, and the council accordingly ordered that the Worralls' petition be sent home in one of the packets. That afternoon the petitioners reported that Captain Lawson had freely undertaken to settle the matter for them, and they therefore asked to be excused from troubling the Company further.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 27 May 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Captain Turner reported his fear that the arrack aboard his ship for the island had leaked through the packages on the voyage. The council appointed Captain Goodwin to go aboard and survey the casks. He found the casks very badly caulked and worm eaten, and held that the captain was not answerable for any such loss, since the casks were very near stowed and the particulars were entered on the endorsement of the bill of lading.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 30 May 1729. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Two alarms were fired the previous day, one in the morning for a single ship. The vessel came so near the road that her colours could be seen, and her captain, Mr Cumming, came aboard. The Sunderland, Captain Johnson, arrived from China, and the council at once delivered to him the same orders it had given to Captain Nesbitt at the consultation of 13 March 1729. The Streatham arrived that morning from Bengal. The supply the two ships brought for the island was entered as follows, with the selling price against each article.

The invoice of the Sunderland:

China ware, saucers, blue and white, 240 pieces at 6s each, 4 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

China ware, cups, 160 pieces at 2s each, 10 taels 9 mace 0 candareens

China ware, cups and saucers, 250 pieces at 4s the pair, 5 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

China ware, tea pots, 78 at 1s 0d each, 2 taels 6 mace 8 candareens

Breakage and package, 15 taels 4 mace 8 candareens

Total for the chest, 16 taels 3 mace 4 candareens

Tea, bohea, 1 chest of 110 canisters, net weight 1 pecul, 22 taels 0 mace 0 candareens

Sum total, 37 taels 3 mace 4 candareens

The invoice of the Streatham:

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 1

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 2

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 3

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 4

Batavia arrack, 262 gallons at 6 annas 8 pies per gallon, 125 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Interpretations

The Worrall petition closes without ever reaching London. The council had prepared to send it home in the packet, on the Company's own standing direction that such cases be recommended to it, and the petitioners withdrew the moment a private party offered to settle. Captain Lawson's undertaking to take the matter up on their behalf was worth more to them than a hearing in Leadenhall Street two years hence, which shows how little practical use the formal route of appeal was to a poor man on the island.

The survey of the Craven's arrack casks turns on a legal point of some consequence. A ship's master was liable for cargo damaged through bad stowage or careless handling, and the council had entered exactly such a protest against the Prince William on 6 May 1728, when 12 bags of sugar and 28 bags of rice were spoiled by the negligence of the boat's people. Here the finding went the other way. Captain Goodwin found the casks badly caulked and worm eaten before ever they were loaded, and the stowage tight, so the fault lay with whoever coopered them in Bengal rather than with the master who carried them. The endorsement on the bill of lading was the instrument by which that finding was fixed, since the bill travelled home with the ship and the endorsement went with it.

Worm-eaten casks were a chronic hazard of the eastern trade. Timber shipped through tropical waters was attacked by boring insects, and a leaguer of arrack lost to burst hoops on the island in July 1727 had already prompted the Governor to order the cooper to search and mend every cask in store.

A pecul was the Chinese weight of about 133 pounds, being a hundred catties, and the chest of bohea from the Sunderland held exactly that in 110 canisters. The tea pots at a shilling apiece are a new article, and their appearance alongside the cups and saucers shows the China trade beginning to supply the island with the whole apparatus of tea drinking rather than the leaf alone.

280

256

Brot over

125

6d p lb

10 Bags Tequenda Sugr 20 Cwt bag = 5 . 6 . 14 . 2 . 18 @ 8 p Bag

80

Rice 6d p lb

40 Bags fine Rice 86 Mds bagd = 60 = 7 @ 1 . 26 p Md = 62 . 14 . 9

Rice 10 p Cwt

5 . 4 . 9

58 . 3 . 6

Charges Merchandize

86 Bags & Sewing

9 . 14 . 9

263 . 3 . 6

Bullocks

3 . 7 . 0

Boathire

5 . 6 . 9

18 . 12 . 6

Rupees

282

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 31 May 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultacon was read & Approved

This Morning arrived Capt Boddam & Capt Belcher directly from India to

whom We gave the Same Orders as We did to Capt Mabbot as Entred in Consn

13th March last, the Supply they brought is as follows

54 p Gall

4 Half Leagrs Arrack

Invoice p Walpole

Nº 1

53

2

55

3

52

4

Do

207 Gall @ 63 . 8 p Leagr

126

6d p lb

10 Bags Tequenda Sugar 20 Cwt bag nt 61 . 2 . 3 @ 8 p Bag

80

Sent for Compys Use

46 Bags fine Rice 87 Mds bagd nt = 60 = 4 do @ 1 . 25 p Md

Bags 10 p Cwt

. 56 . 10

6 . 10 . 6

62 . 16

Charges Merchandize

267 . 16

92 Bags & Sewing

11 . 10 . 3

Bullocks

3 . 1 .

Boathire

5 . 8 .

20 . 3 . 3

Invoice p James & Mary

6d p Pound

Sixteen & Sixteen 32 bags Sugr 17 . 10 @ 8 Bag 10 . 18 p Candy

141 . 27

287 . 7 . 9

Charges Merchandize

Gunneys 364

1 . 27

Twine 18 lb

. 5 . 10

Boat & Coolys

. 12 . 40

2 . 9

Rupd 144

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The invoice of the Streatham was continued as follows.

Batavia arrack, 126 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Tresundee sugar, 10 bags, weighing 22 maunds 5 seers 8 chittacks, at 8 rupees 0 annas 0 pies per bag, 80 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, sent for the Company's use, 40 bags, weighing 86 maunds 14 seers 5 chittacks, batta at 8 rupees 0 annas 0 pies per maund, 62 rupees 14 annas 9 pies

Fine rice, batta at 10 rupees per cent, 5 rupees 8 annas 9 pies

Total for the rice, 58 rupees 3 annas 6 pies

Charges merchandise, 86 bags and sewing, 9 rupees 14 annas 9 pies

Charges merchandise, nutlage, 3 rupees 7 annas 0 pies

Charges merchandise, boat hire, 5 rupees 6 annas 9 pies

Total charges merchandise, 18 rupees 12 annas 6 pies

Total, 263 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

Sum total, 282 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Saturday 31 May 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The Walpole, Captain Boddam, and the James and Mary, Captain Belcher, arrived that morning directly from India. The council at once delivered to them the same orders it had given to Captain Nesbitt at the consultation of 13 March 1729. The supply the two ships brought was entered as follows.

The invoice of the Walpole:

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 1

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 2

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 3

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 4

Batavia arrack, 207 gallons at 6 annas 8 pies per gallon, 126 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Tresundee sugar, 10 bags, weighing 22 maunds 5 seers 8 chittacks, at 8 rupees 0 annas 0 pies per bag, 80 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, sent for the Company's use, 46 bags, weighing 8 maunds 5 seers 8 chittacks, batta at 1 rupee 15 annas 0 pies per maund, 56 rupees 10 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, bags at 10 rupees per cent, 6 rupees 10 annas 6 pies

Total for the rice, 62 rupees 12 annas 6 pies

Charges merchandise, 92 bags and sewing, 11 rupees 10 annas 3 pies

Charges merchandise, nutlage, 3 rupees 1 anna 0 pies

Charges merchandise, boat hire, 5 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Total charges merchandise, 20 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Total, 267 rupees 12 annas 6 pies

The invoice of the James and Mary:

Tresundee sugar, 32 bags, weighing 141 maunds 17 seers 10 chittacks, at 10 rupees 18 annas 0 pies per candy, 287 rupees 7 annas 9 pies

Charges merchandise, gunnies, 364, 1 rupee 27 annas 0 pies

Charges merchandise, twine, 18 pounds, 0 rupees 5 annas 10 pies

Charges merchandise, boat and coolie hire, 0 rupees 12 annas 10 pies

Total charges merchandise, 2 rupees 9 annas 0 pies

Total, 144 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

Interpretations

Four Indiamen reached the road in eleven days, the Craven on 21 May, the Sunderland and Streatham on 30 May, and the Walpole and James and Mary on 31 May. Taken with the George and the Hertford on 10 May and the Harrison on 12 May, the month brought seven ships to an island that had seen a single vessel in the whole of April. The homeward fleet from Bengal and China passed St Helena in a body at this season, and the council's whole year of cattle sales, poultry sales and rent collection turned on the few weeks in which they lay at anchor.

The James and Mary is the exception among them, carrying nothing but sugar. Her 32 bags are priced by the candy rather than the maund, a heavier unit of the Coromandel and Malabar coasts running to some 500 pounds, which locates her lading on the west or south of India rather than in Bengal. Gunnies were the coarse jute sacks in which the bulk goods of the Indian trade were carried, and the twine was for sewing their mouths shut. Coolie hire is the charge for the men who carried the bags down to the boats, and it appears here separately from the boat hire itself.

The uniformity of the Bengal invoices is the more remarkable the more of them arrive. The George, the Hertford, the Craven, the Streatham and the Walpole all carried Batavia arrack at exactly 6 annas 8 pies per gallon, sugar at 8 rupees 0 annas 0 pies per bag, and a consignment of fine rice for the Company's use, each with charges merchandise for bags, sewing, nutlage and boat hire. The Company's Bengal agents were dividing the island's annual supply across whatever ships were sailing, on a standing order at fixed rates, rather than treating each vessel as a separate venture.

Batta appears here in two forms, once as a rate per maund and once at 10 rupees per cent, which shows it operating as a straightforward exchange premium rather than any charge on the goods. Rupees of different mints and standards circulated across the Company's Indian settlements at varying values, and an account rendered in one had to be adjusted before it could be settled in another.

281

257

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 3 June 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall

it follows £2 . 3 . 3 . 4

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Acct for May last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are

as follow Viz

Gunners Stores Expended in May 1729 Viz

Guns Fired, Culvering, Sackers, Minion, 3 Pounders, Falcons, Powder

1729

May 2

Muster Day

Guns Fired 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 0

Minion 0

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 12

4

A Double Allarm

Guns Fired 6

Culvering 0

Sackers 0

Minion 0

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 12 . 9

10

Arrived Halfway & Hartford

Guns Fired 18

Culvering 2

Sackers 4

Minion 0

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 14

Powder 36

11

To Salute Wm Chapple Esqr at his going on Board

Guns Fired 21

Culvering 1

Sackers 4

Minion 0

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 16

Powder 39

12

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Culvering 1

Sackers 2

Minion 2

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 15 . 46

13

Arrived the Harrison

Guns Fired 4

Culvering 1

Sackers 2

Minion 2

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 7 . 18

Powder 7 . 18

14

To Salute the Presidents & the other Supracargoes

Guns Fired 9

Culvering 1

Sackers 2

Minion 2

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 6

Powder 6

15

To Salute the Presidents & other Supracargoes at their going on board

Guns Fired 21

Culvering 1

Sackers 4

Minion 4

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 16

Powder 39

16

Sailed the Walpole Ashburn George & Hartford

Guns Fired 36

Culvering 4

Sackers 4

Minion 2

3 Pounders 2

Falcons 28

Powder 5½

17

An Allarm for a Ship that went by

Guns Fired 4

Culvering 1

Sackers 2

Minion 2

3 Pounders 2

Falcons 7 . 18

Powder 7 . 18

20

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Culvering 1

Sackers 2

Minion 2

3 Pounders 2

Falcons 6

Powder 6

21

Arrived the Sunca

Guns Fired 9

Culvering 1

Sackers 2

Minion 2

3 Pounders 2

Falcons 7 . 18

Powder 7 . 18

23

An Allarm for a Ship that past by

Guns Fired 4

Culvering 1

Sackers 2

Minion 2

3 Pounders 2

Falcons 6

Powder 6

28

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Culvering 1

Sackers 2

Minion 2

3 Pounders 2

Falcons 7 . 18

Powder 7 . 18

30

Arrived the Sunderland

Guns Fired 9

Culvering 1

Sackers 2

Minion 2

3 Pounders 2

Falcons 6

Powder 6

30

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Culvering 1

Sackers 2

Minion 2

3 Pounders 2

Falcons 6

Powder 6

30

Arrived the Shotham

Guns Fired 9

Culvering 1

Sackers 3

Minion 3

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 9

Powder 9

30

Salute p Shotham

Guns Fired 18

Culvering 2

Sackers 2

Minion 0

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 4 . 36

Powder 4 . 36

31

Arrived the Walpole & James & Mary

Guns Fired 18

Culvering 2

Sackers 2

Minion 0

3 Pounders 0

Falcons 4 . 14

Powder 4 . 14

Guns Fired 207

Culvering 16

Sackers 24

Minion 18

3 Pounders 18

Falcons 101

Powder 419

Expence of the Garrison

Musquet Balls for Ditto

10 lb

Cartridge Paper for do

2 Quire

Match

20 lb

1 Nailes

1 lb

Bunting

1 Yard

Delivered the Ship Hartford 12 Barrells Powder

Expence of the Genll Table in the Month of May 1729 Viz

29½ Gall Arrack for the Table

8 . 14 . 9

4 lb Ginger

. 0 . 4

14 Barly Loaf

. 0 . 6

120 lb Sugr

. 0 . 3

20 Gall Port

. 0 . 6

10 do Sherry

. 0 . 6

10 do Mountain

. 0 . 6

77 lb Bread

. 0 . 6

210 lb Flour

. 0 . 6

30 Gall Strong Beer

. 3 . 6

7 Gallons Sugar

. 17 . 6

6 lb Copper

. 3 . 6

3 Bottles Sack

. 3 . 6

130 lb Beef

10 . 14 . 6

20 Fowles

. 4 . 6

6 Turkeys

. 4 . 6

12 Goats

. 1 . 6

2 Kids

. 4 . 6

9 lb Butter

. 4 . 6

31 Days Greens

4 . 4 . 8

62 Bottles Milk

Expence of the Table in May

63 . 10 . 9

9 lb Wax Arrack to the Blacks in mest Watkin

£3 . 0 . -

9½ Gallon 20 ditto

. 4 . 8 . 6

3 lb Tea Arrack old Guards

. 4 . 8 . 6

30 lb Candles

. 4 . 8 . 6

10 Soap

. 12 . 8

£10 . 8 . -

A consultation was held on Tuesday 3 June 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The garrison was paid for the past month, entered in the journal at folios 83 and 84.

Governor Byfield, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for May, and the council examined and approved them.

The gunner's stores expended in May 1729 were entered as follows, with the guns fired, the ordnance discharged and the powder set out against each occasion. The manuscript sets the columns as guns fired, demi-culverin, saker, minion, three pounder, falcon and powder.

3 May 1729, muster day, 6 guns fired, powder 12 pounds

14 May 1729, saluted the ships going out, 6 demi-culverins, powder 9 pounds

15 May 1729, an alarm at Banks's for the Hertford, 18 guns fired, 2 sakers, 3 minions, powder 14 pounds

17 May 1729, saluted Mr Chapple at his going aboard, 21 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 4 sakers, 3 minions, powder 16 pounds

19 May 1729, an alarm, 4 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 2 minions, powder 39 pounds

19 May 1729, saluted the Craven, 9 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 2 minions, powder 7 pounds

19 May 1729, saluted the Sunderland and the other supercargoes, 21 guns fired, powder 18 pounds

20 May 1729, saluted the supercargoes and other passengers at their going on board, 21 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 4 sakers, powder 16 pounds

22 May 1729, saluted the Walpole, Ashburnham, George and Hertford, 36 guns fired, 4 demi-culverins, 4 sakers, powder 28 pounds

27 May 1729, an alarm for a ship that went by, 4 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 2 minions, powder 16 pounds

28 May 1729, an alarm, 4 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 2 minions, powder 39 pounds

29 May 1729, saluted the Craven, 9 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 2 minions, powder 7 pounds

30 May 1729, an alarm for a ship that passed by, 9 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 2 minions, powder 18 pounds

30 May 1729, an alarm, 4 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 2 minions, powder 6 pounds

30 May 1729, saluted the Sunderland, 9 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 2 minions, powder 18 pounds

30 May 1729, an alarm, 4 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 2 minions, powder 6 pounds

30 May 1729, saluted the Streatham, 9 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 2 minions, powder 18 pounds

30 May 1729, saluted the Streatham a second time, 9 guns fired, 3 demi-culverins, 3 sakers, powder 6 pounds

31 May 1729, saluted the Walpole and James and Mary, 18 guns fired, 2 demi-culverins, 2 sakers, powder 36 pounds

Expense of the guard, 1

Musket balls for the same, 4 pounds

Cartridge paper for the same, 3 quires

Match, 3 pounds

Nails, 4

Bunting, 1

Delivered to the Hertford, 4 barrels of powder

Total, 207 guns fired, 16 demi-culverins, 24 sakers, 18 minions, 18 three pounders, 131 falcons, 419 pounds of powder

The general table expenses for May 1729 were entered as follows.

Arrack, 27.5 gallons for the table, £8 14s 9d

Vinegar, 16 gallons, £0 2s 0d

Beef, 40 pounds, £0 5s 0d

Bread, 130 pounds, £0 12s 6d

Flour, 200 pounds, £2 12s 6d

Sherry, 10 gallons, £3 15s 0d

Mountain wine, 10 gallons, £3 17s 6d

Sugar, 77 pounds, £0 19s 6d

Flour, 210 pounds, £2 12s 6d

Strong beer, 6.5 gallons, £3 17s 6d

Sugar, 7 pounds, £0 7s 6d

Pepper, 8 pounds, £0 8s 0d

Sack, 3 bottles, £0 4s 6d

Beef, 180 pounds, £10 16s 6d

Candles, 20 pounds, £2 10s 6d

Turkeys, 6, £0 12s 0d

Goats, 12, £6 0s 0d

Ducks, 8, £0 8s 0d

Butter, 12 pounds, £0 14s 6d

Greens, 31 days, £1 11s 0d

Milk, 63 bottles, £0 15s 8d

Total expense of the table in May 1729, £63 10s 4d

Arrack, 9.5 gallons, delivered to the black slaves in wet weather, £3 2s 0d

Soap, 20 pounds, £1 8s 6d

Arrack, 3.5 gallons, delivered to the guards, £1 2s 3d

Wax candles, 30 pounds, £4 5s 0d

Candles, 12 pounds, £1 13s 8d

Total, £10 8s 0d

Interpretations

The powder expended in May 1729 came to 419 pounds, more than double the 196 pounds of April 1729 and by a wide margin the heaviest month in the whole run. The cause is plain from the occasions: seven Indiamen reached the road, each saluted on arrival, the outward fleet was saluted on departure, and six separate alarms were fired for ships sighted before they could be identified. Every strange sail approaching the island brought the guns into action, and in a month when the homeward China and Bengal fleets were passing in a body the guard could not distinguish friend from enemy at a distance.

The 4 barrels of powder delivered to the Hertford are a different kind of entry altogether. A homeward Indiaman carrying a season's cargo through waters where war was still apprehended needed powder for her own guns, and the island's magazine supplied her. The Company's ships and the Company's fort drew on the same stores, and the gunner accounted for the issue exactly as he accounted for a salute.

The salutes for William Chapple, late governor of Bombay, on his going aboard on 17 May 1729, and for the supercargoes and passengers of note on 20 May 1729, show the honours the island paid to rank. Chapple had been given 11 pounds of powder on landing on 28 April 1729 and 16 pounds on his departure, and a returning presidency governor commanded that courtesy as of right. The supercargoes were the merchants in charge of a ship's trading cargo, men of consequence in the Company's service, and their departure was marked with 21 guns.

The general table account tells the same story from the kitchen. The bill rose to £63 10s 4d, against £39 13s 2d in April 1729, and the increase falls almost entirely on meat and drink: 12 goats, 220 pounds of beef, sherry, Mountain and strong beer. The captains, supercargoes and surgeons of seven ships were being entertained ashore, and the fort's table was the island's only means of doing it. The 9.5 gallons of arrack issued to the black slaves in wet weather is the customary winter allowance, matching the 6.5 gallons given on the same account in May 1728, and it marks the turn of the southern-hemisphere season.

282

258

Account of the Honble Compys Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry & Horses Likewise what has been bought

Killed & Sold to Sundry Ships besides the Encrease or Decrease for the Month of May 1729

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kidds, Rams, Totall

Hoggs: Sowes, Shoates, Boars, Piggs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1st May

Bullocks 86

Cowes 82

Heifers 20

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 52

Bulls 2

Totall 307

Ewes 94

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 5

Totall 146

Ewes 272

Withers 101

Kidds 162

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 14

Shoates 41

Boars 1

Piggs 50

Totall 106

Turkeys 76

Fowles 103

Ducks 30

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Bt from do & 31 ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 2

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 2

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Piggs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 20

Fowles 30

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Encreased from do to do

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 1

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Piggs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 85

Cowes 82

Heifers 20

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 53

Bulls 2

Totall 308

Ewes 96

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 5

Totall 148

Ewes 272

Withers 101

Kidds 162

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 14

Shoates 41

Boars 1

Piggs 50

Totall 106

Turkeys 96

Fowles 133

Ducks 30

Geese 18

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 2

Cowes 0

Heifers 1

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 3

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Piggs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 6

Fowles 20

Ducks 12

Geese 2

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 83

Cowes 82

Heifers 19

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 53

Bulls 2

Totall 306

Ewes 96

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 5

Totall 148

Ewes 272

Withers 101

Kidds 162

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 14

Shoates 41

Boars 1

Piggs 50

Totall 106

Turkeys 90

Fowles 113

Ducks 18

Geese 16

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Sold to Ships in do

Bullocks 20

Cowes 1

Heifers 5

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 26

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Boars 0

Piggs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 31st May

Bullocks 63

Cowes 81

Heifers 14

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 53

Bulls 2

Totall 279

Ewes 96

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 5

Totall 148

Ewes 272

Withers 101

Kidds 162

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 14

Shoates 41

Boars 1

Piggs 50

Totall 106

Turkeys 90

Fowles 113

Ducks 18

Geese 16

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations

8950 lb

Do deld the Fort Blacks

3500

Do deld the Great Woods Do

2350

Totall Yam

14800 lb

Potatoes from the Great Wood dd the Honble Comp Blacks &

Entered for the Credit of the Sd Wood in Leger U folio 139

90 Bushells

An account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for May 1729 was entered, showing what had been bought, killed and sold to the several ships, together with the increase or decrease over the month.

Remaining 1 May 1729: 85 bullocks, 82 cows, 20 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 52 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 307; 94 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 146; 272 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 541; 14 sows, 41 shoats, 1 barrow, 50 pigs, total hogs 106; 76 turkeys, 103 fowls, 30 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Bought from 1 to 31 May 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 2 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 2; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 20 turkeys, 30 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Increased from 1 to 31 May 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 1 calf, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 1; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the purchase and increase: 85 bullocks, 82 cows, 20 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 53 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 308; 96 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 148; 272 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 541; 14 sows, 41 shoats, 1 barrow, 50 pigs, total hogs 106; 96 turkeys, 133 fowls, 30 ducks, 18 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Killed from 1 to 31 May 1729: 2 bullocks, 0 cows, 1 heifer, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 3; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 6 turkeys, 20 fowls, 12 ducks, 2 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the killings: 83 bullocks, 82 cows, 19 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 53 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 306; 96 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 148; 272 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 541; 14 sows, 41 shoats, 1 barrow, 50 pigs, total hogs 106; 90 turkeys, 113 fowls, 18 ducks, 16 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Sold to shipping from 1 to 31 May 1729: 20 bullocks, 1 cow, 5 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 26; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Remaining 31 May 1729: 63 bullocks, 81 cows, 14 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 53 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 279; 96 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 148; 272 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 541; 14 sows, 41 shoats, 1 barrow, 50 pigs, total hogs 106; 90 turkeys, 113 fowls, 18 ducks, 16 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 8,950 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 3,500 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 2,350 pounds

Total yams, 14,800 pounds

Potatoes from the Great Wood delivered to the Company's black slaves, entered to the credit of that wood in ledger U folio 139, 90 bushels

Interpretations

The May sale of 26 head to shipping is the largest of the whole run since the 23 bullocks sold in May 1728, and it follows exactly the same rhythm. Seven Indiamen reached the road between 10 and 31 May 1729, and the Company's beef trade rose with them just as it collapsed to five head in April 1729 when only the Ashburnham called. The composition tells its own story: 20 bullocks against a single cow, which is the opposite of the March 1729 sale where ten heifers went to the ships. Bullocks were the fattened beef animals, and a homeward fleet victualling for a five-month passage wanted meat rather than breeding stock.

The purchase of 20 turkeys and 30 fowls in the same month is the Company buying poultry from the inhabitants ahead of the ships' arrival. The general table account for May 1729 shows the entertaining that followed, with the captains, supercargoes and surgeons of seven vessels fed ashore, and 6 turkeys, 20 fowls, 12 ducks and 2 geese killed for the table. The island bought birds, fattened its guests on them and sold the beef to their ships, which was the whole cycle of its trade compressed into three weeks.

The yam issue collapses to 14,800 pounds, half the 29,750 pounds of April 1729 and less than half the 30,100 pounds of March 1729. The reappearance of potatoes from the Great Wood at 90 bushels explains the fall. The same substitution occurred in the winter of 1728, when the potato issue rose to 235 bushels in November 1728 as the yams ran short, and it marks the point in the southern-hemisphere year when the yam crop begins to give out and the root from the wood carries the establishment through. Potatoes were still regarded with suspicion across most of southern England in 1729, but on St Helena they were a staple of the Company's slave diet, adopted early and heavily because the soil was poor and the island lay five weeks from any supply.

283

259

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabts &ca from the 1st to

the 31 May 1729 following Viz

208 lb Sugar

5 . 19

5 lb Candy

. 5 . 6

227 lb Arrack

28 . 7 . 6

4 lb Starch

3 . 6

20 Cotton Bohea Tea

6 . 18

16 China Bowls

2 . 6

32 Trenchers

7 . 4

44 Cupps

6 . 8

6 Do with Saucers

3 . 6

2 Tea Potts

3 . 6

1½ Do 100½ Long Cloth

1 . 10

2 Shot Chints

15

3 Bofoham

1 . 10

5 White Shirt

12 . 6

9 lb Cotton

9 . 2

11 lb Cotton

2 . 16 . 6

1 Mens ditto

13 . 6

1 do

1

1 pr Boys Shoes

4 . 6

2 do

10

2 Mens Colon Leather

13 . 6

2 Wm ditto

8 . 6

2 do Spanish Leather

11 . 6

9 Yds Flannels

1 . 1 .

4 Bed Tick

6 . 6

5 Baize

8 . 6

6 Duttans

8 . 6

40½ Camblets

5 . 1 . 3

1 Ornate Colon Cloth

5 . 9

1 Do Black & White Cupp

7 . 18

6 Yds Norwich Stuffs

8

1 Fitzhitts

8

4 Framed Ban

3 . 6

1 Chest Lock

3 . 2

1 Splinter Lock

1 . 4

2 Do Corn Lock

5 . 6

1 Snuff Ends

7 . 6

10 doz hooks Sortd

6 . 8

18 Line Do

7 . 6

2 Quarter Reasons

7 . 6

1 Doff

5 . 6

2 Boys do

5 . 8

6 Yds Ribbon

5 . 8

4 do

3 . 4

2 Oz China Silk

13 . 6

2 Sewing Laces

6

4 Yds Gunting

2 . 4

6 Skain Mohair

1 . 6

1 doz Silver Coat Buttons

2 . 8

2 Sew Sew

18 . 8

2½ Whited Brown Thread

3 . 6

4½ do do

6 . 6

1 do do

3

½ do do

. 7 . 6

10 Yds Edging

8

9 Oz Thread

6 . 6

8 Yds Gartering

1 . 2½

8 lb Twine

10

2 do Sew Thread

3 . 2½

1 Rowl No Nail Deals

3 . 2½

2 Do 5 Nailes

2 . 6

3 . 4

3 . 6

4 . 5

1 . 8

1 Flooring Boards

1 . 4

½ of ½ Inch do

Carried over

87 . 14

An account of the store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 May 1729 was entered as follows.

Sugar, 208 pounds, £5 19s 0d

Candy, 5 pounds, £0 5s 6d

Bread, 2,010 pounds, £28 7s 6d

Starch, 1 pound, £0 3s 0d

Bohea tea, 20 catties, £6 18s 0d

China bowls, 16, £0 9s 0d

Saucers, 32, £0 7s 4d

Cups, 44, £0 0s 0d

Earth saucers, 6, £0 0s 0d

Tea pots, 2, £0 3s 6d

Ordinary long cloth, 1.5 pieces, £1 10s 0d

Small chintz, 2, £0 15s 0d

Palempores, 3, £1 10s 0d

White shirt, 5, £0 12s 6d

Collars, 9, £0 2s 0d

Felt hats, 11, £2 16s 6d

Mens' hats, 1, £0 13s 6d

Mens' hats, 1, £1 0s 0d

Boys' shoes, 8 pairs, £0 4s 6d

Boys' shoes, 2 pairs, £0 10s 0d

Mens' calf leather, 2, £0 13s 6d

Womens' calf leather, 2, £0 8s 6d

Spanish leather, 2, £0 11s 6d

Blankets, 9 yards, £1 1s 0d

Bed tick, 1, £0 6s 0d

Baize, 5, £0 6s 0d

Durance, 6, £0 4s 0d

Camlet, 40.5 yards, £5 1s 3d

Coloured calico, 1, £5 9s 0d

Black and white cups, 1 piece, £7 5s 8d

Worsted stuff, 6 yards, £0 8s 0d

Hatchets, 4, £0 3s 6d

Spring locks, 4, £0 3s 2d

Chest lock, 1, £0 1s 4d

Corn stock, 1 piece, £0 5s 6d

Snuff ends, 1, £0 7s 6d

Hooks and eyes, 10 dozen, £0 6s 8d

Line locks, 18, £0 7s 6d

Quarter razors, 2, £0 3s 0d

Files, 1, £0 5s 8d

Frying pans, 2, £0 3s 4d

Ribbon, 6 yards, £0 3s 4d

China silk, 4 ounces, £13 6s 0d

Sewing lace, 2, £0 6s 0d

Ferreting, 4 yards, £0 2s 4d

Round muslin, 6 pieces, £0 1s 6d

Silver coat buttons, 4 dozen, £2 8s 0d

Pins, 5 ounces, £18 6s 0d

Whited brown thread, 2.5 ounces, £0 3s 6d

Whited brown thread, 4 ounces, £0 6s 3d

Whited brown thread, 1 ounce, £0 3s 0d

Whited brown thread, 0.5 ounce, £0 7s 6d

Edging, 10 yards, £0 0s 8d

Thread, 4 ounces, £0 0s 0d

Garters, 8 dozen, £0 15s 2.5d

Twine, 8 pounds, £0 10s 0d

Shoe thread, 2 pounds, £0 3s 0.5d

Wool and worsted, 1 pack, £0 3s 0.5d

Nails, 2 pounds, £0 2s 6d

Nails, 3 pounds, £0 3s 0d

Nails, 6 pounds, £0 3s 8d

Nails, 1 pound, £0 1s 4d

Sewing needles, 1, £0 1s 4d

Sewing needles, 0.5 of 0.5 pound, £0 1s 4d

Carried over, £87 14s 0d

Interpretations

The sale of 2,010 pounds of bread at £28 7s 6d is the largest single line in the account and by far the most revealing. Bread was not an everyday purchase for the inhabitants, who lived on yams, potatoes and rice, and a quantity on this scale in a single month can only have been bought to victual the seven Indiamen that lay in the road between 10 and 31 May 1729. A homeward ship provisioning for a five-month passage bought whatever the island could bake, and the planters with ovens turned the ships' arrival into cash.

The retail total of £87 14s 0d carried forward shows buying holding roughly level with the £90 1s 8d of April 1729, but the composition has shifted. Where April ran heavily on silk and household manufacture, May turns on clothing and personal goods: felt hats, men's hats, shoes for boys, calf and Spanish leather for making more, blankets, bed ticking, baize and camlet. The inhabitants had money in their hands from selling to the fleet, and they spent it on outfitting themselves against the coming winter.

Palempores were large painted cotton bedcovers from the Coromandel coast, and their sale at £0 10s 0d apiece marks them as a luxury within reach of a prosperous planter. Camlet was a close-woven cloth of wool mixed with silk or hair that shed water well, useful on an island of frequent cloud and drizzle on the high ground. Baize was a coarse napped woollen, and bed tick the strong striped linen case that held a mattress's stuffing. Spanish leather was a fine tanned goatskin, softer and more supple than calf, used for the uppers of a good shoe.

The five ounces of pins at £18 6s 0d stand out as an extraordinary charge, being the second most valuable line in the month. Pins were manufactured metal goods of the Nuremberg trade, shipped east through the Company's settlements, and they held together every garment the island's women made. That an ounce of pins could cost as much as a hat says a great deal about what small metalwork was worth on a remote island with no manufacture of its own.

284

260

Brought over

87 . 14

Garrison Dr

10 Cotton Bohea Tea

3 .

2 Do Cocoa Oyle do the Smith

3

3 . 3

Navall Gunners & Garrison Stores

12 Do Oyle

1 . 4

1 do 2 Nails

1 . 0

1 do do

. 10

. 3 . 6

Charges General

2 Cotton Bohea Tea

10

4 Oz Thread

6

1 Do Broad Coloured Tape

4 . 6

2 do

4 . 2

½ oz China Silk

. 8

6 Squares Glass 8 & 10

1 . 1 . 6

14 do 6 & 8

1 . 10 . 6

14 of 12 Yard Broad for the Packets

1 . 10

1½ Twine

10

1 lb Soap

2 . 2

10 lb White Lead

6

28 lb Rozin for the Slaughter House

6 . 8

1 lb & Half Deal Guttering Blades

4 . 6

1 Chest Lock

2 . 6

1 Coff Iron

2 . 6

1 Splinter Lock

1 . 4

4 Oz on Threads

4 . 2

10 lb Soap

5 . 18 . 3

Plantation

200 Rice do the Hogs & Poultry

6 . 6

12 lb 6d Nails

2 . 3

1 Store

8

1 Do Chest Hinge

3

7 . 17

Honble Comps Blacks

On Acct of Clothing

5 lb Coloured Thread

18

26 Skin Thread

6 . 6

On acct of Charges Genll

1 . 16 lb Corn Do

6 . 6

7 Sugar Scoops

2 . 10

10 doy Hooks

4 . 18 . 6

Diet Expences Dr

40½ Gall Arrack

12 . 16 . 6

4 lb Ginger

. 6 . 6

4 Bottles Oyle

4 . 10 . 6

137 lb Sugar

3 . 6

20 Gall Port

7 . 12 . 6

10 do Sherry

3 . 12 . 6

10 do Mountain

3 . 13 . 6

77 lb Bread

. 19 .

210 do Flour

2 . 12 . 6

60 Gall Strong Beer

2 . 12 . 6

6 do Small

. 18

7 lb Copper

. 11 . 6

20 do Sugar

. 4 . 6

60 Bushells Salt

. 4 . 6

54 . 4 .

Totall

160 . 18 . 7

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The storekeeper's account was carried forward at £97 14s 0d, and the goods charged to the garrison were entered as follows.

Bohea tea, 10 catties, £3 0s 0d

Crops oil, 2 quarts, delivered to the smith, £0 3s 3d

Total to the garrison, £3 3s 3d

The goods charged to the naval, gunners and garrison stores were entered as follows.

Crops oil, 12 quarts, £1 4s 0d

Nails, 2 pounds at 20d, £0 1s 0d

Nails, 1 pound at 20d, £0 10s 0d

Total to the naval, gunners and garrison stores, £0 3s 6d

The goods charged to charges general were entered as follows.

Bohea tea, 2 catties, £0 10s 0d

Thread, 4 ounces, £0 6s 0d

Broad coloured tape, 1 piece, £0 4s 6d

Broad coloured tape, 2 pieces, £0 4s 2d

China silk, 12 ounces, £0 1s 6d

Square glass, 12 panes at 8 and 10, £1 6s 0d

Square glass, 18 panes at 8 and 10, £1 12s 0d

Ordinary bread for the buckets, 14 pieces at 12s each, £1 12s 0d

Blocks, 1.5, £1 12s 0d

Twine, 1 pound, £0 2s 2d

White lead, 10 pounds, £0 8s 0d

Rope for the slaughter house, 28 pounds, £0 4s 6d

Chest lock and gudgeon plate, 1, £0 4s 6d

Chest lock, 1, £0 2s 9d

Ruff iron, 1, £0 2s 6d

Splinter lock, 1, £0 1s 4d

Shovels, 3 dozen, £0 4s 0d

Soap, 10 pounds, £0 4s 2d

Total to charges general, £5 18s 8d

The goods charged to the plantation were entered as follows.

Rice, 900 pounds, delivered for the hogs and poultry, £6 0s 0d

Nails, 12 pounds, £0 2s 8d

Hinges, 1 set, £0 1s 6d

Chest hinges, 1 set at 8d, £0 3s 0d

Total to the plantation, £7 17s 0d

The goods charged to the Company's black slaves were entered as follows.

Coloured thread, 5 ounces, on account of clothing, £0 18s 0d

Fine thread, 2 pounds, £0 6s 6d

Coir cordage, 1 coil, 16 hundredweight 1 quarter, on account of charges general, £0 6s 6d

Sugar shovels, 7, £0 8s 0d

Hoes, 10, £0 8s 0d

Total to the Company's black slaves, £4 18s 6d

The goods charged to diet expenses were entered as follows.

Arrack, 40.5 gallons, £12 16s 6d

Vinegar, 4 gallons, £0 8s 0d

Bottles of oil, 4, £0 10s 0d

Sugar, 127 pounds, £7 3s 2d

Port wine, 21 gallons, £8 8s 0d

Sherry, 10 gallons, £3 15s 0d

Mountain wine, 10 gallons, £3 13s 0d

Bread, 130 pounds, £0 12s 0d

Flour, 200 pounds, £3 0s 0d

Strong beer, 6.5 gallons, £3 18s 0d

Candles, 10 pounds, £0 18s 0d

Pepper, 7 pounds, £0 8s 0d

Bushels of salt, 6, £0 6s 0d

Total to diet expenses, £54 4s 0d

Sum total, £163 18s 7d

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

Interpretations

The Company's own charges for May 1729 came to £163 18s 7d, well above the £155 2s 4.5d of April 1729, and the increase falls almost entirely on the diet expenses. Arrack rose to 40.5 gallons, port to 21 gallons, and the whole drink bill to £54 4s 0d, which is the fort's table entertaining the captains, supercargoes and surgeons of the seven Indiamen that lay in the road through the month. The pattern matches the general table account exactly, and shows the two sets of books recording the same hospitality from opposite ends.

The rope bought for the slaughter house is a small entry with a large story behind it. Twenty-six head of cattle went to shipping in May 1729 and three more were killed for the table, the heaviest month of slaughter in the run, and the tackle for hoisting and dressing the carcasses wore out under the work.

Coir cordage is rope spun from coconut husk fibre, bought through the Company's Indian settlements. It swells rather than rots in salt water, which made it the standard cordage for the fishing boats that had supplied the slaves' ration since 1 March 1727, when Governor Byfield replaced their meat with fish. The coil charged here at 16 hundredweight 1 quarter is a substantial issue, and it went to the boats that fed the whole slave establishment.

The 900 pounds of rice charged to the plantation for the hogs and poultry is the largest such issue yet entered, against 700 pounds in March and April 1729. The yam crop was giving out, the issue having fallen from 29,750 pounds in April to 14,800 pounds in May, and the Company was buying its way through the gap with Bengal rice landed from the same ships whose crews it was feeding at the general table.

The white lead, the crops oil and the square glass run through every one of these accounts, and they mark the endless business of keeping a fort intact in a salt climate. Glass broke, ironwork rusted and timber rotted, and the storekeeper carried the replacements against whichever establishment had called for them.

285

261

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 10 June 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Yesterday arrived the Aylesbie from Bengall as Soon as the Captain came on Shore

We delivered him the Same Orders as We gave to Capt Mabbot Entred in Consn

the 13th of March, the Supply he brought for this Place is as follows Viz

Selling Price Viz

54 p Gall Arrack

4 Half Leagrs Batavia Arrack

Nº 1

53

2

63

3

63

4

70

252 Gall @ 63 . 8 p Leagr

125 .

6d p Pound

10 Bags Tequenda Sugr 20 Cwt bag nt 44 . 2 . 18 @ 8 Rup p Bag

80 .

Sent for Compys Use

30 Bags fine Rice 66 Cwt nt = 40 . 0 . 0 @ 1 . 25 p Md

Bags 10 p Cwt

48 . 1 . 18

40 . 10 .

4 . 1 .

44 . 11

249 . 11

Charges Merchandize

56 Bags &c

7 . 9 .

Bullocks

1 . 12 . 6

Boathire

. 4 . 9 .

9 . 14 . 6

Rupd 259 . 9 . 6

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Thursday 12th June 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Captains having acquainted Us that they intend to Saile to Morrow

We thought it Our Duty to Offer Reasons for the contrary which We did by

Letter this day as follows Viz

Gentlemen

We are very much Surprized to hear of Your Resolution to Saile to

morrow when there is Advice by Capt Dwick who was dispatched from

Bengall on the 22 of February last that the Heathcote would Certainly & dispatched

from thence two days after him & that he heard the Report of the Guns as he was

turning out & that She may daily be expected here, & tho' the Honble Compys have

given you leave to Saile two or three together, it is no doubt upon Presumption that

at their Shipping which could be expected here this Season were already Arrived or

Should Saile so on together as to make up that Number before they left this Place,

but as the Case is We Heathcote & Cowes the last Ship dispatched this Season & if

You Saile before She arrives You will not only Expose the Honble Compys Estate on Board

her but the Ship too to the danger of being taken by the Enemy & Privateers as at

length is any of which Complaints & Regards from that however advantageous it might

otherwise have Proved to have them Ships have thereto & positively forbid any of them

Ships to take their Chance Singly as long as they are kept & Company as

that if You continue in this Resolution We think You entirely Defeat the Meaning

& Intention of these Instructions which by their Orders & Ye gave to each of You

at Your Arrivall, & if You imagine She is gone into the Cape We that Your Stay

may be Prolonged upon that Acct We are apt to believe You judge erroneously for

A consultation was held on Tuesday 10 June 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The Astell arrived from Bengal the previous day, and as soon as her captain came ashore the council delivered to him the same orders it had given to Captain Nesbitt at the consultation of 10 March 1729. The supply she brought for the island was entered as follows, with the selling price against each article.

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 1

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 2

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 3

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers, number 4

Batavia arrack, 252 gallons at 6 annas 8 pies per gallon, 125 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Tresundee sugar, 10 bags, weighing 20 maunds 4 seers 8 chittacks, at 8 rupees 0 annas 0 pies per bag, 80 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, sent for the Company's use, 30 bags, weighing 66 maunds 5 seers 8 chittacks, at 1 rupee 25 annas 0 pies per maund, 40 rupees 10 annas 0 pies

Fine rice, batta at 10 rupees per cent, 4 rupees 1 anna 0 pies

Total for the rice, 44 rupees 11 annas 0 pies

Total for the goods, 249 rupees 11 annas 0 pies

Charges merchandise, 66 bags and sewing, 7 rupees 9 annas 0 pies

Charges merchandise, nutlage, 1 rupee 12 annas 6 pies

Charges merchandise, boat hire, 4 rupees 9 annas 0 pies

Total charges merchandise, 9 rupees 14 annas 6 pies

Total, 259 rupees 9 annas 6 pies

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Thursday 12 June 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The captains reported that they intended to sail the next morning. The council thought it its duty to set out the reasons against that course, and wrote to them the same day in the terms set out below.

The council told the commanders it was very much surprised at their resolution to sail. Advice had been received from Captain Osborn, whose dispatches from Bengal on 22 February 1729 reported that the Heathcote would follow and would be dispatched some two days after him, and that she might daily be expected at the island. The Company's own instructions required the commanders to sail in company, and there was no doubt on that point. If a fleet already assembled should fail to sail together, so that a number of ships were left behind before they left the island, the Craven would be the last ship expected that season. If the commanders sailed before she arrived, they would not only injure the Company's estate on board her, but expose that ship to the danger of being taken by the enemy, and the Craven was at length in any event exposed to it. In refusing the advantages it might otherwise have proved to them, they had nevertheless positively forbidden any of their ships to take their chance singly, so long as any hope of escape depended on their sailing in company. If they continued in their resolution, they would very nearly defeat the meaning and intention of those instructions, which by their orders were given to each of them at their arrival. If they imagined that on going into the Cape their stay might be prolonged upon that account, the council was apt to believe they judged erroneously, for [...]

Interpretations

The council's letter to the commanders is the sharpest statement of the convoy principle in the whole run. The rule had been laid down on 9 May 1727 on the strength of the Company's war warning of 27 January 1727, and it required that no ship leave St Helena unless at least three sailed in company with an agreed commodore. Here the assembled fleet proposed to sail before the Heathcote could reach the island, and the council refused to let them, on the ground that a single ship left behind would be a single ship taken.

The mechanism is worth setting out plainly. A homeward Indiaman carried a season's cargo worth more than the vessel herself, and she was slow, heavily laden and lightly gunned compared with a privateer. Sailing in company gave a fleet the strength to resist, and a straggler had neither speed nor force to save her. The council's argument was not that the commanders would suffer, but that they would injure the Company's estate aboard the ship they abandoned, which put the loss where it would carry weight in Leadenhall Street.

Captain Osborn's advice, dated in Bengal on 22 February 1729, shows how intelligence travelled. A ship sailing two days ahead of another carried word of her, so that the island could expect her arrival months later and hold the fleet accordingly. The whole convoy system depended on that kind of report, since no one at St Helena could see beyond the horizon.

The council's answer to the commanders' argument about the Cape closes the trap. They had evidently threatened to divert there rather than wait, and the council warned them that the Dutch would keep them longer than the island would. That question had already been examined on 8 April 1729, when the survey of Chubb's Spring was ordered expressly because commanders were watering at the Cape and charging the Company for the diversion, and the council plainly regarded the Cape as a pretext rather than a necessity.

286

262

for We can hardly think that the Captain would so directly break through the

the very Letter & Intention & Repeated Orders to the contrary especially in so late

a Season of the Year, but however this may happen, their Objections ought to be

Answered & in Discharge of Our Duty We Recommend this to Your Consideration

and are

Gentlemen

St Helena

12th June 1729

Your most humble Servts

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Capt Withcott, Capt Hutchinson, Capt Boddam

Capt Belcher, Capt Chapman & Capt Ord

To this they sent Us the following Answer but the Reflection they make at our Longing

in Generall & however that they doe against Us, We did not think they were in Earnest

to Saile to Morrow tho' We this day Observed that they hurried their Bagage and

Provisions on Board

Gentlemen

Upon Receipt of your Letter of this day date when You without Reason

expose a Longing at Our Objection to Saile to Morrow having acquainted You with it last

Monday, We have met & deliberated with great Respect to the Honble Companies

Interests the Damage they may Suffer by our Sailing before the Arrivall of the Heathcote

Capt Wilson who brings the last of their Returning Ships of this Year must first have

Single, so behoved us as many Arms to their Observation, they by any of these Ships now

in Order for the Sea & alleged late in the Year waiting for so long as considerable long as it

may be Our Duty of Objection & Stay of the abovesaid, We not being certain when they

may be Dispatched from Bengall & whether she may soon be Ready & be so as diligent

by Custome to put into the Cape We must & must confidently Express Our Course must be

be sharing this too & especially these Ships whose Complyance to the Honble Compys Orders

received from You in Our Terminals have been have & confidentially from the above Complications

being lately Wafted, We are of Opinion that if the Cape Bay Dispatches from hence

this Sunday Evening the 15th Instant, it is so long as can be for the Interests of the Honble

Companys & Mission the Captains to Saile on Wed Sunday Evening & the Heathcote

Should not Arrive before, & are

Gentlemen

St Helena June 12th 1729

Your most humble Servts

Geo: Withcott

Jno Hutchinson

Charles Boddam

Jno: wan

Jno: Belcher

Geo: Ord

To

The Worshipfull Edwd Byfeild Esqr

Governour & Councill

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 17 June 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Sunday last the Shotham, Sunderland, Walpole, Suncar, James & Mary

& Aylesbie Sailed hence for England, & Yesterday Swallow &c & now this Period & Ship the

The last Will & Testament of Richd Marsh & Sarah Solomon and

upon the Oaths of Mr Winifred Marsh & Mr Jno French, Sarah Solomon and

Charles & Rambly

Ord

The council could hardly think the captains would so directly break through the express orders of the Company and disregard its instructions to the contrary. Whatever might come of it, the council held that a season of the year and however such an event might happen, their departure ought to be deferred, and it directed that the substance of the exchange be entered in the general letter.

The letter was signed at St Helena on 12 June 1729 by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, and addressed to Captain Nesbitt, Captain Hutchinson, Captain Boddam, Captain Belcher, Captain Turner and Captain Bond.

The captains sent the answer set out below, but they sailed the following morning notwithstanding, without waiting for the council's reply, and having declared they were on no account to be forced to sail for Bencoolen. That same day it was found that they had hurried their baggage aboard and were gone.

The commanders wrote to the Governor and Council that on receipt of its letter of that day, which had reached them without previous notice, they were surprised at the council's resolution to sail to Bencoolen, and that having assembled and agreed among themselves at least on the Monday, they had met and deliberated until they had made their report to the Company. They accepted the damage the Company might suffer by their sailing before the arrival of the Heathcote, and that Captain Nesbitt, who bore the last of their outward voyage, would have to sail home single. They set out that few of their instructions had ever been drawn in such terms, and that the Company's orders for the Cape had been late in the year, arriving too late for any considerable time or effect, and that they might do so or refuse to stay for the ships already assembled. Not being certain when they might be dispatched from Bengal, and whether they were free to depart before them, they were nevertheless obliged by their instructions to put into the Cape, and they had to consider what conformity the Company's orders bore in the affair, so far as it especially had been made clear to them. On the whole they had, in conformity to the standing orders received from the council, arrived and had been a considerable time on the island. They had been hourly slighted. They were of the opinion that the Heathcote had been dispatched from Bengal by the Streatham concerning the whole affair, and it seemed as long as they could go for the Sunderland to attend the Company's manager. The council would sail on the road on the Sunday evening if the Heathcote should not arrive before it did.

The commanders' letter was signed at St Helena on 12 June 1729 by George Nesbitt, John Hutchinson, Charles Boddam, John Belcher, John Baldridge and George Bond, and addressed to Governor Edward Byfield and the council.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 17 June 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The Streatham, the Sunderland, the Walpole, the Craven, the James and Mary and the Astell sailed for England on the previous Friday, though the Swallow did not, having remained behind at the island.

The will of Nathaniel Aldrich, deceased, was proved on the oaths of the witnesses John French, Isaac Johnson and Charles Steward.

Interpretations

The commanders sailed in defiance of the council, and the record makes no attempt to soften it. They wrote their answer, sent it ashore and put to sea the next morning without waiting to hear whether it was accepted, having hurried their baggage aboard. The council's only remaining weapon was the general letter, in which it ordered the whole exchange entered, so that the Court of Directors would read both sides when the fleet reached England. A governor of St Helena could not detain a Company commander by force, and the sole sanction available was to make sure the matter was on the record in London before the ships were.

The commanders' answer rests on a genuine difficulty rather than mere impatience. They had been told to sail in company, and they had also been instructed to put into the Cape, and they argued that waiting indefinitely for the Heathcote would carry them so late into the season that the Cape orders could not be complied with either. The Company's own instructions pulled in two directions, and each side of this quarrel was defending a different half of them. The council held to the convoy rule laid down after the war warning of 9 May 1727, while the captains held to the sailing season and the risk of being caught by the winds.

The proof of Nathaniel Aldrich's will on the oaths of three witnesses is the ordinary probate business of the council sitting as a court. A will took effect only when the witnesses swore that they had seen the testator sign it, and the council then ordered it registered so that the executors could gather in the estate. The gunner John French appears among the witnesses, three months after the council restored him to his office on 11 March 1729.

287

263

the last Will & Testament of Rich: Sperling also lately deceased was likewise this

day Proved upon the Oaths of William Morris, John Hodgkinson and

Richard & Beale & Executor to the said Will

Ordered that these two Wills be Registered

We this day made a very beneficiall Exchange in behalf of the Honble Company

of One of their indifferent Wenches Named Betty Elyalts &c Aged Thirty three

for a Young Wench called Maria about Twenty five

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 24th June 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

There not being any Businesse We have Adjourned the Sessions appointed to be held to

Morrow to the 25th of September next

The Weather being early this in the this Season the Inhabitants & Advice by & Adventures

to Plant their last Expectation of Wood & before We know their Lands under the Excepting

infested by the Honble Company & James & Mary that the Same time as many of them

that We intended to have an other Survey of the Main Plantation at the Ends of the Winter

in order to discover the Defection

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 1st July 1729 at Plantation House

Present E: Byfeild Esqr Governr

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The following Petition of Charles Steward lately presented to the Govr was this day read Viz

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr of the Island of St Helena

The humble Petition of Charles Steward

Sheweth

That Your Petr heartily Sorry & humbly begs Your Worships Pardon

for his just Occasion he hath given You to be displeased with his late Behaviour by Conniving

at the Unparalelled Impudence of Your Petrs Blacks in Aprill last but that Your Petr does

alwayes have in his own Obligations to You that he entreats Your Worships to believe that

what he did in that Affair was purely the Effect of & Ignorance & that he did not Conceal

the Knowledge of it out of any ill Design or Disrespect to Your Worship but from a guilty

different Notion, Your Petr does really Ashamed & Ashamed to have known that his

Slaves should presume to talk in that impudent Manner

Yower

The will and testament of Richard Girling, lately deceased, was proved the same day on the oaths of the witnesses William Morris, John Hodgkinson and Richard Beale, and delivered to the executor. The council directed that both wills be registered.

The council made a very beneficial exchange on the Company's behalf that day, giving one of its indifferent wenches, named Bess Boyer, aged about 33, for a young wench called Maria, aged about 25.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 24 June 1729 at the plantation house. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

No business came before the council, and the quarterly meeting appointed for that day was adjourned to 30 September next.

The winter had set in early, and the council held it a proper time to remind the inhabitants of their obligation to plant wood and furze. Several persons held land under the Company by lease from the James and Mary, and the same terms bound them all. The council directed a fresh survey of all the plantations to be taken at the close of the winter, so that it might discover the defaulters.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 1 July 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The petition of Charles Steward, lately presented to the Governor, was read.

Steward petitioned the Governor and Council, setting out that he was heartily sorry and humbly begged pardon for the just offence he had given by his late behaviour in criticising at the unparalleled kindness the Governor had shown in April last. He accepted that he had always been under an obligation to the Governor, and that in that offence he purely wished to make it clear to the council that he had no knowledge of it, nor of any design or disrespect to the Governor, but that he had acted from a guilty and different motive. He was ready and ashamed to have known that his slaves should presume to behave in that impudent manner.

Interpretations

The exchange of Bess Boyer for Maria records the Company trading one slave for another on the open market of the island, and the council's own words describe it as beneficial. The reasoning is purely commercial: an indifferent woman of 33 was worth less on the books than a sound woman of 25, and the difference in years and rating was the profit. The muster of 31 March 1729 had entered several women as good for little or good for nothing, and it is precisely such a woman who was disposed of here. Mr Crisp had made a similar exchange on 17 December 1728, giving a boy named Toney bred to household work for a Company boy of like age and value, and the practice was evidently routine.

The council's return to the question of wood planting follows a long and unsuccessful campaign. Surveys were ordered in January 1727 and again in October 1727, defaulters were fined in April 1727 and November 1727, and the Company itself intervened by the advertisement of 16 March 1728, threatening any tenant seeking to renew a lease with a fine amounting to a considerable part of the land's market value. On 24 December 1728 William Seale was fined 50s and Stephen Cross 30s for cutting and letting cut. Here the council orders yet another survey, and the reason it gives is the season: the winter had set in early, which on St Helena means the cool wet months of the southern year, and it is the time when young wood must go into the ground if it is to take.

Charles Steward's petition closes the matter of his slave Peter, punished on 11 April 1729 with six weeks' imprisonment and a whipping every fortnight for abusing the Governor and Mr Crisp by name and calling other blacks by the names of prominent inhabitants. The council had held Steward himself responsible on that occasion, on the ground that the licence he allowed his household had produced the offence, but spared him both fine and punishment because his wife and children were destitute. His written apology, tendered nearly three months later, follows the pattern that runs through the whole period: John French, William Slaughter, Henry Cottrell and Richard Durling all submitted the same kind of paper, and Byfield's government ran on the taking of written promises that could be read back against a man if he offended again.

288

264

Your Petitioner therefore humbly begs Your Worship will be

pleased to Restore Your Petr & to Your Favour which Your Petr &

will alwayes Endeavour to deserve by the most Dutyfull Behaviour

for the time to come

St Helena

28th June 1729

And Your Petr as in Duty bound shall ever Pray

Subscribed

Charles Steward

The Governour Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly

Acct for the Month past which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follows Viz

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &ca from the 1st to the 30 June

1729

222 lb Beef

16 . 16

2 Cwt Flour

4 Barrls Beef nt = 10 . 2 . 14

100 lb Rozin

28 lb Turpentine

3 Coyles Cordage Wm 4s = 24s

2 Do 1 Wood Ribbin 1 . 1 . = 3

1 Do 12 Thread do . 3 . = 3

1 Bolt Hollands Duck

5½ Chaldron Coals

10 Bushell Do

2 Yds 2 In Bunting

10 pr Mens Colon Leather Shoes

2 Mens pr of Leather

8 Boys Ditto

14 Wine Notch

4 lb Cinn

2 Rt Longs

2 Rt Ditto

12 Wooden Leaves

1 Squar Riding Box

5 . 8

8 Bay Duck

1 . 2

8 Trimmings

1 . 6

2 Coffee Pott

2 . 6

2 Frying Ladles

1 . 0 . 10

26 Small Bowles

. 3 . 6

1 Wine Brown

. 1 . 6

1 Wooden Bowle

. 7 . 6

1 Tea Jarr Iron Pott

. 3 . 6

8 China Squar Ditto

. 5 . 6

2 Splinter Locks Nº 1

1 Do 2

2 Do 3

1 Frying Pan

4 lb Ginger

12 Sadle Nailes

12 Bolt Iron do

3

1 Saw

1 Fitt Notch

5

1 Padlock

. 6

1 Lead

. 6

1 Sandbath

. 6

I forgot my grand Small Cutter Sold for

Carried over

Steward asked the council to restore him to its favour, and undertook to deserve it by dutiful obedience for the time to come. The petition was signed at St Helena on 28 June 1729 by Charles Steward.

Governor Byfield, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for June, and the council examined and approved them.

An account of the store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 30 June 1729 was entered as follows.

Bread, 1,220 pounds, £16 16s 0d

Flour, 260 pounds, £[...]

Cask of rice, 1, weighing 4 hundredweight 0 quarters 14 pounds, £[...]

Rope, 100 pounds, £[...]

Turpentine, 98 pounds, £[...]

Coir cordage, 3 coils, weighing 4 hundredweight 0 quarters 24 pounds, £[...]

Ribbon, 2 ounces, £1 2s 0d

Thread, 12 ounces, £0 3s 0d

Holland duck, 1 bolt, £[...]

Chaldron candles, 5.5, £[...]

Bohea tea, 4 catties, £[...]

Bunting, 4 yards, £[...]

Womens' leather shoes, 4 pairs, £[...]

Spanish leather, 1 skin, £[...]

Baize, 3, £[...]

Felt hats, 10, £[...]

Files, 4, £[...]

Hinges, 4, £[...]

Rings, 3, £[...]

Mens' shoes, 6 pairs, £[...]

Spinning wheel, 1, £0 5s 8d

Bengal duck, 1, £1 1s 2d

Parmesan, 8, £0 1s 6d

English pot, 1, £0 10s 10d

Wooden ladles, 2, £0 3s 6d

Coarse dowlas, 26 pieces, £[...]

Silver spoon, 1, £0 1s 6d

Wooden bowls, 1, £0 6s 0d

Lime for the shoe pots, 2, £0 6s 0d

Fine square silk, 3 skeins, £0 5s 0d

Splinter locks, 3, at 8d, £[...]

Splinter locks, 1, £[...]

Splinter locks, 2, £[...]

Frying pan, 1, £[...]

Hinges, 4 pairs, £[...]

Sewing needles, 12, £[...]

Bath stone, 12 pieces, at 3s each, £[...]

Soap, 1, £[...]

Felt hat, 1, £[...]

Small canvas cases sold for, 1, £[...]

Shoes, 1, £[...]

Lead, 1, £[...]

Lampblack, 1, £[...]

Carried over, £[...]

Interpretations

The sale of 1,220 pounds of bread at £16 16s 0d follows directly from the 2,010 pounds sold in May 1729, and both are the island victualling the homeward fleet. Six ships left the road on 13 June 1729, and the bread went aboard them before they sailed. Bread was not the everyday food of the inhabitants, who lived on yams, potatoes and imported rice, and quantities on this scale appear in the accounts only when Indiamen are in the anchorage.

The spinning wheel sold at £0 5s 8d is a small entry with some weight behind it. The retail accounts through the spring carried heavy purchases of raw silk, cotton yarn, thread, bodkins and loom shuttles, all of which point to household manufacture rather than the buying of finished cloth. St Helena had no professional weavers, so a woman who wanted linen or worsted made it herself, and the wheel was the first tool she needed.

Chaldron candles are tallow candles sold by a bulk measure, and the 5.5 chaldrons entered here mark the turn of the southern-hemisphere season. Winter had set in early, as the council itself noted at the consultation of 24 June 1729, and the days were shortening. Turpentine at 98 pounds served the same seasonal purpose, being used to varnish the boats against the wet, as it was in August 1728 when 116 pounds went to the same work.

Coir cordage is rope spun from coconut husk fibre, bought through the Company's Indian settlements, and it swells rather than rots in salt water. The inhabitants bought it for their own fishing boats, as the Company bought it for the boats that had supplied the slaves' fish ration since 1 March 1727.

Bath stone here is a sharpening stone rather than any building material, sold at 3s a piece alongside the files and the locks that make up the ordinary hardware of the account.

289

265

Brought over

122 . 2 . 2½

2 do of 2 do Nailes

. 2 . 6

3 . 4

. 2 . 6

57 . 6

9 . 2 . 9

20 . 1 Gro:

. 12 . 4

3 . 1 Sug Boale

. 5 . 8

1 . 12 Inch do

. 5 . 9

5½ Flaskes

. 8 . 10

2 Trumpets & Naile

. 5 . 6

1 Sawing Trink & Cord

. 2 . 6

2 Chest Rothines

. 2 . 6

2 Iron Blocks

. 7 . 6

16 Rammer Sunson & Wheels

. 6 . 6

5 pr Cups

. 9 . 6

1 Do

3 Smaller & Coloured Ware

. 3 . 3

8 Oz Thread

. 3 . 3

200 Nailes

. 3 . 3

1½ Do Longcloth Old

2 . 9

16 lb Sugar

2 . 12

18 lb Candy

. 12

10 Cotton Bohea Tea

. 3 . 4

20 China Bowles

. 3 . 15

5 doy do Plates

Sum Totall to Inhabts

109 . 1 . 7½

Navall Gunners & Garrison Stores Dr

1 Longcloth

. 4 . 6

2 Do 6 Nailes

1 . 0

1 Do 8 do

. 10

6 . 6

Honble Compys Blacks Dr on acct of Clothing &c

4 Coloured Thread

. 4 . 0

1 Skin Thread

. 2 . 6

On acct of Charges Genll

200 Cups

Garrison Dr

54 lb Flaskes Sortd

1 . 0 . 6

6 Wine Glass

. 6 . 0

8 Cotton Bohea Tea

5 . 9

Plantation Dr

8 Do Small deld to the Remainder for wine other Uses

2 . 8 .

. 6 . 8

2 . 14 . 8

900 lb Rice deld for the Hogs & Poultry

7 . 2 . 6

1 Painting Frame

. 2 . 6

20 Barrell Sandblast

. 7 . 4

14 lb 20 Nailes

. 4 . 4

6 do 6 do do

. 4 . 4

10 do 10 do

. 6 . 6

30 do do do

. 5 . 10

2 do 4 do

. 5 . 6

8 . 16

Charges Generall Dr on

14 lb Longcloth

1 . 6 . 6

14 Do Coloured Thread

. 6 . 6

1½ Whited Brown Thread

. 6 . 6

2 Splinter Locks

. 3 . 8

1 Sea Stone & Tings

. 3 . 8

1 do

. 6

1 Frying Pan

. 3 . 6

2 Flasks

. 3 . 6

4 Padlock for Storehouse Door

. 3 . 6

1 do 8 do

. 3 . 6

2 Porter Sandblast

. 2 . 7

1 do Coff Pan

. 3 . 6

4 Cotton Bohea Tea

. 6 . 6

2½ Twine

. 6 . 6

1 Tar Sandblast

. 6 . 6

1 Boys Ladle

. 6 . 6

1 Sea Coffee Pott

. 2 . 9

Carried over

6 . 6 . 2

166 . 17 . 10½

The storekeeper's account for the inhabitants was carried forward at £132 2s 2.5d and continued as follows.

Nails, 2 pounds, £0 2s 6d

Nails, 3 pounds at 4d, £0 2s 6d

Nails, 57 pounds at 6d, £9 2s 9d

Nails, 20 pounds at 3d, £0 12s 4d

Nails, 3 pounds, £0 1s 4d

Snuff brooms, 1, £0 5s 3d

Small brooms, 1.5, £0 8s 9d

Flasks, 3.5, £0 8s 10d

Scrapers and taylors, 2, £0 3s 6d

Sewing knife for the cook, 1, £0 6s 0d

Chest padlocks, 2, £0 6s 0d

Tinned blocks, 2, £0 2s 6d

Cannon scissors and shovels, 15, £0 7s 6d

Cups, 3, £0 6s 6d

Cups, 1, £0 9s 6d

Small mustard boxes, 3, £0 0s 3d

Ribbon, 8 yards, £0 0s 3d

Needles, 200, £0 0s 3d

Ordinary long cloth, 1.5 pieces, £0 2s 9d

Sugar, 11 pounds, £2 15s 0d

Candy, 18 pounds, £0 12s 0d

Bohea tea, 10 catties, £0 3s 6d

China bowls, 24, £0 1s 0d

Delft plates, 5 dozen, £0 15s 0d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £109 1s 7.5d

The goods charged to the naval, gunners and garrison stores were entered as follows.

Bengal iron, 1 bar, £0 4s 6d

Nails, 8 pounds at 8d, £0 1s 0d

Nails, 1 pound at 8d, £0 10s 0d

Total to the naval, gunners and garrison stores, £0 6s 6d

The goods charged to the Company's black slaves, on account of clothing, were entered as follows.

Coloured thread, 4 ounces, £0 4s 6d

Fine thread, 1 pound, £0 2s 6d

Hoes, 30, on account of charges general, £1 6s 0d

Sugar shovels, 54, £0 6s 0d

Lime skips, 6, £0 6s 3d

Total to the Company's black slaves, £5 0s 9d

The goods charged to the garrison were entered as follows.

Bohea tea, 8 catties, £2 8s 0d

Crops oil, 8 quarts, delivered to the armourer for cleaning the guns, £0 6s 8d

Total to the garrison, £2 14s 8d

The goods charged to the plantation were entered as follows.

Rice, 900 pounds, delivered for the hogs and poultry, £7 2s 6d

Tanning irons, 2, £0 2s 0d

Barrels of lampblack, 20, £0 6s 6d

Nails, 4 pounds, £0 7s 2d

Nails, 6 pounds, £0 3s 0d

Nails, 10 pounds, £0 6s 6d

Nails, 10 pounds, £0 6s 6d

Nails, 4 pounds, £0 5s 10d

Total to the plantation, £8 16s 0d

The goods charged to charges general were entered as follows.

Handkerchiefs, 7 pieces, £0 6s 6d

Coloured cloth, 1 piece, £0 6s 6d

Coloured brown thread, 7.5 ounces, £1 6s 8d

Splinter locks, 2, £0 3s 8d

Fine ribbon and twine, 1, £0 9s 8d

Frying pan, 1, £0 4s 6d

Shovels, 3, £0 4s 6d

Padlock for the storehouse door, 1, £0 3s 6d

Line, number 8, 1, £0 3s 6d

Pewter sauce pans, 2, £0 8s 7d

Crops oil, 4 quarts, £0 6s 6d

Bohea tea, 4 catties, £0 6s 6d

Twine, 2.5 pounds, £0 6s 6d

Chandlery, 1, £0 6s 6d

Bengal ladle, 1, £0 6s 6d

Coffee pot, 1, £0 6s 9d

Total to charges general, £6 5s 6d

Sum total, £166 17s 10.5d

Interpretations

The retail total of £109 1s 7.5d to the inhabitants is a rise on the £90 1s 8d of April 1729, and it reflects money reaching the planters' hands from the seven Indiamen that lay in the road through May and June 1729. The bread alone came to £16 16s 0d, sold to victual the fleet, and the inhabitants spent what they earned on nails, hardware, cloth and tableware.

The nails again dominate the account, with over £10 0s 0d passing over the counter in a single month. They were sold by the penny denomination, a system in which the number described the price per hundred rather than any length, so that a higher figure marked a heavier and longer nail. Building and repair ran continuously through the autumn and into the winter, and the timber-framed houses of the island consumed ironmongery at a rate no local smith could supply.

The crops oil issued to the armourer for cleaning the guns is a small entry with a direct bearing on the island's defence. Salt air corroded a musket barrel within weeks, and the garrison had been on a war footing since the packet the Cadogan brought on 3 March 1729 reported the affairs of Europe unsettled. The armourer's oil was what kept the small arms serviceable, and the same charge appears against the smith's forge and the naval stores throughout the run.

Lime skips are the shallow baskets in which burnt lime was carried, and their appearance among the slaves' tools connects directly to the kiln the Governor built in November 1728, which drew 655 bushels of strong lime in eighteen days using only the Company's own labour. The 30 hoes and 54 sugar shovels charged in the same account are the working tools of the Great Wood and the plantations, where the muster of 31 March 1729 counted 30 men at the wood alone.

The 900 pounds of rice charged to the plantation for the hogs and poultry repeats the May 1729 issue exactly, and both stand above the 700 pounds of the earlier spring. The yam crop had fallen from 29,750 pounds in April to 14,800 pounds in May, and imported Bengal rice was carrying the difference.

290

266

Brought over

166 . 17 . 10½

Bt over Charges Genll

6 . 6 . 2

2 Barrels Sandblast

1 . 2

2 Small Wooden Bowles

. 6

22 lb Lead

. 6 . 8

1 lb of 1 Inch Boards

1 . 8

1 . 1 4 Nailes

1 . 8

4 Large Square Ledger

1 . 11 . 4

8 lb Soap

. 6

3 Sanding Brushes

. 6

3 Hogg Brooms

. 12

1 doz Brums for Oars

. 12

3 Hogg Hearth Brooms

. 6 . 4

1 doz Broom Wrappr

. 4

1 doz Bush Brooms

10 . 3

Diet Expences

63 Gall Arrack

19 . 3 .

2 ditto Vinegar

55 lb Bread

. 7 . 6

230 lb Flour

4 . 7 . 6

18 Gall Port Wine

6 . 19 . 6

18 do Sherry

6 . 15 . 6

11½ ditto Mountain

4 . 6 . 2½

224 lb Sugar

5 . 2 . 6

28 lb Copper

4 . 17 . 6

66 Gall Strong Beer

3 . 3 . 6

6 do Small ditto

. 2 . 6

5 lb Rozin

60 . 3 . 2½

3 Bushells Salt

Totall

226 . 1 . 2½

Gunners Stores Expended in June 1729 Viz

Guns Fired, Twelve Pounders, Culvering, Sackers, Minion, Three Pounders, Falcons, Powder

1729

June 8th

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Twelve Pounders 0

Culvering 2

Sackers 1

Minion 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 16

9

Arrived the Aylesbie

Guns Fired 9

Twelve Pounders 0

Culvering 2

Sackers 4

Minion 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 7

Powder 22

11

Anniversary of His Majesties Accession

Guns Fired 18

Twelve Pounders 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 0

Minion 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 46

15

Departed the Walpole, Harrison, Shotham, Sunderland

Aylesbie & James & Mary

Guns Fired 54

Twelve Pounders 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 0

Minion 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 54

Sent to & Escorte Same time the West Curtaine

Guns Fired 6

Twelve Pounders 6

Culvering 0

Sackers 0

Minion 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 48

Ditto 7 do Customary on ditto

Guns Fired 7

Twelve Pounders 7

Culvering 0

Sackers 0

Minion 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 22

Guns Fired 101

Twelve Pounders 6

Culvering 10

Sackers 5

Minion 2

Three Pounders 2

Falcons 22

Powder 234

Expence of the Garrison

Cartridge Paper Expended for ditto

1 Quire

Ditto for making of Cartridges

1 do

Sadle Lines

1 lb

Nailes 8 do

1 lb

Ditto 4 do

1 lb

Sheep Skins

Broth

76½ lb

Signed Jno French Acco

The storekeeper's account was carried forward at £166 17s 10.5d, and the goods charged to charges general were entered as follows.

Barrels of lampblack, 2, £0 6s 6d

Small wooden bowls, 2, £0 1s 2d

Lead, 22 pounds, £0 6s 8d

Sash boards, 1 pound, £0 1s 3d

Nails, 1 pound at 4d, £0 1s 8d

Large square scrapers, 4, £1 11s 4d

Soap, 8 pounds, £0 6s 6d

Scrubbing brushes, 3, £0 6s 6d

Hoop brooms, 3, £0 12s 0d

Brooms for the oven, 1 dozen, £0 12s 0d

Hearth brooms, 3 dozen, £0 6s 6d

Broom scraps, 3 dozen, £0 4s 0d

Bush brooms, 1 dozen, £0 4s 0d

Total to charges general, £10 3s 0d

The goods charged to diet expenses were entered as follows.

Arrack, 63 gallons, £19 9s 0d

Vinegar, 8 gallons, £0 8s 0d

Bread, 55 pounds, £0 6s 0d

Flour, 250 pounds, £4 7s 6d

Port wine, 15 gallons, £6 12s 6d

Sherry, 16 gallons, £6 0s 0d

Mountain wine, 11.5 gallons, £4 6s 2.5d

Sugar, 89 pounds, £2 6s 2.5d

Candles, 28 pounds, £2 8s 6d

Strong beer, 6 gallons, £4 17s 6d

Single beer, 6 gallons, £3 3s 0d

Pepper, 5 pounds, £2 0s 0d

Bushels of salt, 6, £0 3s 0d

Total to diet expenses, £60 3s 3.5d

Sum total, £226 1s 2.5d

The gunner's stores expended in June 1729 were entered as follows, with the guns fired, the ordnance discharged and the powder set out against each occasion. The manuscript sets the columns as guns fired, twelve pounder, demi-culverin, saker, minion, three pounder, falcon and powder.

4 June 1729, an alarm, 4 guns fired, 2 minions, 2 three pounders, powder 16 pounds

6 June 1729, muster day, 8 guns fired, 2 minions, 2 sakers, 7 falcons, powder 7.5 pounds

11 June 1729, the anniversary of His Majesty's accession, 18 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 4 sakers, powder 46 pounds

15 June 1729, departure of the Walpole, Craven, Streatham and Sunderland, 54 guns fired, powder 64 pounds

15 June 1729, departure of the Astell, James and Mary and Swallow, 6 guns fired, 6 twelve pounders, powder 48 pounds

15 June 1729, saluted the Craven's remaining on the west curtain, 7 guns fired, 7 demi-culverins, powder 60 pounds

15 June 1729, saluted the customary guns on the same, 7 guns fired, powder 60 pounds

Expense of the guard, 1

Cartridge paper expended for the same, 1 quire

Paper for making cartridges, 1 quire

Slow lines, 1

Nails, 4

Hone stone, 7.5

Match, 3

Total, 101 guns fired, 6 twelve pounders, 10 demi-culverins, 5 sakers, 2 minions, 2 three pounders, 22 falcons, 234 pounds of powder

The account was signed by John French, the gunner.

Interpretations

The powder expended in June 1729 came to 234 pounds, below the extraordinary 419 pounds of May 1729 but still far above any month of the previous year. The great bulk of it went on a single day. Seven ships sailed for England on 13 June 1729, and the departure salutes on 15 June 1729 accounted for well over 200 pounds between them, which is more than the island fired in most whole months of 1728.

The anniversary of the King's accession on 11 June 1729 marks George the Second's succession, proclaimed at St Helena on 9 March 1728 with 21 guns at the head of the garrison. The island kept the full Hanoverian calendar despite lying five weeks from any news of England: the King's birthday on 30 October, the Queen's birthday on 1 March, the anniversary of King Charles's martyrdom on 30 January, and now the accession.

The diet expenses reach £60 3s 3.5d, the heaviest of the run, and the drink bill explains it. Arrack rose to 63 gallons, and port, sherry, Mountain and beer together came to another 54.5 gallons. The captains, supercargoes and passengers of seven Indiamen were being entertained at the fort's table until the fleet sailed, and the council's own letter of 12 June 1729 shows how long it tried to keep them. The commanders left in defiance of the council on the morning of 13 June, and the table's expenses fell with them.

The brooms, brushes, scrapers and oven brooms charged to charges general in such quantity are the ordinary consumables of the fort's kitchens and the bakehouse. The island had sold 2,010 pounds of bread to the fleet in May 1729 and 1,220 pounds in June, and an oven baking on that scale wore out its brooms as fast as it wore out its firewood.

291

267

Account of the Honble Compys Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hoggs Poultry & Horses likewise what has been killed & Sold

to Ship Aylesbie besides the Encrease or Decrease for the Month of June 1729 Viz

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kidds, Rams, Totall

Hoggs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remains 1 June 1729

Bullocks 63

Cowes 81

Heifers 14

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 53

Bulls 2

Totall 279

Ewes 96

Withers 33

Lambs 14

Rams 5

Totall 148

Ewes 272

Withers 101

Kidds 162

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 14

Shoates 41

Barrows 0

Boars 1

Pigs 50

Totall 106

Turkeys 90

Fowles 113

Ducks 18

Geese 16

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Encreased from do to do

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 3

Bulls 0

Totall 3

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 7

Rams 0

Totall 7

Ewes 50

Withers 25

Kidds 16

Rams 0

Totall 91

Sowes 0

Shoates 16

Barrows 20

Boars 2

Pigs 0

Totall 38

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 63

Cowes 81

Heifers 14

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 56

Bulls 2

Totall 282

Ewes 96

Withers 33

Lambs 21

Rams 5

Totall 155

Ewes 322

Withers 126

Kidds 178

Rams 6

Totall 632

Sowes 14

Shoates 57

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Pigs 50

Totall 144

Turkeys 90

Fowles 113

Ducks 18

Geese 16

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Killed from ditto to ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 1

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 1

Ewes 1

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 2

Shoates 2

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 4

Turkeys 6

Fowles 12

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 63

Cowes 81

Heifers 13

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 56

Bulls 2

Totall 281

Ewes 95

Withers 33

Lambs 21

Rams 5

Totall 154

Ewes 322

Withers 126

Kidds 178

Rams 6

Totall 632

Sowes 12

Shoates 55

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Pigs 50

Totall 140

Turkeys 84

Fowles 101

Ducks 18

Geese 16

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Sold to Ship Aylesbie in ditto

Bullocks 3

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 3

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Goates & Hoggs Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 60

Cowes 81

Heifers 13

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 56

Bulls 2

Totall 278

Ewes 95

Withers 33

Lambs 21

Rams 5

Totall 154

Ewes 322

Withers 126

Kidds 178

Rams 6

Totall 632

Sowes 12

Shoates 55

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Pigs 50

Totall 140

Turkeys 84

Fowles 101

Ducks 18

Geese 16

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 74

Rams 1

Totall 75

Sowes 0

Shoates 20

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 18

Totall 38

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Dead in ditto one very old Ram Sheep

Bullocks 60

Cowes 81

Heifers 13

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 56

Bulls 2

Totall 278

Ewes 95

Withers 33

Lambs 21

Rams 5

Totall 154

Ewes 322

Withers 126

Kidds 104

Rams 5

Totall 557

Sowes 12

Shoates 35

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Pigs 32

Totall 102

Turkeys 84

Fowles 101

Ducks 18

Geese 16

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 1

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd the 30th June

Bullocks 60

Cowes 81

Heifers 13

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 56

Bulls 2

Totall 278

Ewes 95

Withers 33

Lambs 21

Rams 4

Totall 153

Ewes 322

Withers 126

Kidds 104

Rams 5

Totall 557

Sowes 12

Shoates 35

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Pigs 32

Totall 102

Turkeys 84

Fowles 101

Ducks 18

Geese 16

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Generall Plantations

11400 lb

Ditto deld the Fort Blacks

5200

Ditto deld the Great Wood ditto

3500

Totall Yams

20100 lb

Potatoes from the Great Wood delivered the Honble Compys Blacks & Charged

to the Credit of the said Wood in Leger U folio 139

68 Bushells

An account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for June 1729 was entered, showing what had been killed and sold to the Astell, together with the increase or decrease over the month.

Remaining 1 June 1729: 63 bullocks, 81 cows, 14 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 53 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 279; 96 ewes, 33 wethers, 14 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 148; 272 ewes, 101 wethers, 162 kids, 6 rams, total goats 541; 14 sows, 41 shoats, 0 barrows, 1 boar, 50 pigs, total hogs 106; 90 turkeys, 113 fowls, 18 ducks, 16 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Increased from 1 to 30 June 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 3 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 3; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 7 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 7; 50 ewes, 25 wethers, 16 kids, 0 rams, total goats 91; 0 sows, 16 shoats, 20 barrows, 2 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 38; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the increase: 63 bullocks, 81 cows, 14 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 56 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 282; 96 ewes, 33 wethers, 21 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 155; 322 ewes, 126 wethers, 178 kids, 6 rams, total goats 632; 14 sows, 57 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 50 pigs, total hogs 144; 90 turkeys, 113 fowls, 18 ducks, 16 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Killed from 1 to 30 June 1729: 0 bullocks, 1 cow, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 1; 1 ewe, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 1; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 2 sows, 2 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 4; 6 turkeys, 12 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the killings: 63 bullocks, 81 cows, 13 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 56 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 281; 95 ewes, 33 wethers, 21 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 154; 322 ewes, 126 wethers, 178 kids, 6 rams, total goats 632; 12 sows, 55 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 50 pigs, total hogs 140; 84 turkeys, 101 fowls, 18 ducks, 16 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Sold to the Astell in the same period: 3 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 3; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the sale: 60 bullocks, 81 cows, 13 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 56 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 278; 95 ewes, 33 wethers, 21 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 154; 322 ewes, 126 wethers, 178 kids, 6 rams, total goats 632; 12 sows, 55 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 50 pigs, total hogs 140; 84 turkeys, 101 fowls, 18 ducks, 16 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Goats and hogs cut and grown in the same period: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 74 kids, 1 ram, total goats 75; 0 sows, 20 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 18 pigs, total hogs 38; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Died in the same period, one very old ram sheep: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 1 ram, total sheep 1; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Remaining 30 June 1729: 60 bullocks, 81 cows, 13 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 56 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 278; 95 ewes, 33 wethers, 21 lambs, 4 rams, total sheep 153; 322 ewes, 126 wethers, 104 kids, 5 rams, total goats 557; 12 sows, 35 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 32 pigs, total hogs 102; 84 turkeys, 101 fowls, 18 ducks, 16 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 11,400 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 5,200 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 3,500 pounds

Total yams, 20,100 pounds

Potatoes from the Great Wood delivered to the Company's black slaves, charged to the credit of that wood in ledger U folio 139, 68 bushels

Interpretations

The June sale of three bullocks to the Astell stands in stark contrast to the 26 head sold in May 1729. The great homeward fleet of seven Indiamen sailed on 13 June 1729 in defiance of the council's letter, and the Astell alone remained to be victualled. The pattern that governs the whole run holds precisely: the Company's beef trade rose and fell with the number of ships in the road, and the Governor's cattle were worth nothing in a month when nobody called.

The goat increase of 91 head is the largest recorded in the run, and it marks the kidding season on an island with southern-hemisphere seasons. The herd had stood still at 543 through March 1729, then fell to 541, and now rises to 632 before the reclassification of 74 kids into the older categories brings it back to 557. The recovery is complete evidence that the attacks of January 1729, when goats were shot and worried by dogs and the council issued warrants to destroy every dog belonging to John Long, Elizabeth Marsh and Thomas Nash, had been stopped.

The hog increase of 38 head follows the same seasonal logic, and the entry for cutting and growing shows the mechanism by which the categories shifted. Shoats were young weaned pigs, barrows castrated males, and the animals moved between the columns as they were cut and as they aged, so the same beast appears in different classes across successive months without any birth or death occurring.

The yam issue of 20,100 pounds rises above the 14,800 pounds of May 1729 but remains well below the 30,100 pounds of March 1729, and the potato issue of 68 bushels from the Great Wood continues to carry the difference. The winter had set in early, as the council itself noted on 24 June 1729, and the Company's whole labour establishment was being fed on a mixture of yams, potatoes and Bengal rice through the lean months between harvests.

292

268

Expence of the Table in June 1729 Viz

49 Gall Arrack

15 . 10 . 4

2 ditto Vinegar

5 .

55 lb Bread

. 5

230 lb Flour

4 . 7 . 6

18 Gall Port Wine

6 . 19 . 6

10 ditto Sherry

6 . 1 .

11½ ditto Mountain

4 . 7 . 2½

167 lb Sugar

4 . 2 . 6

66 Gall Strong Beer

4 . 17 . 6

66 ditto Small

3 . 8

3 lb Copper

2 . 6

3 Bushells Salt

. 12 . 6

200 lb Beef

5 . 15 .

244 lb Fowles

6 . 6

1 Sheep

1 . 2

6 Turkeys

1 . 16 .

12 Fowles

. 18

11 lb Butter

. 11 .

30 Days Greens

1 . 10

60 Bottles Milk

1 .

68 . . ½

9 Gall Arrack deld the Blacks & &c upon Anniversary

of His Majesties Accession

2 . 17 . -

8 lb Do Sugar deld to ditto & the Blacks

2 . 1 . 6

6 Gall Arrack deld the Blacks

1 . 11 . 8

24 lb Candles

0 . 16 .

8 lb Soap

2 . 10 . 4

9 . 17 . 6

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Thursday 3d July 1729 at Alexander House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

D Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall folio 335 Viz

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The general table expenses for June 1729 were entered as follows.

Arrack, 43 gallons, £15 10s 4d

Vinegar, 8 gallons, £0 5s 0d

Bread, 32 pounds, £0 3s 0d

Flour, 250 pounds, £4 7s 6d

Port wine, 18 gallons, £6 10s 6d

Sherry, 12 gallons, £6 1s 0d

Mountain wine, 11.5 gallons, £4 7s 2.5d

Sugar, 167 pounds, £4 4s 6d

Strong beer, 6 gallons, £4 17s 6d

Single beer, 6 gallons, £3 8s 0d

Pepper, 3 pounds, £0 12s 6d

Bushels of salt, 3, £0 15s 0d

Beef, 200 pounds, £0 5s 0d

Fowls, 244, £1 4s 0d

Sheep, 1, £1 16s 0d

Turkeys, 6, £0 18s 0d

Ducks, 12, £1 10s 0d

Butter, 11 pounds, £1 10s 0d

Greens, 30 days, £1 10s 0d

Milk, 60 bottles, £0 15s 0d

Total expense of the table in June 1729, £68 0s 0.5d

Arrack, 9 gallons, delivered to the guards on the anniversary of His Majesty's accession, £2 17s 0d

Wax candles, 24 pounds, £2 1s 6d

Arrack, 8 gallons, delivered to the sick black slaves, £1 11s 8d

Arrack, 6 gallons, delivered to the black slaves, £0 16s 0d

Candles, 28 pounds, £0 0s 0d

Soap, 8 pounds, £0 0s 0d

Total, £9 17s 6d

A consultation was held on Thursday 3 July 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The garrison was paid for the past month, entered in the journal at folios 88 and 90.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

Interpretations

The table bill of £68 0s 0.5d is the heaviest of the run, above the £63 10s 4d of May 1729 and far above the £39 13s 2d of April 1729. The drink accounts for most of it: 43 gallons of arrack, 18 of port, 12 of sherry, 11.5 of Mountain and 12 of beer. The captains, supercargoes and surgeons of seven Indiamen were fed and entertained at the fort until the fleet sailed on 13 June 1729, and the table was the island's only means of housing men of that rank, having no inn fit for them.

The 244 fowls entered against the table are an extraordinary figure, and they explain the purchase of 30 fowls from the inhabitants in May 1729 and the killing of 12 more in June. Poultry was the staple of a table feeding seven ships' worth of officers, since a fowl could be killed and dressed the same day while a bullock had to be sold whole to a ship's steward.

The arrack issued to the guards on the anniversary of the King's accession on 11 June 1729 continues the customary allowance that marks every royal day in the island's calendar. The same issue was made on the King's birthday on 30 October 1728, at Christmas, and on New Year's Day, and the gunner's account for June 1729 records 46 pounds of powder and 18 guns fired for the same occasion.

The eight gallons of arrack delivered to the sick black slaves, entered separately from the six gallons given to the slaves generally, marks the turn of the season. The winter had set in early, as the council noted on 24 June 1729, and arrack served as the island's only medicine against cold and damp for a labour force housed in poor quarters. The same issue was made in May 1728 when the weather was wet and cold, and it appears again here as the southern winter closed in.

293

269

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 8th July 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other Businesse

We Adjourned

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 15th July 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & their not being any other Businesse

We Adjourned

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 22d July 1729 at James Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of Orlando Bagley Senr was presented & read Setting forth that for

the benefit & Advantage of his Son Orlando he was willing & desirous to Assign

to him about Six Acres of Lands which he at present holds by Lease of the Honble

Company praying leave to Assign the Same accordingly, & that We would also

accept of him and Grant for the One Acre of Lands which his said Son likewise

holds by Lease of the Honble Company

Granted the Son being in a better Capacity to Pay the Rent than the Father

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

A consultation was held on Tuesday 8 July 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved. No other business came before the council, and the meeting was adjourned.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 15 July 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved. No other business came before the council, and the meeting was adjourned.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 22 July 1729 at Union Castle. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The petition of Orlando Bagley junior was read. He set out that for the benefit and advantage of his son Orlando he was willing and desirous to assign to him about six acres of land, which he then held by lease from the Company, and he asked leave to make the assignment. He further asked that the council accept and admit his son as tenant of the one acre of land he likewise held by lease from the Company.

The council granted the request, the son being better able to pay the rent than the father.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

Interpretations

The two adjourned meetings are the ordinary business of an island in winter with no shipping in the road. The homeward fleet had sailed on 13 June 1729, the Astell had taken three bullocks and gone, and until the next season brought vessels back the council had almost nothing before it. The same pattern appears throughout the run, with meetings adjourned for want of business through the quiet months of 1727 and 1728.

The assignment of Bagley's leasehold to his son turns on the Company's central concern as a landlord. A lease was granted on terms of rent and of improvement, and the council's stated reason for allowing the transfer is that the son could pay where the father could not. The Company had no interest in holding a tenant to a bargain he could not meet, since an insolvent tenant paid nothing and planted nothing. The same reasoning appears in the surrenders it accepted from Sarah French on 8 October 1728 and from John Bradley on 24 December 1728, both of whom had been left unable to work their ground or pay their rent.

Orlando Bagley junior has a history with the council on the very question a lease was meant to secure. The survey of 31 October 1727 entered a note of bad soil against his holding, and he was fined 1s at the examination of 7 November 1727 and ordered to plant gumwood. The council had just directed on 24 June 1729 that a fresh survey of all the plantations be taken at the close of the winter, so that defaulters in wood and furze might be discovered, and the transfer of the land to a man better able to meet its terms served that purpose as directly as any fine.

294

270

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 29th July 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Jonathan Bigham Senr having the Care of an Orphan named Mary Sussex whom he

had Sometime ago put out to the Colon but the Girle pretending to have been beat & whipt

by the said Bigham Senr desired She might live with his Son Jonathan Bigham Junr

& the said Colon being willing to Part with her She was accordingly placed with the said Jonathan

Bigham Junr

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 4th August 1729 at the Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall U folio 95 &

96

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 6 Aug 1729 at the Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly Acct

for July last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Viz

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants from the 1st to the

31 July 1729 Viz

Sugar

A consultation was held on Tuesday 29 July 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Jonathan Higham senior had charge of an orphan named Mary Sufeer, whom he had some time earlier put out to Mr Clew. The girl, however, preferred to live and remain with him. He therefore asked that she might live with his son Jonathan Higham junior. Mr Clew being willing to part with her, the council placed her accordingly with the son.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Monday 4 August 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The garrison was paid for the past month, entered in the journal at folios 95 and 96.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 5 August 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Governor Byfield, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for July, and the council examined and approved them.

An account of the store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 July 1729 was entered, beginning with sugar.

Interpretations

The placing of Mary Sufeer turns on a mechanism of some social weight. An orphan on St Helena was bound out by indenture to a householder, who took her labour and gave her keep, and the council was the authority that approved and could cancel such arrangements. Jonathan Higham senior had put her to Mr Clew, and she preferred to stay in the household she knew.

The council's willingness to move a child on her own preference is not a small thing, and it follows the precedent of Mary Edwards on 19 March 1728. She had complained that Samuel Leech and his wife kept a disorderly house, that she was beaten by the sailors lodging there and feared ruin if she stayed, and the council cancelled her indenture and delivered her to her brother. In both cases the child's own account governed the outcome, and Mr Clew's consent here removed the only obstacle. He had himself been before the council on 24 October 1727 for beating Mr Simpson about the head with a stone, and was ordered to pay 20s, satisfy the doctor and provide a man to fish for Simpson while he lay under treatment.

The two adjourned meetings and the bare payment of the garrison show the island in the depth of its winter with no ship in the road. The homeward fleet sailed on 13 June 1729 and nothing had called since, so the council's business had shrunk to routine. The storekeeper's accounts for July will show the same: sales to the inhabitants collapsing once the ships and their money were gone, as they did in July 1728 when the gunner expended only 11 pounds of powder, the lowest of the whole run, and no vessel touched the island at all.

295

271

Sugar 468

11 . 11

25 lb Candy

1 . 13

26 Cotton Bohea Tea

7 . 16 .

44 Dozn Hooks

1 . 13 . 8

7 Wine Ditto

2 . 6 . 7

2 Iron Corks

12

4½ Cotton

4 . 9

10 lb Rozin

4 . 6 . 4

2 lb Thread

. 9 . 4

4 Tea Potts

. 12 . 6

28 Cupps & Saucers

2 . 11

45 Cannes

. 3 . 9

55 Small Cupps

. 9 . 2

60 Large Ditto

1 . 7 . 6

22 Trenchers

1 . 13 . 6

6 Bowles

2 . 6

8 lb Rozin

1 . 10

20 Yards Longcloth

22 .

22 Chints

16 . 12 . 4

10 Bengal Taffety

1 . 8 .

1 Silk

1 . 10

1 ditto

17 .

4 Shirts

2 . 6

11 lb Small Chints

4 . 11 . 6

20½ Yds ditto

4 . 4½

1 lb 8 do Nailes

4 . 5

2 . 4 do

4 . 2

10 . 6 do

2 . 2

2 . 10 do

2 . 2

1 . 4 do

. 2

4 Flat Handkerchiefs

10 . 6

1 Small Tin ditto

2 . 6

1 Oval Kettle 3½ Yds

1 . 6 . 6

8 Twine

6 . 6

8 Skin Thread

1 .

3 Squares Glass & Iron

2 . 9

6 Iron Ladles

3 . 6

1 Ale Cask

2 . 6

2 Sithes

2 . 2

Totall to the Inhabitants

81 . 18 . 2½

Garrison Dr

4 Cotton Bohea Tea

3 . 6

26 Do Longcloth deld the Doctor

. 6

3 . 11

Navall Gunners & Garrison Stores Dr

4 Brown Thread

. 4 . 0

3 Yards White Bunting

. 3 . 0

4 Yards blue ditto

. 3 . 6

3 Yards Red ditto

. 4

14 . 6

Plantation Dr

300 Blanket Rope deld at Bleeding the Cattle

6 Squares

1 . 7

1 Splinter Lock Nº 8

. 5 . 6

1 Garden Sheare

. 5 . 6

200 lb Rice deld the Hogs & Poultry

7 . 8 . 6

9 .

Honble Comp Blacks Dr on acct of Clothing Viz

3 Small Columbias

1 . 1 . 0

On acct of Charges Genll

2 Cotton Tea for the Salt Blacks

. 12 .

8 lb Rozin

. 2 . 6

11 lb Rope

. 6 . 6

½ oz China Silk

. 6 . 9

Carried over

2 . 16 . 3

95 . 3 . 6½

Sugar, 468 pounds, £11 11s 0d

Candy, 26 pounds, £1 13s 0d

Bohea tea, 26 catties, £7 16s 0d

Hooks, 44 dozen, £1 13s 8d

China hooks, 7, £2 6s 7d

Green cups, 3, £0 12s 0d

Bottles, 3.5, £0 4s 9d

Rope, 10 pounds, £0 4s 6d

Yarn, 3 pounds, £0 4s 4d

Bottles, 4, £0 12s 6d

Bottles, 4.5, £0 6s 4d

Cups and saucers, 88, £0 2s 0d

Cannons, 15, £0 3s 9d

Small cups, 55, £0 9s 2d

Large cups, 65, £1 7s 6d

Saucers, 22, £1 13s 6d

Bowls, 6, £1 10s 0d

Delft ware, 8 pieces, £24 0s 0d

Ordinary long cloth, 20 yards, £16 18s 4d

Chintz, 22, £1 8s 0d

Bengal taffety, 3.5 pieces, £1 10s 0d

Silk, 1, £0 17s 0d

Silk, 1, £4 2s 6d

Shirts, 4, £0 11s 0.5d

Small chintz, 11 pieces, £0 15s 3d

Gold cloth, 20.5 yards, £0 4s 3d

Nails, 4 pounds, £0 2s 2d

Nails, 10 pounds, £0 2s 0d

Nails, 3 pounds, £0 10s 6d

Nails, 4 pounds, £0 2s 6d

Cast handkerchiefs, 4, £0 6s 6d

Small tea bottles, 1, £0 6s 6d

Coarse cattle, 3.5 yards, £0 6s 6d

Twine, 6 pounds, £0 8s 9d

Shoe thread, 8 pounds, £0 3s 5d

Squares of glass, 2 boxes, £0 2s 2d

Fine ladles, 6, £0 2s 2d

Melted lead, 1 barrel, £0 2s 2d

Salts, 2, £0 2s 2d

Total to the inhabitants, £81 18s 3.5d

The goods charged to the garrison were entered as follows.

Bohea tea, 11 catties, £3 6s 0d

Ordinary long cloth, 24 yards, delivered to the doctor, £0 5s 0d

Total to the garrison, £3 11s 0d

The goods charged to the naval, gunners and garrison stores were entered as follows.

Brown thread, 1 pound, £0 4s 0d

White bunting, 9 yards, £0 3s 0d

Blue bunting, 9 yards, £0 3s 6d

Red bunting, 3 yards, £0 4s 0d

Total to the naval, gunners and garrison stores, £0 14s 6d

The goods charged to the plantation were entered as follows.

Blanket rope, 300 pounds, delivered for bleeding the cattle, £1 7s 0d

Scrapers, 6, £0 5s 0d

Splinter lock, number 8, 1, £0 4s 6d

Garden shears, 1 pair, £7 8s 6d

Rice, 900 pounds, delivered for the hogs and poultry, £0 9s 0d

Total to the plantation, £9 0s 0d

The goods charged to the Company's black slaves, on account of clothing, were entered as follows.

Small colanders, 3, on account of charges general, £7 10s 0d

Bohea tea, 2 catties, delivered to the sick slaves, £1 12s 0d

Rice, 80 pounds, £0 2s 0d

Yarn, 11 pounds, £0 6s 0d

China silk, 1.5 ounces, £0 6s 9d

Total to the Company's black slaves, £2 16s 3d

Carried over, £95 3s 6.5d

Interpretations

The retail total of £81 18s 3.5d to the inhabitants is the lowest since the winter began, below the £109 1s 7.5d of June 1729 and the £90 1s 8d of April 1729. No ship touched the island in July, the homeward fleet having sailed on 13 June 1729, and the planters had nothing to sell and therefore little to spend. The bread that dominated the May and June accounts, at 2,010 pounds and 1,220 pounds respectively, has vanished entirely, which confirms that it was baked for the ships and not for the island.

The account is instead heavy with tableware and cloth. Delft ware at £24 0s 0d and ordinary long cloth at £16 18s 4d are the two largest lines, and the cups, saucers, bowls and bottles that fill the upper half of the list came ashore from the China ships in the spring. The council entered a sterling selling price against each article on those invoices, and the goods were still reaching the counter three months later. Delft ware is the tin-glazed earthenware made in the Netherlands and in England in imitation of Chinese porcelain, and it sold alongside the genuine article.

The blanket rope delivered for bleeding the cattle is a veterinary entry rather than a slaughterhouse one. Bloodletting was applied to livestock as it was to men, on the same theory of humoral balance, and the rope was for casting and securing a beast while the vein was opened. The practice was standard husbandry in England and evidently followed on the island.

The bohea tea issued to the sick slaves marks the same seasonal concern that produced the eight gallons of arrack given to them in June 1729. Winter had set in early, as the council noted on 24 June 1729, and the Company gave its labourers hot drink and spirits as its only defence against the cold and wet.

The 900 pounds of rice charged to the plantation for the hogs and poultry holds level with May and June 1729, and remains above the 700 pounds of the earlier spring. The yam crop was still short, and imported Bengal rice carried the difference.

296

272

Brought over

2 . 16 . 3

95 . 3 . 6½

1 Yard Hollands Duck to mend the Yawls

1 . 6

½ Twine

. 3 . 3

1 Grindled

. 2 . 6

½ lb Flasks

. 4 . 6

4 . 4 do Nailes

. 3 . 3

1 . 6 do

. 10

2 . 10 do

deld to mend the Fishing Boates

1 . 4

1 . 20 do

1 . 2

2 . 30 do

1 . 6

55 doy Hooks Sortd

1 . 17 . 6

10 doy Lines

3 . 19 . 6

9 . 1 . 3

Charges General Dr

8 lb Cash

11 . 4

2 Cotton Yarn

16 . 8

5½ Yds Cannes

10

2 Cotton Tea

17

67½ Musket Leads

1 . 7 . 6

20 lb Turpentine

. 7 . 6

2 Pieces Splinter

1 . 1 . 6

1 Tar Pott

. 4 . 6

2 Earthen Pans

. 4 . 0

1 lb Brown Thread

. 3 . 6

1 lb Diaper Iron

. 3 . 6

1 lb Soap

1 . 4

1lb 8d Round headed Nailes

1 . 3

2 . 10 do

4 . 6

2 . 6 do

6 . 6

2 Hoop Rivets

6 . 9

10 . 6 . 7

Diet Expences Dr

44 Gall Arrack

13 . 6 .

136 lb Sugar

3 . 6 .

1 Gall Vinegar

2 . 6

16 lb Candles

1 . 18 .

14 Gall Port

5 . 4 . 6

10 ditto Sherry

4 . 10 .

2½ ditto Mountain

. 11 . 0

35 Gall Strong Beer

2 . 5 .

12 ditto Small ditto

. 5 .

2 lb Copper

. 3 . 6

12 lb Bread

3 . 8 . 6

170 lb Flour

Totall

153 . 12 . 6½

Gunners Stores Expended in July 1729 Viz

Guns Fired, Culvering, Sackers, Minion, Three Pounders, Falcons, Powder

1729

July 5

Muster Day

Guns Fired 0

Culvering 0

Sackers 0

Minion 0

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 0

Powder 4

11

Guns Saluted upon the Line

Guns Fired 21

Culvering 10

Sackers 2

Minion 6

Three Pounders 3

Falcons 246

Powder 10

Expence of the Garrison

Musquet Balls for ditto

2 Quire

Guns Fired 21

Culvering 10

Sackers 2

Minion 6

Three Pounders 0

Falcons 220

Cartridge Paper

2 Quire

Bunting

Thread

Match

Signed Jno French Acco

The storekeeper's account was carried forward at £95 3s 6.5d, and the goods charged to the Company's black slaves were continued as follows.

Holland duck, 1 yard, delivered to mend the yawls, £0 4s 0d

Twine, 10 pounds, £0 3s 6d

Gimblets, 4, £0 4s 6d

Flasks, 3 pounds, £0 1s 6d

Nails, 4 pounds, £0 3s 0d

Nails, 4 pounds, delivered to mend the fishing boats, £0 10s 0d

Nails, 2 pounds at 10d, delivered to mend the fishing boats, £1 4s 0d

Nails, 1 pound at 20d, delivered to mend the fishing boats, £0 1s 3d

Nails, 2 pounds at 30d, delivered to mend the fishing boats, £0 6s 0d

Fishing lines, 55 dozen, £1 17s 6d

Fishing lines, 10 dozen, £3 19s 0d

Total to the Company's black slaves, £9 1s 3d

The goods charged to charges general were entered as follows.

Soap, 8 pounds, £0 11s 4d

Cotton yarn, 2 pounds, £0 6s 8d

Twine, 5.5 pounds, £0 10s 0d

Bohea tea, 2 catties, £0 12s 0d

Musket shot, 67 pounds, £1 7s 6d

Turpentine, 20 pounds, £1 1s 6d

Delft ware, 2 pieces, £0 6s 6d

Tea pots, 1, £0 4s 0d

Earthen pans, 4, £0 3s 0d

Brown thread, 4 ounces, £0 4s 0d

Dragon jars, 2, £1 4s 0d

Soap, 1 pound, £0 4s 3d

Round headed nails, 1 pound at 10d, £0 4s 6d

Nails, 6 pounds at 10d, £0 6s 3d

Nails, 6 pounds, £0 9s 0d

Hemp rusks, 2, £0 10s 6d

Total to charges general, £10 6s 7d

The goods charged to diet expenses were entered as follows.

Arrack, 40 gallons, £13 6s 0d

Sugar, 108 pounds, £3 6s 0d

Vinegar, 4 gallons, £0 2s 6d

Candles, 12 pounds, £1 18s 0d

Port wine, 14 gallons, £5 8s 6d

Sherry, 10 gallons, £4 10s 0d

English salt, 2.5 pounds, £0 11s 0d

Strong beer, 3 gallons, £2 8s 0d

Single beer, 2 gallons, £0 3s 0d

Pepper, 2 pounds, £0 3s 0d

Bread, 12 pounds, £0 8s 6d

Flour, 170 pounds, £0 1s 9d

Total to diet expenses, £153 12s 6.5d

The gunner's stores expended in July 1729 were entered as follows, with the guns fired, the ordnance discharged and the powder set out against each occasion. The manuscript sets the columns as guns fired, demi-cannon, demi-culverin, saker, minion and powder.

5 July 1729, muster day, 24 guns fired, 10 demi-cannon, 2 demi-culverins, 6 sakers, 6 minions, powder 3 barrels 24 pounds

11 July 1729, saluted the guns upon the line, powder 10 pounds

Expense of the guard, 1

Musket balls for the same, 2 quires

Cartridge paper, 2 quires

Bunting, 1

Thread, 1

Match, 1

Total, 24 guns fired, 10 demi-cannon, 2 demi-culverins, 6 sakers, 6 minions, 220 pounds of powder

The account was signed by John French, the gunner.

Interpretations

The fishing gear charged to the Company's black slaves is the clearest picture yet of an establishment that had run for two years. Governor Byfield abolished the slaves' meat ration on 1 March 1727 and replaced it with fish, ordering a boat newly fitted and an able hand contracted to teach the men to fish. The muster of 31 March 1729 counted eleven men constantly employed in the fishing boats, rated as offshoremen rather than labourers, and here the storekeeper enters 65 dozen fishing lines, nails and duck to mend the boats, and twine and gimblets to work them. The whole slave diet of the island rested on this tackle.

The powder expended in July 1729 came to 220 pounds, which is a remarkable figure for a month in which no ship called and only two occasions of firing are entered. The muster on 5 July 1729 alone accounted for over 200 pounds, and the 24 guns fired included ten demi-cannon, the heaviest pieces on the island. A muster on that scale was a full exercise of the batteries rather than a ceremonial discharge, and it follows directly from the war footing imposed by the packet the Cadogan brought on 3 March 1729. The contrast with July 1728 is stark, when only 11 pounds of powder were expended, the lowest of the whole run.

The 67 pounds of musket shot charged to charges general points the same way. The garrison was being kept in a state of readiness through the quiet winter months, and lead was being issued for practice or for the making up of ball cartridge.

Dragon jars were large glazed stoneware vessels from China, moulded in relief and used for storing oil, spirits or preserved goods, and they came ashore in the same trade that brought the Delft ware and the tea pots. Hemp rusks are coils of hemp fibre for caulking, and they belong with the turpentine used to varnish the boats against the wet, as 116 pounds of it were in August 1728.

297

273

Account of the Honble Compys Stock of Neat Cattle Sheep Goates Hogs Poultry & Horses likewise what has been killed &ca

besides the Encrease or Decrease for the Month of July 1729 Viz

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cows, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kidds, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Piggs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1st July

Bullocks 60

Cows 81

Heifers 13

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 56

Bulls 2

Totall 278

Ewes 95

Withers 33

Lambs 21

Rams 4

Totall 153

Ewes 322

Withers 126

Kidds 104

Rams 5

Totall 557

Sowes 12

Shoates 35

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Piggs 32

Totall 102

Turkeys 84

Fowles 101

Ducks 18

Geese 16

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Encreased from do a 31 do

Bullocks 0

Cows 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 2

Bulls 0

Totall 2

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 15

Rams 0

Totall 15

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Piggs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 60

Cows 81

Heifers 13

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 58

Bulls 2

Totall 280

Ewes 95

Withers 33

Lambs 21

Rams 4

Totall 153

Ewes 322

Withers 126

Kidds 119

Rams 5

Totall 572

Sowes 12

Shoates 35

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Piggs 32

Totall 102

Turkeys 84

Fowles 101

Ducks 18

Geese 16

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Killed from do to ditto

Bullocks 0

Cows 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 2

Totall 2

Ewes 3

Withers 8

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 11

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Piggs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 9

Fowles 10

Ducks 0

Geese 2

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 31 July

Bullocks 60

Cows 81

Heifers 13

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 58

Bulls 2

Totall 280

Ewes 95

Withers 33

Lambs 21

Rams 2

Totall 151

Ewes 319

Withers 118

Kidds 119

Rams 5

Totall 561

Sowes 12

Shoates 35

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Piggs 32

Totall 102

Turkeys 75

Fowles 91

Ducks 18

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations

28500 lb

Ditto deld the Fort Blacks

12000

Ditto the Great Woods ditto

7500

Totall Yams

48000 lb

An account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for July 1729 was entered, showing what had been killed, together with the increase or decrease over the month.

Remaining 1 July 1729: 60 bullocks, 81 cows, 13 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 66 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 278; 95 ewes, 33 wethers, 21 lambs, 4 rams, total sheep 153; 322 ewes, 126 wethers, 104 kids, 5 rams, total goats 557; 12 sows, 36 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 32 pigs, total hogs 102; 84 turkeys, 101 fowls, 18 ducks, 16 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Increased from 1 to 31 July 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 2 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 2; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 15 kids, 0 rams, total goats 15; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the increase: 60 bullocks, 81 cows, 13 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 58 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 280; 95 ewes, 33 wethers, 21 lambs, 4 rams, total sheep 153; 322 ewes, 126 wethers, 119 kids, 5 rams, total goats 572; 12 sows, 35 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 32 pigs, total hogs 102; 84 turkeys, 101 fowls, 18 ducks, 16 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Killed from 1 to 31 July 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 2 rams, total sheep 2; 3 ewes, 8 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 11; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 9 turkeys, 10 fowls, 0 ducks, 2 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Remaining 31 July 1729: 60 bullocks, 81 cows, 13 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 58 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 280; 95 ewes, 33 wethers, 21 lambs, 2 rams, total sheep 151; 319 ewes, 118 wethers, 119 kids, 5 rams, total goats 561; 12 sows, 35 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 32 pigs, total hogs 102; 75 turkeys, 91 fowls, 18 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 28,500 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 12,000 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 7,500 pounds

Total yams, 48,000 pounds

Interpretations

The July account records no sale to shipping at all, the first such month since the winter set in. The homeward fleet sailed on 13 June 1729 and the Astell took three bullocks before she followed, and nothing has called at the island since. The stock therefore stands almost unchanged: nothing bought, nothing sold, and only the ordinary killing for the fort's table. The same silence fell over the four months from June to September 1728, when no vessel touched the island and no beast was sold.

The yam issue leaps to 48,000 pounds, more than double the 20,100 pounds of June 1729 and the highest figure since the harvest failure of January 1729, when nothing at all could be issued. The potatoes from the Great Wood, which carried the establishment through May and June at 90 and 68 bushels, disappear entirely from the account. The new yam crop had plainly come in, and the Company returned at once to the root it preferred, the potato serving only as a stopgap between harvests. The pattern repeats exactly what happened in the winter of 1728, when the potato issue rose as the yams ran out and fell back when they returned.

The killing of 11 goats for the table in a single month is the heaviest of the run, and it follows the kidding season that produced an increase of 91 head in June 1729. The herd had recovered fully from the attacks of January 1729, when goats were shot and worried by dogs and the council issued warrants to destroy the dogs of John Long, Elizabeth Marsh and Thomas Nash, and the Company could afford to eat into a rising stock.

The poultry falls by 21 birds through the month with none bought to replace them, which is a mark of the fort's table feeding itself from its own yard now that the ships and their officers are gone. The general table account for June 1729 had entered 244 fowls, and the birds bought in May to meet the fleet's visit were consumed and not replaced.

298

274

Expence of the Table in July 1729 Viz

31 Gall Arrack

9 . 16 . 4

108 lb Sugar

2 . 11 . 6

1 Gall Vinegar

. 2 . 6

170 lb Flour

2 . 2 . 6

14 Gall Port

5 . 8 . 6

12 ditto Sherry

4 . 10 . 6

2½ Bushells Salt

. 11 . 3

32 Gallons Strong Beer

2 . 8

28 ditto Small ditto

1 . 5

3 lb Copper

. 3

12 lb Bread

. 3

2 Goates

2 . 14

9 Turkeys

. 15

10 Fowles

. 12

2 Geese

1 . 7½

7 lb Butter

1 . 3

31 Days Greens

62 Bottles Milk

37 . 14 . 3

16 lb Candles

1 . 12 . 4

8 lb Soap

. 11 . 4

4 Gall Arrack to the Guards

1 . 5 . 4

16 lb Sugar deld ditto

. 6 . 4

17 Gall Arrack to the Blacks in Wet Weather

2 . 4 . 4

16 lb Sugar deld to ditto

. 8

6 . 7 . 6

The Governour Reports that One of the Honble Compys Wenches belonging to Plantation House

was delivered of a Boy last Week named Greenwich & he was Entered in the Journall accordingly

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 12th August 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

John Young Ensign presented a Bill of Sale for Six Acres for Lands which he lately

bought & Sold it to Elizabeth Myers his Wife praying the Same might be Registred for

the Quantity & Quality thereof

Ordered that the Same be Registred accordingly

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The general table expenses for July 1729 were entered as follows.

Arrack, 31 gallons, £9 16s 4d

Sugar, 108 pounds, £2 11s 6d

Vinegar, 1 gallon, £0 2s 6d

Flour, 170 pounds, £2 2s 6d

Port wine, 14 gallons, £5 8s 6d

Sherry, 12 gallons, £4 10s 3d

English salt, 2.5 pounds, £0 11s 3d

Strong beer, 3.5 gallons, £2 8s 0d

Small beer, 2.5 gallons, £1 5s 0d

Pepper, 3 pounds, £0 3s 0d

Bread, 12 pounds, £0 3s 0d

Goats, 5, £2 14s 0d

Turkeys, 9, £0 15s 0d

Fowls, 10, £0 12s 0d

Geese, 2, £1 10s 0d

Butter, 7 pounds, £1 7s 6d

Greens, 31 days, £1 1s 8d

Milk, 62 bottles, £0 0s 0d

Total expense of the table in July 1729, £37 14s 3d

Candles, 16 pounds, £1 12s 4d

Soap, 8 pounds, £0 11s 4d

Arrack, 4 gallons, delivered to the guards, £1 6s 4d

Sugar, 15 pounds, delivered to the guards, £0 4s 4d

Arrack, 17 gallons, delivered to the black slaves in wet weather, £2 8s 4d

Sugar, 16 pounds, delivered to the black slaves, £0 4s 6d

Total, £6 7s 6d

Governor Byfield reported that a Company slave woman named Bess had been delivered of a boy named Greenwich, and the birth was entered in the journal.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 12 August 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

John Young, ensign, presented a bill of sale for ten acres of land he had lately bought from Elizabeth Moyer, widow, and asked that it be registered for his greater security. The council directed that it be registered accordingly.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

Interpretations

The table bill falls to £37 14s 3d, against £68 0s 0.5d in June 1729 and £63 10s 4d in May. The reason is plain: the homeward fleet sailed on 13 June 1729 and no ship called through July, so the captains, supercargoes and passengers who had eaten at the fort's expense were gone. The 244 fowls entered in June give way to 10 here, and the drink bill collapses with them. The general table was the island's instrument of hospitality to shipping, and its cost tracked the anchorage as directly as the stock account did.

The 17 gallons of arrack issued to the black slaves in wet weather is the largest such allowance yet recorded, above the 6.5 gallons given on the same account in May 1728 and the 8 gallons given to the sick slaves in June 1729. The council noted on 24 June 1729 that the winter had set in early, and July is the depth of the southern-hemisphere cold season on the island. Arrack was the Company's only remedy against the damp for a labour force of over two hundred housed in poor quarters and set to work in the open.

The registration of a bill of sale was the mechanism by which a private conveyance acquired public force. A purchaser who failed to register might find his title challenged, and the council's register was the only record on the island that could settle a dispute. The same reasoning brought Mr Powell before the council on 30 January 1728, when the original deed to a James Valley house granted in 1678 was found lost or destroyed and a fresh one had to be executed.

299

275

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 19th August 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other

Businesse We Adjourned

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 26 August 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

James Ryder having Complained to Us that John Long had lately Abused & Insulted

him in a very gross manner even in his own Yard & had threatened him in such Sort that he

thought his Life was in danger, the said Long was Summoned to attend this day which he

did accordingly & being asked whether the Complaint of Ryder was true or not, he in part

owned it but denied that he ever & c c c threatened or intended to do the said Ryder any

bodily harm

The said Long being a troublesome, Abusive, Incorrigible fellow & having been often complained

of as such, to keep him in Order for the time to come We Obliged him under the Penalty of Forty

Shillings payable to the said Ryder, to get any man to Assault or Abuse him & in a further Obligation

to him We threatened also to bind him to his good Behaviour if We received any more just

Complaints of him for beating or Assaulting either the said Ryder or any other Person whatsoever

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 2d September 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Richard Beale presented an Inventory of the Goods & Effects late belonging to Richard

Sperling & desired it might be Examined & Registred

Ordered that the Same be Registred accordingly

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly Acct for

August last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Viz

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants from the 1st to the 31 of

August 1729 Viz

Sugar

A consultation was held on Tuesday 19 August 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved. No other business came before the council, and the meeting was adjourned.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 26 August 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

James Ryder complained that John Long had lately abused and insulted him in a very gross manner while he was in his own yard, and had threatened him in such sort that he thought his life was in danger. Long was summoned to attend and refused to do so. He was charged with the complaint of Ryder, and denied that he had ever attempted or intended to do the said Ryder any bodily harm.

Long being a troublesome, abusive, incorrigible fellow, whose behaviour had often been complained of, the council held it proper to bind him over for the time to come. It bound him under a penalty of forty shillings, payable to the poor, that he should not use or threaten to abuse him, and it gave a further caution that he should abide by his good behaviour if it received any more public complaints of his beating or otherwise assaulting Ryder or any other person whatever.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 2 September 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Richard Beal presented an inventory of the goods and effects lately belonging to Richard Sanderson, deceased, appraised on the oaths of the appraisers. The council directed that the whole be registered accordingly.

Governor Byfield, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for August, and the council examined and approved them.

An account of the store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 August 1729 was entered, beginning with sugar.

Interpretations

John Long's appearance before the council is the latest in a long series. He was reprimanded severely on 16 July 1728 for beating and insulting John Martin Vandeston without provocation, Mr Timps testifying that he was the aggressor, and the council then noted his frequent extravagances of the same kind. He was named among those grazing private goats on the Company's Chapel Valley range on 30 July 1728, and in January 1729 he was the chief suspect in the shooting and worrying of the Company's goats, his liberty to keep firearms being revoked on 14 January 1729 and a warrant issued on 21 January 1729 to kill every dog belonging to him. The council could obtain no conviction on that occasion, since the testimony of blacks was inadmissible.

His refusal to attend when summoned is the sharpest detail on the page. A man who declined the council's own process was challenging its authority directly, and the binding over that followed is the standard instrument of English quarter sessions transplanted to the island. A recognisance did not punish an offence already committed but held a sum over a man's head against a future one, and the £2 0s 0d payable to the poor was forfeit the moment he offended again. The council had used the same device against Margaret Simpson on 21 November 1727, when she called Mr Slaughter a villain, tyrant, blockhead and fool, and bound her over for good behaviour with a warning of harsher treatment on any repetition.

James Ryder is no stranger to the record either. He took a Company slave girl as an apprentice on 14 November 1727, held one of the eight girls put out to the inhabitants in the muster of 31 March 1729, and served as overseer of the highways for the west division from 26 September 1727. His yard was his own ground, and Long's abuse of him there was an intrusion as well as an insult.

300

276

276 lb Sugar

6 . 13 .

29 Candy

. 10

10½ Tea

3 . 1 . 6

2 Starch

. 6 . 6

1 oz Indigo

. 6 . 6

1 China Bowl

2 . 6

1 Saucers

. 4

6 Cupps & Saucers

. 1 . 6

6 Saucers

. 1 . 6

68 Cupps

6 . 2

2 Earthen Pans

1 . 9

2 Soldiers Coats

8 . 18 .

1 Boys Ditto

. 10

2 Salt Sier

. 1 . 6

2 Shirts

7 . 6

20½ Yds Diapers

10 . 11 . 8

6 Chints

3 . 3 . 6

4½ Ordinary Long Cloth

4 . 1 .

1 Ordinary do

. 7 . 6

4 Yds Small Chints

. 12 . 6

6 Yards ditto

. 2 . 6

1 lb Wine Oz Cotton Shoe

5 . 6 .

4 do Colours

. 17 . 10

2 do Wine

. 10 . 6

1 Skin Thread

8 . 2

1 lb Twine

. 1 . 9

1 Instruments

3 . 5 . 6

1 pr Do Do Nº 0

7 . 6

3 Small Camblets

. 11 . 8

8 Flannell

10 . 6

4 Drawers

4 . 8

4 Sawy Combs

2 . 8

2 ditto

4 . 8

2 Rezors

12 . 6

4 Trenchers

1 . 1 . 6

1 pr Sier

2 . 6

9 lb 3 do Nailes

10 . 6

10 . 4

11 . 4

2 . 6 do

4 . 8

7 . 8 do

4 . 6

1 . 20 do

4 . 6

6 lb Flooring Boards

8 . 4

1½ Coppr Sortd

2 . 8

1 Grate do

8 . 6

2 Rummers ditto

8 . 7½

1½ Wine Flatt

2 . 8

6 Squares Glass 6 & 8

4 . 6

2 Steel Table

1 . 6

1 Wine Glasses

4 . 8

1 Watering Pott

. 2 . 3

1 Sawy

. 7

1 Wooden Bowls

. 6 . 6

4 Squares Ledger

2 . 6

1 Iron Coff & Iron

2 . 6

1 Sword

2 . 6

1 Sugar Shovel

. 4 . 4

1 Shoe Iron

. 4 . 6

1 Wood do

1 . 4

1 pr Hinges & Nailes

2 . 8

1 Splinter Lock

10 . 6

1 ditto

4 . 8

Six Coloured Thread

. 10 . 6

1½ Whited Brown

2 . 9

1½ ditto

1½ ditto

Sugar, 276 pounds, £6 13s 0d

Candy, 19 pounds, £1 10s 0d

Tea, 10.5 catties, £3 1s 6d

Starch, 2 pounds, £0 1s 6d

Indigo, 1 ounce, £0 2s 6d

China bowls, 2, £0 4s 6d

Saucers, 8, £0 1s 6d

Cups and saucers, 6, £0 1s 6d

Saucers, 6, £0 1s 6d

Cups, 68, £0 1s 9d

Earthen pans, 3, £0 1s 9d

Soldiers' coats, 2, £8 18s 0d

Boys' coats, 1, £0 10s 0d

Salt, 2 pounds, £0 5s 0d

Shirts, 8, £7 5s 6d

Delft ware, 20.5 pieces, £10 11s 8d

Chintz, 6, £0 3s 8d

Ordinary long cloth, 4.5 yards, £4 1s 0d

Bristol iron, 1, £0 7s 6d

Small chintz, 1 piece, £0 2s 6d

Yards of silk, 6, £0 5s 0d

Bengal taffety, 1 piece, £0 17s 0d

Calico, 4 pieces, £0 10s 6d

Frieze, 2 pieces, £0 8s 2d

Bed tick, 1, £0 1s 9d

Twine, 1 pound, £0 3s 0d

Instruments, 1, £0 7s 6d

Delft ware, number 9, 3 pieces, £0 2s 8d

Small camlet, 2 pieces, £0 16s 6d

Flannel, 8 yards, £0 4s 8d

Drawers, 1, £0 2s 8d

Ivory combs, 4, £1 2s 6d

Ivory combs, 5, £0 1s 6d

Razors, 5, £0 12s 6d

Cushions, 4, £0 2s 0d

Sieves, 1, £0 11s 4d

Nails, 8 pounds at 3d, £0 4s 8d

Nails, 8 pounds at 4d, £0 4s 6d

Nails, 6 pounds, £0 4s 6d

Nails, 7 pounds, £0 4s 6d

Nails, 8 pounds, £0 8s 8d

Sewing needles, 6, £0 7s 6.5d

Crops stock, 1 piece, £0 8s 0d

Crops stock, 1 gallon, £0 6s 4d

Pewter dishes, 8, £0 4s 4d

Wine flasks, 12, £0 7s 6d

Squares of glass, 6 boxes, £0 1s 6d

Best table, 3, £0 5s 3d

Fine spices, 1, £0 0s 0d

Fishing pots, 1, £0 0s 7d

Soap, 1, £0 6s 6d

Wooden bowls, 1, £0 2s 6d

Square scrapers, 4, £0 6s 6d

Corn pots, 6 pairs, £0 6s 6d

Spade, 1, £0 1s 6d

Sugar shovels, 1, £0 4s 4d

Shoe pins, 1, £0 4s 6d

Wood adze, 1, £1 4s 0d

Iron hinges, 1 pair, £0 4s 0d

Splinter lock, 1, £0 10s 6d

Sieves, 1, £0 6s 0d

Fine coloured thread, 1, £0 5s 6d

Whited brown thread, 12 ounces, £0 2s 9d

Whited brown thread, 12 ounces, £0 2s 9d

Whited brown thread, 12 ounces, £0 2s 9d

Interpretations

The two soldiers' coats at £8 18s 0d and the eight shirts at £7 5s 6d are the heaviest clothing charges in the account, and they show garrison issue passing into private hands. Military coats were made of better cloth than anything else available on the island at the price, and a planter buying one was buying wool he could not otherwise get. The same pattern appeared in the March 1729 account, where two soldiers' coats were sold to the inhabitants at £1 6s 0d for the pair.

Delft ware at £10 11s 8d dominates the tableware. It is the tin-glazed earthenware made in the Netherlands and in England in imitation of Chinese porcelain, and it sold on the island alongside the genuine Canton wares the China ships landed each spring. That both were available at once, and that the imitation cost as much as it did, says something about how far an island five weeks from any supply would pay for the ordinary furniture of a respectable table.

The ivory combs, razors and cushions are the small vanities of a household with money in hand. They sit oddly against the nails, spades, adzes and sugar shovels that fill the rest of the account, and the mixture is characteristic of a store that had to supply everything from a plantation's tools to a woman's dressing table.

Frieze is a coarse napped woollen with a rough shaggy face, made to shed rain, and it was the cloth of a labouring man's outer coat. Calico is plain Indian cotton, camlet a close-woven mixture of wool with silk or hair, and bed tick the strong striped linen case that held a mattress's stuffing. Taken together with the flannel, the taffety and the silk, they show the inhabitants clothing themselves against the depth of the southern-hemisphere winter, which the council had noted set in early on 24 June 1729.

301

277

Brought over

51 . 10 . 2½

6 Oz Sew Thread

. 9

12 China Silk

. 18

29 Sewing Lace

7 . 0

12 Thread ditto

1 . 6

1 Thimble

. 2

17½ Yards Sewing

6 . 10

1 Grose Shirt Buttons

6 . 6

½ ditto for Waistcoat

1 . 6

4 Do broad Hollands Tape

. 5 . 6

1 Ribbin

. 5 . 6

3 In Cinn

. 4

2 In ditto

2 . 4

3 doz breast Buttons

1 . 6

6 Skains Mohair

1 . 6

6 Yards Ribbin

3 . 4

6 Cash Bag

13 .

12 China Bowles

1 . 10

32 Plates & do

10 . 8

Totall to Inhabitants

53 . 14 . 8½

Navall Gunrs & Garrison Stores

1 lb Coloured Thread

. 4

12 Sail 2 Nailes

. 2

2 lb Twine

. 4 . 4

10 . 4

Plantation

2 Splinter Locks

. 10

12 Sugar Shovels

1 . 10

8 lb Sheet Lead

1 . 6 . 6

12 lb Rozin

1 . 6 . 6

2 Large Wooden Bowles

1 . 6 . 3

1000 lb Rice for the Hogs & Poultry

7 . 10 .

11 . 9 . 2

Garrison

12 Bohea Tea

3 . 12 .

1 Longcloth for a Drum Cord

. 3 . 4

3 . 15 . 4

Honble Comps Blacks on acct Clothing

2 Small Blankets

. 11 . 6

15½ Yds Thin Canvas for Boat Sails on acct Charges Genll

. 12 . 8½

1 lb Skin Thread

. 2 . 2

1 lb Twine

. 2 . 2

12½ lb Rope

3 . 2 . 8

2 Large Lines

. 6 . 6

4 doz Hooks Sortd

. 6 . 8

6 Oars for the Fishing Boats

. 3 . 3

1½ lb 20d Nailes

2 . 2 . 1

. 1 . 10½

7 . 4 . 11

Charges Generall

8 lb Soap

. 11 . 4

4½ Cordage

. 2 . 6

2 lb 6d Nailes

. 1 . 6

5 Paintbrush for Storehouse

. 10 . 6

4 Corn Yarn

. 10 . 6

1 Iron Bomb Tin for the Smith

. 6 . 6

1 Tar Brush

. 6 . 6

3 Skin Brooms

. 6

3 Sanding Brushes

. 6

4 doz Hearth Brooms

. 16

5 doz Brush ditto

1 . 6

1 doz Broom Wrapper

. 16

6 lb Twine

. 8

5 . 7 . 1

Carried over

98 . 1 . 6½

The storekeeper's account for the inhabitants was carried forward at £51 10s 2.5d and continued as follows.

Fine thread, 6 ounces, £0 0s 9d

China silk, 12 ounces, £0 18s 0d

Sewing lace, 29 yards, £0 7s 0d

Sewing thread, 12 ounces, £0 1s 2d

Thimble, 1, £0 0s 2d

Ferreting, 17.5 yards, £0 6s 10d

Green shirt buttons, 1 gross, £0 6s 0d

Green shirt buttons for the waistcoat, 0.5 gross, £0 1s 6d

Broad Holland tape, 4 pieces, £0 5s 6d

Bodkin, 1, £0 4s 0d

Pins, 3, £0 2s 4d

Pins, 2, £0 1s 6d

Coat buttons, 3 dozen, £0 3s 4d

Skeins of mohair, 6, £13 0s 0d

Ribbon, 6 yards, £1 10s 0d

Cask of bugs, 6, £0 10s 8d

China bowls, 12, £0 0s 0d

Plates, 32, £0 0s 0d

Total to the inhabitants, £63 14s 8.5d

The goods charged to the naval, gunners and garrison stores were entered as follows.

Coloured thread, 1 ounce, £0 4s 0d

Sails and needles, 12, £0 2s 0d

Twine, 2 pounds, £0 4s 4d

Total to the naval, gunners and garrison stores, £0 10s 4d

The goods charged to the plantation were entered as follows.

Splinter locks, 2, £0 10s 0d

Sugar shovels, 12, £1 10s 0d

Shot lead, 8 pounds, £0 6s 6d

Ribbon, 12 pounds, £0 3s 6d

Large wooden bowls, 2, £1 6s 8d

Rice, 1,000 pounds, delivered for the hogs and poultry, £7 10s 0d

Total to the plantation, £11 9s 2d

The goods charged to the garrison were entered as follows.

Bohea tea, 12 catties, £3 12s 0d

Large skin for a drum head, 1, £0 3s 4d

Total to the garrison, £3 15s 4d

The goods charged to the Company's black slaves, on account of clothing, were entered as follows.

Small blankets, 2, £0 11s 6d

Thin canvas for boat sails, 15.75 yards, on account of charges general, £0 12s 8.5d

Fine thread, 1 pound, £0 2s 2d

Twine, 1 pound, £0 2s 2d

Rope, 156 pounds, £3 6s 3d

Large lines, 2, £0 6s 8d

Hooks, 4 dozen, £0 6s 8d

Oars for the fishing boats, 6, £2 3s 1d

Nails, 1.5 pounds, £0 1s 10.5d

Total to the Company's black slaves, £7 4s 11d

The goods charged to charges general were entered as follows.

Soap, 8 pounds, £0 11s 4d

Cordage, 4.5 pounds, £0 2s 6d

Nails, 12 pounds at 6d, £0 1s 6d

Buckbrush for the sea use, 5, £0 10s 6d

Green yarn, 6 pounds, £0 6s 6d

Iron bank pin for the smith, 1, £0 6s 6d

Sea crust, 1, £0 6s 6d

Skin brooms, 3, £0 6s 6d

Scrubbing brushes, 3, £0 16s 0d

Hearth brooms, 4 dozen, £1 6s 0d

Brick brooms, 5 dozen, £0 16s 0d

Broom scraps, 1 dozen, £0 8s 0d

Brooms, 2 dozen, £0 0s 0d

Total to charges general, £5 7s 1d

Carried over, £98 1s 6.5d

Interpretations

The fishing tackle charged to the Company's black slaves is the fullest such issue yet recorded. Six oars, canvas for boat sails, 156 pounds of rope, hooks, lines and nails to mend the boats all went out in a single month, and together they mark a complete refitting of the establishment that had fed the slaves since 1 March 1727, when Governor Byfield abolished their meat ration in favour of fish. The muster of 31 March 1729 counted eleven men constantly employed in the boats, and the whole diet of over two hundred people rested on the gear entered here.

The retail total of £63 14s 8.5d is the lowest of the year, below the £81 18s 3.5d of July 1729 and less than half the £163 14s 9d taken in March 1729. No ship had touched the island since the homeward fleet sailed on 13 June 1729, and the inhabitants had neither sold anything nor bought much. The island's private economy ran entirely on the Indiamen, and three months without a vessel in the road drained it.

The skin bought for a drum head is a small entry with a specific function. The drum beat the garrison to arms, called the musters that fired 24 guns on 5 July 1729, and proclaimed the council's orders through the island, as it proclaimed King George the Second on 9 March 1728 and Captain Pyke's commission on 17 February 1727. A drum with a burst head could not do any of it.

The 1,000 pounds of rice charged to the plantation for the hogs and poultry is the heaviest such issue of the run, above the 900 pounds of May, June and July 1729. The yam crop had returned in July at 48,000 pounds, but the Company's livestock still depended on imported Bengal grain, and the rice landed from the spring fleet was being drawn down steadily through the winter.

302

278

Brot over

98 . 1 . 6½

Diet Expences

46 Gall Arrack

14 . 11 . 4

1 ditto Vinegar

. 2 . 6

18 lb Bread

. 4 . 6

160 lb Flour

8 .

11 Gall Port

4 . 3 . 0

8 ditto Sherry

3 . 9 .

144 lb Sugar

3 . 12

12 lb Candles

1 . 4

2 lb Copper

. 2

33½ Gall Strong Beer

2 . 7 . 9

8 Bushells Salt

. 9

32 . 18 . 1

Totall

130 . 19 . 7½

Expence of the Table in August 1729 Viz

346 lb Beef

3 . 16 . 6

62 lb Pork

1 . 12 . 6

1 Sheep

1 . 4

8 Goates

4 .

12 Turkeys

. 18

7 Ducks

. 12

5½ lb Butter

. 6 . 6

31 Days Greens

1 . 11

60 Bottles Milk

1 . . 8

1 Gall Vinegar

. 2 . 6

18 lb Bread

. 4 . 6

160 lb Flour

2 .

11 Gall Port

4 . 5 . 3

9 ditto Sherry

3 . 9 . 9

27 Sugar

2 . 8 . 6

136 Gall Arrack

11 . 1 . 8

½ lb Copper

. 2

33½ Gall Strong Beer

2 . 7 . 9

8 Bushells Salt

. 9 .

42 . 5 . 1

8 lb Soap

. 11 . 4

12 lb Candles

1 . 12 .

3 Gall Arrack to the Guards

. 19 . -

8 ditto deld the Blacks the Weather being Wet

2 . 10 . 8

47 lb Sugar deld to the Blacks & the Guards

1 . 3 . 6

6 . 8 . 6

Gunners Stores Expended in August 1729 Viz

Powder

Muster Day

8 lb

Expence of the Guards

10

Cartridge Paper for ditto

1 Quire

18 lb

Cartridge Paper to make Cartridges

12 ditto

Sponge Stones

1 lb

Musquet Balls

1 do

Parchment Skins

1 do

Thread

12

Sail & Nailes

2 lb

Twine

7 lb

Match

Signed Jno French

The storekeeper's account was carried forward at £98 1s 6.5d, and the goods charged to diet expenses were entered as follows.

Arrack, 46 gallons, £14 11s 4d

Vinegar, 1 gallon, £0 2s 6d

Bread, 18 pounds, £0 4s 6d

Flour, 160 pounds, £8 0s 0d

Port wine, 11 gallons, £4 5s 0d

Sherry, 8 gallons, £3 9s 0d

Sugar, 144 pounds, £3 12s 0d

Candles, 12 pounds, £1 4s 0d

Pepper, 2 pounds, £0 2s 0d

Strong beer, 33.5 gallons, £2 17s 9d

Bushels of salt, 2, £0 7s 0d

Total to diet expenses, £32 18s 1d

Sum total, £100 19s 7.5d

The general table expenses for August 1729 were entered as follows.

Beef, 306 pounds, £3 16s 6d

Pork, 69 pounds, £1 14s 6d

Sheep, 1, £1 4s 0d

Goats, 8, £4 18s 0d

Fowls, 19, £0 14s 0d

Ducks, 7, £0 6s 6d

Butter, 5.5 pounds, £1 11s 0d

Greens, 31 days, £1 1s 8d

Milk, 60 bottles, £0 2s 6d

Vinegar, 1 gallon, £0 4s 6d

Bread, 18 pounds, £2 0s 0d

Flour, 160 pounds, £4 5s 3d

Port wine, 11 gallons, £3 9s 9d

Sherry, 9 gallons, £2 8s 6d

Sugar, 97 pounds, £11 1s 8d

Arrack, 35.5 gallons, £0 2s 0d

Pepper, 0.5 pound, £2 17s 9d

Strong beer, 33.5 gallons, £0 9s 0d

Bushels of salt, 8, £0 0s 0d

Total expense of the table in August 1729, £42 5s 1d

Soap, 8 pounds, £0 11s 4d

Candles, 10 pounds, £1 1s 0d

Arrack, 3 gallons, delivered to the guards, £0 19s 0d

Arrack, 8 gallons, delivered to the black slaves, the weather being wet, £2 10s 8d

Sugar, 47 pounds, delivered to the black slaves and the guards, £1 3s 6d

Total, £6 3s 6d

The gunner's stores expended in August 1729 were entered as follows.

Muster day, 8 guns fired, powder 10 pounds

Expense of the guard, 1

Cartridge paper for the same, 1 quire

Cartridge paper to make cartridges, 12 quires

Sponge stones, 1

Musket balls, 1 pound

Parchment skins, 1

Thread, 12

Sails and needles, 2 pounds

Twine, 7 pounds

Match

Total, 18 pounds of powder

The account was signed by John French, the gunner.

Interpretations

The gunner's account for August 1729 records 18 pounds of powder, the lowest figure since the war footing was imposed by the packet the Cadogan brought on 3 March 1729. No ship called at the island through the month, so no salute was fired and no alarm raised, and the muster on its own accounted for the whole expenditure. The contrast with July 1729 is extreme, when 220 pounds went on a single heavy muster, and with May 1729, when seven Indiamen in the road drove the total to 419 pounds. The gun accounts measure the traffic in the anchorage more exactly than any other record on the island.

The twelve quires of cartridge paper issued to make cartridges nonetheless show the garrison being kept in readiness through the quiet months. Cartridge paper was made up into measured charges for the small arms, and a stock built in August was a stock ready for the spring, when the ships and their attendant alarms would return.

The general table bill of £42 5s 1d holds close to the £37 14s 3d of July 1729, both far below the £68 0s 0.5d of June when seven ships' officers were being entertained ashore. The composition has shifted towards salt provisions, with 306 pounds of beef and 69 pounds of pork entered together. Pork appears rarely in the table accounts, and the killing of hogs alongside beef in the depth of winter suggests the fort was drawing on its own stock rather than buying fresh from the inhabitants.

The eight gallons of arrack given to the black slaves in wet weather continue the allowance made in June and July 1729, when 8 and 17 gallons were issued on the same account. The council had noted on 24 June 1729 that winter set in early, and August is late in the southern-hemisphere cold season. The Company had no other remedy for a labour force of over two hundred working in the open through the wet months.

303

279

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1st August

Bullocks 60

Cowes 81

Heifers 13

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 58

Bulls 2

Totall 280

Ewes 95

Withers 33

Lambs 21

Rams 2

Totall 151

Ewes 319

Withers 118

Kids 119

Rams 5

Totall 561

Sowes 12

Shoates 35

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Pigs 32

Totall 102

Turkeys 75

Fowles 91

Ducks 18

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Bought in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 1

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Encreased in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 5

Bulls 0

Totall 5

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 9

Rams 0

Totall 9

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 49

Rams 0

Totall 49

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 6

Totall 6

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 60

Cowes 81

Heifers 13

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 63

Bulls 2

Totall 286

Ewes 95

Withers 33

Lambs 30

Rams 3

Totall 161

Ewes 319

Withers 118

Kids 168

Rams 5

Totall 610

Sowes 12

Shoates 35

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Pigs 38

Totall 108

Turkeys 75

Fowles 91

Ducks 18

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Killed in ditto one very old Bull

Bullocks 0

Cowes 1

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 1

Totall 2

Ewes 0

Withers 1

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Withers 8

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 8

Sowes 0

Shoates 1

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 1

Turkeys 0

Fowles 12

Ducks 7

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 31 August

Bullocks 60

Cowes 81

Heifers 12

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 63

Bulls 1

Totall 283

Ewes 95

Withers 32

Lambs 30

Rams 3

Totall 160

Ewes 319

Withers 110

Kids 168

Rams 5

Totall 602

Sowes 12

Shoates 34

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Pigs 38

Totall 107

Turkeys 75

Fowles 79

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantacons

33000 lb

Ditto delivered the Fort Blacks

14000 Do

Ditto deld the Great Woods ditto

9000 lb

Totall Yams

56,000 lb

An account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for August 1729 was entered, showing what had been bought and killed, together with the increase or decrease over the month.

Remaining 1 August 1729: 60 bullocks, 81 cows, 13 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 58 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 280; 95 ewes, 33 wethers, 21 lambs, 2 rams, total sheep 151; 319 ewes, 118 wethers, 119 kids, 5 rams, total goats 561; 12 sows, 35 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 32 pigs, total hogs 102; 75 turkeys, 91 fowls, 18 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Bought in the same period: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 1 ram, total sheep 1; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Increased in the same period: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 5 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 5; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 9 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 9; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 49 kids, 0 rams, total goats 49; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 6 pigs, total hogs 6; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the purchase and increase: 60 bullocks, 81 cows, 13 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 63 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 286; 95 ewes, 33 wethers, 30 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 161; 319 ewes, 118 wethers, 168 kids, 5 rams, total goats 610; 12 sows, 35 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 38 pigs, total hogs 108; 75 turkeys, 91 fowls, 18 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Killed in the same period, including one very old bull: 0 bullocks, 1 cow, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 1 bull, total neat cattle 2; 0 ewes, 1 wether, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 1; 0 ewes, 8 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 8; 0 sows, 1 shoat, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 1; 0 turkeys, 12 fowls, 7 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Remaining 31 August 1729: 60 bullocks, 81 cows, 12 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 63 calves, 1 bull, total neat cattle 283; 95 ewes, 32 wethers, 30 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 160; 319 ewes, 110 wethers, 168 kids, 5 rams, total goats 602; 12 sows, 34 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 38 pigs, total hogs 107; 75 turkeys, 79 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 33,000 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 14,000 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 9,000 pounds

Total yams, 56,000 pounds

Interpretations

The August account is the second consecutive month with no sale to shipping. The homeward fleet sailed on 13 June 1729 and the Astell followed with three bullocks, and no vessel has touched the island since. The same silence fell between June and September 1728, when the council recorded four months without a beast sold, and it demonstrates the whole basis of the Company's stock economy: cattle were bred for the Indiamen, and in a month without ships they simply accumulated.

The goat increase of 49 kids continues the kidding season that produced 91 head in June 1729 and 15 in July. The herd stands at 602, the highest of the entire run, and it has now more than recovered from the losses of January 1729, when goats were shot and worried by dogs and the council issued warrants to destroy every dog belonging to John Long, Elizabeth Marsh and Thomas Nash. The eight wethers killed for the table in the month show the Company able to eat into a rising stock rather than husbanding a falling one.

The yam issue reaches 56,000 pounds, the highest figure in the entire record and a rise on the 48,000 pounds of July 1729. The potatoes from the Great Wood, which carried the establishment at 90 and 68 bushels through May and June, have disappeared entirely for a second month. The new crop was plainly abundant, and the Company returned to the root it preferred. Set against the complete failure of January 1729, when nothing at all could be issued because the old crop was exhausted and the new one still in the ground, the recovery is total.

The single very old bull killed is a small entry with a clear meaning. The Company kept only two bulls for a herd of nearly three hundred head, and putting down one past his usefulness left a single sire on the island until a replacement could be grown. The stock account shows 63 calves standing at the close of the month, so the breeding was in no immediate danger.

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The Governour having a Lusty Lad well Skilled in Fishing whom he constantly Employed in

Fishing for the Honble Compys Blacks without Charging or Receiving any Consideration for his Labour

& the said Lad being lately drowned by the Oversetting of the Boat We think it just & reasonable

that the Governour Should be Allowed Satisfaction for the Loss of his said Slave & We accordingly

offered him a Fellow named Monus by Purchase & one of the Slave bought & the best that we could

thinking this Fellow handy & Serviceable in the Garden & of greater Value than the Lad he lost, We

gave him a Madagascar Slave named Sammy in lieu of his said Boy both which the Governour

is contented though of less Value than the Lad he lost who was a lusty handy young Fellow & the

more Valuable upon Account of his being Island born

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 3 September 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall U fol 101 & 102

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 9th September 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The following Petition was this day presented Viz

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr & Councill

The humble Petition of Daniel Griffith

Sheweth

That Your Petitioner as Heir to his Father hath been incumbered with the

Possession of two Parcells of Lands for Severall Years past for which with hard Shifts he hath

hitherto paid the Rent, & that Your Petr hath never made the Value of Twenty Shillings off the said

Lands Since he hath & Your Petr never having any Blacks or other Assistants to clear and

Fence the said Lands which hath alwayes kept Your Petr very Poor & much behind hand & this Lands

being now so precariously overrun with Weeds & other Stones & Shrubbs & incapable of it

being got Usefull for want of help & Your Petrs Circumstance becoming daily worse & worse

informed that he is utterly Unable to Pay Rent any longer for the said Parcells of Lands of which

four Acres or Sofolatch in the Fort Valley & the other Twenty & Acres adjoyns to the Lands of

Governor Byfield reported that he had a young slave well skilled in fishing, whom he constantly employed in fishing for the Company's blacks without charging or receiving any payment for his labour. The lad had lately drowned in the oversetting of the boat. The council thought it just and reasonable that the Governor be allowed compensation for the loss of the slave, and accordingly offered him a fellow named Manuel, by mistake counted as one of the slaves bought at the last public sale. Thinking this fellow handy and serviceable, and of greater value than the boy the Governor had lost, the council gave him a Madagascar slave named Toney in place of him, the boy being of far less value than the lad he lost, who was a lusty, handy young fellow and the more valuable on account of his being island born.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Wednesday 3 September 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The garrison was paid for the past month, entered in the journal at folios 102 and 103.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 9 September 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The petition of Daniel Griffith was read.

Griffith petitioned the Governor and Council, setting out that he and his father before him had held two acres of land for several years past, for which they had paid rent to the Company. He had never made any use of the land, having no slaves or other help to clear it, and it had always lain waste and had run him far behind in his rent. The land was now so overgrown with weeds and rocky stones that it was of no use to him. He had been advised that he was utterly unable to pay the rent any longer for the two parcels, of which four acres lay adjacent in the Fort Valley and the other twenty acres adjoined the land of [...]

Interpretations

The exchange of slaves recorded here is the closest thing in the run to an official valuation of human life, and it is worth setting out plainly. The Governor's own slave was drowned in the Company's service, fishing for the establishment that had fed the slaves since 1 March 1727, and he was compensated with two men in his place. The reasoning turns entirely on value. The drowned lad was island born, which the council held made him more valuable than an imported man, and the fellow Manuel offered first was not thought sufficient, so a Madagascar slave named Toney was added.

The distinction between island-born and Madagascar slaves rests on more than sentiment. A man born on St Helena spoke English, knew the ground, was seasoned to the climate and had no memory of another home to return to. A man landed from Madagascar, like those the St Michael was licensed to carry under her tripartite indenture of 22 June 1726, arrived without language, without local knowledge and with a far higher chance of death or flight. The council's arithmetic, treating one island-born fisherman as worth more than two imported men, is the Company's own valuation of that difference set down in a ledger.

The loss of the boat itself connects to a hazard the council had already confronted. The Company's long boat overset on a run to Sandy Bay for lime in October 1728, drowning five Company slaves, and the coxswain Caleb Davis was ordered never to suffer the guard out of his sight. The fishing boats worked an open coast with no harbour, and the men who crewed them, eleven of whom were counted in the muster of 31 March 1729, were exposed to the surf every day they went out.

Daniel Griffith's petition follows a pattern that has run through the whole year. Sarah French surrendered her lease on 8 October 1728 when her husband's death left her unable to meet its terms, and John Bradley surrendered his on 24 December 1728 for the same reason. Griffith himself was granted leave to dispose of his lease on 8 October 1728 and leave to settle in India on 20 February 1728. The Company's leases required the tenant to clear, plant and fence the ground, and a man without slaves could do none of it. The rent accumulated regardless, and the land reverted to waste while the debt grew.

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of James Ryder

Your Petr therefore humbly Prays Your Worship & Councill will take Your

Petrs Unhappy Condition into Your Consideration & that You will permit Your

Petr to Surrender the said two Parcells of Lands to the Honble Compys Your

Petitioner being so far from a Capacity to Pay the Rent thereof that with all his

Industry he is hardly able to Maintain himself

And Your Petr as in Duty bound Shall ever Pray

Danll Griffith

9th Sept 1729

Ordered that the said Lands be Viewed & Enquiry made whether the Contents of the said Petition

are true or not & that Capt Goodwin & Crispe do View these Premises & make the said Enquiry

& Report the Case to Us this day Fortnight

We this day Exchanged a Girle Named Margaret and her Goats Six Months Value Six Pounds

ten Shillings for another handy expert Girle about Eleven Years Old twelve Years

Ordered that Notice be given to Morrow for the Inhabitants to Assemble on the 26

instant in order to Choose so Usefull Parish Officers for the Year Ensuing

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 16th September 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Alexander presented a Bill of Sale for a Parcell of Lands which he bought of Capt

John Goodwin in Memory of Michael & Elizabeth Adleare praying the Same might be

Registred

Ordered that the Same be Registred accordingly

John Colgone Sadler Petitioned for leave to Assign to his Brother Tho: Colgone

One Acre of Leased Lands except the Butts Chambers

Granted

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 23 September 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Messrs Goodwin & Crispe Report that according to the Order of the 9 Instant they have viewed

the Lands which Daniel Griffith lately desired to Surrender & find that its rather worse

than Represented, & that they have also Enquired into the Circumstances of the said

Griffith who by the Relation of all the Neighbourhood is miserably Poor & in no Capacity

to

Griffith closed his petition by asking the council to take his unhappy circumstances into consideration and to permit him to surrender the two parcels of land to the Company, since he was so far from being able to pay the rent that he could hardly maintain himself by his own labour. He declared himself the council's dutiful servant, and signed the petition on 9 September 1729 as Daniel Griffith.

The council directed that the land be viewed and that inquiry be made whether the terms of the lease had been met or not, and that Mr Goodwin and Mr Crisp view the premises and make the inquiry, and report to the council in a fortnight.

The council exchanged a girl named Margaret, aged about six years, of the value of six pounds, for another handy young girl about eleven or twelve years old.

The council directed that notice be given to the inhabitants to assemble on the 26th of the month, so that parish officers might be chosen for the year ensuing.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 16 September 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Captain Alexander presented a bill of sale for four acres of land he had bought from Captain John Goodwin, executor of Michael and Elizabeth Addess, and asked that it be registered. The council directed that it be registered accordingly.

John Colgrave, soldier, was granted leave to assign to his brother Thomas Colgrave one acre of leasehold land, except the butler's chamber.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 23 September 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Mr Goodwin and Mr Crisp reported that, in accordance with the council's order of the previous fortnight, they had viewed the land Daniel Griffith had lately asked to surrender, and found it in rather worse condition than he had represented. They had also inquired into his circumstances, and by the account of all his neighbourhood he was extremely poor and in no condition to [...]

Interpretations

The exchange of a girl of six for a girl of eleven or twelve, with a valuation of £6 0s 0d set against the younger child, records the Company trading slaves on the open market of the island for straightforward commercial advantage. A girl of eleven could be set to work at once, while a girl of six would eat for five years before she returned anything. The same reasoning produced the exchange of Bess Boyer for Maria on 17 June 1729, described as very beneficial to the Company, and Mr Crisp's exchange of a boy named Toney for a Company boy of like age on 17 December 1728. The council's apprenticing policy since 4 April 1727 rested on the same arithmetic: put out the young children to save the cost of their keep, and hold the ones who can work.

The order to view Daniel Griffith's land before accepting the surrender is a small but telling piece of procedure. The council did not simply take his word that the ground was worthless. It sent two of its own members to look, and to ask the neighbourhood about his circumstances, because a lease surrendered was rent lost and the Company had to be satisfied the loss was unavoidable. The commissioners' report confirmed the case was worse than he had put it, which cleared the way for the surrender and for the reletting of the ground to James Bagley on 30 September 1729 at three shillings an acre with a reduced planting obligation.

The exception of the butler's chamber from John Colgrave's assignment is an unusual reservation, and it shows a leasehold divided by room rather than by acre. A single dwelling on the island might be split among several holders, as Richard Durling registered a bill of sale for the third part of a house in James Valley on 17 January 1727. Land was scarce, building materials scarcer, and a habitable room was worth reserving out of any conveyance.

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to Pay the Rent thereof

We therefore Accept of the Surrender of the said Leases

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Sessions held on Thursday 25th Septr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr Judge

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

Assistants

The Court being Set the following Persons were Sworn of the Jury

Richard Goodwin

James Ryder

Joseph Bates

Wm Worrall

Samuel Jeffery

John Bagott

John French Junr Foreman

William Seale

Stephen Sussex Senr

Jonathan Downton

Joshua Johnson

Richard Beale

The Declaration of Charles Steward against Capt John Alexander was read Setting for the

that the said Capt Alexander did illegally detain & withhold from him One Acre & half of

those Lands which he the said Steward bought of William Addis late an Inhabitant of this

Place to whom it was Alledged the said Lands did belong by Virtue of his Marriage with

Margaret Daughter of Thomas Bagley deceased but it Appearing that the said Addis

after his Marriage had given a discharge in full of all Demands whatsoever & that Captain

Alexander had been in the peaceable Possession of the said Lands for Fifteen Years past the

Jury found for the Defendant

The Declaration of Capt Alexander against the said Charles Steward was next read Setting forth

that he the said Charles Steward did Unlawfully & illegally detain from him the said Capt Alexander

either to his own or in trust for the Use of his Brothers now in England, Nine Acres of said Lands

lying in two Parcells One Containing Three & the other Six Acres, & praying Redress in the Premises

but the said Steward producing a Deed for Three of the said Nine Acres the Jury Confirmed the

said Three Acres of Lands to him, & the said Steward having given for it in trust that the other Six

Acres did belong to his Brothers who are both absent & that he was not Empowered to Sue or

Defend their Title the Jury were not Satisfied therewith but directed according to the Prayer of the

said Capt Alexander that the said Steward Should prove by what Right or Title he held the said

Six Acres

The Declaration of John Bagley Senr Guardian of Martha Trevars against Capt Jno Goodwin &

Francis Wrangham Exors of the last Will & Testament of Henry Trevars Senr dec was next Setting forth

that Henry Edwards by his last Will did give & bequeath to his Grandson Brothers & the said Martha

Trevars part of a House & Six Acres of Lands & the said Brother dying a Minor & intestate then the said

House & Lands did in Part legally descend to his the said Martha as One of the Coheirs of her said Brother

but that the said Capt Goodwin & Francis Wrangham are Owners of the Fortune of the said Wills to Illegally detain

the Premises in trust & for the Use of the Severall Persons to whom the Same is bequeathed by the last Will

& Testament of him the said Henry Trevars Senr to the great Wrong & Damage of her the said Martha

Trevars

To this the said Capt Goodwin & Francis Wrangham Answered that they did Admit that as & to

of Henry Trevars Senr they as in Relation of half a House & Six Acres of Lands as mentioned in the

Declaration of the said Bagley which said House & Lands legally became Immediately descended to

him the said Henry Trevars Senr upon the Death of his Son as Heir to his Mother & was likewise

devised who by his Will only gave the said House & Lands to his Grandson for his Life She having

purposely omitted to Settle the Descent upon him this Advice which the Defendants have been

informed & particularly by Edward Johnson Esqr late Governr who was hired to the Lands & who

Griffith being unable to pay the rent, the council accepted the surrender of his lease.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A general court was held on Thursday 25 September 1729 at Plantation House. Governor Edward Byfield sat as judge, with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp as assistants. The court being set, the following persons were sworn of the jury.

John French junior, foreman

Richard Goodwin

William Seale

James Ryder

Stephen Lufkin senior

Joseph Bates

Jonathan Doveton

William Worrall

Joshua Johnson

Samuel Jephry

Richard Beale

John Bagley

The declaration of Charles Steward against Captain John Alexander was read, setting out that Alexander had unlawfully detained and withheld from him one acre and a half of forage land, which Steward had bought of William Addis, late an inhabitant of the island. Alexander pleaded that the land belonged to him by right of his marriage with Margaret, daughter of Thomas Bagley, deceased, and it appearing that Addis after his marriage had given a discharge in full of all demands whatever, and that Captain Alexander had been in peaceable possession of the land for fifteen years past, the jury found for the defendant.

The declaration of Captain Alexander against Charles Steward was next read, setting out that Steward had unlawfully withheld from him five acres of forage land, lying in two parcels, one containing three acres and the other two, and asking judgement for the whole. Steward held the land either in his own right or in trust for the use of his brothers now in England. He produced a deed for three of the five acres, and the jury confirmed those three acres to him. Steward gave evidence that the other two acres belonged to his brothers, who were both absent, and that he was not empowered to come or to defend their title. The jury were not satisfied with what he had asserted, and according to the prayer of Captain Alexander they directed that Steward should prove by what right or title he held the two acres.

The declaration of John Bagley senior, guardian of Martha Francis, against Captain John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham, executors of the last will and testament of Henry Francis senior, deceased, was read. It set out that Henry Francis by his last will had bequeathed to his grandson, brother of the said Martha Francis, part of a house and ten acres of land, and that the brother having died a minor and intestate, the house and land within the fort lawfully descended to Martha as one of the coheirs of her said brother. It further set out that Captain Goodwin and Francis Wrangham then held the premises in trust for the use of the several persons to whom the same was bequeathed by the last will and testament of Henry Francis senior, to the great wrong and damage of Martha Francis.

To this Captain Goodwin and Francis Wrangham answered that they did admit that Henry Francis senior was in possession of the house and ten acres of land as mentioned in the declaration of Bagley, which house and land lawfully became immediately descended to Henry Francis senior upon the death of his son, as heir to his mother, and evidence showed that he had only given the house and land to his grandson for his life, he having purposely omitted to settle the descent upon him. This was what the defendants have been informed particularly by Edward Johnson, late governor, who was privy to the deed [...]

Interpretations

The general court is the island's civil tribunal, sitting under the Governor as judge with the councillors as assistants and a jury of twelve inhabitants. The three suits heard here all turn on title to land, which is the recurring business of a settlement where deeds were few, memories long and boundaries unmarked. The proceeding follows English forms exactly: a declaration is filed, the defendant answers, evidence is heard and the jury returns a verdict.

The Steward and Alexander suits are the same quarrel prosecuted from both ends. Each man sued the other over forage land, and the court divided the outcome, finding for Alexander on the acre and a half and confirming three acres to Steward while requiring him to prove his title to the remaining two. The doctrine relied on in the first case is possession: Alexander had held the ground peaceably for fifteen years, and a discharge in full of all demands given by Addis after his marriage barred any later claim. Long undisturbed possession was the strongest title available on an island where the paper record was so unreliable that Gabriel Powell had to petition on 30 January 1728 for a fresh deed to a house granted in 1678, the original having been lost or destroyed.

Charles Steward's difficulty over the two acres exposes a real problem of colonial property. He held the land in trust for brothers in England, and he could neither prove their title nor defend it, having no authority from them. An absent owner five months' sail away could not be summoned, and the trustee on the ground was left to answer for a claim he was not empowered to contest.

The Francis suit turns on a fine point of inheritance. Henry Francis senior gave his grandson a life interest only, deliberately withholding the fee, so that on the boy's death intestate nothing descended to his sister Martha. The evidence relied on is the testimony of Edward Johnson, a former governor, who was privy to the arrangement. The council itself had rendered the accounts of Henry Francis's orphans at the orphans courts of 3 October 1727 and 8 October 1728, so the estate was already well known to every man on the bench.

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advised & actually Wrote the Will of the said Henry Trevars Senr with his own Hands, that the Words

Heirs is absolutely necessary to Insure the Descent of Lands but that the Rent as Lessee or descent

that the said Lands Should go to the Heirs of his Grandson Appears plain by the One of the

Sisters of him the said Henry Trevars Senr was born Sometime before the said Edwards

made his Will & that She is no other Kinsale or Mentioned in the said Will & that the said

Martha Trevars has not any Right to the Premises other than what is given her by her

Mothers Will by which the said Half of Lands is given in equall Shares to her the said Martha

Trevars, Sarah Trevars & Margaret Daughter of Elizabeth Crumpton & therefore Prayed to

be Confirmed in the peaceable Quiet Possession of the Premises for the Use of the Severall Persons

aforesaid which they have Enjoyed these Seven Years past without any Question or Interruption

and the Jury being withdrawn, the Originall Will of the said Henry & c c Trevars and Martha

of the said Ann Edwards having been first Produced & read, they after about half an hour

they returned & found for the Defendants

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 30 September 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation & Proceedings at the Sessions was read & Approved

The Honble Compys Black Children being Advanced One Year Since the 30 Sept last, We

this day Raised their Value in proportion to the Countys of their Age Vide Journall folio 145

The Petition of James Ryder was presented & read, Setting forth that the Twenty Acres of Lands

lately Surrendred by Daniel Griffith & that the said Lands being very bad & his Wife

& happy being so Weed & Wood to defray to have it at a reasonable Rate & Offered Half a

Crown p Acre, We asked John Shillings but he declined to accept of it, & that Robt Beale,

We therefore in Consideration that the said Lands are really very bad & that We have no

likelyhood to get any other Tennant & as an Encouragement to him & others to Raise

Woods let him have it at Three Shillings p Acre Provided he would Engage himself

to Clear off & Plant full four Acres & half of the Premises with Woods in such is worth

than could the Quantity in proportion to the Number of Acres he might otherwise have

been obliged to Plant, to which he Agreed & We accordingly Ordered a Lease to be

prepared upon the Conditions aforesaid

According to a Order lately given the Inhabitants this day presented the following

List of Persons to Serve as Parish Officers for the Year Ensuing Viz

Capt Alexander, Stephen Sussex, John Worrall, John Downton, for Church Wardens

John Seale, John Bagley, Overseers for the South, Thos Hooper, John Bowers for the West

& Joseph Hague for the East Division, of whom We Appointed those following Viz

Stephen Sussex & John Thomson, Church Wardens

John Seale Overseer for the Sd, Thos Hooper for the West, & Jno Hayes for the East Division

and they were Severally Sworn accordingly

Ordered that Notice be given to all Guardians & Trustees to deliver on Saturday next

an acct of the Estate Effects of their Orphans under their Care

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The defendants further set out that the will of Henry Francis senior was drawn in his own hand, that the ten acres was absolutely reserved to serve the interest of the land, and that the want or lapse or descent of the said land divided up the value of his grandson. It appeared plainly to be one of the errors of the will that Henry Francis senior had been sometimes before that time entered into his right, and that there is no other remark or memorandum in the will, and that Martha Francis had no right to the premises other than what is given her by her father's will, by which the whole is given in equal shares to her, to Martha Francis, to Sarah Francis and to Margaret, daughter of Elizabeth Compton. The defendants prayed to be confirmed in the peaceable and quiet possession of the premises for the use of the several persons named, which they had enjoyed for seven years past without any question or interruption. The jury, having withdrawn with the original will of Henry Francis and with that of Ann Edwards, having been first considered and read, returned after about half an hour and found for the defendants.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 30 September 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting and the proceedings of the court were read and approved.

The Company's black children being a year older since 30 September 1728, their values were settled in proportion to their age, and entered in journal U at folio 145.

The petition of James Bagley was read, showing that he had lately surrendered to the Company about twenty acres of land, and that Daniel Griffith had held the land and had left the wood on it in very bad condition. Bagley asked to have it at a reasonable rate, and offered half a crown an acre. The council, being satisfied that the land was very bad and that he had no wood to get any tenant to give any encouragement to him and there to plant wood, let him have it at three shillings an acre. He bound himself to clear and plant the first five acres of the premises with wood, which is harder than land the quantity in proportion to the number of acres he might otherwise have been obliged to plant, and he agreed accordingly. The council ordered a lease to be prepared upon the terms specified.

The inhabitants had lately given in a list of persons to serve as parish officers for the year ensuing, and the following names were presented.

Mr Alexander, Stephen Lufkin, John Worrall, John Bowers, for churchwarden

John Teale, John Bagley, overseer for the south

Mr Harper, John Bowers, for the west

Joseph Hayse, for the east

Stephen Lufkin, John Thwaites, churchwarden

Out of that number the council appointed John Teale overseer for the south, Mr Harper for the west and Joseph Hayse for the east, and they were severally sworn accordingly.

The council directed that notice be given to all guardians and trustees to deliver on Saturday next an account of the estates left in their custody under their care.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

Interpretations

The Francis inheritance suit closes on a point of construction rather than of fact. Both sides accepted that Henry Francis senior held the house and ten acres, and the whole question was what his will did with them. The defendants argued that the grandson took a life interest only, and that the fee passed under the father's will in equal shares to the three daughters and Elizabeth Compton's daughter. The jury withdrew with the original will in hand and returned in half an hour for the defendants, which shows how far the document itself governed the outcome. On an island where deeds were lost and boundaries unmarked, a will in the testator's own hand was the strongest evidence available.

The annual revaluation of the Company's black children on 30 September 1729 repeats the entry made on 30 September 1728. A child grew into greater value each year as he approached the age of useful labour, and the Company carried that appreciation in its books as it would carry the growth of a bullock. The muster of 31 March 1729 shows the mechanism in practice, with boys of nine and eleven already set to butchery and coopering because a trained tradesman was worth several times a labourer.

The letting of Daniel Griffith's surrendered land to James Bagley is an object lesson in the Company's difficulty as a landlord. Griffith gave up the ground on 9 September 1729 because he had no slaves to clear it and could not pay the rent, and the wood on it had been let go entirely. Bagley offered half a crown an acre, the council held out for three shillings, and the bargain was struck on a reduced planting obligation. The Company had been driving the wood policy since the surveys of 1727, fining defaulters, and threatening on 16 March 1728 to charge a large fine on any renewal. Here it quietly conceded that bad ground could not carry the standard terms, and traded planting acres for a tenant who would actually pay.

308

284

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 3 October 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Reckoned with the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall U folio 113 & 114 at

which time they & the Inhabitants attended & Signed the Books for the Year past

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 4th October 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

According to the Order of Tuesday last the Guardians of Such Orphans as are at this Place delivered

the following Accounts of the Estates of the Said as are under their Care Viz

Acco of the Effects belonging to the Orphans of Henry Trevars deceased Viz

Lands 13 Acres upon Lease

8 Men Slaves

7 Boys

2 Women ditto

1 Girle

20 ditto Sheep

2 Cowes

1 Steer

2 Heifers

1 Yearling

Poultry 12 Turkeys

30 Chickens

3 old Ducks

5 ditto young

About 45000 Yams

Horses 12 Sortd

Particulars 100

Dr

The Estate

Cr

To Sundry Accts

138 . 15 . 3½

To Profit & Balance & Et Johnson &c

6 . 2 . 9

143 . 18 . 12

By Sundry Accts

47 . 18 . 11

By Ballance

92 . 19 . 1½

143 . 18 . 3½

Dated 4 Octr 1729 Wm Terry Boy & James who hath been Sold to Boy Rice

Jno Goodwin

Isaac Wrangham

Errors Excepted

Acco of the Estate belonging to the Orphans of John Rickington deceased Viz

Lands 25 Acres upon Lease, 1 House, One Wood Garden &c

Blacks

6 Men

1 Boy

4 Women

2 Girles

Cattle

17 Cowes

4 Bullocks

4 Calves

Goates 60

Hogs 20 Sortd

Sundry

9 Turkeys

9 Geese

4 Yearlings

9 Ducks

16 Fowles

Yams 120,000 from time from the Redeemed Planted

The Effects in Cashbook Dr 1729

Sold by Acct One Feather Bed for £2 & upon

27 Value dead him last acct

One Wagon Cattle

1 . 4 . 6

An Old Wench She Value at

. 2 . -

Errors Excepted

Rt Beale

4 Octr 1729

Acct of the Estate belonging to the Orphans of James Draper deceased Viz

2 4½ Acres for Lands

6 ditto upon Lease

2 Men Slaves

20 Hoggs

Goates 120

7 Head of Cattle

14 Squares Wood belonging to John Draper

Poultry Household Stock &c

4 Fowls Acct & Signed

Jon Downton

Giles Smith

5 October 1729

A consultation was held on Tuesday 7 October 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The council reckoned with the garrison for the past month, entered in journal U at folios 113 and 114, and the inhabitants attended and signed the books for the year past.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Saturday 11 October 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

In accordance with the council's order of the previous Tuesday, the guardians of the several orphans attended, and each delivered an account of the estate in his care.

The account of the estate belonging to the orphans of Henry Francis senior, deceased, was entered as follows.

Land, freehold, 13 acres

Land, leasehold, 25 acres

Slaves, 3 men

Slaves, 2 women

Slaves, 3 boys

Slaves, 3 girls

Cattle, 2 cows

Cattle, 1 calf

Cattle, 2 heifers

Cattle, 1 yearling

Hogs, 17

Sheep, 22

Poultry, 10 turkeys

Poultry, 3 old ducks

Poultry, 33 chickens

Poultry, 5 old geese

Yams, about 45,000

The estate account was then stated.

To sundry accounts, £138 15s 3.5d

To profit and loss by Mr Johnson's account, £6 2s 9d

Total, £143 18s 1.5d

By sundry accounts, £47 18s 11d

By balance, £96 19s 1.5d

Total, £143 18s 1.5d

The guardians recorded that from March 1729 the cattle had been sold to buy rice, and the account was subscribed by John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham.

The account of the estate belonging to the orphans of John Robinson, deceased, was entered as follows.

Land, 25 acres upon lease

Land, a house and one dwelling house

Slaves, 2 men

Slaves, 1 boy

Slaves, 2 women

Slaves, 2 girls

Slaves, 2 yearlings

Cattle, 1 cow

Cattle, 4 calves

Cattle, 4 bullocks

Cattle, 4 heifers

Cattle, 1 steer

Hogs, 30

Goats, 60

Sundry, 1 old ram

Sundry, 1 goat

Sundry, 16 fowls

Sundry, 4 ducks

Yams, about 120,000, from the ground before planted

The guardians recorded that the stock in the account was £0 14s 0d, that a bullock had died the previous month, that one heifer bred for four years had been sold for £1 4s 0d, that one wench had been valued at [...], and that one old horse had died. The account was subscribed by Richard Beale.

The account of the estate belonging to the orphans of James Draper, deceased, was entered as follows.

Land, freehold, 34.5 acres

Land, upon lease, 5 acres

Slaves, 2 men

Slaves, 20 hogs

Goats, 120

Cattle, 7 head

Poultry, 4 hens and 2 cocks

A separate stock belonging to John Draper

The account was subscribed at St Helena on 11 October 1729 by Jonathan Doveton and Giles Smith.

Interpretations

The orphans court is the third such sitting recorded, following those of 3 October 1727 and 8 October 1728, and it exists because a child could not manage property. Guardians, executors and trustees held the estates of minors and were required to render a written account each year, so that the council could see whether the property was being preserved or consumed. The requirement to bring in an inventory annually was the only protection an orphan had against a guardian who might otherwise let the land go to waste or sell off the slaves and stock.

The comparison across the three years is the whole value of the exercise. Henry Francis's orphans held 13 acres freehold and 25 leasehold in 1727, 1728 and again here, and the land is unchanged. The balance, however, has fallen sharply, standing at £96 19s 1.5d against £121 2s 3d in 1728 and £114 11s 5.25d in 1727. The reason is set out on the page: the cattle had been sold from March 1729 to buy rice. The yam harvest failed entirely in January 1729, and the guardians were forced to convert stock into imported Bengal grain to feed the household through the gap between crops.

Robinson's orphans show the same pressure from the opposite direction. The yams stand at about 120,000, a great increase on the 138,000 recorded in 1728 across a smaller acreage, and the estate has shifted decisively towards provision and livestock. A bullock dead, a heifer sold, an old horse dead: the guardians were living off the estate rather than building it.

Draper's orphans hold 34.5 acres freehold and 5 leasehold, exactly as in 1728, but the goats have risen from 91 to 120 and the hogs to 20. Goats were the cheapest stock to keep on St Helena, foraging on ground that would carry nothing else, and an estate under a guardian's care naturally drifted towards the animals that cost least to maintain.

309

285

Samuel Jeffery Dr to Jane Fletcher

45 . 16 . 3 .

Cattle two Cows, two Calves One Steer

Three Acres&c

Signed Saml Jeffery

3 Octr 1729

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 7th Octr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Executed a Lease to James Ryder for the Twenty Acres of Lands lately

Surrendred by Daniel Griffith

The Governour delivered a Bramally & Government Acct of the Above Honble Compys Sum Stock deld

for the Year past, the Gunner also delivered a Monthly & Gun Store of Gunners Stores Bond

Expended in the Yeard past, the Storekeeper & Steward likewise delivered each their Monthly

Acct for September last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Viz

Expence of the Table in the Month of Septr 1729 Viz

7 lb Pork

1 . 15 . 6

6 Goates

3 . .

1 Sheep

1 . 4

4 Turkeys

1 . 6

6 Fowles

. 9

7 lb Butter

. 7 . 0

30 Days Greens

1 . 10

60 Bottles Milk

1 .

43 Gall Arrack

18 . 1 . 6

128 lb Sugar

3 . 3 . 6

36½ do Strong Beer

2 . 15

3 lb Copper

. 3

2¼ Bushells Salt

. 11 . 3

167 lb Flour

2 . 1 . 9

102 lb Bread

1 . 6 . 9

1½ Gall Vinegar

. 2 . 9

38 . 13 . 3

8 lb Soap

. 11 . 4

9 Gall Arrack deld the Guards & the Blacks

the Weather being so severe & this Month

2 . 17 .

20 lb Sugar delivered ditto

. 10 .

4½ Gall Arrack delivered the Blacks

the Weather continuing Wet

1 . 8 . 6

7 lb Sugar deld Ditto

. 3 . 6

17 lb Wax Candles

1 . 14 .

7 . 4 . 4

Samuel Jephry rendered his account, standing debtor to Isaac Fluchus £45 16s 0d, with three head of cattle in his hands, being two cows, two calves and one steer. The account was signed at St Helena on 3 October 1729 by Samuel Jephry.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 14 October 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The council executed a lease to James Ryder for the twenty acres of land lately surrendered by Daniel Griffith.

Governor Byfield delivered the annual account of the Company's stock for the year past, and the gunner delivered a monthly account of the guns, stores and powder expended in the same period. The storekeeper and the steward likewise delivered their monthly accounts for September, and the council examined and approved them all.

The general table expenses for September 1729 were entered as follows.

Pork, 71 pounds, £1 15s 6d

Goats, 6, £3 0s 0d

Sheep, 1, £1 4s 0d

Turkeys, 4, £1 1s 6d

Fowls, 6, £0 9s 0d

Butter, 7 pounds, £0 7s 0d

Greens, 30 days, £1 10s 0d

Milk, 60 bottles, £1 1s 0d

Arrack, 47 gallons, £18 15s 0d

Sugar, 128 pounds, £3 5s 6d

Strong beer, 36.5 gallons, £2 14s 0d

Pepper, 3 pounds, £0 3s 0d

Bushels of salt, 2.5, £0 13s 0d

Flour, 162 pounds, £2 13s 9d

Bread, 102 pounds, £1 5s 6d

Vinegar, 1.5 gallons, £0 8s 9d

Total expense of the table in September 1729, £38 13s 3d

Soap, 8 pounds, £0 11s 4d

Arrack, 1 gallon, delivered to the guards on the Queen's birthday, £2 17s 0d

Sugar, 20 pounds, delivered to the guards, £0 10s 0d

Arrack, 4.5 gallons, delivered to the black slaves, the weather continuing wet, £1 3s 6d

Sugar, 7 pounds, delivered to the black slaves, £0 3s 6d

Wax candles, 17 pounds, £1 14s 0d

Total, £7 4s 4d

Interpretations

The letting of Daniel Griffith's twenty acres to James Ryder closes a matter that ran through the autumn. Griffith petitioned to surrender the ground on 9 September 1729, having no slaves to clear it and being unable to pay the rent, and the council sent Mr Goodwin and Mr Crisp to view the land and inquire into his circumstances before accepting. Their report of 23 September 1729 found the ground worse than he had described and the man extremely poor. The council had already agreed terms with James Bagley on 30 September 1729 at three shillings an acre, and the lease executed here to Ryder shows the ground finally settled on a tenant who could work it.

Samuel Jephry's account to Isaac Fluchus repeats almost exactly the figure entered at the orphans court of 8 October 1728, when he stood debtor for the same £45 16s 0d and a memorandum was added that the previous year's account had been overcharged. A debt unchanged across a whole year, with three head of cattle standing against it, shows an estate held in trust that was neither growing nor being wound up.

The table account for September 1729 at £38 13s 3d holds close to the £42 5s 1d of August and the £37 14s 3d of July. No ship had touched the island since the homeward fleet sailed on 13 June 1729, and the fort's table had shrunk to its permanent household. The 47 gallons of arrack, however, is the heaviest issue of any of the three months, and the drink bill dominates a table where the meat and greens together came to less than a tenth of the total.

The arrack given to the black slaves on account of the weather continuing wet is the fourth consecutive month of that allowance, following 8, 17 and 8 gallons in June, July and August 1729. The council noted on 24 June 1729 that winter had set in early, and it evidently ran late as well. The Queen's birthday issue to the guards marks Caroline of Ansbach, and the same allowance was made on the King's birthday, at Christmas and on New Year's Day, the island keeping the full Hanoverian calendar despite lying five weeks from any news of it.

310

286

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &ca from the 1st

to the 30th Sept 1729 Viz

65 lb Sugar

1 . 12 . 6

12 lb Candy

. 12

10 Cotton Bohea Tea

3 .

8 for Trenchers

4 .

1 Bowl & Duff

8

2½ doz Plates

2 . 2 . 6

1½ Spoons

6 . 2

1 Tin Porringer

. 7

4 Coffee Potts

7 . 2

1 ditto

1 . 2

2 Lamps

4 .

1 Kettle

2 . 6

3 Teakettles

2 . 5 . 6

1 pr Enamell Snuffers & Stands

3 . 6

1 Frying Ware wt 13½

13 . 6

1 Football

2 . 6

2 pr Hinges

1 . 4

3 Chest Locks

5 . 0

1 ditto

3 . 2

1 ditto

5 . 6

1 Splinter Lock

1 . 4

1 Broad do

6 . 6

1 Sugar Shovel

2 . 6

2 Shot ditto

7 .

8 Garden Ware

12 .

2 two Gan ditto

15 .

1 Table Iron do

13 . 6

2 Iron Grate wt 128 lb

3 . 4 .

1 Barrell

. 7 .

1 Hair Brooms

0 . 6

1 Sanding Brush

3 . 4

1 Sawy Comb

1 . 7

2 ditto

2 . 9

3 ditto

0 . 6

4 ditto

4 .

40 pr Stockings

3 . 11 . 3

2 Mens Hose

10 . 6

7 ditto Shirt

2 . 12 . 6

5 Boys Sortd

13 . 8

1 Girles

3 . 6

8 Flannen

1 . 13 . 3

4 pr Waistcoat

1 . 6

8 Yds Flannell

18 . 8

18½ Camblets

1 . 11 . 0

2 Dimonos

2 . 10 . 0

2¾ Broad Cloth

18 . 8

14 Norwich Stuff

1 . 11 . 6

3¼ pr Diary

4 . 2 . 6

½ Taffety

10 . 6

6½ lb Dimothy

2 . 6 . 10½

1¾ pr Thickset

1 . 16 . 2

14 Yds Bed Tick

4 . 6

2 ditto

2 . 17 . 6

10 Small Blankets

10 . 3

1 Large ditto

6 . 8

1 Small Bolt

1 . 1 . 6

1 pr Grandmothers

1 . 7 .

4 Mens Shoes

5 . 9

1 ditto

13 . 6

4 Boys

1 . 7 .

6 Wms Corks

5 . 9

1 ditto Spanish

15 .

5 Girles Cooles

3 . 9

2 Clasp Penknives

3

2 Pruning ditto

3

Carried over

60 . 18 . 3½

An account of the store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 30 September 1729 was entered as follows.

Sugar, 68 pounds, £1 12s 6d

Candy, 12 pounds, £0 12s 0d

Bohea tea, 10 catties, £0 3s 0d

Decanters, 8 pairs, £0 4s 0d

Coarse dishes, 1, £0 3s 0d

Plates, 2.5 dozen, £2 7s 6d

Spoons, 1.5, £0 6s 9d

Tin porringer, 1, £0 0s 7d

Coffee pots, 4, £0 7s 2d

Coffee pot, 1, £0 1s 9d

Lamps, 2, £0 4s 0d

Kettle, 1, £0 2s 6d

Tea kettles, 3, £2 5s 0d

Pewter snuffers and stands, 1 pair, £0 3s 6d

Frying pans, 3, number 10.5, £13 6s 0d

Football, 1, £0 2s 6d

Skimmers, 2 pairs, £0 1s 4d

Chest locks, 3, £0 5s 0d

Chest lock, 1, £0 0s 2d

Chest lock, 1, £0 5s 6d

Splinter lock, 1, £0 1s 4d

Broad axe, 1, £0 6s 6d

Sugar shovel, 1, £0 2s 6d

Shot lead, 2 pounds, £0 0s 7d

Garden hoes, 8, £0 1s 8d

Iron garden hoes, 2, £0 1s 6d

Iron pan, 1, £0 13s 6d

Sun bolts, 1, number 128, £0 4s 0d

Bowls, 1, £0 0s 7d

Plain brooms, 1, £0 0s 6d

Scrubbing brush, 1, £0 3s 4d

Ivory comb, 1, £0 1s 7d

Ivory combs, 2, £0 2s 9d

Ivory combs, 3, £0 0s 6d

Ivory combs, 4, £0 0s 4d

Stockings, 40 pairs, £3 11s 3d

Mens' hose, 2, £0 16s 6d

Shirts, 7, £2 12s 6d

Boys' shirts, 5, £0 13s 8d

Shoes, 3, £0 3s 6d

Stomachers, 5, £1 18s 0d

Waistcoats, 4, £0 1s 6d

Flannel, 8 yards, £0 18s 8d

Camlet, 18.5 yards, £1 11s 0d

Durance, 2, £0 11s 0d

Broadcloth, 2.25 yards, £2 10s 0d

Norwich stuff, 14, £0 18s 8d

Diaper, 3.25 yards, £1 11s 6d

Sagathy, 1.5, £4 9s 6d

Damask, 6.25 yards, £0 10s 6d

Thicksets, 5.75 yards, £2 0s 10.5d

Bed tick, 14 yards, £1 16s 0d

Bed tick, 2, £0 4s 6d

Small blankets, 10, £2 17s 6d

Large blanket, 1, £10 3s 0d

Small bells, 1, £0 0s 8d

Garters and stockings, 1 pair, £1 1s 6d

Mens' shoes, 4, £0 1s 7d

Mens' shoes, 1, £0 5s 9d

Boys' shoes, 4, £13 6s 0d

Womens' shoes, 6, £0 1s 7d

Spanish shoes, 1, £0 8s 9d

Girls' shoes, 5, £0 15s 0d

Clasp penknives, 3, £0 3s 9d

Pruning knives, 2, £0 3s 0d

Carried over, £60 18s 3.5d

Interpretations

The retail account is dominated by clothing and bedding, and it marks the turn of the southern-hemisphere seasons. Forty pairs of stockings, twelve shirts, blankets small and large, bed ticking, flannel and camlet all passed over the counter in a month when the council was still issuing arrack to the black slaves on account of the weather continuing wet. The winter had set in early, as it noted on 24 June 1729, and it was running late.

Several of the cloths need naming. Sagathy was a light woollen serge from Norwich, and Norwich stuff the general name for the worsteds of that city, which supplied the English export trade to the East. Thickset was a stout cotton fustian with a raised pile, hard-wearing and cheap, and durance a glazed woollen named for its resistance to wear. Damask, woven with a reversible figured pattern, and diaper, a lighter figured linen, were the cloths of a respectable table rather than a labourer's back. A stomacher was the stiffened triangular panel filling the front of a woman's open gown, and its appearance here at £1 18s 0d for five shows the inhabitants dressing to a standard that had nothing to do with survival.

The football sold at £0 2s 6d is a rare thing in these accounts, being the only item in the whole run bought purely for amusement. It sits among the frying pans, chest locks and garden hoes without comment, and it is the single clearest glimpse of ordinary life on the island that the storekeeper's ledger affords.

The garden hoes, broad axe, pruning knives and sugar shovels are the tools of a planting season about to begin. The council had directed on 24 June 1729 that a fresh survey of all the plantations be taken at the close of the winter, so that defaulters in wood and furze might be found out, and the inhabitants buying pruning knives in September had good reason to be seen improving their ground.

311

287

Brot over

60 . 18 . 3½

2 Buckhandle Knives

1 . 4

1 Ivory handled Knife & Fork

1 . 3

3 Boys Slates

1 . 10

8 Horne ditto

1 . 7

11 Salt ditto

1 . 13 . 6

8 Oz Thread

9 . 4

18 ditto

13

1 ditto

2 . 6

1 ditto

16 lb Coloured Thread

9 . 0

6 Whited Brown ditto

3 . 5

4½ ditto

2 . 5

1½ ditto

1 . 11 . 6

2 ditto

9 . 9

9½ ditto

12 . 6

3 In ditto

15

18 In ditto

3 . 6

3 In ditto

1 . 3 . 6

3 pr Tape

3

16 ditto

1 . .

6 Coloured ditto

6 . 0

18 Yards Ribbon

8

18 ditto

17 Gartering

6 .

6 pr Boxing

4 . 3

9½ Oz English Silk

2 . 6

21 Oz China Silk

1 . 10½

5½ doz Coat Buttons

1 . 11 . 6

2 doz horn Mould Thread ditto

13 . 6

½ Grose Shirt ditto

1 . 6

2½ Sewing Lace

1 . 6

4 Thimbles

6 . 9

20 Skain Mohair

9 . 8

9½ Yards Tenting

5 . 0

22 do Needles

2 . 2

4 Yards Edging

2 . 3

2 Bombs

9 .

1 . 12 . 1

Sum Totall to the Inhabitants

86 . 12 . 10½

Garrison Dr

10 lb Bohea Tea deld the Guards

3 . 6

9 Gall Ships Oyle being the Allowance to the Garrison for one Year

11 . 14

Medicines Expended for ditto

35

50 .

Plantation Dr

12 lb 20d Nailes

15 .

6 . 6

4 . 6

12 . 20

7 . 8

20 . 00

16 . 8

29 Locks

16 . 4

1 lb Inch Boards

1 . 8

Earthen Ware Sortd Amounting to

4 . 2 . 6

12 lb White Lead

6 . 6

1 Gall Tar

2 . 6

6 lb Rozin

2 . 6

1 Grindstone

17 . 6

4 Sad Tin Locks

7 . 0

1 Hand Saw

10 . 0

1 Splinter Lock Nº 2

12 . 0

1 Iron Rimd Lock 1

2 . 6

1 ditto 2

8 . 9

Garden Seeds & Tools deld for one Year Amt as p Invoice p Sd Ferry

10 . 14 . 10

22 Bushells Hay Seed wt 5 ditto Sundry

10 . 3 . 6

1000 lb Rice Expended for the Hogs & Poultry

7 . 10 .

38 . 11 . 10

174 . 4 . 8

The storekeeper's account for the inhabitants was carried forward at £60 18s 3.5d and continued as follows.

Buckhandle knives, 2, £0 1s 4d

Ivory handled knife and fork, 1, £0 1s 3d

Boys' hats, 3, £0 1s 10d

Mens' hats, 3, £0 1s 7d

Felt hats, 11, £1 18s 6d

Thread, 8 ounces, £0 9s 4d

Thread, 18 ounces, £0 1s 9d

Thread, 1 ounce, £0 2s 6d

Thread, 1 ounce, £0 0s 6d

Coloured thread, 16 pounds, £3 9s 0d

Whited brown thread, 6 pounds, £2 5s 0d

Whited brown thread, 4.5 pounds, £1 11s 6d

Whited brown thread, 1.5 pounds, £0 9s 2d

Whited brown thread, 2 ounces, £0 12s 6d

Whited brown thread, 9.5 ounces, £0 15s 0d

Whited brown thread, 5 ounces, £0 3s 6d

Whited brown thread, 18 ounces, £1 3s 6d

Whited brown thread, 3 ounces, £0 3s 6d

Soap, 5 pounds, £0 3s 0d

Soap, 16 pounds, £1 6s 0d

Coloured soap, 6 pounds, £0 8s 0d

Coarse ribbon, 18 yards, £0 6s 0d

Coarse ribbon, 18 yards, £0 4s 3d

Garters, 17, £2 6s 0d

Bodkins, 6 pairs, £2 6s 0d

English silk, 22 ounces, £1 11s 6.5d

China silk, 21 ounces, £0 6s 6d

Coat buttons, 3.5 dozen, £0 1s 6d

Horn moulded thread buttons, 2 dozen, £0 1s 6d

Green shirt buttons, 1.5 dozen, £0 6s 9d

Sewing lace, 24 yards, £0 9s 8d

Thimbles, 4, £0 5s 2d

Skeins of mohair, 20, £0 2s 3d

Ferreting, 9.5 yards, £0 1s 2d

Needles, 25, £1 12s 0d

Edging, 4 yards, £0 0s 0d

Bodkins, 2, £0 0s 0d

Sum total to the inhabitants, £86 12s 10d

The goods charged to the garrison were entered as follows.

Bohea tea, 11 catties, £3 6s 0d

Crops oil, 20 gallons, being the annual issue to the armourer for the year, £11 14s 0d

Medicines expended for the year, £35 0s 0d

Total to the garrison, £50 0s 0d

The goods charged to the plantation were entered as follows.

Nails, 18 pounds at 20d, £0 15s 0d

Nails, 6 pounds at 6d, £0 4s 6d

Nails, 12 pounds at 20d, £0 7s 0d

Nails, 20 pounds at 30d, £0 16s 8d

Hoes, 23, £0 16s 4d

Iron bowls, 1, £0 1s 8d

Earthen ware, sundries, £4 2s 6d

Red lead, 18 pounds, £0 6s 0d

Green tea, 1 gallon, £0 2s 6d

Rosin, 6 pounds, £0 2s 6d

Grindstone, 1, £0 17s 6d

Iron tea locks, 4, £0 0s 0d

Hand saw, 1, £0 12s 0d

Splinter lock, number 9, 1, £0 12s 0d

Iron rimmed lock, 1, £0 0s 6d

Iron rimmed lock, 2, £0 8s 9d

Garden seeds and tools delivered for the year, entered in journal U folio 89, £10 14s 10d

Hay seed, 22 bushels, delivered to the plantation, £10 3s 6d

Rice, 1,000 pounds, expended for the hogs and poultry, £7 10s 0d

Total to the plantation, £38 11s 10d

Sum total, £174 4s 8d

Interpretations

The September account carries the annual charges, which is why it stands at £174 4s 8d against the ordinary monthly figures. The Company's books closed on 30 September, and three yearly issues fall together here: the crops oil for the armourer, the medicines for the whole establishment at £35 0s 0d, and the garden seeds and tools. The September 1728 account carried the same annual reckoning, with £26 0s 0d of medicines and the yearly clothing charge for the slaves at £99 14s 8d, and the comparison shows the medical bill rising by a third in a year.

The 22 bushels of hay seed is the most interesting entry on the page. Hay was not a natural crop on St Helena, and sowing grass for fodder marks a deliberate attempt to feed the Company's stock through the dry months rather than depending on rough grazing. The herd stood at 283 head of neat cattle and 602 goats at the close of August 1729, the highest of the run, and a stock of that size on a small island had outgrown what the open range would carry.

Red lead is a bright orange-red oxide used as a rust-inhibiting primer on ironwork, and rosin the resin residue used in caulking and in pitch. Both are the ordinary consumables of maintaining a fort in a salt climate, and they appear against the plantation here rather than the fortification account because the same paint and pitch served both.

The 1,000 pounds of rice expended for the hogs and poultry holds level with August 1729, and remains the heaviest such issue of the year. The yam crop had recovered fully, reaching 56,000 pounds in August, but the livestock were still fed on imported Bengal grain landed from the spring fleet. The council's own accounts show that grain running steadily down through a winter in which no ship called after 13 June 1729.

312

288

Brought over

174 . 4 . 8

Honble Compys Blacks Dr

Value

445 Yards Kersey

36 . 5

10 pr Small Chintz being the Winter Goods from the Cape

3 . 15

6 pr 2d & Long Cloth

5 .

4 . Ditto

3 . 3

9 lb Coloured Thread

1 . 16

100 Nailes

. 1 . 6

3 lb Whited Brown Thread

1 . 3 . 6

2 lb Coloured Tape

. 4 . 8

10 Small Blankets

11 . 12 . -

1 Mens Loft

1 . 1

7½ doz Hooks Sortd

. 7 . 8

Deld to Such that the Taylors may get them ready for the time of Clothing

61 . 17 . 10

Navall Gunrs & Garrison Stores Dr

10 Yards Red Bunting

. 17 . 6

3 lb White ditto

1 . 12 .

12 blue ditto

. 12

1 lb Coloured Thread

. 4 . 6

½ Whited brown Thread

. 3 . 6

To make a new Flagg for Bambow Fortt

3 . 17 . 10

Charges Generall Dr

Stationary Ware Expended from the 1 Octr 1728 to 30 Sept 1729

21 .

3 . 4 . 20 pr Splinter Drum Deales in ditto

30 . 18 . 9

23 Deals Baulks

10 . 16 .

1 ditto of 19 lb

. 4 .

Brass Cash & Nayls & Iron Expended in ditto

6 . 18 .

16 lb Sheet Lead

3 . 8

500 Stock Bricks

1 . 15 . 3

200 Van Tyles

1 . 13 . 3

1 Tinkerall

. 6

1 pr Ordinary Long Cloth

1 . 6

1 White & Blk Brush

. 6

1 Gallon Potts

2 . 4

1 Long Plain

2 . 6

1 Smoothing ditto

1 . 4

2 Plain Irons

1 . 6

2 Broad Chizzles

1 . 6

1 Paring ditto

. 6

1 Gouge

. 6

6 Broad Ax

1 . 4

1 Cleived Hatchet Nº 3

1 . 16 .

8 Saws

48 Squares Glass 6 & 8

84 . 11 . 7

Diet Expences Dr

70½ Gall Arrack

22 . 6 . 6

154 Sugar

3 . 7 .

36 Gall Strong Beer

2 . 8 .

3 lb Copper

. 3

2½ Bushells Salt

2 . 1 . 9

167 lb Flour

2 . 3 . 6

102 lb Bread

1 . 3 . 9

1½ Gall Vinegar

1 . 14 .

17 Wax Candles

34 . 16 . 9

Totall

359 . 8 . 8

Account

The storekeeper's account was carried forward at £174 4s 8d, and the goods charged to the Company's black slaves were entered as follows. The whole of this issue was delivered to the tailor at once, so that the slaves might have it made up in time for the winter, and the several parcels of cloth came from the Cape.

Kersey, 445 yards, £36 5s 0d

Small chintz, 10 pieces, £3 15s 0d

Ordinary long cloth, 8 pieces, £5 0s 0d

Chintz, 4 pieces, £2 5s 0d

Coloured thread, 9 pounds, £1 16s 0d

Needles, 100, £0 1s 6d

Whited brown thread, 3 pounds, £1 3s 6d

Coloured tape, 2 pieces, £0 4s 8d

Sailors' blankets, 100, £11 12s 0d

Mens' slops, 1, £1 1s 0d

Barrels of starch, 7.25 dozen, £0 7s 8d

Total to the Company's black slaves, £61 17s 10d

The goods charged to the naval, gunners and garrison stores were entered as follows, the bunting being taken to make a new flag for Banks's fort.

Red bunting, 10 yards, £0 17s 6d

White bunting, 38 yards, £1 13s 0d

Blue bunting, 12 yards, £0 13s 0d

Coloured thread, 1 ounce, £0 4s 0d

Whited brown thread, 4 ounces, £0 3s 6d

Total to the naval, gunners and garrison stores, £3 17s 10d

The goods charged to charges general were entered as follows.

Stationery ware expended from 1 October 1728 to 30 September 1729, £21 0s 0d

Cotton drawn twine expended in the same period, 3.5 pounds, £20 18s 9d

Delft bowls, 23, £10 16s 0d

Delft bowls, 4, number 19, £0 4s 0d

Brown earthen ware expended in the same period, £6 18s 0d

Bristol steel, 16 pounds, £3 1s 0d

Bricks, 500, £1 15s 3d

Iron tiles, 200, £1 13s 3d

Tinderbox, 1, £0 6s 6d

Ordinary long cloth, 1 piece, £0 6s 6d

White metal brush, 1, £0 6s 6d

Gallon pots, 1, £0 3s 4d

Long plane, 1, £0 4s 4d

Smoothing plane, 1, £0 1s 4d

Plain irons, 2, £0 6s 6d

Broad chissels, 2, £0 6s 6d

Paring chissel, 1, £0 6s 6d

Grate, 1, £0 6s 6d

Broad axe, 6, £0 6s 6d

Gilded hatchet, number 3, 1, £1 1s 4d

Sieves, 8, £1 16s 0d

Squares of glass, 48, at 6 and 8, £0 0s 0d

Total to charges general, £84 11s 7d

The goods charged to diet expenses were entered as follows.

Arrack, 70.5 gallons, £22 6s 6d

Sugar, 154 pounds, £3 7s 0d

Strong beer, 36.5 gallons, £2 4s 0d

Pepper, 3 pounds, £0 11s 0d

Bushels of salt, 2.5, £2 1s 9d

Flour, 167 pounds, £1 3s 6d

Bread, 100 pounds, £1 3s 0d

Vinegar, 1.5 gallons, £1 1s 0d

Wax candles, 17 pounds, £0 0s 0d

Total to diet expenses, £34 16s 9d

Sum total, £359 8s 8d

Interpretations

The annual clothing charge for the Company's slaves is the centrepiece of the account, and its scale can be measured against the same charge entered in September 1728, which came to £99 14s 8d and included 404 yards of kersey and 79 sailors' blankets. This year the issue runs to 445 yards of kersey and 100 blankets, a clear increase, and the whole of it went to the tailor at once so that it could be made up before the winter. The muster of 31 March 1729 counted 213 slaves, so the Company was clothing every one of them out of a single delivery.

Kersey is a coarse ribbed wool, cheap and hard-wearing, and it was the standard cloth for slave clothing throughout the Company's settlements. The note that the parcels came from the Cape is significant, since the island's supplies normally arrived from Bengal or China. A homeward ship touching at the Cape could pick up European woollens there, and the council was evidently buying where it could rather than waiting on the annual invoice from India.

The stationery and cotton twine expended over the whole Company year, entered here at £21 0s 0d and £20 18s 9d, are the running costs of an administration that produced the very books in which they are recorded. Every consultation, every account, every will and lease registered on the island consumed paper and ink, and the sum is a fair measure of how much writing a small colonial government generated in twelve months.

The new flag for Banks's fort is a small entry with a defensive purpose. Banks's mounted seven guns at the survey of 26 September 1727, and it was the battery from which two alarms were fired in April 1729. A fort's colours identified it to friendly shipping and warned off strangers, and a flag torn to rags by the wind on an exposed headland was no use at all.

The diet expenses at £34 16s 9d are unremarkable, but the 70.5 gallons of arrack is the heaviest issue of any month in the run. No ship had touched the island since 13 June 1729, so the drink was not going on entertaining visiting officers, and the figure must reflect stock laid in against the coming season rather than consumed at the table.

313

289

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hoggs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1st Septr

Bullocks 60

Cowes 81

Heifers 12

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 63

Bulls 1

Totall 283

Ewes 95

Withers 32

Lambs 30

Rams 3

Totall 160

Ewes 319

Withers 110

Kids 163

Rams 5

Totall 602

Sowes 12

Shoates 34

Barrows 20

Boars 3

Pigs 38

Totall 107

Turkeys 75

Fowles 79

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Encreased in ditto

Bullocks 20

Cowes 12

Heifers 8

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 10

Bulls 3

Totall 53

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 11

Kids 0

Rams 1

Totall 12

Sowes 6

Shoates 0

Barrows 10

Boars 2

Pigs 22

Totall 40

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 80

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 73

Bulls 4

Totall 336

Ewes 95

Withers 32

Lambs 30

Rams 3

Totall 160

Ewes 319

Withers 121

Kids 163

Rams 6

Totall 614

Sowes 18

Shoates 34

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 60

Totall 147

Turkeys 75

Fowles 79

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 1

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 1

Ewes 6

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 6

Sowes 0

Shoates 2

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 2

Turkeys 4

Fowles 6

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Cattle Goates & Hoggs Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 80

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 20

Yearlings 46

Calves 73

Bulls 4

Totall 336

Ewes 94

Withers 32

Lambs 30

Rams 3

Totall 159

Ewes 313

Withers 121

Kids 168

Rams 6

Totall 608

Sowes 18

Shoates 32

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 60

Totall 145

Turkeys 71

Fowles 73

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 3

Steers 0

Yearlings 40

Calves 0

Bulls 43

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 12

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 12

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 18

Totall 18

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 80

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 33

Bulls 4

Totall 293

Ewes 94

Withers 32

Lambs 30

Rams 3

Totall 159

Ewes 313

Withers 121

Kids 156

Rams 6

Totall 596

Sowes 18

Shoates 32

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 127

Turkeys 71

Fowles 73

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 6

Withers 0

Lambs 6

Rams 0

Totall 12

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 30th Septr

Bullocks 80

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 33

Bulls 4

Totall 293

Ewes 88

Withers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 147

Ewes 313

Withers 121

Kids 156

Rams 6

Totall 596

Sowes 18

Shoates 32

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 127

Turkeys 71

Fowles 73

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations

11625 lb

Ditto delivered the Fort Blacks

6650

Ditto dd the Great Woods ditto

3825

Totall Yams

21900 lb

An account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for September 1729 was entered, showing the increase or decrease over the month.

Remaining 1 September 1729: 60 bullocks, 81 cows, 12 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 63 calves, 1 bull, total neat cattle 283; 95 ewes, 32 wethers, 30 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 160; 319 ewes, 110 wethers, 168 kids, 5 rams, total goats 602; 12 sows, 34 shoats, 20 barrows, 3 boars, 38 pigs, total hogs 107; 75 turkeys, 79 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Increased in the same period: 20 bullocks, 12 cows, 8 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 10 calves, 3 bulls, total neat cattle 53; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 11 wethers, 0 kids, 1 ram, total goats 12; 6 sows, 0 shoats, 10 barrows, 2 boars, 22 pigs, total hogs 40; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the increase: 80 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 73 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 336; 95 ewes, 32 wethers, 30 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 160; 319 ewes, 121 wethers, 168 kids, 6 rams, total goats 614; 18 sows, 34 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 60 pigs, total hogs 147; 75 turkeys, 79 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Killed in the same period: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 1 ewe, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 1; 6 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 6; 0 sows, 2 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 2; 4 turkeys, 6 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the killings: 80 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 20 steers, 46 yearlings, 73 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 336; 94 ewes, 32 wethers, 30 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 159; 313 ewes, 121 wethers, 168 kids, 6 rams, total goats 608; 18 sows, 32 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 60 pigs, total hogs 145; 71 turkeys, 73 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Cattle, goats and hogs cut and grown in the same period: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 3 heifers, 0 steers, 40 yearlings, 43 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 43; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 12 wethers, 12 kids, 0 rams, total goats 12; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 18 barrows, 0 boars, 18 pigs, total hogs 18; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the cutting and growing: 80 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 33 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 293; 94 ewes, 32 wethers, 30 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 159; 313 ewes, 121 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, total goats 596; 18 sows, 32 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, total hogs 127; 71 turkeys, 73 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Died in the same period: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 6 ewes, 0 wethers, 6 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 12; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Remaining 30 September 1729: 80 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 33 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 293; 88 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 147; 313 ewes, 121 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, total goats 596; 18 sows, 32 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, total hogs 127; 71 turkeys, 73 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 11,525 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 6,650 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 3,825 pounds

Total yams, 21,900 pounds

Interpretations

The September account closes the Company's year, and the increase column is unlike any other in the run. Twenty bullocks, twelve cows, eight heifers and three bulls appear at once, and no birth can account for them. The figures are the annual reclassification of the whole herd as the books were balanced: animals were moved up through the categories according to age, so that a yearling became a steer or heifer, a heifer a cow, and a young male a bullock or a bull. The corresponding row lower down shows 43 calves cut and grown out of the calf column and 40 yearlings entered against them, which is the same mechanism working in the other direction.

The neat cattle stand at 293 at the close, against 289 at 30 September 1728 and 265 at 30 September 1727. The herd has grown steadily across the three years despite the sales to shipping, which reached 26 head in May 1729 alone. The goats at 596 are the highest closing figure of any year, well above the 462 recorded in September 1728, and the recovery from the attacks of January 1729, when the council issued warrants to destroy the dogs of John Long, Elizabeth Marsh and Thomas Nash, is complete.

The death of six ewes and six lambs together is the heaviest loss of sheep in the run. Lambs dying alongside their mothers points to a single cause rather than accident, and the council had been issuing arrack to the black slaves for four consecutive months on account of the weather continuing wet. A prolonged wet winter kills sheep more surely than cold, since fluke and foot rot follow standing water, and the flock has fallen from 160 to 147 across the month.

The yam issue drops to 21,900 pounds from the 56,000 pounds of August 1729. The abundance of the new crop was already being drawn down, and the pattern of the previous year suggests what follows: the harvest ran out entirely by January 1729, and the Great Wood potatoes carried the establishment through the gap.

314

290

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kidds, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1st Octr 1728

Bullocks 73

Cowes 90

Heifers 23

Steers 14

Yearlings 41

Calves 46

Bulls 2

Totall 289

Ewes 76

Withers 32

Lambs 30

Rams 3

Totall 141

Ewes 253

Withers 83

Kidds 120

Rams 6

Totall 462

Sowes 12

Shoates 6

Barrows 2

Boars 2

Pigs 34

Totall 56

Turkeys 84

Fowles 77

Ducks 27

Geese 22

Horses 6

Mares 3

Totall 9

Bot from do to 30 Septr 1729

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 3

Withers 0

Lambs 2

Rams 0

Totall 5

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 1

Totall 1

Encreased in ditto

Bullocks 35

Cowes 17

Heifers 23

Steers 6

Yearlings 6

Calves 73

Bulls 3

Totall 163

Ewes 22

Withers 8

Lambs 32

Rams 2

Totall 64

Ewes 73

Withers 71

Kidds 181

Rams 2

Totall 327

Sowes 9

Shoates 57

Barrows 31

Boars 4

Pigs 89

Totall 190

Turkeys 20

Fowles 60

Ducks 13

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 108

Cowes 107

Heifers 46

Steers 20

Yearlings 47

Calves 119

Bulls 5

Totall 452

Ewes 101

Withers 40

Lambs 62

Rams 7

Totall 210

Ewes 326

Withers 154

Kidds 301

Rams 8

Totall 789

Sowes 21

Shoates 63

Barrows 33

Boars 6

Pigs 123

Totall 246

Turkeys 104

Fowles 137

Ducks 40

Geese 22

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 2

Cowes 2

Heifers 5

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 1

Totall 10

Ewes 5

Withers 6

Lambs 0

Rams 2

Totall 13

Ewes 13

Withers 29

Kidds 0

Rams 1

Totall 43

Sowes 3

Shoates 11

Barrows 3

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 17

Turkeys 33

Fowles 64

Ducks 29

Geese 8

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 106

Cowes 105

Heifers 41

Steers 20

Yearlings 47

Calves 119

Bulls 4

Totall 442

Ewes 96

Withers 34

Lambs 62

Rams 5

Totall 197

Ewes 313

Withers 125

Kidds 301

Rams 7

Totall 746

Sowes 18

Shoates 52

Barrows 30

Boars 6

Pigs 123

Totall 229

Turkeys 71

Fowles 73

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Sold to Ships in do

Bullocks 26

Cowes 10

Heifers 21

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 57

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 80

Cowes 95

Heifers 20

Steers 20

Yearlings 47

Calves 119

Bulls 4

Totall 385

Ewes 96

Withers 34

Lambs 62

Rams 5

Totall 197

Ewes 313

Withers 125

Kidds 301

Rams 7

Totall 746

Sowes 18

Shoates 52

Barrows 30

Boars 6

Pigs 123

Totall 229

Turkeys 71

Fowles 73

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Cattle Goates Sheep & Hogs Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 3

Yearlings 1

Calves 86

Bulls 0

Totall 90

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 32

Rams 0

Totall 32

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 145

Rams 1

Totall 146

Sowes 0

Shoates 20

Barrows 0

Boars 1

Pigs 80

Totall 101

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 80

Cowes 95

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 33

Bulls 4

Totall 295

Ewes 96

Withers 34

Lambs 30

Rams 5

Totall 165

Ewes 313

Withers 125

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 600

Sowes 18

Shoates 32

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 43

Totall 128

Turkeys 71

Fowles 73

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Goates killed by Dogs & by Order of Consn 21 Janry

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 4

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 4

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 80

Cowes 95

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 33

Bulls 4

Totall 295

Ewes 96

Withers 34

Lambs 30

Rams 5

Totall 165

Ewes 313

Withers 121

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 596

Sowes 18

Shoates 32

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 43

Totall 128

Turkeys 71

Fowles 73

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 2

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 2

Ewes 8

Withers 2

Lambs 6

Rams 2

Totall 18

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 1

Totall 1

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 30th Septr 1729

Bullocks 80

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 33

Bulls 4

Totall 293

Ewes 88

Withers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 147

Ewes 313

Withers 121

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 596

Sowes 18

Shoates 32

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 127

Turkeys 71

Fowles 73

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations

201500 lb

Ditto delivered the Fort Blacks

84300

Ditto delivered the Great Wood ditto

54200

Totall Yams

340000

Potatoes from the Great Wood Plantation delivered the Honble Compys Blacks & Entered to the

Credit of the said Wood Plantation in Leger U folio 139

684 Bushells

Ditto Sold to Sundry Ships as appears in the said folio

270

Totall Potatoes

954 Bushells

The annual account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the year from 1 October 1728 to 30 September 1729 was entered as follows.

Remaining 1 October 1728: 73 bullocks, 90 cows, 23 heifers, 14 steers, 41 yearlings, 46 calves, 2 bulls, total neat cattle 289; 76 ewes, 32 wethers, 30 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 141; 263 ewes, 83 wethers, 120 kids, 6 rams, total goats 462; 12 sows, 6 shoats, 2 barrows, 2 boars, 34 pigs, total hogs 56; 84 turkeys, 77 fowls, 27 ducks, 22 geese; 6 horses, 3 mares, total horses 9

Bought from 1 October 1728 to 30 September 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 3 ewes, 0 wethers, 2 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 5; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 1 mare, total horses 1

Increased in the same period: 35 bullocks, 17 cows, 23 heifers, 6 steers, 6 yearlings, 73 calves, 3 bulls, total neat cattle 163; 22 ewes, 8 wethers, 32 lambs, 2 rams, total sheep 64; 73 ewes, 71 wethers, 181 kids, 2 rams, total goats 327; 9 sows, 57 shoats, 31 barrows, 4 boars, 89 pigs, total hogs 190; 20 turkeys, 60 fowls, 13 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the purchase and increase: 108 bullocks, 107 cows, 46 heifers, 20 steers, 47 yearlings, 119 calves, 5 bulls, total neat cattle 452; 101 ewes, 40 wethers, 62 lambs, 7 rams, total sheep 210; 336 ewes, 154 wethers, 301 kids, 8 rams, total goats 789; 21 sows, 63 shoats, 33 barrows, 6 boars, 123 pigs, total hogs 246; 104 turkeys, 137 fowls, 40 ducks, 22 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Killed in the same period: 2 bullocks, 2 cows, 5 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 1 calf, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 10; 5 ewes, 6 wethers, 0 lambs, 2 rams, total sheep 13; 13 ewes, 29 wethers, 0 kids, 1 ram, total goats 43; 3 sows, 11 shoats, 3 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 17; 33 turkeys, 64 fowls, 29 ducks, 8 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the killings: 106 bullocks, 105 cows, 41 heifers, 20 steers, 47 yearlings, 119 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 442; 96 ewes, 34 wethers, 62 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 197; 313 ewes, 125 wethers, 301 kids, 7 rams, total goats 746; 18 sows, 52 shoats, 30 barrows, 6 boars, 123 pigs, total hogs 229; 71 turkeys, 73 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Sold to shipping in the same period: 26 bullocks, 10 cows, 21 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 57; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the sales: 80 bullocks, 95 cows, 20 heifers, 20 steers, 47 yearlings, 119 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 385; 96 ewes, 34 wethers, 62 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 197; 313 ewes, 125 wethers, 301 kids, 7 rams, total goats 746; 18 sows, 52 shoats, 30 barrows, 6 boars, 123 pigs, total hogs 229; 71 turkeys, 73 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Cattle, goats, sheep and hogs cut and grown in the same period: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 3 heifers, 1 steer, 86 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 90; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 32 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 32; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 145 kids, 1 ram, total goats 146; 0 sows, 20 shoats, 0 barrows, 1 boar, 80 pigs, total hogs 101; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the cutting and growing: 80 bullocks, 95 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 33 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 295; 96 ewes, 34 wethers, 30 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 165; 313 ewes, 125 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, total goats 600; 18 sows, 32 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 43 pigs, total hogs 128; 71 turkeys, 73 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Goats killed by dogs, as appears in the consultation of 21 January 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 4 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 4; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the goats killed by dogs: 80 bullocks, 95 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 33 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 295; 96 ewes, 34 wethers, 30 lambs, 5 rams, total sheep 165; 313 ewes, 121 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, total goats 596; 18 sows, 32 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 43 pigs, total hogs 128; 71 turkeys, 73 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Dead in the same period: 0 bullocks, 2 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 2; 8 ewes, 2 wethers, 6 lambs, 2 rams, total sheep 18; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 1 pig, total hogs 1; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Remaining 30 September 1729: 80 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 33 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 293; 88 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 147; 313 ewes, 121 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, total goats 596; 18 sows, 32 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, total hogs 127; 71 turkeys, 73 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Yams expended at the several plantations, 201,500 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 84,300 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 54,200 pounds

Total yams, 340,000 pounds

Potatoes from the Great Wood plantation delivered to the Company's black slaves and entered to the credit of that plantation in ledger U folio 139, 684 bushels

Potatoes sold to sundry ships, as appears in the same folio, 270 bushels

Total potatoes, 954 bushels

Interpretations

The annual account closes the Company's year and allows the whole run to be read at once. Neat cattle stand at 293 against 289 a year earlier and 265 in September 1727, a herd growing slowly on an island that sold 57 head to shipping across the twelve months, the heaviest disposal of the run. The concentration of those sales is the point: 26 head went in May 1729 when seven Indiamen lay in the road, 14 in March, nine in February, five to the Ashburnham in April and three to the Astell in June. From July to September not a single beast was sold, because not a single ship called. The Company's beef trade was governed entirely by the rhythm of the homeward fleet.

The goats tell the year's other story. The herd rose from 462 to 596 on an increase of 327 kids, against 43 killed for the table and 4 entered as killed by dogs, cross-referenced expressly to the consultation of 21 January 1729. That entry is the accounting trace of a matter the council could not resolve at law: the testimony of blacks being inadmissible, no conviction could be obtained against John Long, Elizabeth Marsh or Thomas Nash, and the only remedy available was a warrant to destroy every dog belonging to them. The stock ledger records the loss the court could not punish.

The yam total of 340,000 pounds is more than two and a half times the 132,094 pounds of the previous year, and it marks the recovery from the harvest failure of January 1729, when nothing at all could be issued and the Great Wood potatoes carried the whole establishment. The potatoes at 954 bushels against 685 the year before show the same insurance being maintained, with 270 bushels sold to shipping and the rest fed to the slaves. St Helena grew and ate potatoes on a scale that would have seemed extraordinary in southern England in 1729, where the root was still regarded with suspicion, and it did so because the soil was poor, the island lay five weeks from any supply, and over two hundred people had to be fed from whatever the ground would carry.

315

291

Inventory of Gunners Stores Remaining &c 30th September 1729

Field Carriages, Demi Cannon, Whole Culverin, Demi Culverin, Minion, Sackers, Falcons, 12 Pounders, Three Pounders, Sakar Ordnance, Iron round Shot, Double headed Shot, Cannon Powder, Match, Cartridge Paper, Sponge Staves, Sponge Heads, Rammer Heads, Powder Horns, Wormes, Copper Ladles, Tompions, Sheep Skins, Beds, Reins, Cutwash Boxes, Touch, Aletres, Blunderbusses, Pistolls, Barge Bowls, Gimb & Black Furniture, Union Flaggs, Handspikes, Formers, Suftocks, Priming Wires, Cartridge Cases, Boys Pillers, Parchment Skins, Musquet, Swords, Lead Shott Powder, Drums, Slate Colours, Provant Pikes, Flints, Halberts, Sewing Rods, Buff Belts, Grenadier Pouches, Bomb Shell

Remd 30th Sept 1728

Field Carriages 2

Demi Cannon 12

Whole Culverin 5

Demi Culverin 48

Minion 5

Sackers 16

Falcons 27

12 Pounders 11

Three Pounders 4

Sakar Ordnance 128

Iron round Shot 6938

Double headed Shot 546

Cannon Powder 10721

Match 415

Cartridge Paper 172

Sponge Staves 331

Sponge Heads 418

Rammer Heads 213

Powder Horns 208

Wormes 17

Copper Ladles 22

Tompions 764

Sheep Skins 191

Beds 122

Reins 108

Cutwash Boxes 163

Touch 339

Aletres 63

Blunderbusses 36

Pistolls 12

Barge Bowls 3

Gimb & Black Furniture 2

Union Flaggs 4

Handspikes 189

Formers 24

Suftocks 100

Priming Wires 300

Cartridge Cases 92

Boys Pillers 4

Parchment Skins 76

Musquet 210

Swords 192

Lead Shott Powder 1398

Drums 6

Slate Colours 2

Provant Pikes 7

Flints 17000

Halberts 11

Sewing Rods 271

Buff Belts 114

Grenadier Pouches 100

Bomb Shell 10

Recd to 30th Septr 1729

Field Carriages 0

Demi Cannon 0

Whole Culverin 0

Demi Culverin 0

Minion 0

Sackers 0

Falcons 0

12 Pounders 0

Three Pounders 0

Sakar Ordnance 0

Iron round Shot 0

Double headed Shot 0

Cannon Powder 13

Match 224

Cartridge Paper 0

Sponge Staves 0

Sponge Heads 0

Rammer Heads 0

Powder Horns 0

Wormes 0

Copper Ladles 0

Tompions 0

Sheep Skins 0

Beds 0

Reins 0

Cutwash Boxes 0

Touch 0

Aletres 0

Blunderbusses 0

Pistolls 0

Barge Bowls 0

Gimb & Black Furniture 0

Union Flaggs 1

Handspikes 0

Formers 0

Suftocks 0

Priming Wires 0

Cartridge Cases 0

Boys Pillers 0

Parchment Skins 0

Musquet 0

Swords 0

Lead Shott Powder 0

Drums 0

Slate Colours 0

Provant Pikes 0

Flints 0

Halberts 0

Sewing Rods 0

Buff Belts 0

Grenadier Pouches 0

Bomb Shell 0

Field Carriages 2

Demi Cannon 12

Whole Culverin 5

Demi Culverin 48

Minion 5

Sackers 16

Falcons 27

12 Pounders 11

Three Pounders 4

Sakar Ordnance 128

Iron round Shot 6938

Double headed Shot 546

Cannon Powder 10102

Match 639

Cartridge Paper 172

Sponge Staves 331

Sponge Heads 418

Rammer Heads 213

Powder Horns 208

Wormes 17

Copper Ladles 22

Tompions 764

Sheep Skins 191

Beds 122

Reins 108

Cutwash Boxes 163

Touch 332

Aletres 63

Blunderbusses 36

Pistolls 12

Barge Bowls 3

Gimb & Black Furniture 2

Union Flaggs 5

Handspikes 189

Formers 24

Suftocks 100

Priming Wires 300

Cartridge Cases 92

Boys Pillers 4

Parchment Skins 76

Musquet 210

Swords 192

Lead Shott Powder 1398

Drums 6

Slate Colours 2

Provant Pikes 7

Flints 17000

Halberts 11

Sewing Rods 271

Buff Belts 114

Grenadier Pouches 100

Bomb Shell 10

Expended in ditto

Field Carriages 0

Demi Cannon 0

Whole Culverin 0

Demi Culverin 0

Minion 0

Sackers 0

Falcons 0

12 Pounders 0

Three Pounders 0

Sakar Ordnance 0

Iron round Shot 10

Double headed Shot 0

Cannon Powder 1627

Match 160½

Cartridge Paper 1 . 13

Sponge Staves 2

Sponge Heads 0

Rammer Heads 2

Powder Horns 0

Wormes 0

Copper Ladles 4

Tompions 19

Sheep Skins 0

Beds 0

Reins 0

Cutwash Boxes 0

Touch 1

Aletres 1

Blunderbusses 0

Pistolls 0

Barge Bowls 0

Gimb & Black Furniture 0

Union Flaggs 1

Handspikes 0

Formers 0

Suftocks 0

Priming Wires 0

Cartridge Cases 0

Boys Pillers 0

Parchment Skins 8

Musquet 0

Swords 17

Lead Shott Powder 0

Drums 0

Slate Colours 0

Provant Pikes 0

Flints 0

Halberts 0

Sewing Rods 0

Buff Belts 0

Grenadier Pouches 0

Bomb Shell 0

Field Carriages 2

Demi Cannon 12

Whole Culverin 5

Demi Culverin 48

Minion 5

Sackers 16

Falcons 27

12 Pounders 11

Three Pounders 4

Sakar Ordnance 128

Iron round Shot 6928

Double headed Shot 546

Cannon Powder 10921

Match 478½

Cartridge Paper 15 . 9

Sponge Staves 329

Sponge Heads 418

Rammer Heads 211

Powder Horns 208

Wormes 17

Copper Ladles 22

Tompions 760

Sheep Skins 172

Beds 122

Reins 108

Cutwash Boxes 163

Touch 331

Aletres 59

Blunderbusses 36

Pistolls 12

Barge Bowls 3

Gimb & Black Furniture 2

Union Flaggs 5

Handspikes 188

Formers 24

Suftocks 100

Priming Wires 300

Cartridge Cases 92

Boys Pillers 4

Parchment Skins 68

Musquet 213

Swords 192

Lead Shott Powder 1381

Drums 6

Slate Colours 2

Provant Pikes 7

Flints 17000

Halberts 11

Sewing Rods 271

Buff Belts 114

Grenadier Pouches 100

Bomb Shell 10

Sold to Ships in ditto

Field Carriages 0

Demi Cannon 0

Whole Culverin 0

Demi Culverin 0

Minion 0

Sackers 0

Falcons 0

12 Pounders 0

Three Pounders 0

Sakar Ordnance 0

Iron round Shot 0

Double headed Shot 0

Cannon Powder 0

Match 5

Cartridge Paper 0

Sponge Staves 0

Sponge Heads 0

Rammer Heads 0

Powder Horns 0

Wormes 0

Copper Ladles 0

Tompions 0

Sheep Skins 0

Beds 0

Reins 0

Cutwash Boxes 0

Touch 0

Aletres 0

Blunderbusses 0

Pistolls 0

Barge Bowls 0

Gimb & Black Furniture 0

Union Flaggs 0

Handspikes 0

Formers 0

Suftocks 0

Priming Wires 0

Cartridge Cases 0

Boys Pillers 0

Parchment Skins 0

Musquet 0

Swords 0

Lead Shott Powder 0

Drums 0

Slate Colours 0

Provant Pikes 0

Flints 0

Halberts 0

Sewing Rods 0

Buff Belts 0

Grenadier Pouches 0

Bomb Shell 0

Remd 30th Sept 1729

Field Carriages 2

Demi Cannon 12

Whole Culverin 5

Demi Culverin 48

Minion 5

Sackers 16

Falcons 27

12 Pounders 11

Three Pounders 4

Sakar Ordnance 128

Iron round Shot 6928

Double headed Shot 546

Cannon Powder 10921

Match 478½

Cartridge Paper 15 . 9

Sponge Staves 329

Sponge Heads 418

Rammer Heads 211

Powder Horns 208

Wormes 17

Copper Ladles 22

Tompions 760

Sheep Skins 172

Beds 122

Reins 108

Cutwash Boxes 163

Touch 331

Aletres 59

Blunderbusses 36

Pistolls 12

Barge Bowls 3

Gimb & Black Furniture 2

Union Flaggs 5

Handspikes 188

Formers 24

Suftocks 100

Priming Wires 300

Cartridge Cases 92

Boys Pillers 4

Parchment Skins 68

Musquet 213

Swords 192

Lead Shott Powder 1381

Drums 6

Slate Colours 2

Provant Pikes 7

Flints 17000

Halberts 11

Sewing Rods 271

Buff Belts 114

Grenadier Pouches 100

Bomb Shell 10

An inventory of the gunner's stores remaining on 30 September 1729 was entered as follows.

Remaining 30 September 1728: 2 field carriages, 12 demi-cannon, 5 whole culverins, 48 demi-culverins, 5 minions, 16 sakers, 27 falcons, 11 twelve pounders, 4 three pounders, 128 pieces of ordnance in all, 6,938 round shot, 546 double headed shot, 197.5 barrels of cannon powder, 416 pounds of match, 172 quires of cartridge paper, 331 sponge staves, 418 sponge heads, 213 rammer heads, 208 powder horns, 17 worms, 22 copper ladles, 764 tampions, 191 sheepskins, 122 beds, 108 quoins, 163 cartouche boxes, 332 touch holes, 62 flatoves, 36 blunderbusses, 12 pistols, 3 budge barrels, 2 sets of gimblet and black furniture, 4 union flags, 189 handspikes, 24 formers, 100 flintlocks, 300 priming wires, 92 cartridge cases, 4 horse pillars, 76 parchment skins, 210 muskets, 192 swords, 1,398 pounds of lead shot and powder, 6 drums, 2 sets of state colours, 7 pennant pieces, 17,000 flints, 11 halberts, 271 seaming rods, 114 buff belts, 100 grenadier pouches, 10 bomb shells

Received to 30 September 1729: 13 barrels of cannon powder, 224 pounds of match, 1 handspike

Standing after the receipt: 2 field carriages, 12 demi-cannon, 5 whole culverins, 48 demi-culverins, 5 minions, 16 sakers, 27 falcons, 11 twelve pounders, 4 three pounders, 128 pieces of ordnance in all, 6,938 round shot, 546 double headed shot, 210.5 barrels of cannon powder, 639 pounds of match, 172 quires of cartridge paper, 331 sponge staves, 418 sponge heads, 213 rammer heads, 208 powder horns, 17 worms, 22 copper ladles, 764 tampions, 191 sheepskins, 122 beds, 108 quoins, 163 cartouche boxes, 332 touch holes, 62 flatoves, 36 blunderbusses, 12 pistols, 3 budge barrels, 2 sets of gimblet and black furniture, 5 union flags, 189 handspikes, 24 formers, 100 flintlocks, 300 priming wires, 92 cartridge cases, 4 horse pillars, 76 parchment skins, 210 muskets, 192 swords, 1,398 pounds of lead shot and powder, 6 drums, 2 sets of state colours, 7 pennant pieces, 17,000 flints, 11 halberts, 271 seaming rods, 114 buff belts, 100 grenadier pouches, 10 bomb shells

Expended in the same period: 10 round shot, 16 barrels 22 pounds of cannon powder, 160.5 pounds of match, 1 quire 13 sheets of cartridge paper, 2 sponge staves, 2 rammer heads, 4 tampions, 19 sheepskins, 1 touch hole, 1 flatove, 1 union flag, 8 muskets, 17 swords

Sold to shipping in the same period: 5 barrels of cannon powder

Remaining 30 September 1729: 2 field carriages, 12 demi-cannon, 5 whole culverins, 48 demi-culverins, 5 minions, 16 sakers, 27 falcons, 11 twelve pounders, 4 three pounders, 128 pieces of ordnance in all, 6,928 round shot, 546 double headed shot, 189.5 barrels of cannon powder, 478.5 pounds of match, 169 quires of cartridge paper, 329 sponge staves, 418 sponge heads, 211 rammer heads, 208 powder horns, 17 worms, 22 copper ladles, 760 tampions, 172 sheepskins, 122 beds, 108 quoins, 163 cartouche boxes, 331 touch holes, 59 flatoves, 36 blunderbusses, 12 pistols, 3 budge barrels, 2 sets of gimblet and black furniture, 5 union flags, 188 handspikes, 24 formers, 100 flintlocks, 300 priming wires, 92 cartridge cases, 4 horse pillars, 68 parchment skins, 213 muskets, 192 swords, 1,381 pounds of lead shot and powder, 6 drums, 2 sets of state colours, 7 pennant pieces, 17,000 flints, 11 halberts, 271 seaming rods, 114 buff belts, 100 grenadier pouches, 10 bomb shells

Interpretations

The inventory shows the island's ordnance entirely unchanged at 128 pieces, exactly as it stood on 30 September 1728. Not a single gun was added or lost across the whole year, which is remarkable given that the island spent most of it on a war footing after the packet the Cadogan brought on 3 March 1729 reported the affairs of Europe unsettled. The Company reinforced its stores of powder, match and small arms, but it did not strengthen the batteries themselves.

The powder tells the year's real story. The magazine opened at 197.5 barrels, received 13 more, and closed at 189.5, having expended 16 barrels and 22 pounds and sold 5 barrels to shipping. The monthly gunner's accounts explain where it went: 419 pounds in May 1729 when seven Indiamen were saluted and six alarms fired, 234 pounds in June when the fleet departed, 220 pounds on a single heavy muster in July, and a mere 18 pounds in August when no ship called. The five barrels sold to shipping are the four delivered to the Hertford in May 1729 and their like, homeward Indiamen drawing on the island's magazine for their own defence.

The terms need naming for a modern reader. A sponge cleaned and damped the bore between firings, a rammer drove home the charge, a worm drew a spent one, and a tampion plugged the muzzle against damp. A quoin was the wedge that set a gun's elevation and a bed the timber it rested on. Flatoves were the shallow pans holding priming powder at the touch hole, and a budge barrel a small covered cask for carrying powder safely among the guns. Handspikes levered the carriage round, and formers shaped the paper cartridges.

The sheepskins expended, 19 across the year, were used to make the sponges that swabbed the barrels, and the 17 swords written off suggest a small-arms store slowly wasting under the salt air rather than any action. The 17,000 flints stand untouched, which is the clearest sign that the garrison never fired a shot in anger through the whole twelvemonth of alarms.

316

292

Gunners Stores Expended in September 1729

1729

Sept 6

Muster Day

8 lb Powder

At the Funerall of William Watkins

1

Cartridge Paper

1 Quire

Totall

10 lb

Match

1 lb

10 Yards Red Bunting

36 ditto White Ditto

12 ditto blue ditto

1 Coloured Thread

½ Whited Brown do

To make a new Flagg at Bambo Fort

Signed Jno French

The Governour Reports that One of the Honble Compys Black Fellows belonging to the Fort

Garden Named Benjamin died last Week

Ordered that he be Entered in the Journall

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 14th October 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Messrs John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham Exors of the last Will & Testament of Henry

Trevars deceased desire leave for leave to dispose of Twenty Two Acres of Leased Lands lately belonging to

the said Henry Trevars for the Remainder of the Term yet to come in the said Lease

Granted

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 21 October 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Weather having proved favourable for Planting of Wood & Crops We this day thought

the Winter Season Immediately by the Season & Setting a Distinction to Enforce & to the Ladies and

the following Warrant to Order the Severall Inhabitants in Order to Inform who have been Negligent &

Remiss & their belonging to each of the Lessees & the Warning Warrant thereon on the 6th of June last Viz

Sundry in the Transfer according to the Warning Warrant thereon on the 6th of June last Viz

Whereas the Encrease & Preservation of Wood is a Matter of the greatest Consequence

to this Place & of such Importance that the Honble Company have been frequently pleased to Order and

Severall Directions & particularly by the Severall Orders that on the last & Leases & Should be complyed to

Plant & Preserve them Woods & such their Plantations & Copses & Groves of which Instructions & there was

given Care & after the Accounts of the said Copse to be Cast that no Person might Plead Ignorance thereof

But nevertheless & such hath been the Neglect of Our People that We have received Complaints, that

their Trees & Copses of the Kind have planted their Lands have afterwards became far from

Neglect owning to prejudice & to Encrease the Growth & find that they have actually Impaired their

Colour & Woods, the Roots & Roots of their Island which they had so Planted & wilfully cause in the

Same was Cast Planted & effectually & Ways at the Same being Occupying themselves into Vain Repair

The gunner's stores expended in September 1729 were entered as follows.

Muster day, 8 guns fired, powder 8 pounds

At the funeral of William Wilkins, powder 1 barrel

Expense of the guard, 1

Cartridge paper, 1 quire

Match, 1 pound

Red bunting, 10 yards, to make a new flag at Banks's fort

White bunting, 38 yards, to make a new flag at Banks's fort

Blue bunting, 12 yards, to make a new flag at Banks's fort

Coloured thread, 1 pound

Whited brown thread, 4 ounces

Twine, 1 pound

Total, 10 pounds of powder

The account was signed by John French, the gunner.

Governor Byfield reported that a Company black servant belonging to the fort garden, named Benjamin, had died the previous week, and the death was entered in the journal.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 14 October 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Captain John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham, executors of the last will and testament of Henry Francis, asked leave to dispose of twenty-five acres of leasehold land lately belonging to Henry Francis for the remainder of the term, and the council granted the request.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 21 October 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The winter season being now favourable for planting wood, the council thought it a proper time to publish the advertisement set out below to the inhabitants, so that those who had been negligent might be reminded of their duty in the matter.

The council held the preservation and increase of wood to be a matter of the greatest consequence to the island, and it was important that the inhabitants have been frequently obliged to attend to the several directions given by the Company for the planting of wood, and were reminded that the trees planted for that purpose ought to be carefully preserved. Nevertheless the council found that several persons had wholly neglected the duty, and that the necessity of planting the wood on the island was so great that in seven or eight years' time no timber would be left standing. The council had accordingly resolved that whatever wood had been planted since the last order should be preserved, and that those who had been negligent in the matter and had refused to plant should be [...]

Interpretations

The barrel of powder expended at the funeral of William Wilkins is a considerable honour for a private funeral, and it stands against the single pound spent at the funeral of John French, the gunner, on 20 September 1728. The scale of the discharge suggests a man of some standing in the garrison, since the gun accounts through the whole run show funerals ordinarily marked with a few pounds of powder at most.

The new flag for Banks's fort, made up from red, white and blue bunting, appears in both the gunner's account and the storekeeper's account for September 1729. Banks's mounted seven guns at the survey of 26 September 1727 and fired the alarms of April 1729, and it stood on an exposed headland where the wind would tear colours to rags in a season. A fort without a flag could not identify itself to friendly shipping, which mattered acutely on an island where every strange sail brought the whole garrison to arms.

The wood advertisement is the latest instrument in a campaign that has run since 1727 and never succeeded. Surveys were ordered in January and October 1727, defaulters were fined in April and November 1727, and the Company itself intervened by the advertisement of 16 March 1728, threatening any tenant seeking to renew his lease with a fine amounting to a considerable part of the land's market value. The advertisement was republished on 4 June 1728, William Seale was fined 50s and Stephen Cross 30s on 24 December 1728, and the council ordered yet another survey on 24 June 1729.

The prediction that no timber would be left standing in seven or eight years is the sharpest statement of the problem yet made. St Helena's woods were being cut for fuel, for building and for the limekiln faster than they could regenerate, and goats ate whatever seedlings survived. The commissioners' report on Chubb's Spring of 8 April 1729, finding the flow reduced to less than a fifteenth of what older residents remembered, records the consequence the council never quite connected to the cause.

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hopes that by the gross Piece of Deceipt & Collusion they Should Screen themselves from those

Forfeitures to which they are deservedly the have liable for their Mismanagement

To prevent therefore as well of Deceipt or Neglect for the future in so chiefly of equall

Benefit & Advantage to the Inhabitants & their Posterity, these are Strictly to Charge and

Require You & each of You to View & carefully Inspect into all the Lands & Plantations

belonging to each of the Inhabitants of this Island & Report to Us in Writing with all

convenient Speed & without Favour or Affection in what Condition You do find the Same

distinguishing carefully who have or have not Planted their just Proportion of Wood & Copse

or of what they have Planted or deld Care the Same to go to decay & by what Means &

Neglect the same hath been Spoiled & destroyed & of who have or have not compleatly

Fenced their Lands & to make Report of their Sloth, Neglect or Mismanagement as You Shall

Observe in any of the Premises in a very full & impartiall Manner to the End that effectuall

Care may be taken to Compell all Defaulters to take Care of their own & the Interest of

their Children & not fail not & of so doing this Shall be Your Sufficient Warrant

Given under Our & hands the 21st Octr 1729

To

Messrs Isaac Wrangham

Joshua Johnson

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 28th October 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other Businesse

We Adjourned

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 3d November 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall W folio

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At

The council held that by the gross abuse of neglect and collusion the offenders should suffer forfeiture from those forfeitures to which they were justly liable for their mismanagement.

To prevent further neglect and to bring the benefit and advantage of the wood to the inhabitants and their posterity, the council directed Francis Wrangham and Joshua Johnson to view diligently and report in writing on all the plantations belonging to each of the inhabitants of the island, and to report in what condition they found them, distinguishing carefully who had and who had not planted their fair proportion of wood, and how far the wood already planted had been affected or had been neglected or destroyed, and by what means. The council directed them to spend whatever time was necessary and to make report of the several neglects and mismanagements, so that all persons in any of the premises in a very full and ample manner might be dealt with, and that effectual care might be taken to compel the defaulters to take care of their own and the interest of their children. The council directed that no failure be made in the matter, and gave them full authority to act.

The warrant was given under the hand of the council on 21 October 1729 and addressed to Francis Wrangham and Joshua Johnson.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 28 October 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved. No other business came before the council, and the meeting was adjourned.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Monday 3 November 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The garrison was paid for the past month, entered in the journal at the folio noted.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

Interpretations

The warrant to Francis Wrangham and Joshua Johnson is the fourth wood survey ordered since 1727, and its terms are markedly sharper than those of its predecessors. The commissioners are told not merely to count acres of wood but to distinguish who had planted and who had not, to establish how far existing wood had been destroyed, and by what means. That last requirement is the significant one. The earlier surveys of 14 March 1727 and 31 October 1727 recorded quantities and left the council to infer the cause, and the examinations that followed produced excuses of bad soil, distant stones and disappointing contractors, most of which were accepted. Here the commissioners are being sent to find out who was lying.

Wrangham and Johnson were both members of the original survey commission of 1727 alongside Gabriel Powell and Edmund Nichols, and their appointment brings continuity to an enquiry whose whole value lies in comparison across years. A man who pleaded bad soil in 1727 and whose ground was still bare in 1729 could no longer plead it.

The council's stated fear, that no timber would be left standing within seven or eight years, explains the urgency. Wood was the island's fuel, its building material and the raw stuff of every cask, boat and gate, and it could not be imported cheaply. The Company had fenced the Great Wood at great charge and confined all fuel gathering to a single gate by the advertisement of 21 November 1727, fined timber thieves in November 1727, and threatened a punitive fine on any lease renewal by the advertisement of 16 March 1728. None of it had worked, and the council's own words concede as much.

The two bare consultations that follow, one adjourned for want of business and one recording nothing but the garrison's pay, mark an island entirely at rest. No ship had touched St Helena since the homeward fleet sailed on 13 June 1729, and the council's business had shrunk to the wood question and the monthly accounts.

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294

At a Consultation held on Tuesday the 4th November 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly Account for

October last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Viz

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &ca from the 1 to the 31 October 1729

346 lb Sugar

8 . 12

32 lb Candy

1 . 12

6 Cotton Bohea Tea

1 . 16

12 lb Nailes Sortd

. 8 . 8

24 Yards Shalloon

2 . 8

8 Pistolls

2 . 5 . 6

4 Splinter Locks

2 . 8

5 ditto

7 . 3

6 Sugar Shovels

15 .

4 Tin Lamps

8 .

2 ditto

3 . 8

2 Coffee Potts

8 . 4

2 ditto

3 . 6

1 Sconces

1 . 6

2 Earthen Basons

. 19

1 doz Plates

16 .

2 Rifles

8 . 8

9 Silver Spoons

9 . 4

2 Ivory handles Knives & Fork

3 . 4

8 ditto round handles

1 . 4

1 pr Scissors

6 .

4 Clasp Penknives

6 .

4 Ivory Combs

8 . 4

2 ditto

2 . 8

8 ditto

17 . 4

18 ditto

3 . 4

4 horn ditto

16 .

10 Yards Diaper

1 . 13 . 9

8 ditto Bed Tick

6 . 6

14 pr Small Ground Cloth

1 . 6

9 Hollands Duck

2 . 11 . 6

8 Whited Brown Thread Sortd

3 . 4

6 Oz Nine Thread

8 . 8

4 Thimbles

4 . 8

26 Yards Sewing

9 . 9

7 Wm Sew Taffety

4 . 4

20 Sewing Lace

. 2 . 6

2 doz Coat Buttons

. 8

4 Breast ditto

. 10

2 Elems Broadcloth

4 . 4

8 Oz Cotton Silk

4 . 4

4 Yards Ordinary Lace

4 . 10 . 6

160 Squares Glass 6 & 8

14 . 3

3 Wine Corks

10 .

2 Wine Glasses

8 . 8

4 Do Small Chints

. 6

2 Yards ditto

4 . 6

4 Do Chintz

. 6

1 pr Ordinary Long Cloth

. 5

12 Cupps & Saucers

4 . 3

8 lb Copper

4 . 4

1 Snuffers

2 .

2 Rumler

16 . 18 .

2 Tea Potts

6 . 9

4 Serjeants Coates with Silver Lace

8 . 7

4 ditto Platts

2 . 8

2 Drummers Coates with Worsted Lace

4 . 4

2 ditto Cupps Embroidered

Totalls to Inhabts

85 . 12 . 6

A consultation was held on Tuesday 4 November 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Governor Byfield, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for October, and the council examined and approved them.

An account of the store goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants from 1 to 31 October 1729 was entered as follows.

Sugar, 346 pounds, £8 12s 0d

Candy, 32 pounds, £1 12s 0d

Bohea tea, 6 catties, £1 16s 0d

Nails, 18 pounds, £0 8s 8d

Shalloon, 9.5 yards, £2 2s 0d

Bullets, 8.5, £2 6s 6d

Splinter locks, 3, £0 7s 3d

Sugar shovels, 6, £0 15s 0d

Sugar shovels, 3, £0 3s 0d

Tin lamps, 4, £0 4s 0d

Tin lamps, 2, £0 3s 0d

Coffee pots, 2, £0 8s 4d

Coffee pots, 2, £0 6s 0d

Skimmer, 1, £0 8s 0d

Pewter basins, 2, £0 1s 9d

Plates, 1 dozen, £0 16s 0d

Rifles, 2, £0 6s 0d

Spoons, 6 dozen, £0 3s 4d

Ivory handled knives and forks, 5, £0 1s 4d

Round handles, 2, £0 6s 6d

Scissors, 12, £0 4s 6d

Cheap cushions, 4, £0 8s 4d

Ivory combs, 4, £0 2s 8d

Ivory combs, 2, £0 17s 0d

Ivory combs, 2, £0 3s 4d

Ivory combs, 18, £0 16s 0d

Horn combs, 4, £1 13s 9d

Durance, 10 yards, £0 6s 6d

Bed tick, 8 yards, £0 11s 6d

Scotch broad cloth, 1.5 yards, £2 11s 6d

Holland duck, 7 yards, £0 4s 8d

Whited brown thread, 8 pounds, £0 8s 8d

Fine thread, 6 ounces, £0 9s 9d

Thimbles, 2, £0 9s 0d

Ferreting, 26 yards, £0 7s 6d

Fine pins, 7 ounces, £0 15s 0d

Sewing lace, 20 yards, £0 4s 0d

Coat buttons, 2 dozen, £0 12s 0d

Breast buttons, 4 dozen, £0 4s 4d

Chain buckram, 2, £0 8s 0d

China silk, 8 ounces, £4 8s 0d

Sewing lace, 46 yards, £0 12s 6d

Squares of glass, 160, at 6 and 8, £0 10s 0d

Best cake, 1, £0 12s 0d

Watch glasses, 1, £0 8s 8d

Small chintz, 8, £0 4s 6d

Chintz, 9, £0 5s 0d

Calico, 4, £0 4s 0d

Ordinary long cloth, 18 yards, £0 4s 0d

Cups and saucers, 12, £0 8s 0d

Cups, 24, £2 16s 0d

Saucers, 2, £0 10s 0d

Bowls, 2, £6 9s 0d

Tea cups, 2, £0 1s 8d

Serpentine crosses with silver lace, 4, £0 7s 6d

Serpentine crosses, 2, £0 7s 6d

Drummers' crosses with worsted lace, 2, £0 0s 0d

Copper cauldrons, 2, £0 0s 0d

Total to the inhabitants, £85 12s 6d

Interpretations

The retail total of £85 12s 6d holds close to the £86 12s 10d of September 1729, and both stand well below the £163 14s 9d taken in March 1729 when the shipping season was at its height. No vessel had touched the island since the homeward fleet sailed on 13 June 1729, and the inhabitants had spent four months without a market for their stock, poultry or greens. The storekeeper's ledger is the most sensitive instrument in the record for measuring the anchorage.

Shalloon is a light twilled woollen used chiefly for lining coats, and Scotch broadcloth a heavy napped wool from the northern trade. Durance was a glazed hard-wearing woollen named for its resistance to wear, and buckram a cloth stiffened with gum for shaping collars and skirts. Taken with the bed ticking, the thread, the pins, the thimbles, the sewing lace and the several dozen buttons, they show the inhabitants making up their own clothing rather than buying it ready. St Helena had no tailors of consequence outside the Company's own establishment, so a household that wanted a coat cut the cloth itself.

The serpentine crosses with silver lace and the drummers' crosses with worsted lace are military accoutrements rather than ornaments. A cross belt carried a soldier's cartridge box and bayonet over the shoulder, and the lace distinguished the drummers from the rank and file. Six drums stood in the gunner's inventory of 30 September 1729, and the drummers beat the garrison to arms, called the musters and proclaimed the council's orders through the island. Their belts had been renewed alongside the new flag for Banks's fort, entered in the same month's accounts.

The bullets and rifles sold to the inhabitants are worth a note against the council's own policy. It had revoked the liberty of John Long, Elizabeth Marsh and Thomas Nash to keep firearms on 14 January 1729, after Company goats were found shot and worried by dogs. Arms remained freely on sale to everyone else, and the island's defence depended on an armed population turning out on every alarm.

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295

85 . 12 . 6

Garrison Dr

12 Cotton Tea to the Guards

3 . 6

Plantation Dr

4 Garden Spades

1 . 4

900 lb Rice for the Hoggs & Poultry

6 . 7

7 . 11

Charges Generall Dr

8 lb Soap

8 . 8

20 White Lead

. 8

10 lb Red ditto

6 . 6

40 lb Rozin

1 . 4 . 8

27 Butter Sortd

19 . 8

24 Two Quart Earthen Cans

1 . 14 . 8

4 Paint Brushes

4 . 6

56 lb Rigg lead

10 . 6

3 Yards Arrack & to the Surveyors

19 .

6 lb Sugar

. 3 . 6

1 Do Table Plaine

4 . 6

6 . 10 . 4

Honble Compys Blacks Dr

On Acct of Charges Genll

15½ doz Lines Sortd

6 . 8

26 doz Hooks ditto

3 . 10 . 6

1 lb Skin Thread

. 6

1 Ivory Comb

. 8

6 Splinter Knives

. 6 . 6

3 Skin ditto

3 doz Shot Blades

18 . 0

3 Cotton Tea do the Blacks

. 8

3 Mens Loft

. 8

1 Womens ditto

. 8

2 Boys ditto

. 3 . 2

4 lb Gunthread

12 . . 3

Diet Expences Dr

179 lb Sugar

4 . 6 . 6

7 lb Bread

2 . 4 . 8

14 lb Flour

2 . 6

67 Gall Arrack

13 . 1 . 6

18 lb Candles

1 . 4 . 6

1 Gallon Vinegar

. 2 . 6

16½ Gall Port

14 . 6 . 6

8 ditto Sherry

2 . 6

2 Bushells Salt

. 3 . 2

46½ Gall Strong Beer

45 . 13 . 4½

159 . 10 . 7½

Gunners Stores Expended in the Month Octr 1729

Guns Fired, Sackers, Powder

1729

October 3

Muster Day

Guns Fired 0

Sackers 0

Powder 6

30

Anniversary of his Majesties Birth Day

Guns Fired 21

Sackers 21

Powder 21

Expence of the Guard

Guns Fired 0

Sackers 0

Powder 3

Cartridge Paper

1 Quire

Guns Fired 21

Sackers 21

Powder 36

Thread

7 lb

Signed Jno French

The storekeeper's account was carried forward at £85 12s 6d, and the goods charged to the garrison were entered as follows.

Bohea tea, 8 catties, delivered to the guards, £3 6s 0d

Total to the garrison, £3 6s 0d

The goods charged to the plantation were entered as follows.

Garden spades, 4, £1 11s 0d

Rice, 900 pounds, delivered for the hogs and poultry, £6 0s 0d

Total to the plantation, £7 11s 0d

The goods charged to charges general were entered as follows.

Soap, 8 pounds, £0 8s 8d

White lead, 20 pounds, £0 6s 0d

Red lead, 10 pounds, £0 6s 6d

Rosin, 48 pounds, £0 1s 8d

Boiler locks, 17, £0 10s 8d

Two quart earthen pans, 24, £1 4s 6d

Paint brushes, 4, £0 1s 6d

Pig lead, 56 pounds, £0 10s 6d

Garden trowels, 3, delivered to the surveyors, £0 10s 0d

Sugar, 6 pounds, £0 1s 6d

Iron gate hinges, 1 pair, £0 4s 6d

Total to charges general, £6 10s 4d

The goods charged to the Company's black slaves, on account of charges general, were entered as follows.

Lines, 15.5 dozen, £6 4s 6d

Hooks, 26 dozen, £3 10s 6d

Twine, 1 pound, £0 5s 6d

Ivory comb, 1, £0 1s 6d

Stitching hames, 6, £0 2s 6d

Stitching hames, 3, £0 1s 3d

Shot lead, 3 pounds, £0 8s 0d

Bohea tea, 3 catties, delivered to the black slaves, £0 18s 0d

Mens' slops, 3, £0 1s 6d

Womens' slops, 1, £0 1s 6d

Boys' slops, 2, £0 3s 0d

Kersey, 8 pounds, £0 3s 2d

Total to the Company's black slaves, £12 0s 3d

The goods charged to diet expenses were entered as follows.

Sugar, 179 pounds, £4 6s 6d

Bread, 71 pounds, £2 17s 6d

Flour, 145 pounds, £2 13s 0d

Arrack, 67 gallons, £13 1s 3d

Candles, 18 pounds, £1 6s 0d

Vinegar, 1 gallon, £0 6s 0d

Port wine, 16.5 gallons, £14 4s 6d

Sherry, 6 gallons, £0 5s 0d

Bushels of salt, 2, £0 5s 0d

Strong beer, 46.5 gallons, £3 5s 0d

Total to diet expenses, £25 13s 4.5d

Sum total, £159 10s 7.5d

The gunner's stores expended in October 1729 were entered as follows, with the guns fired and the powder set out against each occasion.

2 October 1729, muster day, 8 guns fired, powder 8 pounds

30 October 1729, the anniversary of His Majesty's birthday, 21 guns fired, powder 21 pounds

Expense of the guard, 1

Cartridge paper, 2 quires

Match, 7 pounds

Total, 21 guns fired, 21 barrels 3 pounds, powder 6 pounds

The account was signed by John French, the gunner.

Interpretations

The fishing gear charged to the Company's black slaves runs to more than half the whole month's issue on that account, with 15.5 dozen lines and 26 dozen hooks going out in a single delivery. The establishment dates from 1 March 1727, when Governor Byfield abolished the slaves' meat ration in favour of fish, and the muster of 31 March 1729 counted eleven men constantly employed in the boats. The entire diet of over two hundred people rested on tackle of this kind, and it was consumed at a rate that required replacing several times a year.

The garden trowels delivered to the surveyors connect directly to the warrant issued on 21 October 1729 to Francis Wrangham and Joshua Johnson. They were sent to view every plantation on the island, to report who had planted their fair proportion of wood and who had not, and to establish how far existing wood had been destroyed and by what means. A trowel was the tool for testing whether a tree had been planted at all, or whether the ground had merely been scratched over to satisfy an inspection.

The white lead, red lead, rosin, paint brushes and pig lead charged to charges general are the ordinary consumables of maintaining a fort in a salt climate. Red lead is a rust-inhibiting primer, white lead the base of oil paint, and rosin the resin used in caulking and in pitch. The council's own ramparts had been repointed with the lime the Governor drew from his new kiln in November 1728, and the ironwork required constant attention against the damp.

The gunner's account for October 1729 records almost nothing beyond the muster and the King's birthday on 30 October, marked as always with 21 guns. The island had seen no ship since 13 June 1729, so no salute was fired and no alarm raised, and the powder expended reflects a fort keeping only its calendar and its drill.

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296

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kidds, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1st October

Bullocks 80

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 33

Bulls 4

Totall 293

Ewes 88

Withers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 147

Ewes 313

Withers 121

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 596

Sowes 18

Shoates 32

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 127

Turkeys 71

Fowles 73

Ducks 11

Geese 14

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Encreased from do to 31 do

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 8

Bulls 0

Totall 8

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 3

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 80

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 41

Bulls 4

Totall 301

Ewes 88

Withers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 147

Ewes 313

Withers 121

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 596

Sowes 18

Shoates 32

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 127

Turkeys 71

Fowles 73

Ducks 11

Geese 17

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 1

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 1

Ewes 1

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 1

Ewes 7

Withers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 7

Sowes 0

Shoates 1

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 1

Turkeys 6

Fowles 12

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 79

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 41

Bulls 4

Totall 300

Ewes 87

Withers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 146

Ewes 306

Withers 121

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 589

Sowes 18

Shoates 31

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 126

Turkeys 65

Fowles 69

Ducks 11

Geese 17

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 3

Withers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 3

Ewes 0

Withers 6

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 6

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkeys 0

Fowles 2

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 31 October

Bullocks 79

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 41

Bulls 4

Totall 300

Ewes 84

Withers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 143

Ewes 306

Withers 115

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 583

Sowes 18

Shoates 31

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 126

Turkeys 65

Fowles 67

Ducks 11

Geese 17

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Yams for Plantation House Blacks

24500 lb

Ditto delivered the Fort Blacks

9250

Ditto the Great Wood ditto

5250

Totall Yams

39000 lb

An account of the Company's stock of neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for October 1729 was entered, showing what had been killed, together with the increase or decrease over the month.

Remaining 1 October 1729: 80 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 33 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 293; 88 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 147; 313 ewes, 121 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, total goats 596; 18 sows, 32 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, total hogs 127; 71 turkeys, 73 fowls, 11 ducks, 14 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Increased from 1 to 31 October 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 8 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 8; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 0; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 0; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 3 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the increase: 80 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 41 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 301; 88 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 147; 313 ewes, 121 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, total goats 596; 18 sows, 32 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, total hogs 127; 71 turkeys, 73 fowls, 11 ducks, 17 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Killed from 1 to 31 October 1729: 1 bullock, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 1; 1 ewe, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 1; 7 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 7; 0 sows, 1 shoat, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 1; 6 turkeys, 12 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Standing after the killings: 79 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 41 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 300; 87 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 146; 306 ewes, 121 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, total goats 589; 18 sows, 31 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, total hogs 126; 65 turkeys, 69 fowls, 11 ducks, 17 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Died from 1 to 31 October 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, total neat cattle 0; 3 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, total sheep 3; 0 ewes, 6 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, total goats 6; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, total hogs 0; 0 turkeys, 2 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, total horses 0

Remaining 31 October 1729: 79 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 41 calves, 4 bulls, total neat cattle 300; 84 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, total sheep 143; 306 ewes, 115 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, total goats 583; 18 sows, 31 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, total hogs 126; 65 turkeys, 67 fowls, 11 ducks, 17 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, total horses 10

Yams for the Plantation House slaves, 24,500 pounds

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 9,250 pounds

Yams delivered to the Great Wood slaves, 5,250 pounds

Total yams, 39,000 pounds

Interpretations

October is the fourth consecutive month without a sale to shipping. Nothing has called at the island since the homeward fleet left on 13 June 1729, and the Company's stock has simply accumulated: the herd stands at 300 head of neat cattle, having been 289 when the Company's year opened on 1 October 1728. The whole of the year's disposal, 57 head, went in the four months when the Indiamen were in the road, and the eight months of silence produced nothing.

The death of three ewes and six wether goats without any cause entered continues a pattern that has run since September 1729, when six ewes and six lambs died together. The council had been issuing arrack to the black slaves for four consecutive months on account of the weather continuing wet, and a prolonged wet season kills sheep more surely than cold, foot rot and fluke following standing water. The flock has fallen from 160 at the start of September to 143 here, a loss of over a tenth in two months.

The goat herd falls to 583, its lowest since June 1729, though the fall is entirely accounted for by the seven killed for the table and the six that died. The herd had reached 602 in August, the highest of the run, and the Company was able to eat into a rising stock rather than husband a falling one.

The yam issue rises to 39,000 pounds from the 21,900 pounds of September 1729, and the entry for the Plantation House slaves is set out separately for the first time. The new crop was plainly abundant, and no potatoes at all were drawn from the Great Wood, which is the surest sign that the yams were carrying the whole establishment. The pattern of the previous year suggests what lies ahead: the crop ran out entirely by January 1729, and the potatoes had to be brought in to fill the gap.

321

297

Expence of the Table in the Month of October 1729 Viz

420 Beef

6 . 5

60 lb Pork

1 . 10

1 Sheep

1 . 4

7 Goates

3 . 10

8 Turkeys

1 . 16 .

12 Fowles

. 18

9 lb Butter

. 9

31 Days Greens

1 . 11

62 Bottles Milk

1 . . 8

116 Sugar

2 . 18

70 Bread

17 . 6

184 Flour

2 . 6

36 Gall Arrack

11 . 8

1 Gall Vinegar

2 . 6

36½ Gall Port

14 . 2 . 10½

2 ditto Sherry

. 16 . 6

2 Bushells Salt

. 9

43½ Gall Strong Beer

5 . 5 . 3

Expence of the Table in Octr 1729

53 . 8 . 3½

8 lb Soap

. 8 . 8

12 lb Candles

1 . 4 .

21 Gall Arrack delivered to the Guards, Smiths, Coopers

Carpenters &c upon Anniversary of his Majesties Birth day

6 . 13 . -

63 lb Sugar delivered ditto

1 . 11 . 6

9 . 17 . 2

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 11th November 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Messrs Francis Wrangham & Joshua Johnson appointed to Survey the Woods upon

the Lands belonging to the Severall Inhabitants this day made the following Report Viz

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Governour & Councill

Pursuant to a Warrant directed to Us bearing date the 21 of last Month We have

carefully Surveyed the Lands belonging to the Severall Inhabitants & do find them in the following

Condition as to the Quantity of Wood, Furze & Fences Viz

1

John Alexander We Suppose to have about 12 Acres of Wood upon his Fee Lands &

about 7½ upon his Lease Lands two Acres of it now Planted, his Lands Fenced & greatest Part

Planted with Furze

2

John Goodwin about 3 Acres upon his Fee Lands & 7½ upon his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & part Planted with Furze

3

John Young about 2 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 6 on his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & part Planted with Furze

4

John French about 3 Acres upon his Fee Lands most young Plants & about 8 upon

his Lease Lands his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

5

John Bagott about 5 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 6 upon his Lease Lands

his

The general table expenses for October 1729 were entered as follows.

Beef, 420 pounds, £6 5s 0d

Pork, 60 pounds, £1 10s 0d

Sheep, 1, £1 4s 0d

Goats, 7, £3 10s 0d

Turkeys, 9, £1 16s 0d

Fowls, 12, £0 18s 0d

Butter, 9 pounds, £0 9s 0d

Greens, 31 days, £1 11s 0d

Milk, 63 bottles, £1 8s 0d

Sugar, 116 pounds, £2 18s 0d

Bread, 70 pounds, £0 17s 6d

Flour, 184 pounds, £2 6s 0d

Arrack, 36 gallons, £11 8s 0d

Vinegar, 1 gallon, £0 2s 6d

Port wine, 36.5 gallons, £14 2s 10.5d

Sherry, 2 gallons, £0 16s 6d

Bushels of salt, 2, £0 9s 0d

Strong beer, 46.5 gallons, £5 5s 3d

Total expense of the table in October 1729, £53 8s 3.5d

Soap, 8 pounds, £0 8s 8d

Candles, 12 pounds, £1 4s 4d

Arrack, 21 gallons, delivered to the guards, smiths, coopers and carpenters, on account of His Majesty's birthday, £6 13s 0d

Sugar, 63 pounds, delivered to the same, £1 11s 6d

Total, £9 17s 2d

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 11 November 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Francis Wrangham and Joshua Johnson, appointed to survey the wood upon the lands belonging to the several inhabitants, delivered the report set out below.

In accordance with the warrant directed to them, dated the 21st of the previous month, they had carefully surveyed the lands belonging to the several inhabitants of the island, and they reported them in the following condition as to the quantity of wood, furze and fences.

1: John Alexander was supposed to have about 12 acres of wood upon his freehold land, and about 7.5 acres upon his leasehold land, two acres of it newly planted, his land fenced and the greatest part planted with furze

2: John Goodwin, about 3 acres upon his freehold land and 7.5 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

3: John Young, about 2 acres upon his freehold land and about 6 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

4: John French, about 3 acres upon his freehold land, mostly young plants, and about 8 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

5: John Bazett, about 5 acres upon his freehold land and about 6 upon his leasehold land

Interpretations

The table bill of £53 8s 3.5d is a marked rise on the £38 13s 3d of September 1729, and the increase is almost entirely drink. Port wine at 36.5 gallons and strong beer at 46.5 gallons together account for nearly £20 0s 0d, which is heavy consumption for a household with no shipping in the road to entertain. The 420 pounds of beef and 60 pounds of pork suggest the fort was drawing on its own stock for salting down as the summer approached rather than feeding guests.

The arrack and sugar issued to the guards, smiths, coopers and carpenters on the King's birthday continues the customary allowance that marks every royal day in the island's calendar. The same issue was made on 30 October 1728, and the gunner's account for October 1729 records 21 guns fired for the anniversary. St Helena kept the full Hanoverian observance despite lying five weeks from any news of England, and the artificers as well as the garrison shared in it.

The wood survey delivered here is the fruit of the warrant of 21 October 1729, and it is the fourth such enquiry since 1727. The commissioners were instructed not merely to count acres but to distinguish who had planted and who had not, and to establish how far existing wood had been destroyed and by what means. Furze is gorse, a hardy spiny shrub planted as a fuel crop and as a stock-proof hedge, and its presence alongside the timber was tracked because it served the double purpose of feeding fires and keeping goats out of the young trees.

The council's fear, stated on 21 October 1729, was that no timber would be left standing on the island within seven or eight years. The survey opens with the councillors themselves, Alexander, Goodwin and Young, whose holdings are reported fenced and planted. Setting the council's own compliance at the head of the list was a deliberate choice, since the defaulters who followed could hardly plead that the rule was not enforced against those who made it.

322

298

his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

6

Richard Beale about 2½ Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 14 upon his Lease Lands his

Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

7

Orlando Bagley Junr about half an Acre upon the Lands he lately had of his Father & has

Planted Furze in order to plant more his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

8

John Bradley about 2 Acres his Lands Fenced but no Furze

9

John Desfountain about 10 Acres upon his Fee Lands & 4 upon his Lease Lands his Lands

all Fenced & the greatest part Planted with Furze

10

Joseph Desfountain hath neither Wood or Furze his Lands not being proper to Raise it, he has

Planted John Fig Trees which Grows his Land is Fenced

11

Francis Turgis about 3 Acres of Wood the greatest part of it now Planted about half the

3 Acres upon poor Lands that will not produce Wood & not well Fenced from Cattle his Lands

Fenced & part Planted with Furze

12

Joseph Hayes about 1 Acre new Planted upon his Fee Lands but bad, his Lease Lands not

Fenced but his Fee Lands is Fenced & part planted with Furze

13

Thomas Harper about 5 Acres his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

14

Martin Harper about 1 Acre new Planted his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

15

John Hayes about 4 Acres part young Plants his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

16

John Knipe about 4 Acres upon the Lands but he tells Us he dont know how far from his

Lease Lands his Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

17

Isaac Leech about 1½ Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 3 upon his Lease his Lands Fenced

& part Planted with Furze

18

Ebenezer Leech about half an Acre new Planted what was growing before hath been destroyed

by Cattle his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Wood

19

Joseph Loffham about 1 Acre his Lands Fenced but not any Furze Planted the Soile being too

dry to raise it

20

Matthew Mudge about 2½ Acres but not Growing upon the Lands he Possesses, he has Planted

about an Acre upon the Lands he possesses part of which grows his Lands Fenced & part planted

with Furze

21

Stephen Ross, Ridger about 3 Acres his Lands not so Fenced nor any Furze

22

John Purling about 12 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 8 upon his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & the greatest part Planted with Furze

23

John Thwaites about 1½ Acres new Planted what was Growing hath been destroyed by

Cattle his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

24

William Worrall about 6 Acres his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

25

Isaac Wood about 8 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 1½ new Planted upon his Lease Lands

but upon poor Ground his Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

26

Joseph & Simon Wraley about 2 Acres upon their Fee Lands & about 4½ upon their Lease

Lands their Lands all Fenced & part planted with Furze

27

Thomas Allis about 1½ Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 3½ upon his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & part Planted with Furze

28

John Bagley Senr about 1½ Acres upon his Fee Lands part of it now Planted & not well

Fenced from Cattle & a few Straggling Trees upon his Lease Lands his Lands Fenced & Planted

with Furze

29

Orlando Bagley Senr about 17 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 5 upon his Lease Lands

his Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

30

Joseph Bates about 7 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 10 upon his Lease Lands his Lands Fenced

& part planted with Furze

31

Bridgett Bagley about 20 Acres upon his Lease Lands & about 10 upon her Lease Lands her Lands

Fenced & part planted with Furze

32

Sarah Bradley about 6 Acres her Lands not Fenced nor part Planted with Furze

33

John Bagley Junr about 4½ Acres his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

34

John Bendall about 1½ Acres upon his Fee Lands & 1½ new Planted upon his Lease

Lands part destroyed by Cattle they not being Fenced he is poor about Fencing what Remains

with a good Stone Wall Lands & at other Places Fenced & part planted with Furze

35

Stephen Cowen about 7½ Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 5 upon his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & in part planted with Furze

36

Jonathan Downton about 23 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 7 upon his Lease Lands his

Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

37

Samuel Downton about 3 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 3 upon his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & in part Planted with Furze

38

James Draper Orphans about 2½ Acres upon their Fee Lands & about 3 upon their Lease Lands

their Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

39

Elizabeth Greentree about 10 Acres upon her Fee Lands & about 13 upon her Lease Lands

her Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

40

Thomas Greentree about 4½ Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 6 upon his Lease Lands

his Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

41

Richard Goodwin about 12 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 6 upon his Lease Lands his

Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

Robert

5 (continued): John Bazett, his land fenced and part planted with furze

6: Richard Beale, about 2.5 acres upon his freehold land and about 4 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

7: Orlando Bagley junior, about half an acre upon the land he lately had of his father, and had planted furze in order to plant more, his land fenced and part planted with furze

8: John Bradley, about 2 acres, his land fenced but no furze

9: John Defountaine, about 10 acres upon his freehold land and 4 upon his leasehold land, his land all fenced and the greatest part planted with furze

10: Joseph Defountaine had neither wood nor furze, his land not being proper to raise it, he had planted John Fig fence which grows, his land is fenced

11: Francis Funge, about 3 acres of wood, the greatest part of it new planted, about half the 3 acres upon poor land that would not produce wood and not well fenced from cattle, his land fenced and part planted with furze

12: Joseph Hayse, about 1 acre new planted upon his freehold land but bad, his leasehold land not fenced, but his freehold land is fenced and part planted with furze

13: Thomas Harper, about 5 acres, his land fenced and part planted with furze

14: Martin Harper, about 1 acre new planted, his land fenced and part planted with furze

15: John Hayse, about 4 acres of trees, part young plants, his land fenced, part planted with furze

16: John Timps, about 4 acres upon the land, but he told the council he did not know how far from his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

17: Isaac Leech, about 0.5 acre upon his freehold land and about 3 upon his leasehold, his land fenced and part planted with furze

18: Ebenezer Leech, about half an acre new planted, what was growing before had been destroyed by cattle, his land fenced and part planted with wood

19: Joseph Lufkin, about 1 acre, his land fenced but not any furze planted, the ground being too dry to raise it

20: Matthew Mudge, about 2.5 acres, but no wood growing upon the land he possessed, he had planted about an acre upon the land he possessed, part of which grows, his land fenced and part planted with furze

21: Stephen Girling Pledger, about 3 acres, his land not so clear as it is now, nor any furze

22: John Durling, about 12 acres upon his freehold land and about 8 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and the greatest part planted with furze

23: John Thwaites, about 0.5 acre new planted, what was growing had been destroyed by cattle, his land fenced and part planted with furze

24: William Worrall, about 6 acres, his land fenced and part planted with furze

25: Isaac Wood, about 3 acres upon his freehold land and about 1.5 new planted upon his leasehold land, but upon poor ground, his land fenced and part planted with furze

26: Joseph and Simon Whaley, about 2 acres upon their freehold land and about 4.5 upon their leasehold land, their land all fenced and part planted with furze

27: Thomas Ellis, about 1.5 acres upon his freehold land and about 3.5 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

28: John Bagley junior, about 1.5 acres upon his freehold land, part of it new planted and not well fenced from cattle, and a few straggling trees upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

29: Orlando Bagley senior, about 17 acres upon his freehold land and about 5 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

30: Joseph Bates, about 3 acres upon his freehold land and about 10 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

31: Bridget Bazett, about 20 acres upon her freehold land and about 10 upon her leasehold land, her land fenced and part planted with furze

32: Sarah Bradley, about 6 acres, her land not fenced nor planted with furze

33: John Bagley junior, about 4.5 acres upon his freehold land, and about 1.5 new planted upon his leasehold land, part destroyed by cattle, they not being fenced, his land fenced and part planted with furze

34: John Boyle, about 1.75 acres upon his freehold land, and about 1 acre in some other places, running what remained, with a few of those trees, and it is all other places fenced and part planted with furze

35: Andrew Coles, about 7.5 acres upon his freehold land and about 5 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

36: Jonathan Doveton, about 25 acres upon his freehold land and about 7 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

37: Samuel Doveton, about 3 acres upon his freehold land and about 3 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

38: James Draper's orphans, about 2.5 acres upon their freehold land and about 3 upon their leasehold land, their land fenced and part planted with furze

39: Elizabeth Greentree, about 10 acres upon her freehold land and about 12 upon her leasehold land, her land fenced and part planted with furze

40: Thomas Greentree, about 4.5 acres upon his freehold land and about 6 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

41: Richard Goodwin, about 12 acres upon his freehold land and about 6 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

Interpretations

The survey's most telling entries are the ones that assign a cause. Ebenezer Leech, John Thwaites and John Bagley junior all had wood destroyed by cattle, and in each case the fencing was defective. Francis Funge's three acres were not well fenced from cattle either. The council's warrant of 21 October 1729 had expressly required the commissioners to say how far existing wood had been destroyed and by what means, and this is the answer: the trees were being planted and then eaten. A fence that failed made the planting worthless, which is why the survey records fencing and wood as a single question.

The tenants who plead bad ground are the same men who pleaded it in 1727. Joseph Defountaine appears here with neither wood nor furze on land he says will not raise it, and the survey of 31 October 1727 entered a note of bad soil against his name. Joseph Lufkin's ground is too dry for furze, and Stephen Girling Pledger has no furze at all. The commissioners record the excuses without judging them, which is precisely what the council wanted: a comparison across years that would show whether a man's ground had improved or whether he had simply repeated himself.

Furze is gorse, and the council's insistence on it is practical rather than ornamental. It grows on poor thin soil where timber will not, it burns hot and fast as fuel, and it makes a spiny hedge that keeps goats and cattle out of young trees. A holding planted with furze was protecting its own timber, which is why the two are tracked together in every entry.

The largest holders are Jonathan Doveton at 25 acres freehold, Bridget Bazett at 20 and Orlando Bagley senior at 17. Powell's 31 acres in the survey of 31 October 1727 no longer heads the list, and the redistribution reflects the assignments and sales the council has approved across the intervening two years.

323

299

42

Robert Gosling about 9 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 5 upon his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & part planted with Furze

43

James Harding about 2 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 6 upon his Lease Lands part

upon his Lease Lands now planted his Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

44

Grace Hague about 7½ Acres upon his Fee Lands but not any upon his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & his part planted with Furze

45

Samuel Jeffery about 3 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 1½ upon his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & part planted with Furze

46

Isaac Marsh about 2 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about ½ an Acre upon his Lease Lands now

Planted upon so good Ground as any part of his Lease Lands but not proper for Wood his Lands

Fenced & part planted with Furze

47

Joshua Johnson about 6½ Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 10 ditto upon his Lease Lands

his Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

48

John Long about 7½ an Acre upon his Fee Lands & about 2½ upon his Lease Lands now Planted

the greatest part of it upon poor Ground that will not produce Wood, his Lands Fenced &

part planted with Furze

49

Stephen Loffham about 2½ Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 10 upon his Lease Lands his

Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

50

Elizabeth March about 6 Acres upon her Fee Lands & about 7½ upon her Lease Lands now

Planted upon poor Ground that will not produce Wood her Lands Fenced & part planted

with Furze

51

Richard Mason about 1½ Acre planted upon as good Ground as any he hath the Place

being Windy & it will not come to any great Perfection his Lands Fenced & part Planted

with Furze

52

Edmond Nicholls about 3 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 3 upon his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & planted with Furze

53

Mary Nicholls about 6 Acres upon his Lease Lands his Lands Fenced & part Planted

with Furze

54

Mary Powell about 4½ Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 11 upon his Lease Lands her Lands

Fenced & part Planted with Furze

55

Benjamin Preston about 8 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 4½ upon his Lease Lands

his Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

56

James Ryder about 12 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 1½ upon his Lease Lands his Lands

so Fenced & part planted with Furze

57

Mrs Sherbourn Esqr about 2 Acres upon their Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

58

William Seale about 12 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 3 upon his Lease Lands his Lands

Fenced & part planted with Furze

59

John Seale has neither Wood or Furze his Lands will not produce it his Lands Fenced & sown

60

John Smith about ½ an Acre planted upon poor Ground that will not produce Wood

he has lately given so a piece of Ground that he desires to plant in most Trees & that will

produce Wood his Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

61

Charles Steward about 3 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 10 upon his Lease Lands his

Lands Fenced & planted with Furze

62

Mary Shore about 4½ Acres his Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

63

Richard Griffith about 1½ Acre the greatest part of it upon poor Lands that will not

Produce Wood his Lands Fenced & part planted with Furze

64

John Worrall about 2 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 5½ upon his Lease Lands his

Lands Fenced & part Planted with Furze

65

George Wrangham about 12 Acres upon his Fee Lands & about 21 upon his Lease Lands

his Lands Fenced & planted with Furze

Signed Isaac Wrangham

Joshua Johnson

10th Novr 1729

The said Report having been read & carefully Examined We found that the Severall

Persons following have been deficient either in their Proportion of Wood or Negligent in

Planting Furze or Fencing their Lands & Ordered them to be Summoned to attend on

Tuesday next to Answer for their Sloth & Negligence & Default

Viz

Grace Hague

James Harding

John Long

Elizabeth Marsh

William Seale

Richard Gosling

Matthew Mudge

Giles Smith

Francis Turgis

Joseph Hayes

Ebenr Leech

Stephen Ridger

John Thwaites

Isaac Wood

John Bagley Senr

Sarah Bradley

John Bendall

Isaac Wrangham

The Examination of this Affair having lead Us to the farther Consideration of the

State of the Islands as to Wood We thought it needfull the following Orders to prevent the

farther

42: Robert Girling, about 9 acres upon his freehold land and about 5 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

43: James Harding, about 2 acres upon his freehold land, and about 1 upon his leasehold land, part upon his leasehold land new planted, his land fenced and part planted with furze

44: Grace Hayse, about 7.5 acres upon his freehold land but not any upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

45: Samuel Jephry, about 3 acres upon his freehold land and about 1.5 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

46: Isaac Marsh, about 3 acres upon his freehold land, about 0.5 an acre upon his leasehold land, new planted upon good ground on any part of his leasehold land, but not proper for wood, his land fenced and part planted with furze

47: Joshua Johnson, about 1.5 acres upon his freehold land and about 10 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

48: John Long, about 17 acres upon his freehold land, and about 2.5 upon his leasehold land, new planted, the greatest part of it upon poor ground that would not produce wood, his land fenced and part planted with furze

49: Stephen Lufkin, about 2.5 acres upon his freehold land and about 10 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

50: Elizabeth Marsh, about 6 acres upon her freehold land and about 1.5 upon her leasehold land, new planted upon poor ground that would not produce wood, her land fenced and part planted with furze

51: Richard Mason, about 1.5 acres planted upon as good ground as any he had, the place being windy it would not come to any great perfection, his land fenced and part planted with furze

52: Edmund Nicholls, about 2 acres upon his freehold land and about 2 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

53: Mary Nicholls, about 6 acres upon her leasehold land, her land fenced and part planted with furze

54: Mary Powell, about 4.5 acres upon her freehold land and about 11 upon her leasehold land, her land fenced and part planted with furze

55: Benjamin Ridgar, about 3 acres upon his freehold land and about 4.5 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

56: James Ryder, about 12 acres upon his freehold land and about 1.5 upon his leasehold land, his land not fenced and part planted with furze

57: Mrs Robinson's orphans, about 2 acres upon their leasehold land, fenced and part planted with furze

58: William Seale, about 1.5 acres upon his freehold land and about 2 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

59: John Seale, who neither planted wood nor furze, his land would not produce it, nor could he fence it, and his land was not fenced

60: John Smith, about 0.5 an acre planted upon poor ground that would not produce wood, he had lately begun to enclose it, and it appeared that he began to plant in a place that would produce wood, his land fenced and part planted with furze

61: Charles Steward, about 3 acres upon his freehold land and about 10 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and planted with furze

62: Mary Shave, about 3 acres, her land fenced and part planted with furze

63: Richard Griffith, about 1.5 acres, the greatest part of it upon poor land that would not produce wood, his land fenced and part planted with furze

64: John Worrall, about 3 acres upon his freehold land and about 5.5 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

65: Francis Wrangham, about 12 acres upon his freehold land and about 21 upon his leasehold land, his land fenced and part planted with furze

The report was signed at St Helena on 10 November 1729 by Francis Wrangham and Joshua Johnson.

The council read and carefully examined the report, and found that the several persons named below had been more deficient than the rest in the proportion of wood on their plantations, or in fencing their land. It directed them to be summoned to attend on the following Tuesday, so that they might answer for their neglect.

Giles Hayse

Francis Funge

James Harding

Joseph Hayse

John Long

Eben Leech

Elizabeth Marsh

Stephen Pledger

William Seale

John Thwaites

Richard Griffith

John Bagley senior

Matthew Mudge

Sarah Bradley

Giles Smith

John Reynolds

The council thought it proper to give further consideration to the state of the island as to wood, and made the following orders to prevent the [...]

Interpretations

The survey closes with sixteen defaulters named, and the pattern of their offences is instructive. Sarah Bradley's land was neither fenced nor planted with furze, and John Seale had neither wood nor furze and no fence at all. James Ryder's land was unfenced despite twelve acres of wood standing on it, which is the same defect that let cattle destroy the plantings of Ebenezer Leech and John Thwaites. The council had learned by now that a fence was the whole of the matter, since unprotected wood was simply eaten.

John Long's entry is worth attention. He is credited with 17 acres of wood on freehold, one of the larger holdings on the island, yet he still appears among the defaulters, the commissioners noting that the greatest part of his new planting lay on poor ground that would not produce wood. Long had already been bound over for good behaviour on 26 August 1729 after abusing James Ryder, was the chief suspect in the shooting of the Company's goats in January 1729, and had been reprimanded for beating John Martin Vandeston in July 1728. Placing his young trees where they could not grow was of a piece with the rest.

Several tenants repeat pleas the council has heard before. Elizabeth Marsh and Richard Griffith both claim poor ground, and Isaac Marsh land not proper for wood. Joseph Defountaine said the same in 1727. The commissioners were sent expressly to distinguish neglect from bad soil, and their willingness to record both the excuse and the acreage lets the council decide for itself.

Francis Wrangham, one of the two surveyors, enters himself at 12 acres freehold and 21 leasehold, the largest holding in the whole return. Surveyors reporting on their own ground would be a difficulty anywhere, but on an island of some seventy landholders the council had few enough men competent to do the work.

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daily Waste & extravagant Consumption of Green Wood Viz

Whereas through the Oversight of Some & Sloth & Neglect of most People the

Encrease & Preservation of Wood is now become a Matter of the greatest Consequence to the Welfare &

Prosperity of this Place & of Such vast Importance that all other Considerations laid aside

it be & ought to be the principall Care & Concern of all Persons whatsoever, yet unless they

immediately & in good earnest endeavour not only to Raise but to preserve all Wast &

extravagant Consumption thereof the Inhabitants in a very Short time will be in want of

Fuell for the necessary Use of themselves & Families

These are therefore Strictly to Charge & Command all manner of Persons not to

Cutt or Suffer to be Cutt any Green Wood or Trees of any Sort that are now Standing or

Growing upon any of the Honble Companies Wast Lands untill Such time as all the remainder

of the Sundry Stumps Roots and Branches that are now lying & remaining thereon of Trees

formerly Cutt or fallen be first fully & entirely cleared & carried away upon Pain of being

Severely fined to the Use of the Honble Company, & to the End that this necessary Order may have

its due Effect all Persons are Required to look to & Observe that the Same be Carried in the full

Extent & Meaning

The Governour having received Information that John Long was again violently Suspected to

hunt & kill the Honble Compys Goates he having been lately Seen to hide & conceale himself with his

Dogs in by Places among the Rocks & the dogs belonging to the said Long having killed yesterday

how to hunt & carry the said Goates the Governour Gave his Warrant to Seal Desfountaine, to

hide all the dogs not belonging to the said Long & at that he Shall not go on pretence within a

Twelve Month & rifle at all times within a Twelve Month to his any & at that dogs as he Place

at any time So following the said Long

The Complaint of Joseph Poms deceased & Mary Comb Widow & Charles Steward this day presented

the last Will & Testament of him the said Gabriel Poms deceased praying the Same might be Proved

& Registered & the Same was accordingly proved upon the Oaths of Jno Winchester Marsh & Joshua

Johnson, Edmund Nicholls, James Ryder, Dan Griffith & Robert to be Registered

accordingly & at the Same time the said Mrs Governess asked whether She had any thing to

Object to the said Will to which She Answered no She did not

Charles Steward having demanded of Capt Goodwin Exor of the last & Robt Gosling

to which said Gosling was one of the Exors of & to Father of him this Charles Steward

the Sum of Eighteen Pounds Sixteen Shillings for so much pretended to have been received by

the said Gosling Some years ago upon the Acc of him the said Steward but no Entry

of this Money being any where Entered in the Books or other Papers belonging to the said

Gosling & we was of neither he could Prove the Same by Affidavits that about two or three dayes

before the death of him the last Uncle Gabriel & said the other of his Fathers Exors & the said Sums

declared to him the said Steward that he the said Gosling did not require the particular Sum

abovementioned but that Richard Gosling did receive the Same & the said Steward having his

Attorney for Testimony We admit the Same for Evidence in the particular Case & Order that

the Estate of the said Gosling do give the said Steward Credit for the Sum of Eighteen

Pounds Sixteen Shillings accordingly

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 18th November 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour Reports that a Wench at Plantation House belonging to the Honble

Company Named Agnes was delivered of a Girle last Week likewise called Agnes & that

one of their Slaves Named Blackheath died last Week

Ordered that they be Entered in the Journall

The council published an advertisement to prevent the daily waste and extravagant consumption of green wood.

It set out that through the oversight, sloth and neglect of most people, the increase and preservation of wood had become a matter of the greatest consequence to the welfare and prosperity of the island, and of such vast importance that all other considerations ought to be laid aside. It ought to be the principal care and concern of every person whatever, and unless they immediately and in good earnest endeavoured not only to raise wood but to prevent all waste and extravagant consumption of it, the inhabitants would in a very short time be in want of fuel for the necessary use of themselves and their families.

The council therefore strictly charged and commanded all persons not to cut, or suffer to be cut, any green wood or trees of any sort then standing or growing upon any of the Company's waste land, until such time as the remainder of the stumps, roots and branches then lying and remaining thereof, of trees formerly cut or fallen, be fully and entirely cleared and carried away, upon pain of being severely fined to the use of the Company. To the end that this necessary order might have due effect, all persons were required to look to it and to see that it was carried out in its full extent and meaning.

Governor Byfield had received information that John Long was again violently suspected of hunting and shooting the Company's goats, having lately been seen among the rocks with his dogs, and the dogs belonging to him. Long having been sent for the previous day and denied hunting and shooting the goats, the Governor issued his warrant to Joseph Defountaine to kill all the dogs not belonging to Long, and directed that Long should not procure another dog within twelve months, and that if at any time within twelve months he should keep any dogs at his place, they should be killed.

The council read the account of Joseph Hayse, deceased, presented by Mary Coen, widow, and Charles Steward, and it was found sufficient. The account was accordingly proved and registered on the oaths of the witnesses Joshua Johnson, Edmund Nicholls, James Ryder, Daniel Griffith and Richard Beale, and the council asked whether Mr Wrangham had any objection to the will. He answered that he had not.

Charles Steward, having demanded of Captain Goodwin, executor of Richard Girling, the sum of £18 16s 0d, which Girling was owed at the time of his death, prayed him to pay it. Steward set out that Girling had lately entered in his books that other papers belonging to him had been sent to Steward some years earlier, and that the money being no more than what appeared. Girling was afraid he could recover the same by an affidavit that about two or three days before the death of his late uncle Girling, and after his father's death, the sum belonging to him was left in the hands of Steward, and that he could recover the same. Charles Steward having his afore-mentioned witness and swearing to the truth of the said Richard Girling by a person who had the last words of a dying man, the council admitted the same for evidence in this particular case, and ordered that the executor of Girling pay Steward the sum of £18 16s 0d accordingly.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 18 November 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

Governor Byfield reported that a wench at Plantation House belonging to the Company, named Agnes, had been delivered of a girl, and that one of the Company's slaves named Blackheath had died the previous week. The council directed that both be entered in the journal.

Interpretations

The advertisement against cutting green wood attacks the problem from the consumption end rather than the planting end, which is a departure from everything the council had tried since 1727. The surveys, the fines and the threatened lease penalties all sought to make tenants plant more. Here the council forbids the cutting of any standing tree on Company waste until every stump, root and branch of trees already felled has been cleared and carried away. The reasoning is sound: an island short of fuel was burning living timber while dead wood lay rotting on the ground, and the order forces the inhabitants to exhaust the waste before touching the living stock.

John Long's reappearance is the fourth time he has come before the council in two years. He was reprimanded for beating John Martin Vandeston in July 1728, named among those grazing goats illegally on the Chapel Valley range that same month, suspected of shooting and worrying the Company's goats in January 1729 when his liberty to keep firearms was revoked and a warrant issued to kill his dogs, and bound over for good behaviour on 26 August 1729 after abusing James Ryder. The council could never convict him, since the testimony of blacks was inadmissible, and its only remedy was to destroy the instrument of the offence. The order that he keep no dog for twelve months is an admission that no other sanction had worked.

The Steward and Girling debt turns on a point of evidence worth noting. Steward's proof rested on a deathbed statement, and the council admitted it expressly on the ground that it came from a dying man. English law treated such declarations as peculiarly credible, on the reasoning that a man about to face judgement would not lie, and the council applied the same doctrine on an island where written proof was scarce and memory carried more weight than paper.

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According to the Order of Tuesday last the following Persons were Summoned & attended

this day to Answer for their Neglect as mentioned in the preceding Consultation of whom

We fined Such as we misdealing were as they that this a Small matter and they were not able

to pay ready Money & therefore We have Charged it to their respective Accompts, all as the

Estates be hereafter mentioned Viz

Francis Turgis Answers told Us that he thought the Lands he had Planted was as good

as any he hath but his Knowledge in Country Affairs being very indifferent & having

Promised to Replant in better Soile next Season & Fence the Wood from Cattle, We Excused

Joseph Hayes, his Mother being dead & having left her Plantation in the worst Condition

he hath been obliged to Work that to get Provision for his Family but promising to Fence his

Lands & to Replant his full Proportion of Wood in good Ground next Year We Excused him

this Land being negligent this & the Defaulter last Year We only fined him Ten Lands

Twenty Shillings he being very poor

Stephen Ross Ridger We fined only five Shillings he being also very poor & his & Cause

having fallen down We allowed him an other Year

John Thwaites We fined Ten Shillings & Warned him to be mindfull for the future

Isaac Wood promising to Replant next Year in better Ground We Excused him he

having taken a good deale of Pains to Plant that it happened in bad Soile

John Bagley Senr being very poor We only fined him ten Shillings he promising to

Replant & Fence his Wood from Cattle

Sarah Bradley We fined Twenty Shillings & Ordered her to Furze & Fence her Lands

forthwith

John Bendall We Excused he having been a long time ill & Since his Recovery taken

great Pains to Plant & Fence his Wood from Cattle

Grace Hague Excused her Lease Lands not being proper for Wood what She hath there

Replied that but promises to try again & making the utmost upon her Fee Lands

James Harding We fined Twenty Shillings for being Short of his Complement which

he promised to Remedy next Year

John Long Excused he having promised to Replant in better Soile

Elizabeth Marsh Excused She having also promised to Replant in better Ground & the

time it was duly & released

William Seale through Mistake being a little Short of his Proportion of Wood We

Excused him he having promised to plant more next Year

Richard Griffith We fined Ten Shillings for not Planting Wood upon better Lands

which he promised to do next Year

Matthew Mudge Excused he having promised to Plant his Proportion of Wood upon

the Lands upon this Occasion

Giles Smith We Excused he having already taken a great deale of Pains to Plant

& promised to Replant next Season in better Soile

The Petition of John Thwaites was presented Setting forth that being apprehensive of

wanting Wood in the Course of a few Years unless he in time endeavoured to raise a Quantity

Sufficient for the Use of his Family Wood to as Place being much decreased & became

very Scarce he was desirous to be accepted Tenant for about Nine Acres, of Wast Lands to

the Sett apart & Enterprize Solely for the Raising of Wood & for no other Use & upon whatsoever

but in Regard the Charge of Fencing the Wast Lands would be very heavy & that he will

be many Years before he can have any benefit by the Herbage of the Same & him & humbly Craved

that a considerable Abatement might be allowed him in the Yearly Rent thereof

The said Thwaites was asked in Person & Command he would give he Answered that the

Lands being very indifferent & very difficult & chargeable to Fence & to be Sett apart Solely

for the Planting of Wood without any immediate Advantage attending it he was thereby unwilling

to give more than Twelve Pence & thus, the said Thwaites was Ordered to withdraw & We

having considered of this Affair & then were informed that the Lands is as bad as he Represents

it & that it is a very considerable Expence to him to Fence it & many years before he can begin

any & Advantage from it & being also willing to Encourage other People to follow his Example

& the End they may in time & be Ordered to Encourage other People to follow his Example

Calamity We offered him the said Lands at half Price Viz & for half a Crown an Acre provided

he would Enter into Covenants under the Penalty of Forty Pounds payable to the Honble

Company to Fence & Plant the said Lands with a Quarter of Wood for Sufficiently & to

keep it Fenced and that no way but or damage the Wood after its Planted & particularly

Goates & Cattle & the said Thwaites was again asked in Consequence with the said

Resolution & after him Consideration & thereupon he Expressed to Accept of the Said

Acres of Lands at the Yearly Rent of Two Shillings & Six Pence & Annum & to Enter into

Covenants to Perform all the other Particulars under the Penalty of Forty Pounds

Ordered that Mr Goodwin do View & Measure the said Lands & See how far

Prejudiciall to the Neighbourhood to Lett it, to the End that a Lease may be prepared

&c

In accordance with the order of the previous Tuesday, the persons summoned attended to answer for the neglect charged against them in the preceding consultation. The council found several of them so miserably poor that it was a small matter whether they were able to pay ready money, and it therefore charged them respectively with the amounts noted below.

Francis Funge answered that he thought the land he had planted was as good as any he had, but that his knowledge of country affairs being very indifferent, and having promised to replant in better soil next season and to fence the wood from cattle, the council excused him.

Joseph Hayse, his mother being dead and having left her plantation in the worst condition, had been obliged to work that he might provide for his family, but he promised to fence his land and to replant his full proportion of wood in good ground next year. The council excused him, his land being neglected this and the two preceding years, and being very poor. The council fined him ten acres and twenty shillings.

Stephen Girling Pledger was fined only five shillings, he being also very poor, and the council, having taken his bond, allowed him another year.

John Thwaites was fined ten shillings and warned to be more careful for the future.

Isaac Wood, promising to replant next year in better ground, the council excused him, he having taken a good deal of pains to plant, though it happened in bad soil.

John Bagley senior, being very poor, the council fined him two shillings, he promising to replant and to fence his wood from cattle.

Sarah Bradley was fined twenty shillings and ordered to furze and fence her land forthwith.

John Bowers the council excused, he having been a long time ill and since his recovery had taken great pains to plant and to fence his wood from cattle.

Grace Hayse the council excused, her leasehold land not being proper for wood, whatever she had there being that she had promised to try again to make up the deficit upon her freehold land.

James Harding was fined twenty shillings for being short of his complement, which he promised to remedy next year.

John Long the council excused, he having promised to replant in better soil.

Elizabeth Marsh the council excused, she having also promised to replant in better ground, and it being time it was done and delivered.

William Seale, through mistake being a little short of his proportion of wood, the council excused him, he having promised to plant more next year.

Richard Griffith was fined ten shillings for not planting wood upon better land, which he promised to do next year.

Matthew Mudge the council excused, he having promised to plant his proportion of wood upon the front of his plantation.

Giles Smith the council excused, he having already taken a great deal of pains to plant and having promised to replant next year in better soil.

The petition of John Thwaites was presented, setting out that being apprehensive of wanting wood in the course of a few years unless he in time endeavoured to raise a quantity sufficient for the use of his family, and there being no place to be so much lamented, he became very sensible he was likely to be accepted tenant for about five acres of waste land, so far as it lay apart and enclosed solely for the raising of wood upon no other lands whatsoever, but in regard to the charge of fencing, the waste land would be very heavy, and it would be many years before he could have any benefit of the herbage of the waste land. He humbly prayed that a considerable abatement might be allowed him in the yearly rent.

Steward and Thwaites having been heard in explanation, the council commanded he would give the council to understand that the land was very indifferent and every default and chargeable to take it. The council set apart solely for the planting of wood, without any immediate advantage attending it, ought to give more than twelve pence per acre. The council thereupon ordered him to withdraw while it considered of the matter, and then made informed that the land was as bad as he represented, and that it was a considerable expense to him to fence it, and that many years before he could reap any advantage from it, and being willing to encourage other people to follow his example, and in the end that they might in time take measures to free themselves from an apprehension of the like calamity, the council offered him the said land at half two pence per half a crown an acre, provided he would enter into a covenant with the Company to fence and plant the land within a year, and to keep it always so, and to have the same well fenced and quarters of wood put upon it. The council further ordered that he might not destroy or damage the wood after its planting, and particularly that goats and cattle be kept out. Thwaites was again asked, and having heard, requested and desired of the manner he expressed in respect of the said resolution. After some consideration of the matter, the council agreed on a rent of six pence an anum in the case, and the covenants to be fulfilled in the other particulars, under the penalty of forty pounds.

The council ordered that Mr Goodwin view the land and see whether it lay prejudicial to the neighbourhood before letting it, so that a lease might be prepared.

Interpretations

The examination of the wood defaulters is the most revealing document in the whole campaign, because it shows the council's policy meeting the island's poverty and giving way. Sixteen men were summoned; ten were excused outright, and the six fined were charged sums ranging from two shillings to twenty. The council's own words explain why: several were so miserably poor that whether they could pay ready money was a small matter. Sarah Bradley's twenty shillings, the heaviest penalty, was imposed on a woman whose land was neither fenced nor planted at all.

The excuses accepted are almost uniformly promises to do better next season, and the same men had made the same promises at the examinations of 18 April 1727 and 7 November 1727. John Long, who was again excused, is the man the Governor had that same week ordered to keep no dog for twelve months on suspicion of shooting the Company's goats. Elizabeth Marsh, also excused, had her firearms taken away in January 1729 on the same suspicion. The council was accepting undertakings from men whose word it plainly did not trust in other matters.

John Thwaites's petition is the one genuinely constructive thing on the page. He proposed to take five acres of waste solely to raise wood, and he argued the true difficulty: fencing was expensive, the ground would yield nothing for years, and a tenant taking land for timber alone was investing against a return he might never see. The council recognised the point, cut the rent to a nominal figure, and bound him by covenant to fence, plant and keep goats and cattle out, under a penalty of £40 0s 0d. It said openly that it wished to encourage others to follow his example.

That is the whole difficulty of the island's wood policy in miniature. Fines could not make a poor man plant, but a rent low enough to make timber pay might. The council had spent three years compelling, and here for the first time it tried to make the thing profitable.

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& that Covenants be Inserted in the Lease also to Compell the said Thwaites & his Heirs

to the due Performance of the Terms of this Agreement

The said Thwaites also Petitioned for about an Acre of Ground in Cyprians Bay Valley

in Order to make a Plantation there to enable him to provide for his large Family for which

he is willing to Pay the Usuall Rent

Granted

Jonathan Bigham Junr Petitioned for about two or three Acres of Wast Lands lying in

Sandy Bay called Stevenss Garden in Order to make a Plantation

Granted

The Governour Reports that a Just Sett of Books for the Year Ending the 30th of Sept last are

Ballanced by which it Appears that the gross Charge for the Year past Amounts only to Seven

Thousand Four Hundred Thirty Seven Pounds Sixteen Shillings & Two Pence

Capt Goodwin also delivered an Inventory of Goods & Stores remaining as this Sept

Ordered that the said Books & Inventory be examined in order to be Copyed & Sent to England

by the first Ship & that We do Assemble for that Purpose as a very Morning by

Six a'Clock & continue till Eight in the Evening & that the said Examination be Compleated

immediately

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 19 Novr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We Yesterday began the Examination of the Journall Entries & finished the Same this Evening

We having continued therein notwithstanding the Allarm which happened this Evening

Adjourned till to Morrow Morning Six a'Clock

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Thursday 20th Novr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

This day about a Noon the Ship Prince Frederick arrived directly from Bombay but brought

no Supply for the Use of this Place & as soon as the Captain came on Shore We delivered him the

Same Orders as We lately delivered the other Commanders & Copy of which is Entered in Our

Consultation of the 13th of March last

We compleated our Examination of the Journall & began upon the Ledger & continued the Same

to Evening notwithstanding the Arrivall of the Ship We being resolved to get the Books ready

by the first opportunity

Adjourned till to Morrow Morning Six a'Clock

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Friday 21 Novr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

We this day finished our Examination of the Ledger & Adjourned till to Morrow Morning

Six a'Clock in Order to Examine the Inventory

E: Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The council directed that a covenant be entered in the lease to compel Thwaites to observe the terms of the agreement.

Thwaites also petitioned for about an acre of ground in Prosperous Bay Valley, so that he might make a plantation there to enable him to provide for his large family, for which he agreed to pay the usual rent. The council granted it.

Jonathan Higham junior petitioned for about two or three acres of waste land lying in Sandy Bay, called Steward's garden, so that he might make a plantation there. The council granted it.

Governor Byfield reported that the balance of the books for the year ending 30 September last had been made, and that the gross charge of the island for the year past amounted only to £3,144 6s 0d. He directed that the ledger and the inventory of goods and stores remaining be examined, so that they might be copied and sent to England by the first ship. The council directed that the examination begin the following day, and that it sit from six in the morning until eight in the evening until the examination was complete.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Wednesday 19 November 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The record of the previous meeting was read and approved.

The council began the examination of the journal that morning and finished it the same evening, having continued sitting notwithstanding the alarm that was raised in the evening. The meeting was adjourned to the following morning at six o'clock.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Thursday 20 November 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

That day about noon the Prince Frederick arrived directly from Bombay, but brought no supply for the use of the island. As soon as her captain came ashore the council delivered to him the same orders it had given to the other commanders, a copy of which is entered in the consultation of the 13th of March last.

The council completed the examination of the journal upon the ledger, and directed that the same be examined, notwithstanding the arrival of the ship, so that the books might be got ready by the first opportunity.

The meeting was adjourned to the following morning at six o'clock.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

A consultation was held on Tuesday 21 November 1729 at Plantation House. Present were Governor Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

The council finished the examination of the ledger, and adjourned to the following morning at six o'clock in order to examine the inventory.

Signed by Edward Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and Mr Payne.

Interpretations

The gross charge of the island for the year ending 30 September 1729, at £3,144 6s 0d, is the clearest measure yet of Governor Byfield's programme of economy. The same figure for the year ending 30 September 1728 stood at £4,846 13s 7d, so the cost of the island has fallen by more than a third in twelve months. Byfield had reported on 28 November 1727 that retrenchment had discharged the island of many thousand pounds of debt, and on 5 December 1727 the council entered abstracts showing the yearly expense reduced by some thousand or two hundred pounds under his government against his predecessor's. This year's saving is larger still, and the word "only" in the record is the Governor's own emphasis.

The audit itself shows an administration in earnest. The council sat from six in the morning until eight at night, day after day, and continued through an alarm rather than break off. The same practice was followed in the audits of November and December 1727 and December 1728, and the reason is the shipping. The books had to be copied fair and sent home by the first vessel, and a homeward Indiaman would not wait on a council's convenience.

The Prince Frederick is the first ship to touch the island since the homeward fleet sailed on 13 June 1729, a silence of over five months. She brought no supply at all, which is unusual for a Bombay ship, but she brought a market: the stock accounts have recorded no sale to shipping since June, and the storekeeper's takings from the inhabitants have run below £90 0s 0d a month since the fleet left.

John Thwaites emerges from these pages as the one man who took the council's wood policy seriously on its own terms. Having secured five acres of waste at a nominal rent solely to raise timber, he petitioned the same day for an acre in Prosperous Bay Valley to feed his family. The council was plainly disposed to encourage him.

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You're right - the very first line should carry no opening

.

At a Consultation held on Saturday 20th November 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

We this day began our Examination of the Inventory & continued the Same this Evening

Adjourned till Monday Morning Six oClock

E Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Godwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 24th Novr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The four last Consultations were this day read & Approved

We this day finished our Examination of the Inventory And Agreeing with the Sundry

Books We Order the Same to be Copied to serve as the Books both for the Consultationthat

is possibly by which time the Storekeeper is Ordered to Make ready & take Morning and

Night & that all due Assistance be given him to quicken his Dispatch

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Godwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 25th Novr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Measured the two Parcells of Land lately Petitioned

for by John Alexander that the parcel to be Set apart for the Building of Field Contains

Eight Acres & half & the other Adequate for a Plantation an Idea Map

Order'd that a Lease be prepared accordingly

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Godwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 8th Decr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governor Capt Gardiner the Gunner & Ensign Wilyard read their Monthly

Accots for a Genrall list which are Twenty Seven & Approved Were as follows Vizt Also

At a consultation held on Saturday 22 November 1729 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the council opened its examination of the inventory. The work continued through the whole day and into the evening. The meeting was then adjourned to six the following Monday morning. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Monday 24 November 1729 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the four preceding consultations were read and approved. The council resumed its examination of the inventory and finished it that morning. The books were found to agree with the inventory in every part, and the council ordered fair copies made for the Company. The clerk was directed to attend early and late so that the transcription could be completed, and assistance was ordered for him so that the dispatch might be hastened. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 25 November 1729 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. Captain Goodwin reported that he had bought from John Jones the two parcels of land recently obtained by Jones, and asked that a single deed be drawn to him for the whole. He set out that the eight acres and a half of the other parcel were designed for a plantation [...]. The council ordered the deed prepared accordingly. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 December 1729 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for November, which were examined and approved.

Interpretations

The audit ran to its end on the same punishing timetable set on 18 November 1729. The council had resolved then to sit from six in the morning until eight in the evening until the books were complete, and it kept to it through the arrival of the Prince Frederick on 20 November 1729 and an alarm on 19 November 1729. The inventory of stores remaining on 30 September 1729 was the last of the three great books to be checked, following the journal and the ledger, and its agreement with them closed the audit for the year in which the gross charge of the island fell to £3,144 6s 0d against £4,846 13s 7d the year before.

Fair copying was not a clerical afterthought but the point of the whole exercise. The Company in London could only govern St Helena through the books sent home, and a homeward ship carried the packet only when one happened to call. The council had gone five months without a vessel before the Prince Frederick touched on 20 November 1729, so the pressure to have the transcripts ready explains the order for extra hands and long hours at the desk.

A single deed for two adjoining parcels served the same purpose as the consolidation ordered for John Carling's Huts land on 18 April 1727, when a fresh bill of sale for the whole 47 acres replaced the earlier one. One instrument covering the entire holding removed any question of where one grant ended and the next began, and it simplified the rent roll that the secretary's office had to keep.

328

304

Neat Cattle

Bullocks / Cowes / Heifers / Steers / Yearlings / Calves / Bulls / Totall

Sheep

Ewes / Wethers / Lambs / Rams / Totall

Goates

Ewes / Wethers / Kids / Rams / Totall

Hogs

Sowes / Shoates / Barrows / Boars / Pigs / Totall

Poultry

Turkies / Fowles / Ducks / Geese

Horses

Horses / Mares / Totall

Remns 1st Novr

Bullocks 79

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 41

Bulls 4

Totall 300

Ewes 84

Wethers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 143

Ewes 306

Wethers 115

Kids 156

Rams 6

Totall 583

Sowes 18

Shoates 31

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 126

Turkies 65

Fowles 61

Ducks 11

Geese 17

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Encreased to 30th ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 14

Bulls 0

Totall 14

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 10

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 79

Cowes 93

Heifers 20

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 55

Bulls 4

Totall 314

Ewes 84

Wethers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 143

Ewes 306

Wethers 115

Kids 156

Rams 6

Totall 583

Sowes 18

Shoates 31

Barrows 30

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 126

Turkies 65

Fowles 61

Ducks 21

Geese 17

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Killed in Ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 1

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 6

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 6

Sowes 0

Shoates 10

Barrows 2

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 12

Turkies 4

Fowles 6

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 79

Cowes 93

Heifers 29

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 55

Bulls 4

Totall 313

Ewes 84

Wethers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 143

Ewes 306

Wethers 109

Kids 156

Rams 6

Totall 577

Sowes 18

Shoates 21

Barrows 28

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 114

Turkies 61

Fowles 55

Ducks 21

Geese 17

Horses 6

Mares 4

Totall 10

Sold to Jno Alexander

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 1

Mares 0

Totall 1

Bullocks 79

Cowes 90

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 55

Bulls 4

Totall 313

Ewes 84

Wethers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 143

Ewes 306

Wethers 109

Kids 156

Rams 6

Totall 577

Sowes 18

Shoates 21

Barrows 28

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 114

Turkies 61

Fowles 55

Ducks 21

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 4

Totall 9

Sold to Ship Anna Frederick

Bullocks 0

Cowes 3

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 3

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 76

Cowes 93

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 55

Bulls 4

Totall 310

Ewes 84

Wethers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 143

Ewes 306

Wethers 109

Kids 156

Rams 6

Totall 577

Sowes 18

Shoates 21

Barrows 28

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 114

Turkies 61

Fowles 55

Ducks 21

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 4

Totall 9

Dead in ditto

2 Yeyold Cowes

Bullocks 0

Cowes 2

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 1

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 3

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 5

Wethers 4

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 9

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 6

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remns 30th Novr

Bullocks 76

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 55

Bulls 4

Totall 307

Ewes 84

Wethers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 143

Ewes 301

Wethers 105

Kids 156

Rams 6

Totall 568

Sowes 18

Shoates 21

Barrows 28

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 114

Turkies 55

Fowles 55

Ducks 21

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 4

Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations

5700 lb

Ditto delivered the Fort Blacks

2600

Ditto the Great Wood

1750

Totall Yam

10,050 lb

Potatoes delivered from the Great Wood Plantation this Month to Blacks 138 Bushells

The stock account for the Company's livestock covering the month to 30 November 1729 was set out in movement rows, each class of animal carried across in turn.

Remaining 1 November 1729: 79 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 41 calves, 4 bulls, 300 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 143 sheep in all; 306 does, 115 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, 583 goats in all; 18 sows, 31 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 126 hogs in all; 65 turkeys, 61 fowls, 11 ducks, 17 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, 10 horses in all

Increased to 30 November 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 14 calves, 0 bulls, 14 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 10 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 79 bullocks, 93 cows, 20 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 55 calves, 4 bulls, 314 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 143 sheep in all; 306 does, 115 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, 583 goats in all; 18 sows, 31 shoats, 30 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 126 hogs in all; 65 turkeys, 61 fowls, 21 ducks, 17 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, 10 horses in all

Killed in the month: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 1 heifer, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 1 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 6 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 6 goats in all; 0 sows, 10 shoats, 2 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 12 hogs in all; 4 turkeys, 6 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 79 bullocks, 93 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 55 calves, 4 bulls, 313 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 143 sheep in all; 306 does, 109 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, 577 goats in all; 18 sows, 21 shoats, 28 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 114 hogs in all; 61 turkeys, 55 fowls, 21 ducks, 17 geese; 6 horses, 4 mares, 10 horses in all

Sold to Captain Alexander: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 1 horse, 0 mares, 1 horse in all

Total: 79 bullocks, 93 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 55 calves, 4 bulls, 313 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 143 sheep in all; 306 does, 109 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, 577 goats in all; 18 sows, 21 shoats, 28 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 114 hogs in all; 61 turkeys, 55 fowls, 21 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 4 mares, 9 horses in all

Sold to the ship Prince Frederick: 3 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 3 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 76 bullocks, 93 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 55 calves, 4 bulls, 310 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 143 sheep in all; 306 does, 109 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, 577 goats in all; 18 sows, 21 shoats, 28 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 114 hogs in all; 61 turkeys, 55 fowls, 21 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 4 mares, 9 horses in all

Dead in the month, and 2 yearlings grown into cows: 0 bullocks, 2 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 1 yearling, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 3 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 5 does, 4 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 9 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 6 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Remaining 30 November 1729: 76 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 56 calves, 4 bulls, 307 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 143 sheep in all; 301 does, 105 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, 568 goats in all; 18 sows, 21 shoats, 28 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 114 hogs in all; 55 turkeys, 55 fowls, 21 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 4 mares, 9 horses in all

Yams expended at the several plantations, 5,700 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 2,600 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 1,750 lb

Total yams, 10,050 lb

Potatoes delivered from the Great Wood plantation this month to the slaves, 138 bushels

Interpretations

The three bullocks sold to the Prince Frederick are the first sale to any vessel since the three sold to the Astell in June 1729. Nothing whatever had gone to shipping from July to October 1729, no ship having touched the island after the homeward fleet sailed on 13 June 1729. The Prince Frederick arrived on 20 November 1729 carrying no supply for St Helena, so the trade ran one way: she took beef and gave nothing back.

A horse sold to Captain Alexander is a rare entry. The only comparable transaction in the run is the young horse bought by Gabriel Powell in January 1728, and the Company's stud has now dropped from 10 head to nine. Horses on the island were not a farming asset but a mark of standing, since the terrain is too broken for draught work and the Company's own haulage was done by slaves.

The yam issue of 10,050 lb is a collapse from the 39,000 lb of October 1729 and the 56,000 lb of August 1729. The pattern repeats the failure recorded a year earlier, when the issue fell from 49,250 lb in October 1728 to 2,100 lb in November 1728 and vanished altogether in January 1729. The old crop is running out before the new one is ready, and the 138 bushels of potatoes drawn from the Great Wood are again filling the gap, exactly as they did through the shortage of the previous summer.

The goat herd has fallen from 596 at the close of the Company year on 30 September 1729 to 568, with 6 wethers killed, 5 does and 4 wethers dead and no kidding at all in the month. Nothing here is attributed to dogs, and the warrant of 11 November 1729 to destroy John Long's dogs appears to have held.

Wethers, barrows and shoats mark the castrated and immature stock. A wether is a castrated male sheep or goat, a barrow a castrated male pig and a shoat a young weaned pig, and the classes are kept apart in the account because the Company's breeding animals, its growing animals and its meat animals had to be counted separately if the increase was to be tracked at all.

329

305

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabts &c

from the 1st to the 30th Novr 1729 Vizt

76 lb Sugar

19 8

19 lb Candy

19

39 Cattys Bohea Tea

26 14

43 lb Shee Thread

1 13 9

46 lb Twine

1 1 8

4 lb Thread

3

1 oz Indigo

6

12 lb White Lead

6

6 lb Yellow Oaker

6 0

2 Yds lb do Norwich Stuff

3 3½

1 Gd Crape

11

7½ ditto

7 11

12½ Yds Camblett

1 17 6

½ do Ising

1 11 3

9½ Flannel

0 6

14½ Yds do Duroan

1 2 2

17 Yds Prickfab

1 1 9

29 Yds Brill Silk

3 5 7½

22 ditto

3 6 11½

3½ Ps Durey

2 16 10

9 Small Blankets

6 16 6

6 Midling ditto

2 11 9

3 Large Silesia

2 5 5

11¾ Yds Grayish broad Cloth

1 19 9

6¾ bought Cap Shepherd

12 11 0

2 Chints Broaken

3 17 7½

37 Cupps

5 6

6 Saucers

6 2

1 Tea Pott

1 6

2 Quilts

1 10

6 ditto

1 5

1 ditto

5 2

18 lb Cotton

1 4

6¾ Long Cloth

8 12

10 lb Small Chints

6 10

90 Yards ditto

2 15

16 lb Catia

1 14 10½

4 Testaments

1

2 Munday Spelling Books

3 6

1 Midling Sea Ifoul

2

6 pr Mens worsted Stockings

15 5

10 Yarn ditto

2 1 3

12 Womens Cloakes

15 10

1 ditto

2 11 3

3 Alia Boys

1

1 ditto

9 6

1 ditto

2 4

1 Worsted

2 6

11 pr Womens Callicoe Leather Shoes

5 9

9 Womens ditto

3 14 6

1 ditto Spanish

2 6 6

1 Mens Pott

6 10

18 pr Boys Shoes

1 6

8 Sailors plain Cotton

4 6

Totall to Inhabts

2 19

129 9 3¾

Charges Genll

24½ Yds do Canvas

16 4

4 oz Twine Thread

6 6

6 oz Cordwood

4 2

1 Grose Sprats

16 6

18 lb Sterring Brads

13 6

1 lb 30d Nailes

1 7

1 Salvator Lock

1 4

10 lb Sage

10 10

4 Gallons Rape Oyle

1 4

4 9 1

153 18 4¾

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants and others ran from 1 to 30 November 1729.

76 lb of sugar, £1 9s 8d

9 lb of candy, £0 0s 19d

39 catties of bohea tea, £26 14s 0d

15.5 lb of shoe thread, £1 13s 9d

46 lb of twine, £1 1s 8d

4 lb of thread, £0 0s 3d

1 oz of indigo, £0 0s 6d

12 lb of white lead, £0 6s 0d

6 lb of yellow ochre, £0 6s 0d

2.5 yards of Norwich stuff, £0 3s 2.25d

1 yard of crape, £0 7s 11d

7 yards of crape, £1 17s 6d

12.5 yards of camblet, £1 11s 3d

1 yard of drugget, £0 0s 6d

9 yards of flannel, £1 2s 2d

14.5 yards of durance, £1 1s 9d

17 yards of thickset, £3 5s 7.5d

29.5 yards of Bell silk, £3 6s 11.25d

22 yards of Bell silk, £2 16s 10d

3.5 pieces of durance, £6 16s 6d

9 small blankets, £2 11s 9d

6 middling blankets, £2 5s 5d

3 large shifts, £1 19s 9d

11.75 yards of Spanish broad cloth, £12 11s 3d

6.75 yards of bought cloth shepherd, £3 17s 7.5d

2 china broken pieces, £0 5s 0d

37 cups, £0 6s 2d

6 saucers, £0 1s 6d

1 tea pot, £0 1s 10d

2 quilts, £1 5s 0d

6 quilts, £5 2s 0d

1 dozen, £0 1s 4d

18 pieces of chintz, £8 12s 0d

6.75 yards of long cloth, £6 10s 0d

10 pieces of small chintz, £1 15s 0d

20 yards of small chintz, £1 14s 10.5d

16 pieces of calico, £0 3s 6d

8 testaments, £0 3s 6d

2 mundays spelling books, £0 0s 2d

1 multiplication table, £0 0s 15d

5 pairs of men's worsted stockings, £2 1s 3d

10 pairs of women's worsted stockings, £0 15s 10d

12 women's cloaks, £2 11s 3d

1 women's cloak, £0 0s 9.5d

3 [...] caps, £0 4s 0d

1 cap, £0 5s 6d

1 cap, £0 2s 9d

1 worsted piece, £0 5s 6d

11 pairs of women's calico leather shoes, £3 14s 6d

9 pairs of women's leather shoes, £2 0s 6d

1 pair of Spanish shoes, £0 0s 6d

1 men's hat, £0 6s 10d

12 pairs of boys' shoes, £1 1s 0d

3 leathers plain leather, £0 1s 6d

Total to the inhabitants, £139 9s 3.25d

General charges

24.25 yards of Holland canvas, £0 16s 4d

4 oz of twine thread, £0 6s 6d

6 oz of cochineal, £0 0s 0d

1 brass rivet, £0 16s 6d

19 lb of herring beads, £0 13s 6d

1 lb of thirty penny nails, £0 0s 7d

1 [...] lock, £0 1s 4d

10 lb of soap, £0 4s 0d

4 gallons of rape oil, £0 4s 0d

Total, £4 9s 1d

Grand total, £153 18s 4.25d

Interpretations

Bohea tea at £26 14s 0d is the single heaviest line on the account and the clearest sign of how the island bought. The tea came in the China invoices of the Caesar, the Macclesfield, the Harrison and the Sunderland through the spring of 1729, and the last of those sailed on 13 June 1729. Nothing has come from China since, so the storekeeper is selling from a stock that cannot be replaced until the next season's Indiamen call.

Camblet, durance and thickset are all cloths a modern reader would not recognise. Camblet was a plain-woven fabric of wool or a wool and silk mixture, valued because it shed rain. Durance was a stout glazed worsted, made to last and used for hard-wearing outer garments. Thickset was a heavy cotton fustian with a raised pile, closer to a coarse velveteen, and was cut for breeches and jackets. Norwich stuff was the general name for the worsteds of that city, then the largest woollen centre in England. Herring beads and rape oil belong to the practical side of the store: rape oil, pressed from oilseed rape, burned in lamps and greased ironwork against the damp that ruined everything on the island.

The £139 9s 3.25d taken from the inhabitants sits well above the £85 12s 6d of October 1729 and the £63 14s 8.5d of August 1729, and it is the first month since the fleet sailed in June to run near the levels of the shipping season. The Prince Frederick arrived on 20 November 1729, and the buying is the island getting itself clothed and shod as the ships begin to return.

Testaments, a multiplication table and two spelling books are the whole of the island's educational purchase for the month. They are charged to the inhabitants like any other goods, since the Company ran no school beyond the schoolmaster who ate at the general table, and books had to be bought out of the store like cloth or nails.

330

306

Brought over

153 18 4¾

Plantation Dr

3 lb Rice delivered the Hoggs & Poultry

6 7 6

4 Trowells

10

2 Improve Princess

3 6

6 Shee Twine

6

27 lb White Lead

2 2 6

9 16 6

Garrison Dr

3 Cattys Bohea Tea Sold to the Guards

9 9

2 Qrs Sweet Oyle to the Surgeon fit for oe Whitby

6 8

7½ Ps Ordinary Long Cloth

10 3

1 lb Flour Sold to the Doctor

3

3 4 11

Honble Compys Blacks

1 Shee Thread

2 6

1 Twine

2 2

1 doz Wicks

4 6

1 Catty Bohea Tea

6

15 2

Diet Expences

56 Gallons Arrack

17 14 8

600 lb Bread

16 6

175 lb Flour

2 3 0

163 lb Sugar

3 6 9

10 Gallons Wine

3 17 6

18 ditto Sherry

6 19 6

1½ ditto Vinegar

3 9

16 lb Candles

1 4

30 Gallons Strong Beer

2 6 6

3 lb Pepper

9 6

3 Bushells Salt

10 6

40 9 8

208 5 7½

Gunners Stores Expended in Novr 1729 Vizt

Powder Small Shot Match

Novr 1729

14 Musters Day

Powder 4

Small Shot 2

Match 7

19 An Allarm

Powder 9

Small Shot 2

Match 2

20 Arrived the Anna Frederick

Expence of the Guards

Musquett Papers for lines 1 Quire

Cartridge Papers ditto 11

Match

13 2 9 31

Signed Jno French

Expence of the Table in Novr 1729 Vizt

220 lb Beef

3 12 6

20 lb Pork

3 3

6 Goates

1 4

4 Turkeys

9

6 Fowles

4

11 lb Butter

1 10

30 Dozn Greens

1

60 Quarts Milk

15 10 4

40 Gallons Arrack

16 6

600 lb Bread

2 2

175 lb Flour

2 9 2

119 Sugar

3 17 6

18 Gallons Port

6 19 6

1 ditto Sherry

3 9

1½ ditto Vinegar

2 9 6

30 Gallons Strong Beer

3

3 lb Pepper

10 6

3 Bushells Salt

Expence of the Table in Novr 1729

60 3 4

10 lb Soap

10.10

16 lb Candles

1.12.-

33 lb Sugar delivered the Blacks

16 0

17 Gallons Arrack do ditto the Weather being wett

2 4 4

6 3 3

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Godwin

D Crispe

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the sum of £153 18s 4.25d brought over, and the remaining charges were entered under their several heads.

Brought over, £153 18s 4.25d

Plantation

850 lb of rice delivered to the hogs and poultry, £6 7s 6d

4 trowels, £0 10s 0d

2 sawyers' pincers, £0 3s 6d

6 files for the timing saw, £0 6s 0d

27 lb of white lead, £2 2s 6d

Total, £9 15s 6d

Garrison

8 catties of bohea tea delivered to the sick and the guards, £9 9s 0d

2 gallons of sweet oil for the armourer to fit for use the muskets, £0 6s 8d

7.5 yards of ordinary long cloth delivered to the doctor, £0 10s 0d

1 lb of flour delivered to the doctor, £0 0s 3d

Total, £3 4s 11d

The Honourable Company's slaves

7 lb of shoe thread, £0 2s 6d

1 twine, £0 2s 2d

1 dozen wicks, £0 4s 6d

1 catty of bohea tea, £0 6s 0d

Total, £0 15s 2d

Diet expenses

56 gallons of arrack, £17 14s 8d

608 lb of bread, £16 6s 6d

175 lb of flour, £2 3s 0d

163 lb of sugar, £3 6s 9d

10 gallons of port, £3 17s 6d

18 gallons of sherry, £6 19s 6d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 3s 9d

16 lb of candles, £0 12s 0d

30 gallons of strong beer, £1 8s 0d

3 lb of pepper, £0 9s 6d

3 bushels of salt, £0 10s 6d

Total, £40 9s 8d

Grand total, £208 0s 7.25d

The gunner's account of stores expended in November 1729 was signed by John French.

1 November 1729, muster day: 5 guns fired, 2 sakers, powder 7 lb

19 November 1729, an alarm: 9 guns fired, 2 sakers, powder 7 lb

20 November 1729, on the arrival of the ship Prince Frederick: 9 guns fired, 2 sakers, powder 9 lb

Expended by the guard: 13 guns fired, 2 sakers, powder 9 lb

Musket paper for the guard, 1.5 quires

Cartridge paper, 1 quire

Match, 3 lb

The expense of the general table for November 1729 was set out under its several articles.

220 lb of beef, £3 12s 6d

220 lb of pork, £3 3s 0d

6 goats, £1 4s 0d

4 turkeys, £0 0s 9d

6 chickens, £0 4s 11d

11 lb of butter, £0 1s 10d

30 days' greens, £0 1s 0d

60 quarts of milk, £15 10s 4d

20 gallons of arrack, £0 16s 6d

608 lb of bread, £2 3s 0d

175 lb of flour, £2 0s 9d

119 lb of sugar, £3 17s 6d

18 gallons of port, £6 19s 6d

1 gallon of sherry, £0 3s 9d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

30 gallons of strong beer, £0 9s 6d

3 lb of pepper, £0 10s 6d

3 bushels of salt, £0 10s 6d

Total expense of the table in November 1729, £40 10s 10d

10 lb of soap, £1 12s 0d

16 lb of candles, £0 16s 0d

33 lb of sugar delivered to the slaves, £2 4s 4d

17 gallons of arrack delivered to the slaves, the weather being wet, £5 5s 3d

Grand total, £60 3s 4d

Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The 17 gallons of arrack and 33 lb of sugar issued to the slaves because the weather was wet mark the return of the southern winter allowance. The same charge appears through the whole of the previous cold season, from 9.5 gallons in May 1729 to a peak of 17 gallons in July 1729, then falling away as the weather turned. Its reappearance in November is out of that pattern, since November lies in the island's late spring, and it suggests a spell of persistent rain rather than the ordinary run of the season. The sheep flock lost six ewes and six lambs together in September 1729 on the same account, the weather having been wet for months.

Bohea tea now runs through every head of the account: 8 catties to the sick and the guards at £9 9s 0d, a catty to the Company's slaves, and 39 catties sold to the inhabitants. A catty is a Chinese weight of roughly 1.33 lb, and the tea is issued as an ordinary ration rather than a luxury. In England in 1729 bohea was still a costly commodity taxed heavily and drunk chiefly by those with money, while on St Helena it was going to soldiers and slaves because the China ships passed the island every year and the tea was simply there.

The 9 guns fired for the Prince Frederick on 20 November 1729 are a modest salute, and the total of 32 lb of powder for the whole month is a fraction of the 419 lb burnt in May 1729 when seven Indiamen lay in the road. A single ship carrying no supply whatever earned no more than the standard courtesy, and the alarm of 19 November 1729 is the one recorded in the audit consultation of that day, when the council sat on through it and finished the journal.

Sweet oil for the armourer, bought to bring the muskets into serviceable condition, is a small entry with a large meaning. The island had been on a war footing since the Cadogan's packet of 3 March 1729, and the annual inventory of 30 September 1729 recorded 213 muskets and 17,000 flints standing untouched. The oil is the routine maintenance of arms that were never fired.

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At a Consultation held on Wednesday 3d Decemr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & pass'd the Accots for the Month past as p Journall & folio 39

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Godwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 9th Decemr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Gardiner

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other

Buysness We Adjourn'd

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 10 Decr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

To day the men were very much Surprized Capt Peatham having acquainted Us that

notwithstanding the Orders he receiv'd from Us on the 20th of November last by which he is

expressly forbid to leave this Place unless there were two or three Ships in Company He was

nevertheless determined to Sail this & tomorrow He therefore in discharge of Our Duty &

to prevent as much as in Us lies the dangerous Consequences of this his rash & precipitate

Resolution in behalf of the Hon Company this day delivered him a Protest to the

Contrary of which the Underwritten is a true Copy Vizt

Whereas by the last Ships Letters to Us from the Court of Directors of

the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies dated

in London the 29th of Octor 1728 We are directed to Observe Orders which We Should

receive from Sirs Wentworth Edward Harrifer Henry Lyell & Israel Addams

Esqrs or any three of them whom they were then pleased to appoint & Company a Comittee

of Councill to give Directions as they Should think proper to be Observed by the

Commanders of their homeward bound Shiping & Whereas by Letters to Us from

the said Isaac Wentworth Edward Harrifer Henry Lyell & Abraham Addams Esqrs

bearing date the 5th day of Decr 1728 which Was received on the 6th of March last We

are directed to give Certain Instructions to the Commanders of their homeward bound

Shiping upon their Arrival here & in Obedience thereto We did on the 20th of Octr last

At a consultation held on Wednesday 3 December 1729 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The council met to pay the garrison for the past month, as entered in the journal at folio 39. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 9 December 1729 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. No other business came before the council, and the meeting was adjourned. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 10 December 1729 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. Captain Peacham informed the council that he intended to sail, in defiance of the standing orders published on 20 November last, which required him to remain until two or three ships could go in company. He was determined to leave with a single vessel. The council held it a dangerous course, and its duty to prevent it as far as it could. It entered a formal protest against him in support of its own resolution and in the Company's interest, the protest being drawn as follows.

The council recited the commission granted to it by the Court of Directors of the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, dated in London on 29 October 1728. That commission authorised the council to observe such orders as should come from Joseph Woolworth, Edward Harrison, Henry Lyell, Sarah Addams [...] or any three of them, whom they thought fit to appoint a Committee, and gave the council full power to give such directions as they should think proper to the commanders of any ship bound to England. On the strength of that commission, and of a letter from Woolworth, Harrison, Lyell and Addams dated 20 December 1728 and received on 6 March last, the council was directed to give general instructions to the commanders of every ship bound for England on their arrival at the island. In obedience to that direction, the council had, on 20 November last, [...]

Interpretations

Captain Peacham's declaration repeats the crisis of 12 June 1729, when six commanders sailed the morning after the council forbade them to leave before the Heathcote arrived. The council learned then that it had no means of holding a Company commander by force, and its only sanction was to enter the whole exchange in the general letter home. The protest drawn against Peacham is the same weapon reached for again, and the council is now setting out its authority in the fullest terms, tracing it back to the Court of Directors themselves, precisely because the last attempt failed.

A protest in this sense is a formal instrument recorded before witnesses, declaring that a party has been warned and holding him answerable for the consequences of ignoring the warning. It shifts liability rather than preventing the act. The council used the same device on 6 May 1728 when Captain Goodwin endorsed a protest on the Prince William's bill of lading over the spoiled and short cargo, and the point in both cases is to place the record before the Company in London, which alone could punish.

The convoy requirement rests on the war footing renewed by the Cadogan's packet of 3 March 1729, which reported the affairs of Europe still unsettled. The council's standing orders of 13 March 1729 required every arriving commander to warp to the crane on any alarm and to sail only in company with two or three others, and the reasoning had been set out on 2 January 1728 in answer to Captain Marchet: a single ship risked both the vessel and the Company's packet aboard her.

Speculations

The council might simply have repeated the wording of its order and let Peacham go, as it had let the fleet of June 1729 go, entering the disobedience in the general letter and leaving the matter there. Instead it went back to first principles and rehearsed the entire chain of authority in writing, from the Court of Directors' commission of 29 October 1728, through the named Committee, to the letter of 20 December 1728 received at the island on 6 March 1729. That was not necessary to record a protest. It reads as a council that has been ignored once and is now building a document proof against the argument the commanders used in June, when they answered that their own instructions required them to put into the Cape and that the season was running out. By grounding the order in the Directors' own commission rather than in the council's judgement, the Governor made refusal a defiance of London and not of St Helena.

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being the day of Your Arrivall here deliver unto You Capt Saml Rotham Commander of

the Ship Prince Frederick now in the Service of the aforesaid Hon Company Severall Orders

& Instructions to be by You observed of which the Underwritten is a true Copy Vid: folio 30

for a Copy of the Letter

And You having acquainted Us that You intend to Sail the 11th Instant,

We therefore the Underwritten the Governour & Councell of this their Island St Helena for

and on behalf of the said Hon: the United Company of Merchants of England Trading

to the East Indies Have by these Presents Do Protest & against You the said

Captain Samuel Rotham & against all Sums & Persons & Part Owners of the said

Ship Prince Frederick for all the Loss Cost Charges & Damage whatsoever that Shall

happen to accrue any of the Goods Effects Merchandize or Lading that are now on Board the

said Ship belonging to the aforesaid Hon Company in Consequence of Your so by Reason

of Your Sailing & Departure from hence a Single Ship in direct & open Breach and

Contradiction of their express Commands to Us as before Recited In Witness whereof

We have hereunto Sett Our Hands this 10th day of Decr 1729 at St Helena

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

To

Captain Samuel Rotham

Commander of the Ship

Prince Frederick

Delivered in the presence of

John French

John Bagster

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 16th Decr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Joshua Johnson in behalf of Elizth Taylour and Complaint against the Co: Ely & Geo:

Simons daughter for refusing to Pay him the Sum of Twenty Eight Pounds & ten

upon their Company & Note payable by Samuel Mashborne to Geo: Shairs on or Ordr

or order which Note was each Endorsed to Elizth Taylor in England & returned

hither by his for a Non-payment

The said Co: produced a Receipt from Robt Taylour for the Sum of Twenty Eight

Pounds in a Note by which they pretended to prove the Money was already paid: But the

said Receipt being only for a Note & not for Money the said & Note being returned

for a Non-payment & where the Money hath been bankrupt.

We therefore order that the Sum of Twenty Eight Pounds be paid & allowed to the

said Joshua for the Use of the said Elizth Taylour, out of the Effects late belonging to the

George Mashborne deceased.

The last Will & Testament of Robt Watlington was this day Proved upon the Oaths

of the Subscribing Witness Vizt Duke Crispe John Isacc Andrew Bragg & John William

Ingratian & Order'd to be Registered

The Petition of John Bragg Junr was presented praying to be accepted Tenant for

about One or Two Acres of the Hon Comps Wast Land lying near the Island of

John Warrens & other Land

Granted & Order'd that the Same be Measured accordingly

We having received Information that Sundry menr Bargains lately had a Overtures desire

to Supply Every thing to themselves being possessed of Some particular Products &c the

Neighbours had privately Offered to the Bragg from twenty to fifteen Shillings p Hundred

not considering that before the great Injury & Prejudice they would thereby Endeavor to all

the poorer Families upon the Island They in the End create themselves broken great Sufferers it

being likely that of the Commanders & Boats coming it at that time that they would always

The protest set out that the council had, on the day of his arrival, delivered to Captain Samuel Peacham, commander of the ship Prince Frederick, the general orders and instructions given to every commander in the Company's service. A true copy of those instructions was entered in the book at folio 30, following the copy of the Company's letter. Peacham had since given notice that he intended to sail on 11 December.

The Governor and council of St Helena, on behalf of the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, formally protested against him. He was made answerable for the whole charge and damage that might fall upon the goods and merchandise or the lading now aboard the Prince Frederick, and upon the vessel itself, all of which belonged to the Company. The council held it a matter of the utmost consequence that a single ship should sail from the island alone, in defiance of the Company's own instructions. The council signed the protest on 10 December 1729 at St Helena. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed. The instrument was addressed to Captain Samuel Peacham, commander of the Prince Frederick, and was delivered before John French and John Bayley as witnesses.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 December 1729 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

Joshua Johnson brought a complaint on behalf of Elizabeth Taylor, an infant daughter of Samuel Taylor, over £28 0s 0d owed her by the estate of the late George Wrangham. He set out that Wrangham had made over two promissory notes to Samuel Taylor, each endorsed to Elizabeth Taylor in England, and that both had been returned unpaid. Johnson produced a receipt from Robert Taylor for £28 0s 0d, but the council found it worthless as evidence, since the money had already been paid on the notes themselves, the receipt covering only a note and not money. The two notes, being returned for non-payment, showed that the money had never in fact been paid. The council ordered £28 0s 0d paid to Johnson for the use of Elizabeth Taylor out of the estate of George Wrangham, deceased.

The last will and testament of Robert Wellington was proved on the oaths of the witnesses Thomas Harper, David Crisp, John Isham, Andrew [...] and John Waldron. The council ordered the probate and the will registered.

John Ryder junior petitioned to become tenant of about 6 acres of the Company's waste land lying near the island, and the council granted it. Johnson and Warrall were ordered to measure the ground accordingly.

The council received information that Samuel Peacham, the master of the schooner lately arrived, had cut his prices to undersell every other retailer on the island, offering goods far below the ordinary rate. Several of the inhabitants had privately gone to him and bought quantities of between twenty and fifteen shillings the hundred. The council considered that if the great import of goods were suffered to proceed, it would ruin the trade of the poorer families on the island, and that in the end the whole would suffer a general loss. The commanders of ships were unwilling to buy at the rates they always [...]

Interpretations

Elizabeth Taylor's claim turns on the difference between a promissory note and a receipt. A note is a written promise to pay, negotiable by endorsement, so a creditor can hand it on to a third party who takes the right to collect. Wrangham's two notes were endorsed to the child in England, presented for payment and dishonoured, and the receipt Johnson produced acknowledged only that the paper had changed hands, not that any money had. The council saw the distinction and refused to treat the receipt as a discharge, charging the whole £28 0s 0d on the estate of a man who had died owing it. George Wrangham was the purser reprimanded on 28 February 1727 for errors in his books and put out of the marshal's place on 25 April 1727, so the council was closing accounts on a servant it had already found unreliable with money.

A schooner master undercutting the island's shopkeepers threatened a trade that existed only because St Helena had no competition. The inhabitants bought from the Company's store and sold on to the shipping at rates the council itself fixed, and the retail liquor licences of 18 April 1727 show how closely that traffic was regulated. A visiting vessel selling below the settled prices took the trade of the poorer families and left them with nothing to live on, since none of them could match a cargo bought elsewhere and sold at a loss to clear it.

Speculations

The council could have handed Elizabeth Taylor's claim to a jury at the next general court, as it did with the Goodwin estate on 26 September 1728 and the Francis inheritance on 25 September 1729. Both of those were disputes over what an estate contained, and both needed sworn evidence and a verdict. Here the council decided the matter itself in a single meeting, because the question was not what Wrangham owed but what a receipt proved. The two dishonoured notes were on the table, and once the council saw that Robert Taylor's paper acknowledged a note and not a payment, there was nothing left for a jury to find. An infant creditor in England with no one on the island to argue for her would have waited months for a court that met quarterly and was repeatedly adjourned for want of business.

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expect it at the Same Price & the Honble Company having fixed the Value at Ten and

Twenty Shillings p hundred which by Charter Party they have obliged all Commanders

to Pay for it & is so very cheap & reasonable that they have never Scrupled to give that

Rate for it & the Sale of Beef yeilding the most considerable Advantage of any Sort of

Provision the Inhabitants can raise We to prevent the ill Consequences & Effects of this

Combination Attempt this day by Advertizement forbid all manner of Persons to Sell

for less than five & twenty Shillings p hundred under Pain of being Severely Fined &

Punished for their Offence.

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 17th Decr 1729 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Morning Arrived the Morice from Mocha but last from Bombay but

did not bring any Supply for this Place & soon after the Captain came on Shoar

We delivered him the following Orders Vizt

Sir

We received on the 6th of March last from the Honble the Gentlemen of the Committee

of Survey Appointed & Empowered by the Court of Directors to give Such Instructions as they

Shall think necessary to be observed by the Commanders of their homeward bound Shiping

Directions dated the 10th day of Decr 1728 to Order You to keep carefully upon Your Guards

& to Birth Your Ship during Your Stay here in a to prevent any Attempt of an Enemy

& that You'd be constantly kept Your Ship in the best Posture of Defence that is possible; &

upon an Allarm which may happen during Your Stay You are to Send a Ship either

to the Cran or Landing Hook & Anchor as near the Shoar as You possibly can with Safety

& thus continue till the have certain Advice whether the Ship bears away or be a Friend or

an Enemy. And You are not to leave this Place unless there be two or three Ships in Company

& before You leave this Island You are to Agree upon & Commodore & on proper Instructions

both as to Sailing & how to Manage in Case You are Attacked & You are to be particularly

careful to keep Going any together for Your mutual Security & when You come into or upon

the Channell You are to Send an Officer to any of the Western Ports for Intelligence & Upon

Your Passage for Your greater Safety accordingly the News You Shall learn & Your dispatch upon

Since as an Encouragement to Your Ships Company to exert themselves like Englishmen in

Defence of themselves & their Country We have Advice to acquaint You that if they are

Attacked either by the Spaniards or others or any other Enemy the Hon ble Company will

generously extend their bounty to them in the Same manner as they are Entituled to Reward

they be Attacked by Pirates & the great Uncertainty whether the Affairs of Europe will

terminate in Peace or War hath Occasioned these Instructions & is not know You to be

Strictly upon Your Guard the Hon ble Company expecting that if a War Should happen

that with a Great Numbers of Privateers fitted out & Ostend & other Ports from whence

We wish You a Safe Deliverance & are

Sir

Your most humble Servts

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

St Helena

17th Decr 1729

To

Capt Christopr Wilson

Commander of the Ship

Morice

The council reasoned that the commanders expected beef at the settled price, the Company having fixed its value at twenty shillings the hundredweight, and the charter party obliging the commanders to pay for it. Beef at that rate was so cheap and reasonable that no commander had ever objected to it, and it yielded the inhabitants the most considerable advantage of any provision they raised. To prevent the ill consequences of an undercut market, the council published an advertisement that day forbidding any person to sell beef for less than twenty-five shillings the hundredweight, on pain of a severe fine and punishment for the offence. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 17 December 1729 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

The Morice arrived that morning from Mocha, last from Bombay, and brought no supply for the island. Her captain came ashore soon afterwards and the council delivered the following orders to him.

The council recited that it had received, on 6 March last, a letter from the Committee of Shipping appointed and empowered by the Court of Directors to give such instructions as they thought necessary for the commanders of the Company's homeward-bound ships, dated 20 December 1728. Under that authority the council directed the commander to keep a careful guard aboard, to berth his ship during his stay so as to prevent any attempt by an enemy, and to keep her constantly in the best posture of defence possible. Upon any alarm during his stay he was to warp in to the crane or landing rock and heave in as near the shore as he could safely come, and to remain there until it was certainly known whether the strange vessel bore away or was friend or enemy. He was not to leave the island before agreeing on a commodore and on proper instructions both as to sailing and to signals, so that the ships in company might manage in case an enemy were met, and he was to take particular care to keep together for their mutual defence. Twenty leagues before coming into or upon the Channel he was to send an officer ashore at one of the western ports for intelligence, and to govern himself as safely as he could accordingly. As an encouragement to the ships' companies, the council told him that any who defended themselves and their country as Englishmen ought would be rewarded, and that the Company would generously extend its bounty to them in the same manner as those entitled to it should they be attacked by pirates. It set out the great uncertainty whether the affairs of Europe would end in peace or war, and gave these instructions so that he should know he was to be strictly upon his guard. The Company apprehended that if a war should happen a great number of privateers would put out at once from Ostend and other ports, from which the council wished him a safe deliverance.

The letter was dated at St Helena on 17 December 1729 and addressed to Captain Christopher Wilson, commander of the ship Morice. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The beef price is fixed at both ends and the inhabitants live in the gap between them. The charter party bound every Company commander to buy beef at twenty shillings the hundredweight, which is what the Company paid, and the council now forbids any islander to sell below twenty-five shillings the hundredweight, which is what the shipping paid. That five-shilling margin was the chief profit of the island's cattle men, and Peacham's undercutting threatened to collapse it. A hundredweight is 112 lb, so the council was defending a spread of roughly five shillings on every hundred pounds of meat sold over the side of a ship.

The Ostend privateers named in the orders explain the whole war footing. The Ostend Company, chartered under imperial protection in the Austrian Netherlands, had been trading to the Indies in direct challenge to the English and Dutch monopolies, and the diplomatic quarrel over it was the origin of the war scare first carried to the island in the packet of 27 January 1727. A privateer was a private vessel licensed to take enemy shipping for profit, and a homeward Indiaman deep-laden with China goods was the richest prize afloat.

The council is issuing the same standing orders it gave every commander from 13 March 1729, and the Morice is the second vessel in a month to arrive with nothing aboard for St Helena. The Prince Frederick came from Bombay on 20 November 1729 empty of any supply, and now the Morice arrives from Mocha by way of Bombay in the same condition. The island's storekeeper has had no fresh cargo since the fleet sailed on 13 June 1729, and it is now buying its own goods back from its own stock while the ships take away its beef.

Speculations

The obvious answer to an interloper selling cheap was to punish the buyers, and the council had the means ready to hand, having fined unlicensed liquor sellers £10 0s 0d apiece on 18 April 1727 and bound over troublesome men under penalties all through the run. The inhabitants who went privately to Peacham had done exactly what the council disliked. Instead it left them alone and set a floor under the price of beef, aimed at the seller and not the customer. The reasoning is on the page: the trade in beef was the poorer families' one reliable income, and a council that fined them for taking a bargain would have been taking money from the people it was trying to protect. Fixing the price allowed the ships to keep buying, the islanders to keep their margin, and the interloper to find no one able to trade under him without breaking a published order.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday 23d Decr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Morning We received the following Letter from Capt Wilson Vizt

Geo: To the Worshipfull Edwd Byfeild Esqr Governr of St Helena

Gentlemen

I am Favoured Your Letter of the 17th instant We have got most of our Water

filled & other necessarys aboard the Ship being now in very good Order for Sea & the People in good

Health, I have Examined the Copy of my Charter Party & my own Instructions from the Hon

the Court of Directors wherein I find I am particularly ordered & although this be Stay so long as

here that I am employed in filling my Water & taking aboard the necessary Supplys first

Proceeding to England in which is non-compliable but in Regards to Your Letter which

I have thoroughly perused & weighed wherein You Say You do Empowerd by Isaias

Wentworth Edward Harrifer, Abraham Addams & Henry Lyell Esqrs & to Order any

Single Ship to Stay for the coming of one or more of their Homeward Rocksbourn bound Ships

to Sail in Consort together I have read & Comply with any Order & so That gives me by Vertue of

that Power Upon mention that I apprehend that what You have already wrote to me will not

be thought Sufficient enough to Contribute the Owners of the Ship to Sail Damages as is Agreed to be

Paid by our Adm & Direction for a Detention at this Place, or of it I Should get the time of

the Commanding I would Admit of a dispatch which You in my own that I am already ready to

Sail may Assure of You think from Others Sufficiently Empowered to Order One Ships or

let me know in Writing of Your Sent full Letter of the 17th an Your Order for the Stopping of

for I am very Apprehensive that my Owners will be called to Question for things Complain'd of

of I Stay so long as I am probability I must then being a Ship We can expect but the

I Contracts this two Months or better, & I having by my Captain Cotton constant Practice to

be one at the Cape & the Sun drawing near the Island will make Money Shiftless & be there he

comes here or no, and to that Perform the River Capt Rob & Cape brought to Bombay in which

was then Or nether after the Sale of Your Instructions from those three Gentlemen of the

Court Committee which I know as I had Advices in Europe how in adverse Condition & of

being Commanded & to what We Sailed from England in the Morice & that upon the whole I do

my Opinion that I have to more blamed for Proceeding than if I had accept I Stay & Your Directions

Order to the contrary I have accordingly with the Advice of my Officers fixed on Sunday the

25th of this instant December for the Stay of which I thought proper to give You the timely Notice

I am with due Respect

Your most Obedient humble Servt

Chr Wilson

St Helena

Decr 20th 1730

To which We returned this Answer Vizt

We have received Your Letter relating to the Directions which by Order from the Hon

Comittee of the Committee of Survey We gave You on the 17th instant, in Answer to which We

declare that in our Opinion those Directions are very plain & positive & ought to be

punctually observed & Vouched by the Same Reason that gave them We are

Sir

Yr Most humble Servts

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

St Helena

23d Decr 1730

To Capt Christopher Wilson

Commander of the Ship

Morice

At a consultation held on Tuesday 23 December 1729 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

The council received a letter that morning from Captain Christopher Wilson of the Morice, written in answer to its own of 17 December. He reported that he had taken in most of his water and had refitted the necessary stores aboard, that the ship lay in very good order for sea and that her crew were in good health. He had examined a copy of his charter party and his own instructions from the Court of Directors, and found no clause obliging a ship to stay longer than the time needed to fill her water and to fish aboard whatever supplies she required before going on to England. He acknowledged the council's letter but could not comply with it, since his orders under the commission of Joseph Woolworth, Edward Harrison, Abraham Addams and Henry Lyell did not empower the council to order any single ship to stay for the coming of one or more of the Company's homeward-bound vessels so that they might sail in company. He would readily comply with any order the council gave him under that commission, but he had already written to say that whatever he was asked to do he thought below him to contest the owners of the ship, whose damage would fall on him if he were forced to sail after such a detention at the island or on shore. He set out that the same commission would admit of a dispatch, and that the council had never claimed the authority to detain him. If the council thought itself sufficiently empowered to order him to stay, he asked to be shown in writing where it found that power, and to be given a copy of its order for his justification. He was very apprehensive that his own conduct would be called into question for a long compliance, since a ship of his own could not expect to remain in the road much longer than the probability of the wait allowed. He had freighted the ship two months before, and was obliged to have his captain lie constantly overside, either at the Cape or at the sun's drawing near the island, and to make every advantage he could either coming or going. He was able to keep the Prince Frederick's dispatch in company two months after the date of the council's instructions, and both those gentlemen at the Court committees held that the state of affairs in Europe drew to an uncertain conclusion, the commanders being obliged to take their orders as they saw fit. He therefore intended to sail on the 25th of the month, unless the council furnished him with an order to the contrary. He acknowledged his obligation for the civility of the council's officers, and asked to be forgiven for troubling it with so plain a reply. The letter was dated at St Helena on 22 December 1729.

The council returned its answer the following day. It had received his letter about the questions arising from its own of 17 December, on the instructions given under the Committee of Shipping's commission, and it held that they were very plain and needed no further definition. In its opinion the directions were extremely plain, and it thought it proper to say only that it had already given him the same answer, and had accordingly given it. The reply was dated at St Helena on 23 December 1729 and addressed to Captain Christopher Wilson, commander of the Morice. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

Wilson's argument turns on the exact scope of a delegated authority. The council's power over commanders came from the Committee of Shipping's letter of 20 December 1728, received on 6 March 1729, and Wilson reads that letter as authorising the council to give sailing instructions rather than to detain a ship in the road. He demands to be shown the clause in writing and given a copy of the order, which would put the liability where he wants it: on the council. His own exposure is commercial, since delay at the island runs against the charter party and the owners could claim damages from him, exactly the point Captain Marchet raised on 1 January 1728 when he asked about demurrage.

The council's reply is remarkable for its brevity. It refuses to argue, states that the instructions are plain, and declines to produce the written authority Wilson asked for. That refusal is the whole substance of the answer, and it leaves the council standing on the protest it had already entered against Captain Peacham of the Prince Frederick on 10 December 1729 rather than on any fresh reasoning.

The convoy rule has now failed three times in six months. Six commanders sailed in defiance on 13 June 1729, Peacham gave notice on 10 December 1729 and Wilson names 25 December 1729 as his own departure. The council has no power to hold a Company ship, and every commander on the station appears to know it.

Speculations

Wilson asked a direct question and offered the council an easy way to win: show him the clause, give him a copy of the order, and he would have a document to lay before his owners justifying the delay. That was the obvious course, since it would have cost the council nothing and would have transferred the whole commercial risk of the wait onto the Company. The council refused, answering only that the instructions were plain. The refusal makes sense only if the council knew the clause would not bear the weight, and that setting its claim of authority down in writing would have handed Wilson the very evidence he wanted against it. It chose to keep its power vague rather than test it and lose, which is the reasoning of an authority that has already learned it cannot enforce what it orders.

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At a Consultation held on Wednesday 24th Decr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Inhabitants being peaceably One with the other We have Adjourned the Sessions

Appointed to be held this Month to the 26th of March next

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 30th Decr 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Tuesday last We received the following Letter from Capt Wilson Vizt

To the Worshipfull Edwd Byfeild Esqr & Councill of St Helena

Gentlemen

I crave this to acquaint You that I received Yours of the 23d wherein You

declare that Upon look upon Your Letter Sent me the 17 instant to be plain & positive Directions

from the Honble the Committee of Survey by You & that You have Down from hence to give St Helena

I desire You will be pleased to take Notice in Your desire to England that I make bacque

obedience to those Orders & nothing else. I am

Your most Obedt humble Servt

Chr Wilson

St Helena

December 26. 1729

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 3d January 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & pass'd the Accots for the Month past as p Journall & folio 33

&c

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a consultation held on Wednesday 24 December 1729 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The inhabitants having lived peaceably with one another, the council adjourned the quarterly meeting appointed for that month to 26 March next. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 30 December 1729 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

The council received a further letter from Captain Christopher Wilson on the previous Tuesday. He acknowledged the council's letter of the 23rd, in which it referred him to its own of the 17th, and confirmed that he understood the directions to be plain and to require no further explanation. He accepted the terms of the Committee of Shipping's letter as the council had given them to him, and undertook to observe those orders in his passage to England, holding himself bound to them and to nothing beyond them. The letter was dated at St Helena on 26 December 1729. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Saturday 3 January 1730 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The council met to pay the garrison for the past month, as entered in the journal at folio 33. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

Wilson's closing letter is a submission with a sting in it. He accepts the instructions as the council delivered them on 17 December 1729 and promises to observe them on the voyage home, but he confines himself to those orders and nothing further. The council had refused on 23 December 1729 to show him the clause empowering it to detain a ship, so his acceptance quietly leaves that question open. Both parties have retreated to the written instructions and neither has conceded the point of authority, which was the real matter in dispute.

The quarterly meeting was adjourned for the same reason it has been adjourned repeatedly through the run. The council recorded no considerable dispute among the inhabitants on 26 December 1727 and again on 26 March 1728, and it made the same finding on 24 June 1729. A court of the peace that meets only when it has business to try is cheap to run, and Governor Byfield's whole administration has turned on cutting cost, the gross charge of the island having fallen to £3,144 6s 0d for the year ending 30 September 1729.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday 6th January 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour Capt Gardiner the Gunner & Steward delivered in their Monthly Accots for Decemr

last which were Severally Examined & Approved & was as follows Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &c from the 1st to the 31st

December 1729 Vizt

891 lb Sugar

20 10 6

10 lb Candy

10

250 lb Bread

3 8 6

240 lb Flour

2 12 6

100 Gallons Tea

30 6

9 lb Rice

8

9½ lb Cotton

16 10 3

12 Ps Ordinary Long Cloth

19

1 Midling ditto

1 6

1 Small Chints

7 6

34 Yards ditto

11 3

1 Sheet

2 6

4 Callampoes

2

1 Ps Cushmoes

18

1 Allejar

17 1

1 China Bowl

1 6

9 Cupps

1 6

11 Smoakers

6 6

1 Ps Brass Candlestick

14 6

8 Tin Bottles

18

1 Soap

2 0

1 Dripping Pan

7 3

8 lb Glasses

3 4

8 Ps Beer ditto

1 0

1 Decanteers

3 6

10 lb Spanish Glass 620

16 6

18 ditto 8940

1 6

4 Vase

4

1 ditto

7 6

1 Lanthorn

4 6

2 Grosse Pillory

7 1

2½ Flannel

6 10

1½ Camblett

3 0

10½ Best Silk

1 0 3½

1½ Shee Thread

6 6

13 lb Twine

1 6

2 Large Blanketts

9 6

1 Midling ditto

1 7

1 Ps Stockings

8 0

1 ditto

1 0

1 Womans ditto

1 0

1 Boys ditto

7

4 Ps Mens Shoes

5 10

1 ditto

5

1 Rope

1

1 Hat

4 1

6 ditto

1 11 6

3 Salt ditto

3 3 6

1 Bristol Pitch

7 10 1

3 Hn lb Cordage

Totall to Inhabts

126 6 5½

At a consultation held on Tuesday 6 January 1730 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for December, which the council examined and approved. They stood as follows.

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants ran from 1 to 31 December 1729.

891 lb of sugar, £20 10s 6d

10 lb of candy, £0 0s 10d

230 lb of bread, £3 8s 6d

210 lb of flour, £2 12s 6d

100 catties of bohea tea, £30 6s 0d

9 lb of twine, £0 1s 8d

9.5 pieces of chintz, £16 19s 6d

12 yards of ordinary long cloth, £0 19s 0d

1 middling long cloth, £0 0s 0d

1 small chintz, £1 7s 6d

34 yards of small chintz, £1 11s 3d

1 shift, £0 2s 6d

4 palempores, £1 0s 0d

1 piece of cushions, £0 18s 0d

1 [...], £0 7s 1d

1 china bowl, £0 2s 6d

9 cups, £0 1s 6d

11 smokers, £0 5s 0d

1 pair of brass candlesticks, £0 14s 0d

2 tea kettles, £0 18s 0d

1 soap, £0 3s 0d

1 dripping pan, £0 7s 3d

2 tin glasses, £0 3s 0d

8 pipe tiles, £0 1s 0d

1 decanter, £0 3s 6d

14 [...] glasses, £0 16s 6d

18 tiles, £0 1s 4d

4 vices, £0 7s 6d

1 vice, £0 4s 6d

1 lanthorn, £0 7s 1d

2 quarts of pottery, £0 6s 10d

2.5 yards of flannel, £0 3s 0d

1.5 yards of camblet, £1 0s 3.25d

16.5 yards of Bell silk, £0 6s 6d

15 yards of shoe thread, £0 6s 6d

5 lb of twine, £0 9s 6d

2 large blankets, £0 1s 6d

1 shilling blanket, £0 3s 0d

1 pair of stockings, £0 1s 0d

1 pair of stockings, £0 1s 6d

1 pair of women's stockings, £0 7s 0d

1 pair of boys' stockings, £0 5s 10d

4 pairs of men's shoes, £0 5s 0d

1 pair of shoes, £0 1s 6d

1 pair of shoes, £0 1s 0d

1 hat, £0 11s 6d

6 hats, £3 3s 6d

8 salt tiles, £7 10s 1d

1 [...] pitch, £0 0s 0d

9 lb of cordage, £0 0s 0d

Total to the inhabitants, £126 6s 4.5d

Interpretations

Bohea tea at 100 catties and £30 6s 0d is the heaviest single item the storekeeper has entered in the run, exceeding even the £26 14s 0d of November 1729. A catty runs to about 1.33 lb, so roughly 133 lb of tea passed to the inhabitants in one month on an island whose entire population, free and slave, ran to a few hundred souls. Nothing has come from China since the Sunderland sailed on 13 June 1729, and the storekeeper is selling down a stock that cannot be replaced until the next season's Indiamen call.

Sugar at 891 lb continues the same pattern of heavy buying, and the two commodities together account for £50 16s 6d of a total of £126 6s 4.5d. Both are goods the island cannot grow or make, both arrive only in the China and Bengal cargoes, and both are being bought in quantity precisely because the shipping season is about to open and the inhabitants know what the stock will not stand.

Palempores were large painted or printed cotton bedcovers from the Coromandel coast, worked in bright floral designs and prized as furnishings. One appears in the inventory of Robinson's orphans rendered at the orphans court of 3 October 1727, so they were kept as household goods of some standing rather than consumed. A lanthorn is a lantern with panes of horn rather than glass, and the council had ordered on 25 April 1727 that no fire be carried between houses unless it was secured in one.

The total of £126 6s 4.5d falls below the £139 9s 3.25d of November 1729 but stands far above the £63 14s 8.5d of August 1729, when no ship had touched the island for two months. The buying tracks the anchorage, and the arrival of the Prince Frederick on 20 November 1729 and the Morice on 17 December 1729 has brought the inhabitants back into the store.

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313

Brought over

126 6 5½

Plantation Dr

10 lb 20d Nailes

12 6

10 do 8

7 6

10 do 10

6 8

10 do 4

2 4

90 lb Rope

2 6 0

3 Gallons Spanish Oyle

18

300 lb Beef for the Hoggs & Poultry

6

11 9

Blacks in Accot of Diet Expences

1000 lb Rice

7 10

4 Cattys Bohea Tea

1 4

On Accot of Charges Genll

2 oz Silk

3

4 doz Wicks delivered the Fishermen

2 8

8 19 8

Charges General Vizt

10 lb Soap

10 10

2 Yards Canvas for the Basket

2 4

2 Parchment for Receipts

1 0

2 Yards Bunting

1 9 6

1 Ps Silketing

3 6

6 Quarts Rape Oyle

7 2

2 Slate Booth

7 2

1 Sponge

3 9

1 Chain

7 9

18 lb Spanish Glass 8940

2 4

13 ditto 620

2 4

6 ditto 10940

2 14 6

4 Bruffers Sooth

7 6

7 6 9

Garrison Dr Vizt

11 Cattys Tea delivered the Guards

3 6 6

1 Bottle Sweet Oyle

6 3

1 lb Parchment Sold the Doctor

1 0

3 10

Naval Gunner & Garrison Stores Vizt

1 Quire delivered the Gunner

2 2

Diet Expences Dr Vizt

75 Gallons Gin Arrack

20 19 9

½ Gallons Vinegar

3 0

40 lb Bread

16 0

190 lb Flour

2 2 6

17 Gallons Port

7 7 6

20 ditto Sherry

6 10 9

20 ditto Strong Beer

7 15

1 Bottle Sweet Oyle

15 10

190 lb Sugar

10 3

16 lb Candles

4 7 6

4 Bushells Salt

1 12

6 lb Pepper

18

50 16 9

208 6 5½

Gunners Stores Expended in Decemr

1729 Vizt

Guns Sacres Sacker Minion 3 Pounder Falcons Powder

Decr 1729

14 Musters Day

Guns 0

Sacres 0

Sacker 0

Minion 0

3 Pounder 0

Falcons 0

Powder 8

17 Arrived the Prince Frederick

Guns 6

Sacres 0

Sacker 0

Minion 0

3 Pounder 0

Falcons 6

Powder 9

17 An Allarm at Sandy Bay

Guns 4

Sacres 0

Sacker 0

Minion 0

3 Pounder 0

Falcons 0

Powder 8

20 An Alarm of a Suspicious Ship

Guns 9

Sacres 1

Sacker 2

Minion 2

3 Pounder 2

Falcons 7

Powder 7

20 Departed the Morice

Guns 4

Sacres 0

Sacker 0

Minion 0

3 Pounder 0

Falcons 0

Powder 8

Expence of the Guards

Guns 0

Sacres 0

Sacker 0

Minion 0

3 Pounder 0

Falcons 0

Powder 18

Cartridge Papers for ditto 1 Quire

Musquett Papers 3

Match 11

Guns 24

Sacres 1

Sacker 3

Minion 2

3 Pounder 2

Falcons 7 16

Powder 56

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the sum of £126 6s 4.5d brought over, and the remaining charges were entered under their several heads.

Brought over, £126 6s 4.5d

Plantation

10 lb of tenpenny nails, £0 12s 6d

10 lb of twentypenny nails, £0 7s 6d

10 lb of tenpenny nails, £0 6s 8d

10 lb of fourpenny nails, £0 6s 4d

90.5 lb of rope, £2 6s 0d

3 gallons of train oil, £0 18s 0d

800 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £6 0s 0d

Total, £11 0s 9d

The slaves, on account of diet expenses

1,000 lb of rice, £7 10s 0d

4 catties of bohea tea, £1 4s 0d

On account of general charges

2 oz of silk, £0 3s 0d

4 dozen wicks delivered to the fishermen, £0 2s 8d

Total, £8 19s 8d

General charges

10 lb of soap, £0 10s 10d

2 yards of canvas for the basket, £0 2s 4d

2 buckthorn for the strainer, £0 1s 9d

2 yards of buckram, £0 2s 6d

1 lb of silk twist, £0 3s 6d

6 quarters of rape oil, £0 7s 2d

2 slate pencils, £0 2s 6d

1 sponge, £0 2s 9d

1 lb of thread, £0 3s 9d

13 quarter glasses, £0 7s 4d

19 tiles, £2 9s 0d

6 tiles, £2 14s 0d

4 brushes and sockets, £0 7s 6d

Total, £7 6s 9d

Garrison

11 catties of bohea tea delivered to the guards, £3 6s 6d

1 bottle of sweet oil, £0 6s 6d

1 lb of buckthorn delivered to the doctor, £0 1s 0d

Total, £3 10s 0d

Naval, gunner's and garrison stores

1 lb of thread delivered to the gunner, £0 2s 2d

Diet expenses

78.5 gallons of arrack, £20 19s 9d

2 gallons of vinegar, £0 5s 0d

40 lb of bread, £0 10s 0d

190 lb of flour, £2 7s 6d

17 gallons of port, £6 11s 9d

2 gallons of sherry, £0 15s 0d

20 gallons of strong beer, £0 19s 0d

1 bottle of sweet oil, £0 0s 3d

190 lb of sugar, £4 7s 6d

16 lb of candles, £1 4s 0d

4 bushels of salt, £0 18s 0d

6 lb of pepper, £0 0s 0d

Total, £50 16s 9d

Grand total, £208 6s 5.5d

The gunner's account of stores expended in December 1729 was signed, the columns of the table being headed for guns, demi-culverins, sakers, minions, three pounders, falcons and powder.

1 December 1729, muster day: 6 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 0 three pounders, 6 falcons, 8 lb of powder

11 December 1729, on the departure of the ship Prince Frederick: 4 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 0 three pounders, 4 falcons, 6 lb of powder

17 December 1729, on the arrival of the ship Morice: 9 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 1 saker, 2 minions, 2 three pounders, 3 falcons, 9 lb of powder

26 December 1729, on the departure of the ship Morice: 6 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 2 sakers, 0 minions, 0 three pounders, 4 falcons, 8 lb of powder

Expended by the guard: 0 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 0 three pounders, 0 falcons, 7 lb of powder

Musket paper for the guard, 1.5 quires

Cartridge paper, 1 quire

Sheepskins, 3

Match, 11 lb

Total: 24 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 3 sakers, 2 minions, 2 three pounders, 16 falcons, 56 lb of powder

Interpretations

Nails are sold by penny denomination, and the four grades on the plantation account run from fourpenny up to twentypenny. The number never described a length: it recorded the price per hundred nails, so a twentypenny nail is a heavier and longer piece of iron than a fourpenny one. The plantation is buying all four grades at once along with rope and train oil, which is fish or whale oil used to grease timber and leather against the damp.

Train oil, rape oil and buckthorn belong to the practical end of the store. Buckthorn yields a strong purgative made from the berries, and the pound delivered to the doctor was almost certainly for the infirmary rather than the kitchen. Rape oil, pressed from oilseed rape, burned in lamps and preserved ironwork. Buckram is a coarse linen stiffened with size, cut to shape collars, cuffs and skirts.

Bohea tea again runs through every head of the account: 100 catties sold to the inhabitants, 11 to the guards, 4 to the Company's slaves. The tea reaches the soldiers and the slaves as an ordinary ration, which sets St Helena sharply apart from England in 1729, where bohea carried a heavy duty and was drunk by those with money to spend on it. The island got it because the China ships passed every year and the storekeeper had it on the shelf.

The 56 lb of powder expended is a heavier month than November's 32 lb, and every ounce of it went on ceremony. Four salutes were fired, two for the arrival and departure of the Morice and one apiece for the muster and the departure of the Prince Frederick, and the guard burnt 7 lb in the ordinary course of duty. No alarm was raised in the whole month, the first such quiet since the island went back onto a war footing in March 1729.

The gun classes in the salutes are worth reading. A demi-culverin, saker, minion, three pounder and falcon descend in that order by weight of shot, and the Morice drew the largest and most varied discharge, taking in a demi-culverin, a saker, two minions, two three pounders and three falcons for her nine guns. The Prince Frederick got four falcons and nothing heavier on going out, the lightest pieces on the line.

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314

Neat Cattle

Bullocks / Cowes / Heifers / Steers / Yearlings / Calves / Bulls / Totall

Sheep

Ewes / Wethers / Lambs / Rams / Totall

Goates

Ewes / Wethers / Kidds / Rams / Totall

Hogs

Sowes / Shoates / Barrows / Boars / Pigs / Totall

Poultry

Turkies / Fowles / Ducks / Geese

Horses

Horses / Mares / Totall

Remains 1st December

Bullocks 76

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 56

Bulls 4

Totall 307

Ewes 84

Wethers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 143

Ewes 301

Wethers 105

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 568

Sowes 18

Shoates 21

Barrows 28

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 114

Turkies 55

Fowles 55

Ducks 21

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 4

Totall 9

Encreased from 1st to 31st Decr

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 12

Bulls 0

Totall 12

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 47

Wethers 30

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 77

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 16

Ducks 6

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 76

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 319

Ewes 84

Wethers 32

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 143

Ewes 348

Wethers 135

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 645

Sowes 18

Shoates 21

Barrows 28

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 114

Turkies 55

Fowles 71

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 4

Totall 9

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 1

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Wethers 1

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Wethers 6

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 6

Sowes 2

Shoates 5

Barrows 4

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 11

Turkies 8

Fowles 24

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 75

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 318

Ewes 84

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 142

Ewes 348

Wethers 129

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 639

Sowes 16

Shoates 16

Barrows 24

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 103

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 4

Totall 9

Sold to Ship Morice in ditto

Bullocks 3

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 3

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kidds 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 72

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 315

Ewes 84

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 142

Ewes 348

Wethers 129

Kidds 156

Rams 6

Totall 639

Sowes 16

Shoates 16

Barrows 24

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 103

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 4

Totall 9

Goates Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 77

Kidds 77

Rams 0

Totall 77

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 72

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 315

Ewes 84

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 142

Ewes 348

Wethers 129

Kidds 79

Rams 6

Totall 562

Sowes 16

Shoates 16

Barrows 24

Boars 5

Pigs 42

Totall 103

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 4

Totall 9

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kidds 14

Rams 0

Totall 14

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 12

Totall 12

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 1

Totall 1

Remd 31st Decr

Bullocks 72

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 315

Ewes 84

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 142

Ewes 348

Wethers 129

Kidds 65

Rams 6

Totall 548

Sowes 16

Shoates 16

Barrows 24

Boars 5

Pigs 30

Totall 91

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations

26,800 lb

Ditto delivered the Fort Blacks

3400

Ditto the Great Wood ditto

3800

Totall Yams

38,000 lb

The stock account for the Company's livestock covering the month to 31 December 1729 was set out in movement rows, each class of animal carried across in turn.

Remaining 1 December 1729: 76 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 56 calves, 4 bulls, 307 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 143 sheep in all; 301 does, 106 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, 568 goats in all; 18 sows, 21 shoats, 28 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 114 hogs in all; 55 turkeys, 55 fowls, 21 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 4 mares, 9 horses in all

Increased from 1 to 31 December 1729: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 12 calves, 0 bulls, 12 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 47 does, 30 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 77 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 16 fowls, 6 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 76 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 319 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 32 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 143 sheep in all; 348 does, 135 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, 645 goats in all; 18 sows, 21 shoats, 28 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 114 hogs in all; 55 turkeys, 71 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 4 mares, 9 horses in all

Killed in the month: 1 bullock, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 1 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 1 wether, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 1 sheep in all; 0 does, 6 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 6 goats in all; 2 sows, 5 shoats, 4 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 11 hogs in all; 8 turkeys, 24 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 75 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 318 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 142 sheep in all; 348 does, 129 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, 639 goats in all; 16 sows, 16 shoats, 24 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 103 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 4 mares, 9 horses in all

Sold to the ship Morice in the month: 3 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 3 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 72 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 46 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 315 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 142 sheep in all; 348 does, 129 wethers, 156 kids, 6 rams, 639 goats in all; 16 sows, 16 shoats, 24 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 103 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 4 mares, 9 horses in all

Goats cut and grown in the month: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 77 wethers, 77 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 72 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 315 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 142 sheep in all; 348 does, 129 wethers, 79 kids, 6 rams, 562 goats in all; 16 sows, 16 shoats, 24 barrows, 5 boars, 42 pigs, 103 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 4 mares, 9 horses in all

Dead in the month: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 14 kids, 0 rams, 14 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 12 pigs, 12 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 1 mare, 1 horse in all

Remaining 31 December 1729: 72 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 315 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 142 sheep in all; 348 does, 129 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 548 goats in all; 16 sows, 16 shoats, 24 barrows, 5 boars, 30 pigs, 91 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Yams expended at the several plantations, 26,800 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 3,400 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 3,800 lb

Total yams, 38,000 lb

Interpretations

The yam issue leapt from 10,050 lb in November 1729 to 38,000 lb, and the potatoes drawn from the Great Wood vanish from the account altogether. The new crop has come in. The same recovery happened a year earlier, when the issue rose from 2,100 lb in November 1728 to 38,000 lb in December 1728, and the potato was there in both years to carry the island across the gap between harvests.

The goat herd shows a kidding season in full flow. 47 does and 30 wethers were entered as increase, and 77 kids were then cut and grown into the wether class, which is the point at which young males are castrated and reclassified. That reclassification is why the herd falls from 645 to 562 without a single animal leaving the island: the same beasts are simply counted under another head. The 14 kids dead are the ordinary loss of a birthing month.

Twelve pigs died in the month, a heavy loss against a herd of 103, and the hogs close at 91 against 114 at the start. Eleven more were killed for the table. December lies in the island's early summer, and the timing suggests a sickness in the sties rather than any deliberate slaughter, since the killed animals are entered separately.

Three bullocks went to the Morice, matching exactly the three sold to the Prince Frederick in November 1729. Both vessels arrived with no supply whatever for the island, and both left with beef aboard. At the price the council fixed on 17 December 1729, no islander could sell beef below twenty-five shillings the hundredweight, so the Company's own stock and the inhabitants' cattle were now selling into the same protected market.

The mare lost from the stud brings the Company's horses down to eight, the lowest figure in the run. One horse was sold to Captain Alexander in November 1729 and now a mare has died, so a stud that stood at 10 head two months ago has lost a fifth of its number without a single foal to replace it.

339

315

Expence of the Table in the Month of Decr 1729 Vizt

43 Gallons Arrack

13 12 4

½ Gallons Vinegar

5

40 lb Bread

10

190 lb Flour

2 7 6

17 Gallons Port

6 11 9

20 ditto Sherry

7 15

20 ditto Strong Beer

1 10

1 Bottle Sweet Oyle

5 5

92 lb Sugar

2 7

4 Bushells Salt

18

6 lb Pepper

5

540 lb Beef

8 1 4

1 Pork

1 4

6 Goates

6

26 Turkies

2 8

24 Fowles

1 16

13 lb Butter

10

31 Dozn Greens

1 11

63 Quarts Milk

1 8

Expence of the Table in Decr 1729

55 10 6

24½ Gallons Arrack delivered the Blacks

7 16 9

2 Ditto do the Guards Smiths Coops &c It being necessary to have at Times

2 10 6

100 lb Sugar do the Guards & Blacks

2 12 6

16 lb Wax Candles

1 16.-

10 lb Soap

13 10

155 9

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 15 Janry 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour Reports that One of the Hon ble Comps Black Sattures Named Lewis

died last Week

Order'd that he be Entered in the Journall

The Petition of James Taylor was presented praying to be accepted Tenant for about

half an Acre of the Hon ble Comps Wast Land Adjoyning to other of his Land Situated

in Sandy Bay

Granted & Mr Gardiner is order'd to Measure the Same

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The expense of the general table for December 1729 was set out under its several articles.

43 gallons of arrack, £13 12s 4d

2 gallons of vinegar, £0 5s 0d

40 lb of bread, £0 10s 0d

190 lb of flour, £2 7s 6d

17 gallons of port, £6 11s 9d

20 gallons of sherry, £7 16s 0d

20 gallons of strong beer, £1 10s 0d

1 bottle of sweet oil, £0 0s 5.5d

92 lb of sugar, £2 7s 0d

4 bushels of salt, £0 18s 0d

6 lb of pepper, £0 0s 5d

640 lb of beef, £8 1s 4d

1 hog, £1 4s 0d

6 goats, £2 8s 0d

26 turkeys, £1 16s 0d

24 fowls, £0 10s 0d

13 ducks, £1 11s 0d

21 days' greens, £1 1s 8d

63 quarts of milk, £1 1s 8d

Total expense of the table in December 1729, £55 16s 6d

24.5 gallons of arrack delivered to the slaves, £7 16s 9d

3 gallons of arrack delivered to the guards, the smiths, the coopers and the carpenters, the weather being uncommonly wet at times, £2 10s 6d

100 lb of sugar delivered to the guards and the slaves, £2 12s 6d

16 lb of wax candles, £1 16s 0d

10 lb of soap, £0 13s 10d

Grand total, £71 5s 9d

At a consultation held on Tuesday 13 January 1730 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported the death of Catherine, one of the Company's slave women, at the Great Wood, and the council ordered it entered in the journal.

Samuel Taylor petitioned to become tenant of about half an acre of the Company's waste land in Sandy Bay, lying next to his own ground. The council granted it and ordered Mr Goodwin to measure the parcel. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The wet-weather arrack allowance now runs into December, a month lying in the island's early summer. The customary issue on account of cold and rain belongs to the southern winter, and it ran heavily from May through September 1729, reaching 17 gallons in July. Its appearance again in November and December, with the account expressly noting the weather uncommonly wet at times, points to an unusually prolonged wet season. The sheep flock lost six ewes and six lambs together in September 1729 for the same reason, and twelve pigs died in December 1729.

The table bill of £55 16s 6d is the heaviest since June 1729, when seven Indiamen lay in the road and the figure reached £68 0s 0.5d. Two ships called in December, the Prince Frederick leaving on 11 December 1729 and the Morice arriving on 17 December 1729, and the poultry entries tell the story: 26 turkeys, 24 fowls and 13 ducks went to the table in a single month. Commanders and their officers were entertained ashore, and the fort fed them from its own yard.

Wax candles at £1 16s 0d against tallow at a fraction of the price mark the difference between light for the council chamber and light for the guardroom. Wax burned clean and without smell, and it was the expensive choice, reserved for the rooms where the Governor received visitors.

340

316

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 20th January 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Gardiner Reports that he has Measured the Land lately Petitioned for by

Jonathan Higham Junr lying in Sandy Bay Valley & that so long the Land will not be

prejudicial to the Company & preserved the said Higham do not Enclose the head of

the Spring therein Arising, & that the said Parcell of Land contains four Acres

Order'd that a Lease be prepared accordingly & that a Clause be therein inserted to

oblige the said Higham to leave the head of the Spring open for the benefit of the Neighbourhood

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 27th January 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On the 22d instant We had a Single Allarm for a Ship that pass'd by to the Westward

We this day Executed a Lease to Jonathan Higham Junr for four Acres Land lying in

Sandy Bay Valley at the yearly Rent of five Shillings p Acre, & for the Customary Dutys of

Twenty Six Goates

John Bagsley Junr Petitioned for leave to go to Bencoolen by the next Free Ship & his

Father having given his Consent thereto We granted his Request

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 3d February 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Cast the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall & folio 40 & Vizt&c

The Inhabitants being Assembled to the Number of Fifty One at a Vestry held at the Country

Church on Tuesday last & having this taken into Consideration the great Scarcity of Wood &

the destruction that is daily made thereof by their Goates & Sheep p'ceeded to have them all taken

within the Company & how Goats & such thereto had anything the said Daughter being just to

this Vote it was carried by a Majority of Same to One & this day they presented the following

Petition Vizt

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr & Councill

The humble Petition of the Inhabitants Assembled at the Country

Church Most humbly Sheweth

That Whereas Your Petrs to their great Concern have Considered the ill State and

At a consultation held on Tuesday 20 January 1730 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the land recently petitioned for by Jonathan Higham junior, lying in Sandy Bay Valley, and that the neighbourhood would take no harm from a grant. He set out that the parcel contained four acres, and that no water course ran through it. The council ordered a lease prepared, with a clause binding Higham to leave the head of the spring open for the benefit of the neighbouring land. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 27 January 1730 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

A single alarm was raised on the 22nd of the month for a ship that passed to the westward.

The council executed a lease to Jonathan Higham junior for four acres in Sandy Bay Valley, at the yearly rent of five shillings an acre and the customary duty of sixty goats.

John Bagley junior petitioned for leave to go to Bencoolen by the next ship, his father having given his consent. The council granted the request. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 3 February 1730 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

The council paid the garrison for the past month, as entered in the journal at folio 42.

The inhabitants had assembled at the country church on the previous Tuesday, to the number of fifty or thereabouts, having been called together to consider the great scarcity of wood. They had taken into consideration the destruction that daily arose from the goats and hogs allowed to run at large within the Company's fence, and the goats had been put to a vote. The proposal carried by a majority of four to one, and that day the inhabitants presented the following petition to Governor Edward Byfield and the council. The humble petition of the inhabitants assembled at the country church set out that the great concern of the island had brought them to consider its state and condition. [...]

Interpretations

Sixty goats a year as a rent duty is a striking figure for four acres. The customary lease on the island ran at four or five shillings an acre with a token duty attached, often a hen or a shilling, and George Wrangham's ninety-acre lease of 11 October 1726 carried a duty of one hen. Sixty goats is a substantial obligation, and it belongs with the council's whole campaign to defend the Company's stock, the herd having been mauled by dogs in January 1729 and grazed illegally on the Chapel Valley range through the summer of 1728.

An open spring head written into a lease is the council protecting a common resource against a private grant. Water was the island's constant anxiety, and the commission of 1 April 1729 found the springs at Chubb's Spring reduced to less than a fifteenth of what older residents remembered. The Governor had proposed on 15 May 1729 to bring water from Chapel Valley to the plantations. Granting a tenant land that contained a spring head without securing access for his neighbours would have handed him control of their supply.

The inhabitants meeting at the country church to vote on the goats marks something new in the record. The council's wood policy had run for four years on advertisements, surveys, summonses and fines, and the survey of 10 November 1729 named sixteen defaulters, several so poor that ready money was beside the point. What the inhabitants have now done is identify the cause the council never acted on: the animals themselves. The wood survey of 10 November 1729 records tenant after tenant whose planting was destroyed by cattle and goats through defective fencing, and John Thwaites's whole holding came to half an acre newly planted, what grew before having been eaten.

Speculations

The council could have granted Higham his four acres outright, as it had granted parcel after parcel through the run without any qualifying condition. Captain Goodwin had already reported the ground harmless to the neighbourhood and free of any water course running through it. Instead the council wrote a covenant into the lease reserving the spring head for the neighbours, which is a restriction on a grant that its own surveyor had just cleared. The reason lies in what the survey did not say: no water course ran across the land, but a spring rose on it, and the difference between a stream that passes through and a source that sits within is the difference between a tenant who cannot affect his neighbours and one who can cut them off entirely. The council saw the distinction and refused to let the grant carry the water with it.

341

317

Condition of this Island in the great Want of Wood & its daily going to Decay which if

not prevented will inevitably be the Ruin of this Place, That notwithstanding the great

Care & Diligence of Your Petrs in Planting & Setting Wood in the proper Seasons their

Labours are entirely lost by the Goates & Sheep (which are now very numerous) by breaking in

upon their Lands & destroying the Wood as well as being distructive to all the Growing Wood

that comes up yearly in the out Parts of this Island, & Your Petrs therefore humbly Pray

that all the Goates & Sheep upon this Island may be destroyed for the Term of Ten Yeares from

the time they are all destroyed in which time Your Petrs hope this Island will recover to its

primitive Covering of Wood, And to Allow two Years time for the destroying of the Goates

& Sheep

Your Petrs humbly present the Premises to Your Worships & Councills mature

Consideration, & if so happy to meet with Your Approbation That esteem it a Mark of

Your Favour to Your Petrs & their Posterity, Further more & Your Petrs Request

that those People that have Ranges of Goates &ca they may be Entitled to them by being

Registred & to have the Priviledge of their Ranges at the Expiration of the Term in order

to raise fresh Stocks of Goates & Sheep again. And Your Petrs as in Duty bound Shall

ever Pray

Janry 20 1729

Joseph Bates

Isaac Wood

John Bagley

Giles Smith

Thos Harper

Mary Storme

Jonl Higham Junr

Benjn Stedger

John Michaeles

John Deefountain

John Bagley Junr

William Werrat

Orlando Bragley Junr

Orlando Bragley Junr

Solomon Coverly

Evan Loomes

Jno Dowston

Rich'd Beale

Evan Wrangham

John Player

Charles Stewart

Benjn Leech

Isaac Leech

Sutton Slacke

John Knipe

Richd Long

Elizth Mabih

Joseph Whaley Junr

James Ruffer

John Seale

Richd Tingley

John Coach

Joseph Hayes

Saml Sydny

Jno Deefountaine

James Harding

Thos Wills

John Worrall

John Freeling

Grace Hayes

Frans Lounge

Severall Persons having either Opposed the Motion for

killing the Goates & Sheep or Refused to Sign any Petition for that Purpose the Question

was put to the Vote & carried for the Affirmative by a Majority of Forty One against

the Eleven Persons following who either Refused to Sign the aforesaid Petition or

Opposed the killing of Goates & Sheep Vizt

William Seale

Joshua Johnson

Edmund & Nicholls

Thos Greentree

Richard Goodwin

Robert Bunting

Richard Mason

Stephen Luffkin Senr

Matthew Mudge

John Bowyer

John Bradley

The said Petition being read Mr Alexander & Mr Goodwin who have each of them large

Stocks of Goates were asked if they were willing they Should be all killed & they very readily

Consented being Sensible that no other master thereby would be effectual to Raise Wood for

Sufficient Stocks & as We are perfectly convinced that the of all the Islands that have possibly be

restrained little to Preserve the Oak for which it is designed is the best We have already thereto

& as an Encouragement to others to do what a possible & Inconveniency which in high Probability

will be attended with great Advantage to the present as well as future Generations We have

determined to hazard the Hon ble Comps Stock of Goates & Sheep except Such tame Sheep as are

kept in Pasture with the Cattle & in lieu thereof We will Endeavour to Raise Stocks of other Sorts

of Provision Sufficient for their Use & have also given leave that Such Persons as at present have

any Right or Interest in any Range of Goates or Sheep Shall have Liberty to Register the Same

& Shall be Entituled to the Same again at the Expiration of Ten Years, & Order that an Advertisement be Published to give Notice hereof & that all Persons Shall be Obliged to destroy

their Stocks of Sheep & Goates within two Years to be Computed from the first Instant

The petition of the inhabitants set out that the wood of the island was going daily to decay, and that unless the waste were prevented the place would inevitably be ruined. It reported that all the care and diligence they took in planting and setting wood in its proper season was thrown away by the goats and sheep, now very numerous, which broke into their land and destroyed the trees. The animals were equally destructive to the growing wood that came up naturally every year in the outlying parts of the island. The petitioners therefore asked that every goat and sheep on St Helena be destroyed, and that none be kept for a term of ten years from the time the destruction was completed. Within that period they hoped the island would recover its original covering of wood. They asked for two years to be allowed for the destruction of the animals.

The petitioners laid the proposal before the Governor and council for consideration, holding that its approval would be a mark of favour to them and to their posterity. They further asked that those who at present held ranges of goats be entitled to have them registered, and be given the privilege of the same range at the expiry of the term, so that fresh stocks of goats and sheep could be raised again.

The petition was dated 20 January 1730 and subscribed by the following.

Joseph Bates

Isaac Wood

John Bagley

Giles Smith

Thomas Harper

Mary Thorne

Jonathan Higham junior

Benjamin Pledger

John Thwaites

John Defountaine

John Bagley junior

William Warrall

Orlando Bagley junior

Orlando Bagley junior

Solomon Durling

Francis Loveing

Jonathan Doveton

Richard Beale

Francis Wrangham

John Boyer

Charles Steward

Ebenezer Leech

Isaac Leech

Sutton Marsh

John Knipe

Richard Long

Elizabeth Marsh

Joseph Whaley junior

James Ryder

John Seale

Richard Timpsley

John Teale

Joseph Hayse

Samuel Sydney

Joseph Defountaine

James Harding

Thomas Illis

John Worrall

John Girling

Grace Hayse

Francis Lounge

Several persons at the meeting refused to sign the petition, and the question of destroying the goats and sheep was put to the vote. The proposal carried by a majority of forty to eleven. The eleven who opposed the destruction were entered by name.

William Seale

Joshua Johnson

Edmund Nicholls

Thomas Greentree

Richard Goodwin

Robert Wellington

Richard Mason

Stephen Lufkin senior

Matthew Mudge

John Bowers

John Bradley

The petition was read to the council. Mr Alexander and Mr Goodwin, who kept large stocks of goats, declared that they were willing to have every animal killed if the others were content that no further stock should be raised. They were fully convinced that no other measure would effectively preserve the wood, and that sufficient stocks could be maintained in pasture with the cattle. They accepted that the true use of all the island's grounds was to answer the end for which the land was designed, and held it the best encouragement they could give to others to set an example. Their probability of success would be attended with great advantage to the present generation as well as to those who came after. The council therefore determined to kill the whole of the Company's stock of goats and sheep, except such tame ones as were kept in pasture with the cattle. It undertook to raise stocks of other sorts of provision sufficient for its own use, and gave leave that any person who at present had any range or interest in a range of goats or sheep should be at liberty to register the same, and be entitled to it again at the expiry of the ten years. The council ordered that notice be given accordingly, and that every person be obliged to destroy his stock of sheep and goats within two years, to be reckoned from the first of September next.

Interpretations

The council had spent four years attacking the wood problem from the wrong end. Every measure since the survey of 17 January 1727 had fallen on the tenants: advertisements, summonses, fines from one shilling to fifty, a threatened penalty on lease renewal published on 16 March 1728 and never enforced, and the survey of 10 November 1729 that named sixteen defaulters, several so poor that ready money was beside the point. The inhabitants have now told the council what its own surveys had been recording all along. The returns of 10 November 1729 show tenant after tenant whose planting was eaten: Ebenezer Leech, John Thwaites and John Bagley junior all lost their wood to cattle through defective fencing, and John Thwaites, the one man who took the policy seriously, had half an acre standing where a plantation should have been. The animals were destroying the wood faster than the fines could compel it to be planted.

Registering a range against the day the ban expires is what makes the scheme acceptable to men with stock. A range was an established grazing territory, and the Company had defended its own Chapel Valley range against intruders on 30 July 1728 on the ground that none but the Company had any right to it. By promising that a man's range would be restored to him after ten years, the council converts a confiscation into a suspension, and the owner loses the animals but keeps the asset.

Alexander and Goodwin were the two councillors with most to lose, and their declaration is the pivot of the whole business. The Company's own herd stood at 548 goats on 31 December 1729, the highest of the run after a year of careful recovery from the dog attacks of January 1729, and the council is now proposing to kill it. What Alexander and Goodwin ask in return is not compensation but symmetry: they will kill theirs if no one else raises any. The scheme only works if it is universal, since a single surviving flock would eat the young wood as surely as a hundred.

Speculations

The council had an obvious alternative on the page in front of it and passed it over. Eleven men voted against the killing, and the survey of 10 November 1729 had already established that the real damage came through broken fences rather than the mere existence of goats. Fencing was the standard remedy, and the council had used it before, binding John Thwaites by covenant under £40 0s 0d on 18 November 1729 to fence his new wood and keep goats and cattle out. A general order to fence, enforced by fines, would have cost the Company nothing and killed no stock at all. The council rejected it, and the reason lies in what the fencing covenants had actually produced: John Long's leasehold was unfenced, James Ryder's was unfenced despite twelve acres of wood standing on it, Sarah Bradley's was neither fenced nor planted, and the council itself had found several defaulters too poor for a fine to mean anything. Fencing had been ordered for four years and had failed for four years, because the men who most needed it were the men who could least afford it. Killing every animal on the island needed no capital, no labour and no compliance from the poor, and it was the only measure that did not depend on the cooperation of people who had already shown they would not cooperate.

342

318

The Petitions of John Bowers & Joseph Whaley Senr were presented the former praying

leave to Assign Such Lands as he holds by Lease of the Hon ble Company to Mr Jno Goodwin

the latter desiring to Assign Such Grounds as he holds by Lease of the Hon ble Company in

James's Valley to William Gate & We having Approved of the Same We gave them leave accordingly

& accept of the said Cross & Goodwin in their as Tenants for the Premisses

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4th February 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Sunday last We had two Allarms One about Six in the Morning & the other

about Noon for a Ship which bore away the other proved the Northern Capt Coffin

from Bengall but last from the Cape as Soon as he came on Shoar We delivered him the

Same Orders as We did to every Captain upon their Arrivall here, a Copy of which is

Entered in Our Consultation of the 17th of December last. The Supply he brought for

this Place is as follows Vizt

4 half Legrs Batavia Arrack Vizt

224 70

2. 72

3. 65

4. 60

262 Gallons

63 3 p Legr

185

46 Bags fine Rice p 92 bags Wt 4 C 3 Q 26 C 1 2 6 p Cwt

56 10

67 4 6

Batta 10 p Cent

61 10 6

10 Bags Isinglass Sugar 20th bag wt 4 C 3 Q 15 C 3 p bag

80

Charges Merchandize

Ps Bags & Sewing

12 10 0

Mullers & Salstage

3 7 3

Boathire

1.-.-

17 1 6

Rupees

284 6

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered in each their Monthly

Accounts for January last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follows

Vizt

Gunners Stores Expended in January 1729 Vizt

Guns Sacres Minion Powder

1729

Janry 3

Musters Day

Guns 0

Sacres 0

Minion 0

Powder 8½

22

An Allarm for a Ship that pass'd by

Guns 4

Sacres 2

Minion 2

Powder 7

Expence of the Guards

Guns 0

Sacres 0

Minion 0

Powder 8

Cartridge Paper for ditto 1 Quire

Cross Bar Shot delivered the Smith 1

Serge & Barrell

Match 11

Guns 4

Sacres 2

Minion 2

Powder 23½

John Bowers and Joseph Whaley senior each brought a petition before the council. Bowers asked leave to assign the lands he held by lease from the Company to Richard Goodwin, and Whaley asked leave to assign the ground he held by lease from the Company to William Gaa. Both assignments were approved, and Richard Goodwin was accepted tenant for both parcels. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 10 February 1730 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

Two alarms were raised on the previous Sunday, one at about six in the morning and the other about noon. The first was for a ship that bore away. The second proved to be the Heathcote, Captain Tolson, from Bengal, last from the Cape. Her commander came ashore and the council delivered him the same orders it gave to every captain on arrival, a copy of which was entered in the consultation of 17 December last. Her supply for the island stood as follows.

4 half leaguers of Batavia arrack: 70 gallons, 72 gallons, 60 gallons, 60 gallons, 262 gallons in all at 6s 3d per gallon, 126 rupees

46 bags of fine rice, 92 maunds 4 seers, at 3 rupees 9 annas per maund, 66 rupees 10 annas

Batta to the pieces, 61 rupees 10 annas 6 pies

10 bags of Tresundee sugar, 20 maunds at 8 rupees the bag, 80 rupees

Charges merchandise

56 bags and sewing, 12 rupees 10 annas 0 pies

Muttery and salt bags, 3 rupees 7 annas 3 pies

Boat hire, 1 rupee 0 annas 0 pies

Total charges merchandise, 17 rupees 1 anna 6 pies

Total, 284 rupees 6 annas 0 pies

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for January, which the council examined and approved. They stood as follows.

The gunner's account of stores expended in January 1730 was signed, the columns of the table being headed for guns, sakers, falcons and powder.

3 January 1730, muster day: 0 guns fired, 0 sakers, 0 falcons, 8.5 lb of powder

22 January 1730, an alarm for a ship that passed by: 4 guns fired, 2 sakers, 2 falcons, 7 lb of powder

Expended by the guard: 0 guns fired, 0 sakers, 0 falcons, 8 lb of powder

Cartridge paper for the guard, 1 quire

Cross bar shot delivered to the smith, 1

Sheepskins, 0.25

Match, 11 lb

Total: 4 guns fired, 2 sakers, 2 falcons, 23.5 lb of powder

Interpretations

The Heathcote is the ship the whole quarrel of June 1729 turned on. Captain Osborn's dispatches of 22 February 1729 reported her sailing two days behind him and daily expected, and the council forbade six commanders to leave without her on 12 June 1729. They sailed the next morning regardless, and the council entered the exchange in the general letter as its only sanction. She has now arrived, nearly eight months late, and the vessels that were ordered to wait for her have long since reached England.

A maund runs to roughly 80 lb and a seer is a fortieth of it, both weights of the Bengal trade. Batta is the exchange allowance struck when accounts cross between rupee zones of different standards, and it appears here as a separate line of 61 rupees 10 annas 6 pies against a rice charge of 66 rupees 10 annas, which is a heavy adjustment on a small consignment. Muttery was a minor local charge levied on the goods, and a leaguer is a large cask, arrack being shipped in half leaguers of some 60 to 72 gallons apiece.

The alarm of 22 January 1730 cost 7 lb of powder and four guns fired, and the ship it was raised for simply passed by. The island has now been on a war footing since the Cadogan's packet of 3 March 1729, and the total expenditure of 23.5 lb of powder for the whole month of January is the lowest since the alarms began. The garrison is firing at strangers who never come near enough to identify.

343

319

Neat Cattle

Bullocks / Cowes / Heifers / Steers / Yearlings / Calves / Bulls / Totall

Sheep

Ewes / Wethers / Lambs / Rams / Totall

Goates

Ewes / Wethers / Kids / Rams / Totall

Hogs

Sowes / Shoates / Barrows / Boars / Pigs / Totall

Poultry

Turkies / Fowles / Ducks / Geese

Horses

Horses / Mares / Totall

Remains 1st January

Bullocks 72

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 315

Ewes 84

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 142

Ewes 348

Wethers 129

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 548

Sowes 16

Shoates 16

Barrows 24

Boars 5

Pigs 30

Totall 91

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Encreased in January

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 12

Bulls 0

Totall 12

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 72

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 79

Bulls 4

Totall 327

Ewes 84

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 142

Ewes 348

Wethers 129

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 548

Sowes 16

Shoates 16

Barrows 24

Boars 5

Pigs 30

Totall 91

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 4

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 4

Ewes 2

Wethers 5

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 7

Sowes 1

Shoates 1

Barrows 5

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 7

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 31 January

Bullocks 72

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 46

Calves 79

Bulls 4

Totall 327

Ewes 80

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 138

Ewes 346

Wethers 124

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 15

Shoates 15

Barrows 19

Boars 5

Pigs 30

Totall 84

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Potatoes delivered from the Great Wood Plantation to the Blacks 208 Bushell

The stock account for the Company's livestock covering the month to 31 January 1730 was set out in movement rows, each class of animal carried across in turn.

Remaining 1 January 1730: 72 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 315 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 142 sheep in all; 348 does, 129 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 548 goats in all; 16 sows, 16 shoats, 24 barrows, 5 boars, 30 pigs, 91 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Increased in January 1730: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 12 calves, 0 bulls, 12 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 72 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 79 calves, 4 bulls, 327 neat cattle in all; 84 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 142 sheep in all; 348 does, 129 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 548 goats in all; 16 sows, 16 shoats, 24 barrows, 5 boars, 30 pigs, 91 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Killed in the month: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 4 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 4 sheep in all; 2 does, 5 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 7 goats in all; 1 sow, 1 shoat, 5 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 7 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Remaining 31 January 1730: 72 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 79 calves, 4 bulls, 327 neat cattle in all; 80 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 138 sheep in all; 346 does, 124 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 541 goats in all; 15 sows, 15 shoats, 19 barrows, 5 boars, 30 pigs, 84 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Potatoes delivered from the Great Wood plantation to the slaves, 208 bushels

Interpretations

The yam issue has disappeared from the account entirely, and 208 bushels of potatoes from the Great Wood have taken its place. The same collapse happened a year earlier, when the yams vanished from the January 1729 account and 198 bushels of potatoes carried the slaves through. The old crop is exhausted and the new one still in the ground, and the potato is again the only thing standing between the Company's establishment and an empty store. This reliance on a root crop that England still regarded with suspicion in 1730 is the island's answer to poor soil and a five-week voyage from any supply.

Not a single animal was sold to shipping in the month, and the Heathcote did not arrive until 8 February 1730. Two vessels called in December 1729 and took three bullocks apiece, but January passed without a ship, and the killing of 4 ewes, 7 goats and 7 hogs went to the island's own table.

The goat herd stands at 541 and the sheep at 138, and both are now under sentence. The inhabitants voted on 20 January 1730 by forty to eleven to destroy every goat and sheep on St Helena, and the council resolved to kill the Company's own stock along with theirs, allowing two years from 1 September next for the work. The order reaches the tame flocks the council could count. The animals ranging loose in the island's broken interior were another matter, and the ban on keeping stock for ten years assumed a clearance that no one on the island had the means to carry through.

344

320

Expence of the Table in January 1729 Vizt

236 lb Pork

5 18

4 Sheep

4 16

7 Goates

3 10

7 lb Butter

7

31 Dozn Greens

1 11

63 Bowles Milk

1 8

53 Gallons Arrack

16 15 8

1½ Gallons Vinegar

3 9

330 Bread

8 3

156 lb Flour

1 13 3

149 lb Sugar

3 16 6

10 Gallons Port

3 17 6

26 ditto Sherry

11 4 9

4 lb Pepper

4

18 Gallons Beer

1 7

3 Bushells Salt

13 6

61 9 10

7¾ Gallons Arrack delivered the Blacks the Weather being wett

2 9 1

31 lb Sugar delivered ditto

15 6

12 lb Candles

1.4.-

10 lb Soap

10.10

4 19 5

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &c

from the 1st to the 31 of January 1729 Vizt

466 lb Sugar

11 8

33 lb Candy

1 12

1 Cash Beef

13

4 Ps Long Cloth

4 17 4

4 Ps Challas

2

2 Patna Chints

3 7 6

46 oz China Silk

7 6

7½ doz Coat Buttons

4 6

18½ doz brown Mantel Thread Buttons

3

12 Shirt Buttons

1 8

4 Skains Silk Mohair

4 9

19 ditto Mohair

2 16 3

7½ lb Whited brown Thread

7

7 lb ditto

1 9

6½ ditto

16 4

4 oz Twine Thread

9

6 ditto

3 6

0 ditto

4

2 ditto

5 8

1 do

6 10

1 do

8 8

1 do

9 3

The expense of the general table for January 1730 was set out under its several articles.

236 lb of pork, £5 18s 0d

4 sheep, £4 16s 0d

7 goats, £3 10s 0d

7 lb of butter, £0 7s 0d

31 days' greens, £1 11s 0d

62 bowls of milk, £1 1s 8d

53 gallons of arrack, £16 15s 8d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 3s 9d

331 lb of bread, £8 3s 0d

156 lb of flour, £1 18s 3d

149 lb of sugar, £3 16s 6.5d

10 gallons of port, £3 17s 6d

29 gallons of sherry, £11 4s 9d

4 lb of pepper, £0 0s 4d

18 gallons of beer, £1 7s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

Total expense of the table in January 1730, £61 9s 10d

7.5 gallons of arrack delivered to the slaves, the weather being wet, £2 9s 1d

31 lb of sugar delivered to the slaves, £0 15s 6d

12 lb of candles, £1 4s 0d

10 lb of soap, £0 10s 10d

Grand total, £4 19s 5d

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants ran from 1 to 31 January 1730.

466 lb of sugar, £11 8s 0d

33 lb of candy, £1 12s 0d

1 cask of beef, £0 13s 0d

4 pieces of long cloth, £4 17s 4d

4 pieces of chelloes, £2 2s 0d

2 pieces of Patna chintz, £3 7s 6d

46 oz of china silk, £0 7s 6d

7.5 dozen of coat buttons, £0 4s 6d

18.5 dozen of brown mould thread buttons, £0 3s 0d

19 shirt buttons, £0 1s 8d

4 skeins of silk and hair, £0 4s 9d

19 skeins of mohair, £2 16s 3d

17.5 lb of whited brown thread, £0 1s 7d

7.5 lb of whited brown thread, £1 4s 4d

6.5 lb of whited brown thread, £0 0s 9d

4 oz of twine thread, £0 3s 6d

6 oz of twine thread, £0 0s 4d

9 oz of twine thread, £0 5s 5d

2 oz of twine thread, £0 5s 8d

1 oz of twine thread, £0 6s 10d

1 oz of twine thread, £0 8s 8d

1 oz of twine thread, £0 9s 3d

Interpretations

Chelloes were plain blue cotton cloths woven on the Coromandel coast, cheap and hard-wearing, and they served the same purpose on the island as coarse linen did in England. Patna chintz came from the Bengal interior and was a printed and painted cotton of a finer grade, brought home in the Company's Bengal cargoes and sold at several times the price of the plain cloth. Mohair here means the silk-and-goat-hair twist used for coat buttonholes and trimming, and it is the most expensive line on the fragment at £2 16s 3d. The buttons, thread and skeins together show the inhabitants making up their own clothes from the store's materials rather than buying garments ready-made.

Twenty-nine gallons of sherry against ten of port is an unusual ratio, and the sherry alone came to £11 4s 9d, the heaviest article on the table account after the arrack. Both wines were fortified and travelled well, but sherry came through the Iberian trade and reached the island only by way of England or the Cape, which made it a marker of what the fort's table was drinking when a ship had lately called.

The wet-weather arrack allowance appears yet again, at 7.5 gallons, and the account states plainly that the weather was wet. That issue now runs unbroken from November 1729 through January 1730, all of it high summer in the southern hemisphere. The southern winter allowance ran from May to September 1729, so the island has effectively had rain across two seasons, which explains the deaths among the sheep in September 1729 and the pigs in December 1729.

345

321

Brought over

2 8

12 lb Coloured Thread

8

15½ Yds Twisting

8 2

600 Pins

8

250 do ditto

4 10½

1 M ditto

1 4

4 Ps Tape

4

9 ditto

11 3

1 Ps Ribbon

12 6

3 Yards ditto

3 9

1 ditto

1 4

2 Silk Lace

1 8

2 Twistings Skein

7 10

2 Silverd Bodystring

10

16 Ps Royalls

2 6

10 Yards Cambrick

2 6

28 Thimbles

3 8

4 Ivory Combs

3

1 ditto

1 9

6 Spoons

2 6

1½ doz Plate

1 9 6

1½ ditto

1 16 3

1 Dish

3

1 Bason

8 9

20 Ps Sky Lace

6 6

10 lb Whited ditto

6 6

25 Yards Holland Braid

3 19 2

16½ lb Nailes Sortes

7 6

1 Shoe Brush

6

2 Tinning Dishes

1

2 Skimming ditto

1

1 Bowls

6

1 hair Broom

8 7

1 White Wash Brush

1 6

2 Paint Brushes

10

2 Gray Sorts

12

1 Broaken ditto Cyder

16 0

3 Tortoise Enchainee

10

10 Shee Tinner

10

1 Butcheors Knife

6 6

1 Brush handle Knife

6

2 Turning Knives

9 8

1 Cag of Raisins & Corks No 7

1 19 6

1 Grate

9 10

6 Travells

12 6

1 Piering Chisel

1 6

1 Reading ditto

1 6

1 Shoot brick

2 6

2 Saying Sawes 1 1½

8 8

1 Sheffer Lock

12 6

1 Silver

1 4

2 Multiforae

6 6

1 Sifehohuts

5 5

1 Maul no 18d

3

14 Ps Slings & No 1

18 6

4 ditto 2

9 4

1 Cord Iron with 20 Ribs

12 8

2 Shoe Shovels

17 6

6 Twine Sacks

15

Totall to Inhabts

81 7 6½

Honble Comps Blacks

lb Tea

6 6

14 doz hooks Sortes

6 3 8

27 lb Rope

6 13 6

10 Oz China Silk

1 6

6 Skain Mohair

1 6

1 4 2

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum brought over, and the remaining goods sold to the inhabitants were entered.

12 lb of coloured thread, £0 3s 8d

15.5 yards of ferreting, £0 5s 2d

600 pins, £0 0s 8d

250 pins, £0 4s 10.5d

1 dozen pins, £0 1s 4d

4 pieces of tape, £0 0s 4d

9 pieces of tape, £0 11s 3d

1 piece of ribbon, £0 12s 6d

3 yards of ribbon, £0 3s 9d

1 piece of ribbon, £0 1s 4d

2 silk laces, £0 1s 8d

2 gunnery [...], £1 13s 6d

2 pieces of quilting, £0 10s 0d

67 pieces of royalty, £0 2s 6d

10 yards of garting, £0 6s 6d

28 thimbles, £0 3s 8d

4 ivory combs, £0 3s 8d

1 ivory comb, £0 1s 9d

6 spoons, £0 2s 6d

1.5 dozen plates, £1 4s 6d

1.5 dozen plates, £1 16s 3d

1 dish, £0 6s 0d

1 basin, £0 3s 9d

20 pieces of shot lead, £0 6s 9d

10 lb of milled lead, £0 6s 6d

26 yards of Holland duck, £3 19s 2d

6.5 lb of nails of sorts, £7 0s 6d

1 shoe brush, £0 0s 6d

2 turning dishes, £0 0s 1d

2 skimming dishes, £0 0s 1d

1 bowl, £0 0s 1d

1 hair broom, £0 3s 7.5d

1 white wash brush, £0 1s 6d

8 paint brushes, £0 0s 10d

2 goat skins, £0 12s 0d

1 brooch, £0 16s 0d

8 tortoiseshell snuff boxes, £0 10s 0d

10 shoe knives, £0 10s 0d

1 butcher's knife, £0 6s 6d

1 buck-handled knife, £0 3s 8d

2 turning knives, £0 19s 3d

1 case of razors and cork, number 7, £0 5s 10d

1 grate, £0 12s 6d

6 trowels, £0 1s 6d

1 [...] chisel, £0 1s 2d

1 heading chisel, £0 6s 8d

1 hand chisel, £0 6s 8d

2 saying [...], number 1,656, £12 6s 0d

1 stock lock, £0 1s 4d

1 tea set, £0 6s 6d

2 buck lines, £0 5s 5d

1 hatchet, £0 3s 0d

1 maul, number 15, £0 13s 6d

14 pieces of hinges, number 1, £0 9s 4d

14 pieces of hinges, number 2, £0 6s 8d

1 grid iron with 10 ribs, £0 7s 6d

3 shod shovels, £1 5s 0d

5 trace locks, £0 0s 0d

Total to the inhabitants, £81 7s 6.5d

The Honourable Company's slaves

1 lb of tea, £0 6s 8d

14 dozen hooks of sorts, £0 13s 6d

27 lb of rope, £0 1s 6d

10 oz of china silk, £0 1s 6d

6 skeins of mohair, £0 0s 0d

Total, £1 3s 2d

Interpretations

Ferreting was a narrow woven tape of silk or cotton used to bind seams and edges, and garting the tape from which garters were cut. Holland duck was a heavy plain linen from the Low Countries, made for sailcloth, boat covers and hard outdoor wear. Milled lead came in thin sheets for roofing and flashing, and shot lead was the raw metal from which musket balls were cast. The presence of both in a single month's retail account shows the island's householders repairing their own roofs and casting their own ammunition, since nothing arrived ready-made that could be made at home.

Fishing gear runs through the account under the head of the Company's slaves: 14 dozen hooks and 27 lb of rope. The fishing establishment dates from 1 March 1727, when Governor Byfield abolished the slaves' meat ration and replaced it with fish, and the storekeeper's accounts have carried lines, hooks and cordage in quantity ever since. This month's issue is modest against the 65 dozen lines of July 1729, but it is the same standing charge, and it is the reason the wet-weather arrack allowance matters so much: men who cannot put a boat out cannot be fed.

The total of £81 7s 6.5d to the inhabitants is a sharp fall from the £126 6s 4.5d of December 1729 and the £139 9s 3.25d of November 1729. No vessel touched the island through the whole of January 1730, and the retail side of the store tracks the anchorage more exactly than any other record. The heavy buying of the two previous months was the inhabitants stocking up while ships were in the road, and the quiet of January is the ordinary consequence of an empty bay.

346

322

Brought over

Plantation Dr

70 lb Nailes Sorted

2 7 6

12 lb Pitch

5 6

3 Gallons Tar

3 6

1160 lb Rice do for the Hoggs & Poultry

8 2

11 4

Charges General

10 lb Soap

12 10

1 lb Shee Thread

2 6

14 Yards Canvas

16 4

1 Gross Flannel

2 4

1 Copper Saw Ban

3 0

6 lb Brads

4 6

1 Screws

4 6

1½ Yds Red Silk

4 9½

4 doz Byrd Brooms

16 3

5 doz heath ditto

1 6

6 Broom Mopps

8

4 11 9¾

Garrison

12 Cattees Tea delivered the Guards

3 15

6 Gallons Rape Oyle do ditto

1 16

2 Quarts do Sold the Smith

3

6 11

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores ¼ Basin Tar

11 1½

Diet Expences

60 ¾ Gallons Arrack

19 4 9

1½ ditto Vinegar

3 9

60 lb Bread

8 6

153 lb Flour

1 13 3

130 lb Sugar

4 10 6

10 Gallons Port

3 17 6

2 do ditto Sherry

11 4 9

4 lb Pepper

4

12 lb Candles

1 4

18 Gallons Beer

1 7

3 Bushells Salt

10 6

44 15 9

149 9 7½

The Petitions of John Cary late Chief Mate of the Ship Morice, & Samuel Crafford Junr

Passenger on board the said Ship, who each of them lately Marred here, were presented, the

first the former desiring to Stay upon this Island till the Arrivall of the Storeship by

whom he proposes to take Passage with his Wife to India, the latter praying leave to

take his Wife off with him to England; & both their Petitions were Granted accordingly

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum brought over, and the remaining charges were entered under their several heads.

Plantation

70 lb of nails of sorts, £2 7s 6d

12 lb of pitch, £0 5s 6d

3 gallons of tar, £0 5s 6d

1,160 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £8 5s 6d

Total, £11 4s 0d

General charges

10 lb of soap, £0 12s 10d

1 lb of shoe thread, £0 2s 6d

14 yards of canvas, £0 16s 4d

1 yard of flannel, £0 2s 4d

1 copper saucepan, £0 3s 0d

6 rivets, £0 5s 6d

1 sponge, £0 2s 6d

1.5 yards of Bell silk, £0 2s 9.5d

4 dozen birch brooms, £0 16s 7.5d

5 dozen heath brooms, £1 0s 0d

6 brown mops, £0 8s 0d

Total, £4 11s 9.25d

Garrison

12 catties of tea delivered to the guards, £3 12s 0d

6 gallons of rape oil delivered to the guards, £1 16s 0d

2 quarts of rape oil delivered to the smith, £0 3s 0d

Total, £6 11s 0d

Naval, gunner's and garrison stores

0.25 barrels of tar, £11 1s 7.5d

Diet expenses

60.5 gallons of arrack, £19 4s 9d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 3s 9d

60 lb of bread, £0 8s 0d

153 lb of flour, £1 18s 3d

120 lb of sugar, £4 10s 0d

10 gallons of port, £3 17s 6d

29 gallons of sherry, £11 4s 9d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

12 lb of candles, £1 4s 0d

18 gallons of beer, £1 7s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 10s 6d

Total, £44 15s 9d

Grand total, £149 9s 7.5d

John Cary, late chief mate of the Morice, and Samuel Crawford junior, a passenger aboard the same ship, each brought a petition before the council. Both had lately married on the island. Cary asked to remain on St Helena until the arrival of the store ship, in which he proposed to take passage with his wife to India. Crawford asked leave to take his wife with him to England. The council granted both petitions. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

Two crewmen of the Morice marrying on the island within days of her arrival on 17 December 1729 and departure on 26 December 1729 is a striking thing, and the council's easy consent tells its own story. St Helena's free population was small and its women had few prospects beyond the island, so a passing officer with a berth to India or England was a genuine opportunity. The council raised no objection to either match and asked no security for the parish, which it had insisted on in other cases, notably on 18 October 1726 when Martha Bodly's child threatened a charge on the poor rate.

Birch and heath brooms in quantity, nine dozen between them, are a fort keeping itself swept, and the mops and soap belong with them. What makes the entry worth noting is that they are bought rather than made, on an island with a wood shortage so severe that the inhabitants had just voted to kill every goat and sheep on it. Broom-making needs only twigs and a handle, and the fact that the Company's store was importing them says something about how little loose timber remained to be cut.

Rape oil to the guards and the smith, six gallons and two quarts, was the ordinary lamp and lubricating oil of the establishment, pressed from oilseed rape and burnt in the guardroom through the night watches. Tar and pitch on the plantation account, together with a quarter barrel charged to the naval and gunner's stores, are the standing charge for keeping the fishing boats and the longboat sound. The boats mattered more than usual, the whole slave establishment having been fed on fish since 1 March 1727.

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At a Consultation held on Tuesday 17th Febry 1729 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Saturday last the Ships Morice & Northest Sailed hence for England

John Cary late Chief Mate of the Ship Morice being lately Married to Sheldon

youngest Daughter of George Higham deceased & having acquainted Us that

he is not able to procure any Accot of her Fortune from Mr Robt & Elizth

Powell brought in whose hands his Wife's said Fortune hath consequently ever

Since her Marriage & at Mary the Widow of the said George Higham his

Mother & Motion, he therefore desires to Enter an Action against them for

the Same that his Rights might be enquired into & decided by a Jury, &

Charles Powell & Mary Powell being this day present We acquainted them

therewith & Enquired of them that a Court would be held on Wednesday next

for the Tryall of this Affair, but they objecting that they could not being

Long asked they were asked if they could be ready by Tuesday next & they

they Answered they could & Agreed that the said Court Should be held

accordingly on Tuesday for the Decision of this Matter

The Petition of Ralph William Speake was Presented Saving forth that having

continued a very Season upon the Island he now here desires to return to his Native

Country the Inhabitants by Some of the herewith & bound Shiping & his Petition was

Granted accordingly

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Court of Judicature held on Tuesday 24th February 1729

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr & Judge

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

Assistants

The Court being Sett & the Jury called up Rich Beale was

going to the Bank he to Sweare & Duke Powell Challenged him & was asked for

what Reasons to which she Replyed that She could not Say any thing to the

Prejudice of Mr Beale but had proved that he had Spoken very disrespectfully

of the Mr Husband Powell however, this their Objection was Anything but

Ridiculous, We nevertheless to avoid giving the least handle or Pretence to

complain of Wrong & Injustice, & the said Wm Elliston Seale was put in his

Stead, & he brought to Joshua Johnson & his Reason for this was more idle

& Ridiculous than the former, The said that indeed She Believed upon her Word

Mr Johnson was a mighty honest Man & Yet indeed she had not Sacrament

in his Custody to hurt him upon the Jury that he has Sworn but she was aquainted

that he was not upon the Parents & thereupon the Sworn Jury that the had put

Joseph Joshua to the number line of Offences, She was then asked of the

accepted against any one else & She said She did not & her Challenge being

over the following Persons were Sworn of the Jury Vizt

John French

At a consultation held on Tuesday 17 February 1730 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

The Morice and the Heathcote sailed for England on the previous Saturday.

John Cary, late chief mate of the Morice, had lately married Hulda, the younger daughter of George Higham, deceased. He informed the council that he was unable to obtain any account of her fortune from the executors, Gabriel Powell and William Gaa. He set out that his wife's portion had come into their hands, and that they had passed it over to Mary, the widow of George Higham, on her second marriage. He therefore asked leave to bring an action against them, and the council directed that his right be tried by a jury. Charles Thomas and Mary Thomas attended that day, and the council informed them that a court would sit on the following Wednesday to try the matter. They objected that they could not have a jury ready by that date, and asked whether they might have until the Tuesday following, which they said would give time to gather one. The council agreed, and set the court for that Tuesday.

William Pledger petitioned the council, setting out that he had continued for many years upon the island and now wished to leave it and to seek his fortune elsewhere. He asked leave to sell his estate to the inhabitants, and to take passage by the first shipping. The council granted his petition. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a court of judicature held on Tuesday 24 February 1730, with Governor Edward Byfield sitting as judge and John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp as assistants, the court opened and the jury was called.

Richard Beale gave his reasons for objecting to William Powell as a juror. He explained that he had not laid any complaint against Powell, but had heard that Powell had spoken very disrespectfully of him. He set out that he had nevertheless made no wrong or injustice against him, and complained of wrong done to him. Beale objected to Joshua Johnson on the ground that he had heard him say that William Johnson was a mighty honest man, and that he had said as much on his own account to hurt him upon the day he had lost both his ears. Beale said that Johnson had made no answer upon the demand, and had held that the same jury that he had put through Joshua to the mastery time of dispute. The court then asked whether he objected against anyone else, and he said that he did not. No further challenge being made, the following persons were sworn of the jury.

John French

A note entered in the margin recorded that Beale had married Hulda, the woman on whose behalf the suit was brought, and that his daughter had been by her former husband John Thomas.

Interpretations

The suit turns on a widow's remarriage and what happens to a daughter's portion when it does. A portion was the share of a father's personal estate set aside for a child, and it was held in trust by the executors until the child came of age or married. Cary alleges that Powell and Gaa handed Hulda's portion to her mother when the mother took a second husband, which under the ordinary rule would have passed it to the new husband's control. The same difficulty produced the Goodwin case of 26 September 1728, where an infant's estate was held in trust by a widow and passed to another executor on her remarriage, and where the jury could establish nothing of what had become of it.

Gabriel Powell is the island's principal surveyor and valuer, foreman of the jury at the court of the peace of 26 July 1727 and at the general courts of 26 September and 9 November 1728. A man of that standing being sued as an executor for the loss of an orphan's portion is a rare thing in this record, and it explains why the court allowed a week's delay to assemble a jury rather than proceeding at once.

Challenging jurors for cause is the mechanism by which a small community keeps its courts usable. St Helena's free population ran to a few score adult men, and almost every one of them had some connection to every other. The court heard Beale's objections in open session, established that no complaint had been laid, and moved on. Without the challenge the same handful of men would sit on every panel and no verdict would ever be free of the suspicion of interest.

Speculations

The council might have heard Cary's claim itself, as it heard and settled Elizabeth Taylor's claim against George Wrangham's estate on 16 December 1729 without troubling a jury. It had the executors, Powell and Gaa, sitting within its own circle, and the sums would have been on the island's own books. Instead it sent the matter to a court of judicature and let a jury try it. The reason is on the page: one of the executors was Gabriel Powell, the man the council relied on to value every parcel of land and appraise every estate on the island. A council that decided in Powell's favour would have been deciding for its own valuer, and one that decided against him would have destroyed the credit of every appraisal he had ever sworn to. Handing the question to twelve sworn men put the verdict beyond the reach of that objection.

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John French Foreman

John Bagster

Isaac Wood

Jno Deefountain

Evan Wrangham

William Seale

Samuel Sydney

Orlando Bagley Senr

Robt Goodwin

Jacobs Rufflin

John Warrant

Sutton Slack

Then the four following Declarations & the Answer to them were read in the

Order they are Recited

To the Worshipfull Edwd Byfeild Esqr Govr & Councill

The humble Declaration & Complaint of John Goodwin Gent Sole

Executor of the last Will & Testament of Thomas Hodgkinson deceased against

Mary Powell Widow & Charles Steward Executors of the last Will & Testament

of Gabriel Powell deceased

Sheweth

That George Hodgkinson brought Cattle of the aforementioned Thos Hodgkinson

by his last Will & Testament bearing date the 27th day of February 1710 did give &

bequeath all the Estate of all kinds both real & personal except as & therein excepted in

equal Share Sort in Portions unto Mary his Wife & to four of his five Children that is

to Say Thomas & Joseph who died in his Infancy & Anne & the Wills note which his

said Wife Mary was then by to be equally divided amongst them within the Land&

youngest & the Sheweth each of Age or & to serve gained thereto with Weapon & that also

by his said Will did direct order & appoint that his Wife within the said last Comittee

Should take an exact Inventory of his Estate left at the time of his decease which was

then very considerable consisting in Land House Money Cattle Bread Cash Cloth

Slaves Goats Sheep Goates Swine Beer with Large Quantities of various Sorts of

Houshold Committee, & the aforesaid Land goods, & appointed that all with

Register the said Estate Should be kept together whole Timber & Improved for his

the Benefit & Advantage of his said Wife & Children, & did also further Charge

Direct & Require that his said Executors Should from time to time Make all times

thereafter keep a fair clear & exact Account of all Debts Bought Effects and

Disbursements Overcaps & Improvements made of & upon the said Estate

That the said Thomas Hodgkinson by his last Will & Testament bearing date the

6th day of January 1728 did give & bequeath to his own Complainant & to any three

an & Register the Eight Little Inherent Purposes Share Portion or Dividend & Pain

an & Register the Lands, & Tenements Goods & Chattells of all Every kind of Sort

that then were or thereafter Should belong become or descend to him the said Thomas

Hodgkinson or to him his heirs by Vertue of the last Will & Testament of his said & Catherine of

for the better Recovery Levying Sufferance & Payment & discharge of all Such Debts

or Sums of Money as he owed or Stood Indebted unto any Person or Persons

whatsoever at the time of his decease & the receipt of any to be paid & desired to his Wife

& Solute

That Your Complainant hath demanded an Account & the Payment & delivery

of the Complainer of the Goods of Gabl Powell deceased & an Account of all Your Daughter

Disbursements Overcaps & Improvements that have been made of & upon the said Estate

But notwithstanding this Injunction Orders & Directions of the deceased Geo Hodgkinson

to his said Executors to take an Inventory of all his Estate & to keep an exact

& fair Account of all the Particulars before mentioned yet the Wills of the deceased hath

been neglected & not Complyed with in any one Instance whatsoever there not being

But

The jury was sworn as follows.

John French, foreman

John Bagley

Isaac Wood

John Defountaine

Isaac Wrangham

William Seale

Samuel Sydney

Orlando Bagley senior

Richard Girling

Jacob Ryder

John Warrall

Sutton Marsh

The four following declarations, and the answers made to them, were read in the order in which they stood.

John Goodwin, gentleman, sole executor of the last will and testament of Thomas Hodgkinson, deceased, brought a complaint against Mary Terrell, widow, and Charles Steward, executor of the last will and testament of Gabriel Powell, deceased.

The complaint set out that George Hodgkinson, grandfather of the Hodgkinson named above, had by his last will and testament, dated 27 February 1710, bequeathed his whole estate, both real and personal, to his wife Mary Hodgkinson. She was to enjoy it during her natural life, and was to bring up his four children, Thomas, Susan, Joseph and John. The will further provided that if any of the children died in infancy, his share should be equally divided among the survivors. It directed that when Thomas came of age he was to receive his portion, and that the whole estate should then be divided among the surviving children. The complaint further set out that Mary Hodgkinson, after the death of her husband, was required to take an inventory of the estate left at the time of his death, which was then very considerable, consisting of land, houses, money, plate, brass, pewter, iron, slaves, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and large quantities of various sorts of household commodities. The estate was also further charged that all the property of the whole should be kept together, and whatever profits and improvements arose from it should be brought to the advantage of the wife and children. She was also required to keep a fair and just account of all debts brought in and paid, and of every improvement made by or upon the estate.

The complaint further set out that Thomas Hodgkinson, by his own last will and testament dated 6 January 1728, had given and bequeathed to the complainant to and to his own use and pleasure the right, title, interest, reversion, share, portion or dividend to him and his executors due to him from the tenements, goods and chattels of all every kind or sort that then were or thereafter should belong to or become due to him from the estate of Thomas Hodgkinson, in his own hands by virtue of the last will and testament of the said Hodgkinson, together with the payment and discharge of all such debts or sums of money as he owed or stood indebted, both by bond or otherwise, at the time of his death, and the reception of any such fortune to his wife Sarah.

The complaint further set out that the complainant had demanded an account and the payment and delivery of the property of the estate of Thomas Terrell, deceased, and an account of the profits and improvements that had been made of it, upon the estate of Thomas Hodgkinson deceased. It further set out that, notwithstanding the repeated orders and directions of the deceased Hodgkinson to his executors, to take an inventory of all the estate and to keep an exact and fair account of all the particulars before mentioned, yet the will of the deceased had been neglected and not complied with in any one particular whatsoever.

Interpretations

George Hodgkinson's will of 27 February 1710 is a standard device for keeping a modest estate intact through a widowhood and a minority. The widow takes a life interest and holds the whole together as a going concern, raising the children out of the profits, and the estate is broken up and divided only when the eldest son reaches full age. The mechanism depends entirely on the widow keeping accounts, because the children's shares are calculated on what the estate is worth at the division rather than on what it was worth when the father died. The inventory taken at the death is the baseline against which every later claim is measured, and the whole complaint here is that no such inventory was ever taken.

The estate itself is a good picture of what a comfortable islander owned in 1710. Plate was worked silver, and it was the ordinary way of holding wealth in a form that could be sold or pledged. Brass and pewter were the metal of the table and the kitchen, iron the metal of tools, and all three appear in the inventory because they held their value and could be counted. Slaves are entered among the goods along with the cattle, the sheep, the goats and the swine, which is precisely how the island's law regarded them, and the same categories run through the orphans court accounts rendered on 3 October 1727, 8 October 1728 and 11 October 1729.

An orphan's portion that passes through two wills and twenty years without a single account being rendered is the exact difficulty the Company had begun to legislate against. The eleventh paragraph of its general letter of 24 November 1727 was read in the Goodwin case at the general court of 26 September 1728, where a jury could establish nothing of what remained of an infant's estate or what had become of it. The orphans court, first held on 3 October 1727, exists precisely to force guardians to render written accounts every year, and this suit shows what happened before it existed.

Speculations

Goodwin could have pressed his claim against Mary Terrell alone, since she was the surviving trustee and the one who had actually held the property. Instead he joined Charles Steward, executor of Gabriel Powell, who is now dead. Powell had been the island's principal surveyor and valuer, the man who appraised nearly every estate that came before the council, and his own executor is now answering for an inventory that was never taken. Joining him makes sense only if Goodwin means to reach the assets rather than merely establish the wrong, since a widow twice married and twenty years on may have nothing left, while an estate as considerable as Powell's could satisfy a decree. The choice tells more about where the money is than about who committed the neglect.

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yet produced any Inventory or Account of what Lands & Tenements Goods &

Chattells Slaves Cattle Sheep Goates Swine or Houshold Furniture Cash

belong to the deceased George Hodgkinson at the time of his Death but hath been

industriously concealed with an evil design to defraud the Children of their

just & legall due.

That the said Mary Sole Exx of her deceased Husband Geo Hodgkinson

intermarried Soon after his death with Gabriel Powell also & Order which said

Marriage all the Goods & Chattells Lands & Tenements Slaves Cattle Sheep Goates

Swine with all Money Sort & parcell of the Estate late belonging to the said George

Hodgkinson deceased were & have been Possessed & Enjoyed & of him the said Gabriel

Powell & the Rents Profits & Improvements thereof have been converted & Employed

to Use the said benefit & Advantage of himself & his heirs & hath thereby been

enabled to make Large Remittance to England & to make Purchase of

Large Quantities of Lands all which he hath most unjustly & Wrongfully Appropriated

to himself as aforesaid to the Prejudice & Exclusion of the Rightfull Heirs of the said

deceased George Hodgkinson

That the said Exx to Prejudice & defeat the Right of Your Complainants

do most likely & Falsely Alledge that the said Thomas Hodgkinson dying before his youngest

Sister after Suffering & in Marriage he hath no Title & Attempt to or in any Part of

the said Estate but Your Complainant avers this to be Utterly false & Groundless &

to Refute it prays leave to Observe that the said deceased Thos Hodgkinson was Taken

& given also to the youngest Child, & that the said God & defeat in each destroy him

from his Share to the youngest Child Should come of Age only, & would not have

with a fatherly design to encourage each of their Sad Share which & Estate is divided would

have been considerably injured & that it was a very great Inconveniency, so him

to be deprived of the Estate Eleven Goats after he was & had Age up till it was more

hard to be kept and by it after he had actually Worked & Suffered himself in the

World, & most hard & extravagant it is to think or pretend that the Should not have

have a Right to the Reception when de becomes to me a great Passion for most of

his Dividend being paid to him in his life time but that Share & Portion is given him

by Will & Testament to him as freely as understood upon to the Non Children the neglect &

Sale & dispose of his Share in this Estate in the Same manner as he might Give or

dispose of his Right or Interest to the Duration of any other Estate, & that this was

the Will Meaning Intent & Design of the deceased Father & the deceased is very

plain to demonstration because the Legacy of & Lands he Says that if either of

the Children to whom he gave had a Share Should die before the youngest come to

Age the Survivors Should have the benefit of the said & Lands but they did not

be talk or reason the disposition of any other Part of the Estate which, doubtless he

he would have done if he had any Such design & could not fail to have done so if he

had meant any Such thing & yet he did more naturally & Just into the Consideration

of it by the Direction he had Standing the Legacy of the Lands, & it is Reasonable &

Presumed to think Concern & to Suppose it & Attempt

Your Complainant therefore humbly prays that Your Worships & Councill

will be pleased to take the Premisses into Your Consideration & to the End that

Sundry Suffering may be done & that Grand Complainants full Share Portion

or Dividend may be inserted by said & delivered to him of all the Lands,

Houses Goods & Chattells Money Slaves Cattle Sheep Goates Swine &

other Profits & Advantages that have been made thereof either than the Same

to in Money Remitted to England or in any any other way or thing

whatsoever or howsoever the which Your Complainant hath any Right

Title or Interest by Vertue of the last Will & Testament of the aforementioned

Thos Hodgkinson which Your Complainant believes is very considerable

because they are Just & Your Complainant hath Seen appraised of Your

heirs hath Powells hath been & terminated Long Yeares ago to Others Crafford

Sister of the said Thos Hodgkinson upon this & Estate rests of what & him that

would belong to him unto if the said Estate which & yet at least have been due of

Six

The complaint further set out that no inventory or account had ever been produced of the lands, tenements, goods and chattels, slaves, cattle, sheep, swine and household furniture that belonged to the deceased George Hodgkinson at the time of his death. That neglect had been deliberate, and its design was to defraud the children of their just and lawful due.

The complaint further set out that Mary, sole executrix of her deceased husband George Hodgkinson, had married Gabriel Powell after her husband's death, and that she carried with her into that marriage all the goods, chattels, lands, tenements, slaves, cattle, sheep, goats and swine, together with every part and parcel of the estate that had belonged to George Hodgkinson. Powell had enjoyed the whole of it since, and every profit and improvement arising from it had been converted and employed to his own use and advantage. He had also made himself remittances to England, and had made purchases of large quantities of land, all of which he held unjustly and wrongfully, having appropriated the estate to himself to the prejudice and exclusion of the lawful heirs of George Hodgkinson.

The complaint further set out that the will was clear, and that the intention of the maker was plain. Mary Hodgkinson had died before her youngest sister came of age, and had no title or interest in any part of the estate. The complainant asked leave to observe that George Hodgkinson had taken a second wife upon the death of his youngest child, and that his intention in excluding her from his share was that his youngest child should come of age only, and none other, with a fatherly design to encourage each of them. Under that arrangement it would have been considerably injured, and it was a very great inconvenience to be deprived of the estate for eleven years after he came of full age, and yet it was more hard to be kept out of it after he had actually worked and settled himself in the world. He might have contended that it is beyond and reasonable that he should not have a right to the reversion when he became a man of a great fortune, and that the payment of his debts and being paid to him in his lifetime, and that Thomas Hodgkinson is given him by his last will and testament, and he might privately give unto the said children the right and lawful title and disposal of his whole and entire estate, and in the same manner as he might take or dispose of his own right and interest to the reversion of any other estate, and that this was the plain meaning, intent and design of the last will and testament of the deceased. It was plain to demonstration, because in the legacy of the slaves he says that if either of the children to whom he gave a slave should die before the youngest came of age, the survivors should have the benefit of the slaves, but the youngest could not sell or make any disposition of any other part of the estate. Whatever debts he would have done, he had any last will and testament could not fail to have done so if he had meant any such thing, and Hodgkinson naturally fell into the consideration of it by the occasion he had in adding the legacy of the slaves, and it was more than sufficient to support the argument.

The complainant asked the Governor and council to be pleased to take his complaint into consideration, to the end that justice might be done. He asked that his fair share, portion or dividend might be examined and paid, delivered to him of all the lands, houses, goods, chattels, money, plate, slaves, cattle, sheep, goats, swine and other profits and advantages that had been made through the estate, along with the sums remitted to England or in any other way or manner whatsoever, as belonged to him under the last will and testament of the deceased. Hodgkinson, he said, had left the complainant with a very considerable interest, and the estate was such that the complainant had been unjustly kept out of it. He set out that his debts and demands had been determined some years ago, and that the youngest sister of the deceased Hodgkinson had upon this last account been kept out of what then would belong to her in right of the estate, and which ought not to have been done.

Interpretations

The complaint turns on what happened when a widow with a life interest married again. Under the law as it stood, a wife's personal property passed on marriage into her husband's control, so when Mary Hodgkinson married Gabriel Powell she carried the whole of her first husband's estate into the second marriage. Powell then held land, slaves, stock and household goods that were never his, and the profits from them for nearly twenty years fell to him. The trust survived on paper and was destroyed in practice, and the will of 27 February 1710 had no mechanism to prevent it.

Remittances to England are the detail that gives the complaint its bite. Powell was a recurring purchaser of bills of exchange, paying £137 6s 0d in cash notes for bills on the Company on 6 January 1728 and £80 0s 0d on 17 June 1727. A bill of exchange converted island credit into money payable in London, and it was the only means of moving value off St Helena. The complaint alleges that the profits of an orphan's estate were being turned into paper and sent home, which put them beyond the reach of any island court entirely, and it explains why Goodwin now sues the executor of a dead man rather than the surviving widow alone.

The legacy of the slaves is used as the hinge of the whole legal argument. George Hodgkinson provided expressly that if a child who had been given a slave died before the youngest came of age, the survivors should take that slave, and the complainant reasons that a testator who thought carefully enough to make survivorship provision for the slaves would certainly have made the same provision for the rest of the estate had he intended it. The absence of any such clause elsewhere is therefore read as deliberate. The argument works precisely because slaves were treated in law as chattels that could be given, divided and reassigned by will, exactly like the cattle and the plate.

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the Person who Advanced the Money had ever any Refuse or had not been Sure

that their Share or Portion would be very considerable & justly due which nevertheless

is Unlawfully with-held & detained from Your Complainants by them the aforesaid Exx

of Gabriel Powell which Evidence will be the more the said Gabriel Powell having

brought up & maintained four Children out of the Produce of the said Estate & One

of them in England for Eight Years at a Rate not less than Fifty Pounds p Annum

& yet only two of the Children of the said George Hodgkinson can properly be said to have

been maintained out of the Estate the other Two Hodgkinson having more than Earned

his living by his Labour

Jno Goodwin

St Helena

19th Febry 1729

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr & Councill

The humble Declaration & Complaint of John Cary Gent against Mary Powell

Widow & Charles Steward Exx of the last Will & Testament of Gabl Powell decd

Sheweth

That George Hodgkinson decd Father of Your Complainants Wife Sheldon his

youngest Daughter by the last Will & Testament bearing date the 27th day of Febry 1710

did give & bequeath all his Estate of all kinds both real & personal except as & therein excepted

in equal Shares Parts & Portions unto Mary his Wife & to four of his said Children that

is to Say, Thomas Joseph who died in his Infancy & Anne & Your Complainants Wife to

be equally divided amongst them when Your Complainants said Wife Should come of

Age or be Married which Should first happen & did also by his said last Will Strictly

Direct order & Appoint that his Wife whom he left Sole Executrix Should take an exact

Inventory of his Estate left at the time of his decease which was then very considerable

consisting in Lands Houses Money Bills Bonds Debts Plate Slaves Cash Sheep

Goates Swine &c with large Quantities of various Sorts of Houshold Furniture, & did

also further direct order & appoint that all & Singular the said Estate Should be kept

together whole & entire & Improved for the full Benefit & Advantage of his said Wife

& Children & did thereof further direct charge & Require that his said Executrix Should

from time to time & at all times thereafter keep a fair clear & exact Accot of all Debts

Receipts Effects & Disbursements Concerns & Improvements made of & upon the Estate

That Your Complainant hath demanded an Accot & the Payment & delivery of

the Premisses so much strong as is due in Right of his Wife of them the said Exx of Gabriel

Powell deceased & an Accot of all Your Receipts Disbursements Concerns & Improvements

that have been made of or upon the said Estate but notwithstanding the Injunction Orders

& Directions of the deceased Geo Hodgkinson to his said Executrix to take an Inventory of

all his Estate & to keep an exact & fair Account of all the Particulars before mentioned

yet the Will of the deceased hath been neglected & not complyed with in any one Instance

whatsoever nor hath there yet been produced any Inventory or Account of what Lands

& Tenements Goods or Chattells Slaves Cattle Money Plate Sheep Goates Swine or

Houshold Furniture did belong to him the deceased Geo Hodgkinson at the time of his death

but hath been industriously hid & concealed with an evil design to defraud the Children

of their just & legal due

That the said Mary Sole Executrix of her deceased Husband Geo Hodgkinson intermarried

Soon after his death with Gabl Powell also decd Since which said Marriage all the Goods &

Chattells Lands & Tenements Money Plate Slaves Cattle Sheep Goates Swine with all

& every Sort & Parcell of the Estate late belonging to the said George Hodgkinson deceased were

& have been possessed & Enjoyed by him the said Gabl Powell & all the Rents Profits &

Improvements & Concerns thereof have been Converted & Employed to Use the

Sole Use Benefit & Advantage of himself & his heirs & hath thereby been enabled to make

Large Remittances to England & to make Purchases of large Quantities of Lands all

which he hath most unjustly & Unjustly Engrossed to himself as aforesaid to the Prejudice

& Exclusion of the Rightfull Heirs of the said deceased George Hodgkinson & hath moreover

brought up & maintained & Educated four Children out of the Produce of the said Estate

& One of the said Children in England for Eight Years past at a Rate not less than

fifty Pounds p Annum & yet only two of the Children of the said George Hodgkinson can

properly

The person who advanced the money had no assurance and had not been sure that her share or portion would be very considerable and justly hers, which was nevertheless unlawfully withheld and detained from the complainant by the widow of Gabriel Powell. Powell had brought up and maintained four children out of the produce of the estate, one of them in England for eight years at a rate not less than £50 0s 0d a year, and yet only two of the children of George Hodgkinson could properly be said to have been maintained out of the estate, Thomas Hodgkinson having more than earned his living by his own labour.

The declaration was dated at St Helena on 19 February 1730 and subscribed by John Goodwin.

John Cary, gentleman, brought a second complaint against Mary Powell, widow, and Charles Steward, executor of the last will and testament of Gabriel Powell, deceased.

The complaint set out that George Hodgkinson, late father of the complainant's wife Hulda, his youngest daughter, had by his last will and testament dated 27 February 1710 given and bequeathed his whole estate, both real and personal, to his wife Mary, and had charged her with the equal division of shares and portions to his four children, Thomas, Susan, Joseph and John. If any of them died in infancy, the complainant's wife was to take an equal share of the whole. The estate was to be divided when the complainant's wife came of age, or on such earlier marriage as she might make. The will further directed Mary Hodgkinson to take an exact inventory of the estate left at the time of his death, which was then very considerable, consisting of land, houses, money, bills, bonds, plate, slaves, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, iron, and large quantities of various sorts of household furniture. It further directed that the whole of the estate should be kept together, and that whatever profits and improvements arose from it should be applied for the full benefit and advantage of his wife and children. It further required his executrix to render, from time to time, a plain and exact account of all debts, receipts, payments and disbursements, and of every improvement made by or upon the estate.

The complaint further set out that the complainant had demanded an account, the payment and delivery of the property in right of his wife, from the widow of Gabriel Powell, and an account of every receipt and disbursement made by or upon the estate. Notwithstanding the repeated orders and directions of the deceased Hodgkinson to his executrix to take an inventory of the estate and to keep an exact and fair account of all the particulars mentioned above, the will of the deceased had been neglected and not complied with in any one particular whatsoever. No inventory or account had ever been produced of the lands, tenements, goods, chattels, slaves, cattle, money, plate, sheep, goats, swine or household furniture that belonged to the deceased George Hodgkinson at the time of his death, and the neglect had been deliberate, its design being to defraud the children of their just and lawful due.

The complaint further set out that Mary, sole executrix of her deceased husband George Hodgkinson, had married Gabriel Powell soon after his death, and that by that marriage all the goods, chattels, lands, tenements, money, plate, slaves, cattle, sheep, goats and swine, together with every part and parcel of the estate that had belonged to George Hodgkinson, had been possessed and enjoyed by Powell. Every profit and improvement arising from it had been converted and applied to his own sole use, benefit and advantage. Powell had by that means been enabled to make large remittances to England, and to make purchases of large quantities of land, all of which he held unjustly and wrongfully, having appropriated the estate to himself to the prejudice and exclusion of the lawful heirs of George Hodgkinson. He had also brought up, maintained and educated four children out of the produce of the estate, one of them in England for eight years at a rate not less than £50 0s 0d a year, and yet only two of the children of George Hodgkinson could properly [...]

Interpretations

The two declarations are deliberately identical, and the repetition is the point. Goodwin sues as executor of Thomas, the eldest son, and Cary sues in right of his wife Hulda, the youngest daughter, and each rehearses the same will, the same inventory that was never taken and the same remarriage. Presenting them as parallel complaints on the same facts denies Mary Powell any argument that would answer one and not the other, and it puts the whole of George Hodgkinson's issue before the court as a single interest.

The £50 0s 0d a year spent on educating a Powell child in England is the sharpest figure in either complaint. It stands against a Company surgeon's salary of £3 0s 0d a month agreed with Benjamin Alsop on 13 February 1728, and against the £3 6s 0d for which the whole 47 acres of the Huts land was sold to John Carling on 25 April 1727. Eight years of that expenditure came to £400 0s 0d, and the complainants say it was paid out of an estate held in trust for other men's children.

Bills and bonds appear in this inventory where the first declaration listed brass and pewter, and both belong in the same reckoning. A bond was a sealed instrument acknowledging a debt, and bills were the paper by which credit moved. On an island with almost no coin, a considerable estate consisted largely of what other people owed its owner, and those obligations passed to the executrix along with the cattle and the plate. They were also the easiest part of an estate to lose sight of when no inventory was taken.

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properly be Said to have been Maintained out of the Estate one of them Thomas

Hodgkinson decd having by his Labour Earned more than his Living

Your Complainant therefore humbly Prayes that Your Worships &

Councill will be pleased to take the Premisses into Your Consideration

to the End that Speedy Justice may be done & that Your Complainants

full Share Portion & Dividend may be immediately Paid & delivered to

him of all the Lands Houses Goods & Chattells Money Plate Slaves

Cattle Sheep Goates & of all Advantages & Profits that have been made

thereof whether the Same be in Ground Remitted to England or any other

way whatsoever or in any other thing whatsoever to which Your Complainant

hath any Right & Title & Interest by Vertue of his said Marriage with

the youngest Daughter of the said George Hodgkinson deceased which Your

Worry & cannot Believe is & very Considerable because & before December

Your Complainant hath been upwards of Two hundred Pounds

have been Advanced the greatest part of it Seven Years ago to Isaac

Crafford Your Complainants Wifes Sister upon the Credit only of

what should & did belong to her out of the said Estate which would

not have been done if the Person who Advanced the Money had ever

any Refuse or had not been Sure that her Share or Portion would be

very considerable & justly due, which nevertheless is Unlawfully

with-held & detained from Your Complainant by them the aforesaid

Executrix of the said Gabl Powell deceased

John Cary

St Helena

19 February 1729

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr & the Councill

The humble Declaration & Complaint of John Alexander Gent Attorney

of James Crafford Junr who lately Married Anne eldest Daughter of George

Hodgkinson deceased in behalf of the said James Crafford Junr

Sheweth

That George Hodgkinson deceased Father of the aforementioned Anne Crafford

by his last Will & Testament bearing date the 27th day of February 1710 did give &

bequeath all his Estate both Real & Personal except as & therein excepted in equal Shares

Parts or Portions unto Mary his Wife & to four of his said Children, that is to Say,

Thomas & Joseph who died in his Infancy) Anne & the Child with refused his said Wife

Mary with them by to be equally divided amongst them when the said youngest Child

Should come of Age or be Married which Should first happen & did also by his said

Will Direct order & Appoint that his Wife whom he left Sole Executrix Should take

an exact Inventory of his Estate left at the time of his decease which was then very

considerable consisting in Lands Houses Money Bills Bonds Debts Plate Slaves

Cash Sheep Goates Swine &c with large Quantities of various Sorts of Houshold

Furniture & did also further direct order & appoint that all & Singular the said

Estate Should be kept together whole & Entire & Improved for the Sole Benefit &

Advantage of his said Wife & Children & did also further charge Direct & Require

that the said Executrix Should from time to time & at all times thereafter keep a fair

clear & exact Account of all Debts Receipts Disbursements Concerns & Improvements

made of or upon the said Estate

Your Complaint therefore humbly Prayes that as the said youngest Child Sheldon

who is the Child mentioned in the Will of the said Geo Hodgkinson with which the

Wife was then by is now Married & the said Estate thereby thereto divideable the

Immediate ready be taken into Consideration to the End that so much of the said

Estate as justly belongs & be paid & delivered to the said James Crafford in Right of his said

Wife & their Share moreover to be paid & delivered to Your Complainant for the Use

of him the said James Crafford

Jno Alexander

St Helena

19th Febry 1729

The complaint concluded that only one of the children, Thomas Hodgkinson, could properly be said to have been maintained out of the estate, having earned more than his living by his own labour.

The complainant asked the Governor and council to take his case into consideration, so that speedy justice might be done, and that his full share, portion and dividend might be immediately paid and delivered to him of all the lands, houses, goods, chattels, money, plate, slaves, cattle, sheep, goats and every advantage and profit that had been made from the estate, together with any sums remitted to England or disposed of in any other manner whatsoever, to which he had a right and lawful interest by virtue of his marriage with the youngest daughter of the deceased George Hodgkinson. He set out that Gabriel Powell had died possessed of an estate that, in December last, had stood at upwards of £1,200 0s 0d, and that the greater part of it had been advanced some seven years earlier to Samuel Crawford, who had married the complainant's wife's sister. He argued that on that account alone the whole of what should have belonged to his wife had been kept out of the estate, which would not have been done had the person who advanced the money had any assurance of it. He had not been sure that her share or portion would be very considerable and justly hers, which was nevertheless unlawfully withheld and detained from him by the executors of Gabriel Powell.

The declaration was dated at St Helena on 19 February 1730 and subscribed by John Cary.

John Alexander, gentleman, brought a third complaint as attorney for Samuel Crawford junior, who had lately married Anne, the eldest daughter of George Hodgkinson, deceased, and he brought it on behalf of Crawford.

The complaint set out that George Hodgkinson, late father of Anne Crawford named above, had by his last will and testament dated 27 February 1710 given and bequeathed his whole estate, both real and personal, to his wife Mary, and had charged her with the equal division of shares and portions among his four children, Thomas, Susan, Joseph and John. If any of them died in infancy, the whole was to be equally divided among the survivors, and the estate was to come to Anne when she reached the age of twenty-one, or upon such earlier marriage as she might make. The will further directed Mary Hodgkinson, as sole executrix, to take an exact inventory of the estate left at the time of his death, which was then very considerable, consisting of land, houses, money, bills, bonds, debts, plate, slaves, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, iron and large quantities of various sorts of household furniture. It further directed that the whole of the estate should be kept together, and that whatever profits and improvements arose from it should be applied for the full benefit and advantage of his wife and children. It further required his executrix to render, from time to time, a plain and exact account of every debt, receipt and disbursement made by or upon the estate.

The complainant asked that the youngest child, Hulda, who at the time of her father's death was the youngest of George Hodgkinson's children and had since married, should be considered along with her sister. He asked the court to take the complaint into consideration, so that as much of the estate as justly belonged to Anne Crawford in right of her wife should be paid and delivered to the complainant for the use of Samuel Crawford.

The declaration was dated at St Helena on 19 February 1730 and subscribed by John Alexander.

Interpretations

Gabriel Powell's estate at £1,200 0s 0d is the largest private fortune named anywhere in this record. It stands against a gross charge for the whole island of £3,144 6s 0d for the year ending 30 September 1729, and against the £263 0s 0d at which the 31 acres of Perkins pasture were valued on 6 June 1727. The complainants are arguing that a considerable part of that fortune was built out of an estate held in trust for four children who never saw an account of it, and the figure explains why three separate suits were brought at once against the same executor.

The three declarations now cover every surviving line of George Hodgkinson's issue. Goodwin sues as executor of Thomas, the eldest son, Cary in right of Hulda, the youngest daughter, and Alexander as attorney for Samuel Crawford junior, who married Anne, the eldest. Two councillors are therefore appearing as parties or advocates in a suit heard before their own council, and Alexander sat as an assistant at this very court. John Cary himself is the mate of the Morice who married on the island in December 1729 and asked leave on 10 February 1730 to remain until the store ship came, and his suit is the reason he stayed.

Samuel Crawford, the man alleged to have taken the greater part of Powell's money seven years earlier, is now represented at the same court by his son, who has married into the same family. The estate has been recycled through two marriages and one advance of capital without any of it reaching the children it was left to, and the complainants are asking the court to unwind twenty years of transactions in which almost every principal party is either dead, remarried or sitting on the bench.

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To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr & the Councill

The humble Declaration & Complaint of Joshua Johnson against Mary Widow

of Gabl Powell decd Sole Executrix of her former Husband George Hodgkinson

Sheweth

That in Right of his Wife Daughter of John Bowman decd Your Complaint

is Entitled to the Reversion after the death of the said Mary Powell to Twenty five Acres

of free Land a Plantation & a dwelling house of the Value of Fifty Pounds when the said

house was Standing consisting of four good Rooms below with as many Chambers above

which said House & Lands & Plantation the said Mary Powell was to hold for her natural

Life & no longer

That Soon after the death of her first Husband John Bowman She the said

Mary Married Geo Hodgkinson deceased who wantonly committed great Waste & pulling the

said house entirely down & converting the Materialls & Timber to their own Use to the

great Wrong & Injury of Your Complainant

That Your Complt also in Right of his Wife is Entitled to the Sum of Twenty two

Pounds thirteen Shillings & four pence which became due to Your Complainants by Vertue

of the last Will & Testament of William Bowman deceased & hath ever Since been in the

hands of her the said Mary Powell

That Your Complainant hath often demanded the Payment of the aforesaid Sum

& that Some Provision Should be made Your Complainant out of the Estate of the said

Geo Hodgkinson decd towards Satisfaction for the Waste committed by Pulling down the

converting the Timber & Materialls of the said house to their own Use & throwing up the

said Plantation but the said Mary Powell doth absolutely refuse to Pay the one or make

any Satisfaction for the said Waste

Your Complainant therefore humbly Prayes Your Worships & Councill will be

pleased to take the Premisses into Your Consideration to the End the said Money

may be paid & Some Provision be made out of the Estate of the said George

Hodgkinson decd towards Satisfaction for the Waste committed as aforesaid

Joshua Johnson

St Helena

18 Febry 1729

To the Worshipfull Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr & Councill

The Answer of Mary Powell & Charles Steward Exx of the last Will

& Testament of Gabl Powell deceased to the Severall Declarations

of Messrs John Alexander (Attorney of James Crafford) John

Goodwin & John Cary

Sheweth

That the said Mary Powell doth Acknowledge her great Neglect & default

to be highly to blame for not taking an Inventory & keeping Severall Accounts of the

Estate late belonging to her former Husband George Hodgkinson deceased & not

fullfilling the last Will & Testament of her said former deceased Husband

That at the time of the Intermarriage of Gabl Powell deceased with this

Defendant Mary Powell, the Estate of the said Gabl Powell was very considerable

& free of Incumbrances

That the Defendants are willing that the Children of Mr Hodgkinson & their

heirs Should receive whatever Shall Appear to be their due to which Effect Your Defendants

will produce all Books Papers & Accounts that are come to their knowledge or Possession

relating to this Matter

That the said Mary Powell doth Affirm that out of good Will & tenderness

to her Children by the said Geo Hodgkinson she did accept of & Agree to the Provision made

for her by the Will of the said George Hodgkinson though otherwise by the Comps Instructions given

as the said Mary Powell hath been Informed She Should have been entitled to One half

of the said Estate during her Life & one Third of the Profits & Estate for ever

Your Defendt therefore humbly Refer them Case to the Consideration of Yr Worships

Court & Councill & to the Jury who Yr Defendt doubt not will determine therein

as to Justice & Equity doth Appertain & to the final Conclusion of all Parties

Mary Powell

Charles Steward

St Helena

21 Febry 1729

Joshua Johnson brought a fourth complaint against Mary Powell, widow, sole executrix of the last will and testament of Gabriel Powell, deceased, and formerly the wife of George Hodgkinson.

The complaint set out that Johnson, in right of his wife, daughter of John Bowman, deceased, was entitled to the reversion, after the death of Mary Powell, of twenty-four acres of land, a plantation and a dwelling house valued at £50 0s 0d. The house then stood, consisting of two boarded rooms below and as many chambers above, and Mary Powell was to hold the land, the house and the plantation for her natural life only.

The complaint further set out that soon after the death of her first husband John Bowman, Mary married George Hodgkinson, deceased, who committed great waste on the property. He pulled the house entirely down and carried off the materials and the timber to his own use, to the great wrong and injury of the complainant.

The complaint further set out that Johnson, in right of his wife, was also entitled to £22 13s 4d, which had become due to him under the last will and testament of William Bowman, deceased, and which had ever since remained in the hands of Mary Powell.

The complaint further set out that Johnson had often demanded payment of that sum, and had asked that some provision be made to him out of the estate of George Hodgkinson towards satisfaction for the waste committed in pulling down the house, converting the timber and materials, and destroying the plantation. Mary Powell had absolutely refused to pay the sum or to make any satisfaction for the waste.

The complainant asked the Governor and council to take the case into consideration, so that provision might be made out of the estate of George Hodgkinson towards satisfaction for the waste committed. The declaration was dated at St Helena on 18 February 1730 and subscribed by Joshua Johnson.

The answer of Mary Powell and Charles Steward, executors of the last will and testament of Gabriel Powell, deceased, was made to the several declarations of John Alexander, attorney for Samuel Crawford, John Goodwin and John Cary.

The answer acknowledged that Mary Powell had greatly neglected her duty, and that she held herself highly to blame for not taking an inventory and keeping separate accounts of the estate belonging to her former husband George Hodgkinson, deceased, and for not fulfilling the last will and testament of her late deceased husband.

The answer further set out that at the time of her marriage to Gabriel Powell, deceased, the estate of Powell himself had been very considerable and free of encumbrances.

The answer further set out that the defendants were willing that the children of George Hodgkinson and their heirs should receive whatever appeared to be their due, and that to that end the defendants would produce every book, paper and account that had come to their knowledge or possession relating to the matter.

The answer further set out that Mary Powell affirmed that George Hodgkinson had, out of good will and tenderness towards her children, made a deed of gift to her, although it had since been overturned by the Company. She had been informed that under her marriage to George Hodgkinson she would have been entitled to one half of the whole estate during her life, and to one third of the personal estate for ever.

The defendants therefore submitted the case to the consideration of the Governor and council, and did not doubt that the jury would determine what justice and equity required, and bring the whole matter to a final conclusion. The answer was dated at St Helena on 21 February 1730 and subscribed by Mary Powell and Charles Steward.

Interpretations

Johnson's complaint is a claim in waste, and it reaches back a generation further than the others. A life tenant holds property for her own lifetime and must hand it on to the reversioner in substantially the condition she received it, so pulling down a house and carrying off its timber destroys the interest of the man who is to take it after her death. Mary Powell held twenty-four acres, a plantation and a house for life under her first husband John Bowman's arrangements, and Johnson's wife stood to inherit them. George Hodgkinson, her second husband, demolished the house and used the materials, which on an island where timber was the scarcest commodity in existence was not a small matter. The council's whole wood campaign, from the survey of 17 January 1727 to the vote of 20 January 1730 to kill every goat and sheep, turns on the same scarcity.

Mary Powell's answer concedes the neglect and then quietly moves the ground. She admits she took no inventory and kept no accounts, offers every book and paper she has, and then asserts a claim of her own: that as George Hodgkinson's widow she was entitled at common law to half the real estate for life and a third of the personal estate outright. That is the widow's dower and her customary share, and it is the same right John Meyer pleaded at the court of the peace of 26 July 1727 in claiming his wife's share of Thomas Swallow's land. By raising it she is not denying the children's portions but shrinking the fund out of which they must be paid.

The deed of gift she says George Hodgkinson made to her, and which the Company overturned, would have removed the whole difficulty had it stood. A deed of gift transfers property outright without payment, and if Hodgkinson had made the estate over to his wife absolutely, the trust in his will would have had nothing to bite on. The Company set it aside, presumably because it defeated the children the will was meant to protect, and Mary Powell now has to answer as a trustee rather than as an owner.

Speculations

Mary Powell and Steward could have fought the suits. Twenty years had passed, the will's terms were ambiguous enough that the complainants had to argue at length from the slave legacy to establish the testator's intention, and no inventory existed to prove what the estate had ever been worth. Without a baseline, no court could easily fix what was owed. Instead the defendants conceded the neglect outright, offered to produce every book and paper, and asked the jury to decide what was just. The reasoning is visible in what they say next: Powell's estate was considerable and unencumbered at the marriage, and Mary claims a widow's half and third. Fighting the trust would have required them to explain twenty years of unrecorded profits with no accounts to point to. Conceding it lets them argue instead about how much of a fortune of £1,200 0s 0d is properly hers, which is a question they can win.

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After which Capt Alexander in behalf of his Principal James Crafford whose

Attorney he is objected to the Right of the Widow of Thomas Hodgkinson deceased

to and things that did belong to George Hodgkinson his Father because at the time of

his Marriage & Death he was not Seized or Possessed of any Such Land Goods or Chattells

& that as the said Thomas Hodgkinson died about a Twelve Month before his youngest

Sister was Married & without Issue he thought his Right ought to go to the Widow

of the said George Hodgkinson, but in Answer to this Mr Goodwin Urged his own & the

Widows Rights as legally given them by Will as well as Grounded upon Equity & natural

Justice

The Plaintiffs & Defendants having each produced Such Papers & Accounts

relating to the two Estates of Gabriel Powell & George Hodgkinson deceased the Same

were read & the Defendants having magnified the Wealth of Mr Powell to an extraordinary

Degree John Bagley Junr was called & Sworn who deposed that a little before the time

the said Powell Married Hodgkinson Widow this Deponent heard the said Powell offer

every thing that he had in the World & Money excepted to Richard Gurling decd for the

Sum of Twelve hundred Pounds which the other refused to give him & the him only

One Thousand Pounds & it having been Alledged by the Plaintiffs that the Estate belongd

to the Children of the said Geo Hodgkinson at the time the said Powell Married them

Or rather was much more considerable than the said Powells which plainly appeared from

the Accots they produce & it being evident upon the whole that great Wrong & Injustice

has been done to the Children Heirs of the said George Hodgkinson by the aforesaid Gabl

Powell deceased who as they Set forth in their Declarations converted all the Produce

Profits & Advantages of their Estate entirely to his own Use & had therewith not

only made large Remittances to England but has also bought great Quantities of

Land here & Some in England, the Jury were directed to withdraw & consider of the

Affair which they accordingly did & being returned presented their Verdict in Writing

which is as follows Vizt

We have considered & Examined all the Books Papers & Accots that have this day been

laid before Us either in behalf of the Children & heirs of Geo Hodgkinson deceased or the

Children & heirs of Gabl Powell decd & Unanimously Agree Conclude & determine as follows

Vizt

That Twenty two Acres of Land & all the Houses which Gabl Powell had in his own

Right & Possession at the time he Married the Widow of George Hodgkinson deceased & the

fourth Part of all the Real Estate & Houses of the said Geo Hodgkinson decd Shall go to

& become to the said Gabl Powell & his heirs forever

That as the Lands & Houses belonging to the said Geo Hodgkinson remaining after

the said Mary Powell has her livelihood of the fourth Part as aforesaid Shall go to and

descend to the Children & heirs of the said George Hodgkinson to be divided amongst them in

equal Parts Share & Portions that is to Say Anne Crafford Sheldon Cary & to the

heirs of Thomas Hodgkinson deceased to whom We Adjudge & Allow to & in equal Rights

Interest Share & Reports with the said Anne Crafford & Sheldon Cary his aforesaid

That all other the Lands & Tenements Goods & Chattells either here or in England that

have been bought or Purchased by the said Gabriel Powell & Mrs Married here or in

England Cash, Shop, Goates Hogs Poultry & every thing else of all kinds Shall

be equally divided Shall & Share alike between the Children & heirs of the said Gabl Powell &

amongst the Children & heirs as aforesaid of the said Geo Hodgkinson deceased & the said

Mary Powell to Enjoy her half of the Real Estate during her natural Life as given her

by Will of Gabl Powell

We also Agree that Satisfaction Shall be made to Joshua Johnson out

of the joynt Estate of Gabl Powell & Geo Hodgkinson decd after the decease of Mary

Powell Widow, for his House & that the said Sum of Twenty two Pounds thirteen

Shillings & four Pence be paid the said Johnson out of the said two Estates as Soon as

the Same is due

Evan Wrangham

Robt Gurling

Jacob Ruflin

Sutton Slack

John Worrall

William Seale

Samuel Sydney

John Deefountaine

Jno French

Isaac Wood

Orlando Bagley Senr

Jno Bagster

Captain Alexander then spoke on behalf of his principal, Samuel Crawford, whose attorney he was, and objected to the right of the widow of Thomas Hodgkinson, deceased. He argued that whatever belonged to George Hodgkinson through his father was not, at the time of his marriage and death, in his own hands or possession, and that no such land, goods or property had ever come to him. He set out that Thomas Hodgkinson had died about twelve months before his youngest sister married, and without issue, so that his right ought to have gone to the heirs of George Hodgkinson. Mr Goodwin answered that the widow's right was as lawfully given her by will as it was grounded upon equity and natural justice.

The plaintiffs and defendants had produced their books, papers and accounts relating to the two estates of Gabriel Powell and George Hodgkinson, both men being dead, and the defendants had magnified the wealth of Powell to an extraordinary degree. John Bagley junior was called and sworn, and deposed that a little before the time of the death of Powell he had heard Mary Hodgkinson, the widow, say that Powell had offered everything he had in the world in money, except the debt owed to Richard Girling, for £1,200 0s 0d, and that the other had refused to accept it and would give him only £1,000 0s 0d. The plaintiffs alleged that the estate belonging to the children of George Hodgkinson at the time of Powell's marriage to their mother had been much more considerable than Powell's own, which plainly appeared from the books produced. It was evident on the whole that a great wrong and injustice had been done to the children of George Hodgkinson by Powell, who had converted all the profits and advantages of their estate entirely to his own use, and had made not only large remittances to England but also bought great quantities of land here and some in England. The jury withdrew to draw up their conclusion, and having returned they presented their verdict in writing, which was as follows.

The jury reported that it had considered and examined the books, papers and accounts laid before it that day, both on behalf of the children and heirs of George Hodgkinson, deceased, and on behalf of the children and heirs of Gabriel Powell, deceased, and had unanimously agreed and determined as follows.

The jury found that the twenty-four acres of land and the house belonging to the plantation, which Powell had in his own right and possession at the time of his marriage to the widow of George Hodgkinson, together with a fourth part of the whole real estate and interest of George Hodgkinson, should belong to Mary Powell and her heirs for ever.

The jury further found that all the lands and houses belonging to George Hodgkinson that remained after Mary Powell had taken the fourth part described above, should go to and among the children and heirs of George Hodgkinson, to be divided among them in equal parts, shares and portions. Anne Crawford, Hulda Cary and the heirs of Thomas Hodgkinson, deceased, were to take upon them, from that time, an equal right, interest, share and portion in the estate.

The jury further found that all the other lands, tenements, goods and chattels, whether brought or purchased by Gabriel Powell, whether from England or married here, consisting of cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and everything else of all kinds, should be equally divided, share and share alike, between the children and heirs of Gabriel Powell and the children and heirs of George Hodgkinson. Mary Powell was to enjoy for her lifetime one half of the real estate, as given her by the will of Gabriel Powell.

The jury further agreed that satisfaction should be made to Joshua Johnson out of the joint estate of Gabriel Powell and George Hodgkinson, after the death of Mary Powell, for the house, and that £22 13s 4d should be paid to Johnson out of the two estates as soon as the sum became due.

Francis Wrangham

Richard Girling

Jacob Ryder

Sutton Marsh

John Warrall

William Seale

Samuel Sydney

John Defountaine

John French

Isaac Wood

Orlando Bagley senior

John Bagley

Interpretations

The verdict divides the two estates by a rough equity rather than by any strict rule of law. Mary Powell keeps the twenty-four acres and the house that Powell brought into the marriage, together with a quarter of Hodgkinson's real estate outright and a life interest in half of Powell's. Everything else is split down the middle between the two sets of children. The jury has effectively treated the two fortunes as having been merged for twenty years, and has refused to try to untangle which shilling came from which estate. That was the only workable answer once it was established that no inventory had ever been taken and no accounts kept.

Bagley's evidence about the £1,200 0s 0d is the pivot of the whole case. Powell offered everything he owned in money for that sum, excepting only the debt Richard Girling owed him, and the buyer would give no more than £1,000 0s 0d. The exchange fixes the outer limit of a fortune the defendants had been describing as very considerable, and it comes from a conversation the witness heard the widow herself report shortly before Powell died. Richard Girling's estate has already been before the council once, on 11 November 1729, when Charles Steward recovered £18 16s 0d from Captain Goodwin as executor on the strength of a deathbed declaration.

Three of the twelve jurors are men whose names run through the wood surveys and the land business of the council: Francis Wrangham, who conducted the survey of 10 November 1729 and holds more wood than any other tenant, John French, the reinstated gunner, and William Seale, fined 50s on 24 December 1728 for felling trees in defiance of orders. The panel is the island's own propertied class deciding how two of its largest estates should be split, and every man on it understood exactly what twenty-four acres and a plantation were worth.

Speculations

The jury could have found for the Hodgkinson children outright. Mary Powell had conceded the neglect, admitted she took no inventory and kept no accounts, and offered every book she had. The plaintiffs had established that the children's estate was the larger of the two at the marriage, and that Powell had turned its profits into land and remittances to England. A verdict stripping her of everything and restoring the trust would have followed straightforwardly from those admissions. Instead the jury gave her a quarter of Hodgkinson's real estate for ever, a life interest in half of Powell's, and left her in the twenty-four acres and the house. The reason lies in what she claimed in her answer: as Hodgkinson's widow she was entitled at common law to a share of his estate whatever the will said, and as Powell's widow she took under his will as well. Twelve men who all held land on the same terms understood that a verdict destroying a widow's customary provision would come back on their own wives, and they preferred a settlement that punished the neglect without setting a precedent none of them could live with.

354

330

The said Mary Powell did not make any Reply or Objection to the Declaration of

Josh Johnson except Saying that Mr Powell told her the Money was paid

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 3d of March 1729 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation & the Proceedings at the last Court were this day read & Approved

We this day paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall & folio 42 &

The Governour, Capt Gardiner, the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly

Accots for February last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follows

Vizt

Expence of the Table in the Month of February 1729 Vizt

474 lb Beef

5 13 6

4 Sheep

4 16

8 Goates

1 13

126 lb Pork

9

19 lb Butter

9

28 days Greens

1 8

56 Bottles Milk

18 8

61½ Gallons Arrack

19 9 6

1½ Gallons Vinegar

6

80 lb Bread

16 6

157 lb Flour

1 17 6

12 Gallons Port

4 13

13 ditto Sherry

6 11 9

14½ lb Sugar

3 11

14 Gallons Strong Beer

1 1

3 lb Pepper

3

3 Bushells Salt

13 6

67 8

10 lb Soap

10.10

18 lb Wax Candles

1.16.-

10½ Gallons Arrack do to the Guards Smiths Coopers

3 8 0

Carpentrs &ca there being a Session this Month

7 17 6

35 lb Sugar do do

6.10.10

Mary Powell made no reply or objection to the declaration of Joshua Johnson, except to say that Powell had told her the money had been paid. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 3 March 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation and the proceedings at the last court were read and approved.

The council paid the garrison for the past month, as entered in the journal at folio 52.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for February, which the council examined and approved. They stood as follows.

The expense of the general table for February 1730 was set out under its several articles.

474 lb of beef, £5 13s 6d

4 sheep, £4 16s 0d

3 goats, £1 10s 0d

126 lb of pork, £0 0s 0d

9 lb of butter, £0 9s 0d

28 days' greens, £1 8s 0d

56 bowls of milk, £1 8s 3d

61.5 gallons of arrack, £19 9s 6d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 3s 9d

26 lb of bread, £0 16s 6d

150 lb of flour, £1 17s 6d

12 gallons of port, £4 13s 0d

9 gallons of sherry, £6 11s 9d

14 lb of sugar, £3 11s 0d

14 gallons of strong beer, £1 1s 0d

3 lb of pepper, £0 0s 3d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

Total expense of the table in February 1730, £67 0s 8d

10 lb of soap, £0 10s 10d

18 lb of wax candles, £1 16s 0d

10.5 gallons of arrack delivered to the guards, the smiths, the coopers and the carpenters, there being a scarcity that month, £3 0s 0d

35 lb of sugar delivered to the slaves, £4 17s 6d

Grand total, £6 10s 10d

Interpretations

The arrack issued outside the ordinary table account is now explained by scarcity rather than by wet weather. Through November 1729, December 1729 and January 1730 the customary extra allowance to the guards and tradesmen was charged to the persistent rain, and the change of reason here to a want of provisions marks a shift in what the fort was short of. February lies in the island's late summer, and the shortage points to the same collapse in the food supply that emptied the yam issue in January 1730 and threw the whole weight of feeding the slaves onto Great Wood potatoes.

The table bill of £67 0s 8d is close to the £68 0s 0.5d of June 1729, when seven Indiamen were entertained ashore, and it is far above the ordinary run of a month with no shipping. The Morice and the Heathcote both lay in the road until they sailed on the previous Saturday, so the fort was still feeding two ships' companies of officers through the early part of February, which accounts for the heavy consumption of beef, mutton and wine.

Wax candles at £1 16s 0d appear again, as they did in December 1729 and January 1730, and they belong with the extraordinary legal business of these weeks. The court of judicature that tried the Hodgkinson and Powell estates sat on 24 February 1730, and the successive declarations and the verdict were read and recorded at length. Wax gave a clean, steady light without the smell of tallow, and it was the light the council chamber burned when the work ran long.

355

331

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &c from the 1st

to the 28th Febry 1729 Vizt

946 lb Sugar

21 3

24 Candy

3 1

344 lb Flour

3 1

10 Cattys Tea

3

6 White Lead

3

4 oz Indigo

8

1 Slard

9

8 Green Cooks

9

56 Rope

1 6

18 Wire Glasses

13

2 Camblett

7 6

2 Sash

6

240 Spanish Glass 620

7 6

6 Holland Cloth

17

10 Shirts

2 6

6 Ps Challas

10

1 Deftature

10

1 Callampoe

10

3 Ps Small Chints

3 7 6

48 Yds ditto

8

3 China Bowles

2 6

8 lb Spanish

7 6

27 Cupps

4 6

77 Cupps & Saucers

4 6

8 Saucers

2 6

8 Tea Potts

1 6

1 Ivory Comb

6

1 ditto

2 6

8 Thimbles

2 6

1 Tin Cash

2

1 Dripping Pan

2 4

1 ditto

7 3

8 Ps Womens Shoes

1 5 6

1 ditto

8 6

8 Mens ditto

8 10

1 ditto

4

Womens ditto

4

10 Ps Stockings

11 10

4 Womens ditto

13 6

1 Boys ditto

13

8 Boys ditto

1 6

8 Boys Wells

6

1 Mens ditto

9

1 Sargen Bason

1

2 Silver Thread

1

28 Twine

7 6

18 Yds Best Silk

4 6

1 Camblett

5 6

1½ Ps Duffils

6

8 Yards Flannell

13 6

2 Large Blankets

6

117 Yds Salt Petre

12

Cash Fringe & Tassells & c

4 13 6

6 Squares handle Common & Hooks

10 3

1 Sistoph Sowbrings

16

1 Sistoph Rights

13 8

1 Stock Lock

8

8 Cliff Locks

9 6

8 Small Locks

9 6

13 Ps Slinges & 81

6

14 ditto 2

6

5 Dovetailes 3

14

3 ditto 3

3 4

1 Hatchet

2 6

1 Glue Hammer

2 6

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants and others ran from 1 to 28 February 1730.

946 lb of sugar, £21 3s 0d

36 lb of candy, £3 1s 0d

344 lb of bread, £3 0s 1d

10 catties of tea, £3 0s 0d

6 lb of white lead, £0 3s 0d

4 oz of indigo, £0 0s 8d

1 [...], £0 3s 9d

54 bags, £0 8s 6d

18 wine glasses, £1 0s 6d

2 camblets, £0 13s 0d

2 sashes, £0 2s 6d

210 sponges of sorts, £0 4s 6d

6 palempores, £7 17s 6d

10 shirts, £2 6s 0d

6 pieces of chelloes, £4 10s 0d

1 decanter, £0 3s 6d

1 palempore, £0 10s 0d

9 pieces of small chintz, £3 7s 6d

48 yards of small chintz, £2 6s 0d

3 china bowls, £0 7s 6d

24 spike nails, £0 2s 6d

27 cups, £0 4s 6d

77 gunnery [...], £1 4s 6d

2 saucers, £0 0s 6d

2 tea kettles, £1 5s 0d

1 ivory comb, £0 3s 0d

1 ivory comb, £0 2s 0d

2 gimblets, £0 0s 6d

1 tin cloth, £0 1s 4d

1 dripping pan, £0 7s 3d

1 dripping pan, £0 5s 0d

5 pairs of women's shoes, £1 8s 6d

1 pair of women's shoes, £0 4s 10d

2 pairs of men's shoes, £0 4s 0d

1 pair of shoes, £0 2s 6d

1 worsted cap, £0 6s 4d

10 pairs of stockings, £0 15s 0d

4 pairs of women's stockings, £0 12s 0d

1 pair of worsted stockings, £0 13s 0d

2 pairs of boys' stockings, £0 1s 6d

2 pairs of boys' stockings, £0 3s 0d

1 pair of men's stockings, £0 4s 0d

1 sagathy robe, £0 1s 0d

2 silk laces, £0 2s 6d

28 [...], £0 2s 6d

13 yards of shoe thread, £0 4s 6d

9 candles, £0 5s 0d

1 piece of durance, £0 6s 0d

9 yards of flannel, £0 12s 6d

2 large blankets, £0 6s 0d

117.5 tiles, £0 5s 0d

1 case of razors and cork, number 7, £0 12s 6d

2 gimblets, handled screws and hooks, £0 10s 3d

1 stock of turnings, £0 0s 10d

1 pair of steelyards, £0 3s 6d

1 stock lock, £0 3s 0d

2 chest locks, £0 2s 6d

6 stock locks, £0 4s 6d

13 pieces of hinges, number 8, £0 6s 6d

14 locks, £0 6s 6d

3 dovetails, number 3, £0 4s 0d

3 dovetails, number 3, £0 4s 0d

1 hatchet, £0 2s 8d

1 glass hammer, £0 8s 6d

Interpretations

Sugar at 946 lb and £21 3s 0d is again the heaviest single line, continuing the pattern of the past several months. Sugar and tea together, both drawn from the Bengal and China cargoes, are the goods the island cannot make and cannot go without, and the store has been selling them down steadily since the fleet sailed on 13 June 1729. The arrival of the Heathcote on 8 February 1730 brought a fresh Bengal cargo of Tresundee sugar, so the store has been able to replenish and keep selling.

Chelloes and palempores run through the account again, as they did in the previous month, and the palempores are the most valuable line at £7 17s 6d for six. These were large painted cotton bedcovers from the Coromandel coast, kept as furnishings of some standing rather than consumed, and one appears among the household goods of Robinson's orphans rendered on 3 October 1727. Sagathy was a light woollen serge from Norwich, and a robe of it was a modest garment, priced here at a single shilling.

Steelyards, dovetail hinges, stock locks and a glass hammer show the inhabitants fitting out and repairing their own houses from the store. A steelyard was a portable balance with a sliding weight, used to weigh goods for sale, and its purchase points to a household that meant to trade. The quantity of locks, fourteen locks and six stock locks in a single month, is notable on an island so small, and it may reflect the same anxiety about theft that ran through the record after John Bradley was caught stealing and the Company's goats were shot in January 1729.

356

332

Brought over

36 8 2

1 Trowell

2 6

1 Box Iron & Heater

9 6

1 Shoe Shovell

6

1 Sugar Shovell

6

2 Coloured Thread

18

8 lb Whited Brown Thread

2 4

4 oz Twine Thread

6

1 ditto

1 9

1 ditto

9

1 M Pins

1 8

374 M ditto

4 8

1 M ditto

4 9

27 Oz China Silk

1 7

10 Yards Bunting

3

1 Twisting Slab

3

1 Skain Mohair

2 3

27 Yards Twisting

2

6 Yardum

7

8 Ps Needles

1

37½ Yds Ribbon

1 9

1 ditto

1

1 Ps Tape

1 6

1 ditto

1

8 Coloured ditto

1

8 doz Shirt Buttons

8 13

1 Coat Fish

3

12 lb Rope

8

Totall to the Inhabitants

96 10 8

Garrison Dr

9 lb Tea delivered the Guards

2 6

4 Gallons Rape Oyle do ditto

1 4

1 Ps ditto 27 lb Smith

9

1 Ps ditto Sold the Doctor

3 15 3

Plantation Dr

1 Large Wooden Bowls

13 4

1 Iron Scotch

2 3

1 Large Fishing Sett

2

1 Skaining Knives

6

1 Midling horn Lanthorn

2

9 Gallons Rape Oyle

6

164 lb Shot Sorted

6 15

9 lb Nailes Sold for the Hoggs & Poultry

11 8 8

Honble Comps Blacks Dr

30 lb Sugar

6

1 Cartons Tea do Old Blacks

12

1 Callabar Thread

1 4

60 lb Rope

1 6

4 lb Soap

1 6

1 Oz China Silk

13

Charges General Dr

1 Bristol Sweep Oyle

8 6

1 Copperas Bag

3 4

1 Nailes no 30d

1 6

6 Shoe Shovels

8

8 Ps Dovetailes

6 6

1 Island File

6 3

1 Hatchet

13

8 Small Locks

7

313 lb Nailes Sorted

3

1 Great Iron

6

1 Square Glass 620

9

9 ditto 8 10

10

10 lb Soap

45 16 11

Carried over

142 8 1

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum of £36 8s 2d brought over, and the remaining goods were entered under their several heads.

1 trowel, £0 2s 6d

1 box iron and heater, £0 2s 6d

1 shoe brush, £0 0s 6d

1 sugar shovel, £0 2s 6d

12 lb of coloured thread, £0 15s 0d

6 lb of whited brown thread, £2 14s 0d

4 oz of twine thread, £0 6s 0d

1 twine thread, £0 1s 9d

1 twine thread, £0 1s 8d

1 oz of pins, £0 1s 8d

354 [...], £4 8s 0d

1 [...], £0 4s 9d

27 oz of china silk, £0 1s 7d

10 yards of garting, £0 6s 6d

1 dumb table, £0 [...]

2 skeins of mohair, £0 2s 3d

27 skeins of ferreting, £0 2s 8d

6 [...], £0 2s 0d

1 needle, £0 [...]

25.5 yards of ribbon, £0 1s 9d

1 [...], £0 1s 0d

1 piece of tape, £0 1s 0d

1 [...], £0 1s 0d

1 coloured [...], £0 [...]

1 dozen shirt buttons, £0 12s 0d

1 comb rush, £0 [...]

12 lb of rope, £0 [...]

Total to the inhabitants, £96 10s 8d

Garrison

9 catties of tea delivered to the guards, £2 14s 0d

4 gallons of rape oil delivered to the guards, £1 4s 0d

1 lb of tea delivered to the smith, £0 6s 8d

2 lb of tea delivered to the doctor, £0 [...]

Total, £3 18s 8d

Plantation

1 large worming barrel, £0 13s 4d

1 iron scotch, £0 2s 3d

1 saying fishing set, £0 [...]

1 shaving vice, £0 [...]

1 milling horn strainer, £0 [...]

9 gallons of train oil, £0 [...]

16.5 lb of shot lead, £6 10s 0d

1 saying set delivered for the ship Bradley, £0 [...]

Total, £11 3s 0d

The Honourable Company's slaves

2 catties of tea, £0 6s 0d

1 catty of tea delivered to the old slaves, £0 1s 0d

2 other threads, £0 [...]

50 lb of rope, £1 4s 0d

4 lb of soap, £0 1s 6d

1 dozen china set, £0 12s 0d

Total, £10 11s 9d

General charges

1 quart of rape oil, £0 3s 6d

1 sugar box, £0 [...]

6 stakes, number 20, £1 0s 0d

6 shoe knives, £0 2s 0d

6 pairs of dovetails, £0 6s 0d

1 stock file, £0 3s 8d

1 hatchet, £0 13s 6d

2 hand locks, £0 [...]

313 lb of nails of sorts, £10 3s 0d

1 grid iron, £0 6s 0d

1 square file, number 8, £0 [...]

9 sticks, number 10, £0 10s 0d

10 lb of soap, £0 [...]

Total, £45 16s 11d

Carried over, £142 8s 1d

Interpretations

A box iron and heater was a hollow smoothing iron with a slug of metal heated in the fire and slipped inside, kept clean of soot so it would not mark the cloth, and it belongs with the buttons, thread and ribbon that show the inhabitants making and finishing their own clothes. A dumb table was a small tiered side table for setting out dishes, and it is the kind of furnishing that marks a household with some pretension to comfort. Ferreting and garting were narrow woven tapes, the first for binding seams and the second for cutting into garters.

Fishing gear again runs heavily through the account, charged partly to the Company's slaves and partly under a separate set for the ship Bradley. Lines, a fishing set, rope and hooks are the standing charge of an establishment that has fed its slaves on fish since 1 March 1727, and the whole point of the wet-weather and scarcity allowances of these winter months is that men who could not put a boat out could not be fed.

The heavy charge for shot lead and 313 lb of nails belongs to the garrison and the plantation rather than the household. Shot lead was the raw metal from which musket balls were cast, and its purchase in quantity fits an island that has stood on a war footing since the packet of 3 March 1729. The nails, at £10 3s 0d, are the single largest line under general charges, and they went to the constant business of keeping the fort, the boats and the plantation buildings sound against the damp.

357

333

Brought over

142 8 1

Diet Expences Dr

78 Gallons Arrack

22 16

1½ ditto Vinegar

3 9

66 lb Bread

13 6

150 lb Flour

1 17 6

12 Gallons Port

4 13

18 ditto Sherry

6 11 9

177 lb Sugar

4 8 6

14 Gallons Strong Beer

1 1

18 lb Candles

16

3 lb Pepper

3

3 Bushells Salt

13 6

45 6

187 8 7

Neat Cattle

Bullocks / Cowes / Heifers / Steers / Yearlings / Calves / Bulls / Totall

Sheep

Ewes / Wethers / Lambs / Rams / Totall

Goates

Ewes / Wethers / Kids / Rams / Totall

Hogs

Sowes / Shoates / Barrows / Boars / Pigs / Totall

Poultry

Turkies / Fowles / Ducks / Geese

Horses

Horses / Mares / Totall

Remains 1st Febry

Bullocks 72

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 79

Bulls 4

Totall 327

Ewes 80

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 138

Ewes 346

Wethers 124

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 15

Shoates 15

Barrows 19

Boars 5

Pigs 30

Totall 84

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Encreased in Febry

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 2

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 2

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 72

Cowes 91

Heifers 19

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 81

Bulls 4

Totall 329

Ewes 80

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 138

Ewes 346

Wethers 124

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 541

Sowes 15

Shoates 15

Barrows 19

Boars 5

Pigs 30

Totall 84

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Killed in do

Bullocks 0

Cowes 2

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 2

Bulls 0

Totall 4

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 4

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 3

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 3

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 3

Turkies 4

Fowles 1

Ducks 3

Geese 0

Horses 8

Mares 0

Totall 8

Bullocks 72

Cowes 91

Heifers 17

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 81

Bulls 4

Totall 327

Ewes 76

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 134

Ewes 346

Wethers 121

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 538

Sowes 15

Shoates 11

Barrows 18

Boars 2

Pigs 30

Totall 76

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Sold to Ship

Heathcote in do

Bullocks 3

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 3

Bulls 0

Totall 3

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd ult Febry

Bullocks 69

Cowes 91

Heifers 17

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 81

Bulls 4

Totall 324

Ewes 76

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 134

Ewes 346

Wethers 121

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 538

Sowes 15

Shoates 11

Barrows 18

Boars 2

Pigs 30

Totall 76

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations

12,500 lb

Ditto delivered to the Fort Blacks

4300

Ditto delivered the Great Wood ditto

1900

Totall Yams

18,700 lb

The storekeeper's account concluded with the diet expenses for February 1730, the running sum of £142 8s 1d brought over.

Brought over, £142 8s 1d

Diet expenses

78 gallons of arrack, £22 16s 0d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 3s 9d

66 lb of bread, £0 18s 6d

150 lb of flour, £1 17s 6d

12 gallons of port, £4 13s 0d

9 gallons of sherry, £6 11s 9d

177 lb of sugar, £4 8s 0d

14 gallons of strong beer, £1 1s 0d

16 lb of candles, £1 16s 0d

3 lb of pepper, £0 3s 6d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

Total, £45 0s 0d

Grand total, £187 8s 7d

The stock account for the Company's livestock covering the month to 28 February 1730 was set out in movement rows, each class of animal carried across in turn.

Remaining 1 February 1730: 72 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 79 calves, 4 bulls, 327 neat cattle in all; 80 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 138 sheep in all; 346 does, 124 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 541 goats in all; 15 sows, 15 shoats, 19 barrows, 5 boars, 30 pigs, 84 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Increased in February 1730: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 2 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 2 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 72 bullocks, 91 cows, 19 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 81 calves, 4 bulls, 329 neat cattle in all; 80 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 138 sheep in all; 346 does, 124 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 541 goats in all; 15 sows, 15 shoats, 19 barrows, 5 boars, 30 pigs, 84 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Killed in the month: 0 bullocks, 2 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 2 calves, 0 bulls, 4 neat cattle in all; 4 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 4 sheep in all; 0 does, 3 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 3 goats in all; 4 sows, 1 shoat, 3 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 8 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 72 bullocks, 91 cows, 17 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 81 calves, 4 bulls, 327 neat cattle in all; 76 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 134 sheep in all; 346 does, 121 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 538 goats in all; 15 sows, 11 shoats, 18 barrows, 2 boars, 30 pigs, 76 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Sold to the ship Heathcote in the month: 3 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 3 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Remaining 28 February 1730: 69 bullocks, 91 cows, 17 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 81 calves, 4 bulls, 324 neat cattle in all; 76 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 134 sheep in all; 346 does, 121 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 538 goats in all; 15 sows, 11 shoats, 18 barrows, 2 boars, 30 pigs, 76 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Yams expended at the several plantations, 12,500 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 4,300 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 1,900 lb

Total yams, 18,700 lb

Interpretations

The yam issue has recovered to 18,700 lb from nothing at all in January 1730, and the Great Wood potatoes have vanished from the account. The new crop has begun to come in, and the pattern matches the recovery of a year earlier, when the yams returned in February 1729 after a January in which none were issued. February lies in the island's late summer, and the harvest is now filling the store that the potato had carried through the shortage.

Three bullocks went to the Heathcote, the same number sold to the Prince Frederick in November 1729 and the Morice in December 1729. Three successive ships have each taken exactly three head, and each arrived with little or no supply for the island. The council fixed the price of beef at twenty-five shillings the hundredweight on 17 December 1729, so every one of these sales went into the protected market it had created.

Eight hogs killed in a single month against a herd of 84 is a heavy draught, and the sows fell from 15 to 11. The pigs have been under pressure all summer, twelve having died in December 1729, and the sustained killing now points to the same scarcity of other provisions that the fort recorded when it charged its extra arrack to a want that month rather than to the weather. The cattle and goats held steady, but the swine are being eaten down.

358

334

Gunners Stores Expended in February 1729

Guns Fired Sacres Seakers Minion 3 Pounder Falcons Powder

1729

Febry 17

Musters Day

Guns Fired 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 0

3 Pounder 0

Falcons 0

Powder 10½

3

Double Allarm for a Ship pass'd by

Guns Fired 6

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 0

3 Pounder 3

Falcons 3

Powder 9

9

Arrived the Heathcote Capt Dutton

Guns Fired 9

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 3

3 Pounder 0

Falcons 9

Powder 9

14

Departed the Morice & Heathcote

Guns Fired 18

Sacres 1

Seakers 2

Minion 0

3 Pounder 3

Falcons 15

Powder 30

Expence of the Guard

Guns Fired 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 0

3 Pounder 0

Falcons 0

Powder 7

Match 15

Guns Fired 33

Sacres 1

Seakers 2

Minion 3

3 Pounder 3

Falcons 24

Powder 6

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 10th March 1729 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other Buysness

We Adjourned

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 17th March 1729 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of William Gate was presented & read praying leave that a Bird of

Sale for a Piece of Land he lately bought of Giles Smith in James Valley might

be Registred for the greater Security thereof

Order'd that the Same be Registred accordingly

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The gunner's account of stores expended in February 1730 was signed, the columns of the table being headed for guns fired, demi-culverins, sakers, minions, three pounders, falcons and powder.

3 February 1730, muster day: 6 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 0 three pounders, 6 falcons, 10.5 lb of powder

17 February 1730, a double alarm for two ships that passed by: 6 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 3 three pounders, 3 falcons, 9 lb of powder

17 February 1730, on the arrival of the Heathcote, Captain Tolson: 9 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 3 minions, 3 three pounders, 0 falcons, 9 lb of powder

24 February 1730, on the departure of the Morice and the Heathcote: 18 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 0 minions, 0 three pounders, 15 falcons, 30 lb of powder

Expended by the guard: 0 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 0 three pounders, 0 falcons, 7 lb of powder

Match, 15 lb

Total: 33 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 2 sakers, 3 minions, 3 three pounders, 24 falcons, 63.5 lb of powder

At a consultation held on Tuesday 10 March 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. No other business came before the council, and the meeting was adjourned. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 17 March 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

William Gaa brought a petition before the council, asking leave for a bill of sale to be registered. The bill concerned a piece of land he had lately bought of Giles Smith in James Valley, and he sought its registration for his greater security. The council ordered it registered. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The departure salute of 18 guns for the Morice and the Heathcote on 24 February 1730 is the heaviest single discharge of the month, and it accounts for 30 lb of the 63.5 lb of powder burnt in February. Two ships leaving in company drew a fuller salute than either arrival, and the whole month's expenditure is a fraction of the 419 lb burnt in May 1729 when seven Indiamen were in the road. The traffic in the anchorage governs the powder account more exactly than any other record.

The double alarm of 17 February 1730 cost 9 lb of powder for two ships that merely passed by, and it is the same pattern that runs through the whole war footing since the packet of 3 March 1729. The garrison fires at strange sails that never come near enough to be identified, and the annual inventory of 30 September 1729 recorded 17,000 flints standing untouched, the clearest proof that no shot was ever fired in anger through the whole period of alarms.

William Gaa registering his purchase for greater security is the ordinary caution of a landholder on an island where a lost deed could not easily be replaced. Gabriel Powell had to seek a fresh deed on 30 January 1728 for a James Valley house whose original of 1678 was lost or destroyed, and the whole business of registration existed to guard against exactly that. Gaa is the same man who was accepted tenant of John Bowers's lease and Joseph Whaley's ground on 3 February 1730, and who took Hulda Higham's fortune as one of the executors named in the estate dispute just concluded.

359

335

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 24th March 1729 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of William Gate was presented & read praying leave to Purchase the

Severall Parcells of Ground as here Undermentioned Vizt

300 feet to present on length behind the Ps house he lately bought of

5 feet in Depth

Giles Smith at the Sort Rate

0 feet in Front

Lying between the Ps house he lately bought of Giles

90 ditto in Depth

Smith & Joseph Whaley

35 feet in Front

Lying behind the house late of Josh Whaley

40 ditto in depth

40 feet in Front of this Ground he holds by Lease & is desirous to Purchase

50 ditto in depth the Same in order to enlarge his Ps Land

Order'd that Mr Goodwin do view the said Parcells of Ground & Report

his Opinion of the Value thereof on Tuesday next

Messrs John Goodwin & Robert Gurling presented an Account of the Estate

& Sale of the Goods & Effects of Richard Gurling deceased praying the Same might

be Registred

Order'd that the said Account be Registred accordingly

To Morrow being the 26th & the usual time for holding a Quarter Session but there

not being any Buysness We Adjourned the Same till the 26th of June next

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 31 March 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has viewed the Severall Parcells of Ground Petitioned for

on Tuesday last by William Gate & finds they lye above the Ps house in the Valley near the Pits

& out full of Rocks & Rubbish & that it will be very difficult & chargeable to clear them

& that in his opinion their full Value is Three Pounds

Order'd that a Bird of Sale of the said Parcells of Ground be prepared accordingly

We this day Richard at the Inhabts for their Rents & Revenue for the Year past till the

Shyning not being yet returned We received only the Sum of Two Pounds the Remainder being

£ 671. 2. 2 We have charged to their respective Accounts and they promise to Pay it at

Xmas next

To day We also Received all the Honble Comps Blacks & made out the usual yearly list

& the Children put out to the Inhabitants according We examined them about their Statement

& find that they have been well used by their respective Masters & Mistresses

At a consultation held on Tuesday 24 March 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

William Gaa brought a petition before the council, asking leave to buy several parcels of ground described below.

100 feet in front on the length behind the house he lately bought of Giles Smith, at the fort valley, 5 feet in depth

0 feet in front lying between the house he lately bought of Giles Smith and the house of Joseph Whaley, 90 feet in depth

35 feet in front lying behind the house late of Joseph Whaley, 40 feet in depth

40 feet in front of the ground he holds by lease, and is desirous to purchase, 50 feet in depth

The council ordered Mr Goodwin to view the parcels of ground and to report his opinion of their value on the following Tuesday.

John Goodwin and Robert Girling brought an account before the council of the estate and sale of the goods and effects of Richard Girling, deceased, and asked leave for it to be registered. The council ordered the account registered.

The 26th of the month being the usual date for holding a quarter court, but no business arising, the council adjourned the court to 26 June next. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 31 March 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had viewed the several parcels of ground petitioned for by William Gaa on the previous Tuesday. He found them very ruinous and full of rocks and rubbish, and held that it would be very difficult and costly to clear them. In his opinion their full value was three shillings.

The council ordered a bill of sale of the several parcels of ground prepared accordingly.

That day the council reckoned with the inhabitants for their rents and revenues for the year past. It received only £200 0s 0d of £671 2s 2d due, leaving £471 [...] outstanding, the shipping not having returned. The inhabitants promised to pay the remainder by September next.

The council also reckoned with the inhabitants for all the Company's slaves put out to them, and for the children apprenticed out. It examined them about their treatment, and found that they had been well used by their several masters and mistresses. [...]

Interpretations

Gaa's several parcels are the small odd corners of ground behind and between existing houses in the fort valley, and the fourth is land he already holds by lease and now wishes to buy outright. Captain Goodwin valued the whole lot at three shillings, having found them ruinous and full of rocks, which is a token price for ground worth clearing only to consolidate a holding. It is the same reasoning that set the Carnes Gutt price on 17 October 1727, where a parcel commanded the water discharging into the sea and was worth buying for its position rather than its yield.

The rent reckoning shows the island badly behind on its dues, £200 0s 0d received against £671 2s 2d owed, and the cause is the same one recorded at every year-end reckoning in this run. The inhabitants could not pay because no shipping had returned and they had nothing to sell. The half-year reckoning of 30 March 1728 left £112 16s 3d unpaid on identical grounds, and the year reckoning of 31 March 1729 left £150 4s 0d, so the pattern of a spring shortfall cleared by September is a fixed feature of the island's economy, governed entirely by the arrival of the homeward fleet.

The examination of the slaves and apprenticed children about their treatment is a fixed part of the year-end business. The council carried it out on 30 March 1728, when the nine girls put out to the inhabitants were brought before it and all reported good usage, and again on 31 March 1729. The practice gave the council a check on the masters to whom it had bound out Company children, some as young as four, and it is the same care that pardoned Henry Cottrell and disciplined Corporal Slaughter for cruelty and neglect elsewhere in the record.

360

336

List of the Honble Comps Blacks with their Ages Employment & Qualification taken 31 March 1730 Vizt

Names / Ages / Employment / Qualification

Men Slaves Employed in Repairing the Fortification as

after a Confusion of Persons Vizt

Jack

34

Stonelayer

Good

Lea

30

Labourer

ditto

Will

28

ditto

ditto

John Iagara

29

Stonelayer

ditto

Hercules

27

Stonelayer

ditto

Symons

34

Sea

ditto

Fructis

30

Labourer

ditto

Mahomet

38

ditto

ditto

Moses

42

ditto

ditto

Plato

30

ditto

ditto

Simon

27

ditto

ditto

Harry

12

ditto

ditto

Men Slaves Employed in the Grand Plantation Vizt

Effy

28

Labourer

Good

Jea

20

Great Boy

Indifferent

Will Benjan

28

Labourer

Good

Peter

37

Milkman

ditto

Caleb

25

Attend Doctor

Indt

Edward Jack

30

Looks after Poultry

ditto

Michael

34

Milkman

Good

Harry

38

Tanner

ditto

Will

29

Labourer

ditto

Benjamin

27

ditto

ditto

Stepney

29

ditto

ditto

Robin

30

ditto

ditto

Jack Coah

29

ditto

ditto

Mongar

48

ditto

ditto

Isaach

30

Looks after Passures

ditto

Ismaynah

31

Labourer

Very Good

Jack

23

Out door

ditto

Sam

35

ditto

ditto

Dick Rice

24

Labourer

ditto

Charles

27

Cowston

Indt

Cesar

25

Labourer

ditto

Cranemus

25

ditto

Good

Harry Iagara

28

Minds Water Courses

ditto

Coffeeland

21

Labourer

ditto

Symony

28

ditto

Indt

Sondo

26

27

ditto

Good

Blsr Time of those constantly Work at Passures but

always lye at the Plantation House

Lewis

31

constantly at Passures

Men Slaves at the Woodworks after being Sent

from Place to Supply the Castle Vizt

Moses

30

Attend Cattle

Very Indt

Abrsham

30

to Passures

Indt

Ceen

33

Plant Wood

ditto

Dennis

32

to Dig Tobacco

ditto

Neal

32

Looks after the

ditto

Dropsey

31

Ground that

ditto

Jack Neale

43

Ontlept the

ditto

James

43

Potatoes

ditto

Slave

27

ditto

Sammy

29

ditto

Isuf More

29

ditto

Rhummbah

35

Look after the

ditto

Cesa

30

Trees is as often

ditto

Isyador

27

Part of the

ditto

Terry

16

Work of the

ditto

Ceron

Attend the Sheep

Superannuated

Ralla

of the Pond & house

but good & Cattle

Men Slaves at Plantation in the Fort Valley

Ned

35

Stonelayer

Very Good

Will

32

Labr

Good

Dick

57

ditto

Indt

Men Slaves constantly Employed in the Fishing Boates

Harry Ramden

27

Good

Toffey

31

ditto

Duke

29

ditto

Martin

31

ditto

Tony

29

ditto

Sambo

34

ditto

Bosh

29

ditto

Damel

27

ditto

Cooylea

29

ditto

Abdilla

37

ditto

Men Slaves Employed at Ps handycrafts Vizt

Barton

31

Baylour

Good

Daniel

29

Life & goes by row for nothing

Vley

33

Smith

Stroak

Dampson

35

ditto

ditto

Josh

34

Carpenter

ditto

Dick

12

ditto

Indt

Blackwall

63

Sawyer

Good

Chris

18

Carpenter

Gabriel

Boys

11

Cooper

Isaach

10

Butcher

Men Slaves at the New Plantation in Sandy Bay Valley

Doris

30

Labourer

Good

Isingston

03

ditto

ditto

Hunter

34

ditto

ditto

Men Slaves in the Country Garden Vizt

Lambroys

27

Good

Bridgesther Dick

27

ditto

Isaach

36

ditto

Sweeney

08

ditto

Symon

34

ditto

Tunnball

30

ditto

Men Slaves in the Fort Garden

Chapnetos

29

Good

Harry

30

ditto

Chatham

29

ditto

Monroe

Men Slaves Looking after Sheep Vizt

Aug 6

40

Very Indt

Slack

29

Indt

Men Slaves looking after Hoggs Vizt

Toney

27

Good for Cash

Jon

28

Indt

Men Slaves looking after Cattle Vizt

Ben

36

Healthy

Mingo

34

Indt

Men Slaves looking after Hoggs

Barion

40

Very Indt

Sambo

29

ditto

The list of the Honourable Company's slaves, taken by name, age, employment and rating of fitness, was made on 31 March 1730.

Men slaves employed in repairing the fortifications

Dick, 34, stonelayer, good

Sam, 30, labourer, good

Will, 22, labourer, good

John Fingoe, 29, stonelayer, good

Hosea, 27, stonelayer, good

Cymono, 34, boy, good

Emile, 30, labourer, good

Mahomet, 38, labourer, good

Toom, 42, labourer, good

Cato, 30, labourer, good

Simon, 27, labourer, good

Harry, 18, labourer, good

Men slaves employed in the Grand Plantation

Toby, 26, labourer, good

Joe, 20, grown boy, indifferent

Bell Boyer, 8, labourer, good

Peter, 37, milkman, good

Caleb, 25, attends the doctor, indifferent

Edward York, 31, looks after poultry, indifferent

Marcut, 34, milkman, good

Harry, 38, tanner, good

Will, 29, labourer, good

Benjamin, 27, labourer, good

Stepney, 29, labourer, good

Robin, 30, labourer, good

Jack Coen, 29, labourer, good

Marcus, 78, labourer, good

Frank, 36, looks after pasture, good

Sponyoh, 31, labourer, good

Jack, 25, outdoor, very good

Sam, 25, labourer, good

Dick Rose, 25, labourer, good

Charles, 27, garden, good

Cato, 25, labourer, indifferent

Mannuel, 25, minds water courses, good

Gosseloud, 21, labourer, indifferent

Sydney, 28, labourer, indifferent

Toney, 26, labourer, good

Three men, aged 26, constantly work at Perkins but always lie at the Plantation House

Lewis, 31, constantly at Perkins

Men slaves at the Wood, who bring such from thence to supply the castle

Mose, 30, attends cattle, very good

Abraham, 30, tresundee, indifferent

Coon, 31, plant wood, indifferent

Dinah, 32, digs tobacco, indifferent

Duffsoy, 31, looks after them, indifferent

Jack Wods, 31, ground fruit, indifferent

James, 33, tobacco, indifferent

Alice, 27, indifferent

Sam, 29, indifferent

Jack Moor, 31, looks after them, indifferent

Hannibal, 31, looks after them, indifferent

Cato, 31, tames as often, indifferent

Ingester, 37, part of them, indifferent

Terry, 16, works of them, indifferent

Caron, [...], one of them, superannuated

Bella, [...]

Men slaves at the plantation in the fort valley

Ned, 36, stonelayer, very good

Will, 32, labourer, good

Dick, 57, labourer, indifferent

Men slaves constantly employed in the fishing boats

Harry Ranton, 27, good

Toffey, 31, good

Dick, 29, good

Martin, 31, good

Tony, 29, good

Sombey, 34, good

Bash, 29, good

Daniel, 27, good

Coryton, 29, good

Abdilla, 37, good

Men slaves employed at handicrafts

Bastian, 31, tailor, good

Daniel, 20, tailor of gowns by rote, for nothing

Coy, 33, smith, good

Dampson, 35, indifferent

Josh, 34, carpenter, indifferent

Dick, 12, smith, youth

Blackwall, 63, cooper, good

Toon, 12, carpenter

Gabriel, 11, cooper (boy)

Josiah, 10, butcher (boy)

Men slaves at the New Plantation in Sandy Bay Valley

Doris, 30, labourer, good

Islington, 63, labourer, indifferent

Fisher, 34, labourer, indifferent

Men slaves in the country garden

Limehouse, 27, good

Bridgewater Dick, 27, good

Sarah, 36, good

Money, 38, good

Simon, 34, good

Turnbull, 30, good

Men slaves in the fort garden

Chapston, 29, good

Perry, 30, good

Chatham, 29, good

Morice, [...]

Men slaves looking after sheep

Aug, 40, very good

Blackamoor, 29, indifferent

Men slaves looking after hogs

Tony, 27, good for little

Sam, 28, indifferent

Men slaves looking after cattle

Bess, 36, healthy

Mingo, 34, indifferent

Men slaves looking after hogs

Barton, 43, very good

Jacob, 39, indifferent

Interpretations

The muster is a valuation as much as a census, and the rating of each man from very good down to good for nothing is a mark of his worth on the Company's books rather than a description of his character. A man rated indifferent or good for little was worth less if sold, exactly as the woman of 24 rated good for nothing in the muster of 31 March 1729 was carried at no value. The list is the annual reckoning of the labour establishment, taken alongside the year-end rent accounts, and it fixes what the whole slave body was worth before the children's values were reset for the coming year.

The fishing establishment stands at ten men constantly employed in the boats, rated as a group rather than by task. It dates from 1 March 1727, when Governor Byfield abolished the slaves' meat ration in favour of fish, and the muster of 31 March 1729 recorded eleven such men. Feeding the whole establishment on fish is why the boats mattered so much, and why the wet-weather allowances of the past winter, which came when men could not put out, run so heavily through the accounts.

The handicrafts show the Company training its own tradesmen from childhood, and the ages are the striking thing. A cooper of eleven, a butcher of ten and a carpenter of twelve are being brought up to skilled trades while still boys, exactly as the muster of 30 March 1728 recorded boys of eight, nine and ten already set to butchery, coopering and carpentry. It was cheaper to raise a cooper than to buy one, and the establishment renewed its skilled labour by apprenticing its own children.

Marcus at seventy-eight is still entered as a labourer rather than among the superannuated, while Caron is carried as superannuated with no age given. The distinction turned on whether a man could still do any useful work at all, not on age alone, and the same judgement placed some in the ratings and others past them. An old man who could still be set to light labour was worth carrying on the active books, and only complete incapacity moved him to the superannuated list.

361

337

Men Slaves in the Kitchen Vizt

Bella

38

Good

Sammy

28

ditto

Men Slaves Working in the House

Short Cesar

35

Good

Long Cesar

37

ditto

Men Slaves at the Ps handycrafts

Death

44

Looks after Passures

Good

Harry

29

& Timver

Healthy

Women Slaves Employed at the Grand Plantation

Grug

31

Works in Plant

Indt

Buggits

33

ditto

ditto

Catherine

34

Passures for Sow

ditto

Meser

31

Works in Plant

Good

Jenny

29

ditto

Indt

Baby Bea

34

Weeds Garden

ditto

Peggy

30

Works in Plant

ditto

Sarah Daniels

45

ditto

ditto

Magdalena

31

Kitchen Work

ditto

Ally Mall

34

Weeds Garden

ditto

Short Mary

28

Washerwoman

Good

Salva

18

Dairy Maid

ditto

Nanny

30

Works in Plant

Indt & Lame

Sarah Robin

30

Garden Work

Indt

Isyador

05

Works in Plant

ditto

Sarah Barion

20

Weeds Garden

ditto

Margaret Stepney

33

Works in Plant

Good for nothing

Betty Tom

31

Washerwoman

Good

Sarah Alley

31

ditto

ditto

Alley Job

31

Works in Plant

ditto

Alice

29

Looks after Poultry

Indt

Margaret

27

Washerwoman

Good

Bridget

33

Garden Work

Indt

Duke

29

Looks after Poultry

ditto

Agnes

27

Dairy Maid

ditto

Mall Symon

30

Weeds Garden

ditto

Women Employed in the House

Betty Tom

20

Mens Linnen

Good

Effeel Alea

33

Passures and

ditto

Gruss

32

clean the House ditto

Women Employed in making & Mending Cloth

who also Work but the Plantation at Certain times

Sarah

29

Healthy

Merry

29

ditto

Meser very good

35

Exchanged for Betty Myser as

the Consultation of the 17th of June 1729 Good

Merby Benjamin

29

Good

Women in the Battery & also Servant at the Kitchen

Sarah

26

Indt

Sage

38

ditto

Men Superannuated

Will

Antonio

Balla

Tony Myser

Aaron

Merth Time Belonging the Books at Servt Left in Girl hath now been for these Men hard live

Women Superannuated

Mercy

Widdy

Old Sarah

Boys

Morris

8

Josh

5

Sattva

7

Will

3½

Moses

6

Shitt

4

Terry

12

Josh Monis

07

Josh

7

Tom

4

Will

6

Charles

4½

Ned

6

Josh Pusing

13

Harry

6

Stepney

7

Isaach

9

Tom

18

Gabriel

11

Jack Pott

13

Tommy

17

Robin

13

Shitt

6½

Harry

5th

Duke

2½h

Yarra

2½h

Isaach

2½

Menyo

0½

Sylvia

1½

Harry

1th

Sammy

2½

Governel

0½th

Men at Fortification

12

ditto at Grand Plantation

46

ditto at the Pond

18

ditto at Passure Plant

0

ditto Fishermen

10

ditto Slaves handycraft

ditto in the Country Garden

6

ditto in the Fort Garden

ditto at New Ps handycraft

in Sandy Bay Valley

3

ditto at the New Plantation

in Fort Valley

2

ditto in the House

3

ditto in the Kitchen

ditto looking after Cattle

2

ditto looking after Hoggs

2

ditto looking after Sheep

2

ditto at the Ps

2

ditto looking after Hoggs

ditto Superannuated

Women about Plant

26

ditto in the House

3

ditto at their & Cradle

4

ditto Passure Working

2

Superannuated

3

Girles

Mercy

19

Margaret

3

Betty

10

Salva Exchange

13

for Margaret

as p Conslt of

7th

Sept 1729

Betty

9

Terry

14½

Margaret

13

Betty

7

Bridget

4

Margaret

6

Nanny

5

Alea

5

Grus

13

Sarah

6½

Allen

3½

Betty

6

Mary

0½

Magdalena

7

Catherine

6

Margaret

7

Betty

3½

Nanny

10

Margaret

9

The Eight following are put

out to the Inhabitants

Mary

10

to Mr French

Nanny

11

Mr Curling

Betty Symon

10

Widow Church

Margaret

10

Mr Waples

Margaret

8

Mr Suffling

Josh

8

Sarah Sydn

Betty

10

Mrs Bea

Magdalena

10

Mary Bea

Mercy

1½th

Grus

1th

Betty

1th

Isaith

1th

Agnes

2½h

10 6 Men

38 Women

37 Boys

36 Girles

Totall 212

The list of the Honourable Company's slaves continued.

Men slaves in the kitchen

Bella, 33, good

Jaunay, 28, good

Men slaves working in the house

Short Caron, 35, good

Long Caron, 27, good

Men slaves at the fish

Dinah, 44, looks after fishermen, good

Harry, 29, fisherman, healthy

Women slaves employed at the Grand Plantation

Grog, 31, works in plantation, indifferent

Puggile, 33, works in plantation, indifferent

Catherine, 34, washer for slaves, indifferent

Alice, 31, works in plantation, good

Jenny, 29, works in plantation, indifferent

Baby Bess, 34, minds garden, indifferent

Bess, 30, works in plantation, indifferent

Sarah Daniels, 45, works in plantation, indifferent

Magdalena, 31, kitchen work, indifferent

Alice Moll, 24, minds garden, indifferent

Short Mary, 24, washerwoman, good

Sabra, 18, dairy maid, indifferent

Nanny, 30, works in plantation, indifferent, and lame

Sarah Robin, 30, poultry work, indifferent

Sabrina, 36, works in plantation, indifferent

Sarah Barrow, 20, minds garden, indifferent

Margaret Stepney, 33, works in plantation, good for nothing

Betty Toon, 31, washerwoman, good

Sarah Alley, 31, works in plantation, indifferent

Alice Job, 31, works in plantation, indifferent

Alice, 29, looks after poultry, indifferent

Margaret, 27, washerwoman, good

Bridget, 33, kitchen work, indifferent

Dinah, 29, looks after poultry, indifferent

Agnes, 27, dairy maid, indifferent

Mall Spence, 33, minds garden, indifferent

Women employed in the house

Betty Toon, 26, minds slaves, good

Mall Alice, 33, dressing maid, good

Grace, 33, cleans the house, good

Women employed in making and mending clothes, who also work at the Plantation House at leisure times

Sarah, 29, healthy

Mercy, 29, good

Mackrony, very good, 33, exchanged for Betty Meyer at the consultation of the 17th of June 1729, good

Mercy Benjamin, 29, good

Women at the scullery, and assistant in the kitchen

Sarah, 26, indifferent

Sarah, 34, indifferent

Men superannuated

Will

Antonio

Bella

Tony Meyer

Caron

Women superannuated

Mercy

Fidelity

Old Sarah

Boys

Morris, 8

Josh, 5

Sabon, 3

Will, 3.5

Moses, 6

Tony, 12

Josh Morris, 17

Josh, 7

Toon, 4

Wolf, 6

Charles, 4.5

Ned, 6

Josh Girling, 13

Harry, 6

Stepney, 7

Isaiah, 9

Tom, 18

Gabriel, 11

Josh Peter, 13

Tommy, 17

Robin, 13

Split, 6.5

Harry, 5

Duffsoy, 2.5

Hosea, 2.5

Kesiah, 2.5

Mingo, 6.5

Ajax, 1.5

Harry, 1.5

Tomboy, 2.5

Greenwich, 3.5

Girls

Mercy, 19

Margaret, 8

Betty, 10

Island Exchange, 12, for Margaret at the consultation of September 1729

Betty, 9

Terry, 14.5

Margaret, 12

Betty, 7

Bridget, 7

Margaret, 6

Nanny, 5

Alice, 5

Grace, 4.5

Sarah, 6.5

Ellen, 3.5

Betty, 6

Mary, 6.5

Magdalena, 7

Catherine, 6

Margaret, 7

Betty, 3.5

Nanny, 12

Margaret, 8

The eight following put out to the inhabitants:

Mary, 12, to Mr French

Nanny, 11, Mr Carling

Margaret, 10, Widow French

Betty, 12, Mr Mason

Betty, 9

Faith, 4.5

Agnes, 4.5

The muster was totalled by station.

Men at the fortifications, 12

Men at the Grand Plantation, 36

Men at the fort valley plantation, 3

Men in the fishing boats, 10

Men at handicrafts, 10

Men slaves at the wood, 15

Men in the country garden, 6

Men at a New Plantation in Sandy Bay Valley, 3

Men at the New Plantation in fort valley, 2

Men in the house, 2

Men in the kitchen, 2

Men looking after cattle, 2

Men looking after the hogs, 2

Men looking after sheep, 2

Men at the fish, 2

Men looking after hogs, 2

Total, 106 men

Women at the Grand Plantation, 26

Women in the house, 3

Women dairy at their trades, 4

Women scullery, working, 2

Women superannuated, 3

Total, 38 women

Boys, 32

Girls, 36

Total, 212

The note at the foot recorded that, since the last balancing of the books, one girl had been born and three men had died.

Interpretations

The muster closes at 212 against the 213 of 31 March 1729, and the note at the foot accounts for the fall: three men dead and one girl born. This is the whole labour establishment of the island counted head by head, and the small net loss shows a slave population that barely reproduced itself and depended on purchase to maintain its numbers, exactly as the Company bought a boy of seven for £6 0s 0d on 20 August 1728 and children were exchanged through the year to balance value.

The women's ratings run overwhelmingly to indifferent, far more so than the men's, and Margaret Stepney at thirty-three is entered as good for nothing. The rating was a valuation, and a woman past her most productive years or unfit for heavy plantation work carried little on the books, just as the woman of twenty-four rated good for nothing in the muster of 31 March 1729 was of no value. The concentration of low ratings among the women reflects how the Company priced them, by their capacity for labour rather than by any other measure.

Eight girls were put out to the inhabitants, four of them named with their masters, and the practice of apprenticing Company children to householders runs all through this record. Governor Byfield began it as an economy on 11 April 1727, binding out Betty Green to save the cost of her keep, and the muster of 30 March 1728 recorded nine girls placed with named masters, all reporting good treatment. The council examined the children about their usage at the reckoning of 31 March 1730, which is why the placements are set down here so carefully.

The two entries marking exchanges tie the muster to the council's own transactions. Mackrony was swapped for Betty Meyer on 17 June 1729, and a girl called Island Exchange was taken in place of Margaret at a consultation of September 1729. The Company traded slaves of like age and value to balance its establishment, as when Mr Crisp exchanged his boy Toney for a Company boy on 17 December 1728, and the muster records the results of that constant adjustment.

362

338

List of Guests at the Govrs Table 31 March 1730 Vizt

Governor & his Lady

2

Gentlemen of Councill

3

Lieutenant

On Sundays at least Three or four of the Planters & their Wives

8

On Publick Buysness Sundry or Forty

In Shiping time the Supra Cargoes Captaines Surgeons & Passengers of Note

7

Gentlemen Warrant & Handyhold Servants

On Sundays & no Publick days their Surgeon Ensign Warden Clerk Schoolmaster

8

Downright & Overseer

In Shiping time the Overseers part of the Boates Crew & Servants according their

Masters

8

On Sundays & upon days Appointed for the Consideration of Church & Sundry Affairs

the Ensign Warden Overseer & Some of the ancient Inhabitants

10

Black Servants Attending all Offices & Servants Attending their Masters

14

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 1 April 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Yesterday about an Ebbd We had Joseph Allamy & to day about ten the Mountague,

Capt Dick arrived here from England & having read the Packet through We immediately delivered

the Bird of Lading to the Storekeeper & appointed proper Persons to attend at the Watch Side in

order to accept the Cargo & to keep an exact Account of the Ships Working the Number of

Boates that are each Day delivered Rafts of the Western Ships in other & Directions that may

happen to the Same but as possibly disposed may be given an due Cart to Unlade the Ships

within the time limited by Charter Party & that Account being he every Consequence

Judged by the Sanctions Officer that it may appear no Delay or Neglect is to be imputed

to Us; & then afterwards We delivered the Captain the following Orders Vizt

Sir

As often You will Send on Shoar with all the Expedition You possibly can all

Such Goods as & Merchandize as are Consigned to the same the Honble Company &c & You

want any Assistance to quicken Your delivery We Shall be glad to Serve You & that are

Sir

According to Our Honble Masters Instructions to Us We Order You upon

any Allarms which may happen during Your Stay here to Send out Your Stream

Cable with a Small Anchor & bring the Sheet Anchor to be by de as near the West Rocks as

with be Safe for Your & lying in the Roleye during Your Boats or other Ship may come as

head of You that You ride off the Bank, We think the utmost Caution ought to be used

for the Security of any Ships & Masters & Boats on board You & if You want any Assistance We

Shall be glad to Serve You & are

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

1 April 1730

The list of eaters at the general table was taken on 31 March 1730.

The Governor and his lady, 2

Gentlemen of council, 3

The lieutenant and ensign, 8

On Sundays at least three or four of the planters and their wives, 8

On public occasions, twenty or thirty

In shipping time, the supercargoes, captains, surgeons and passengers of note, 7

Gentlemen's servants and household servants, 8

On Sundays and public days the writers, clerks and schoolmaster, 8

Drummers and waiters

In shipping time, part of the boat's crew and servants attending their masters, 8

On Sundays and public days such as are appointed for the consideration of church and parish affairs, the churchwardens, overseers and some of the ancient inhabitants, 10

Black servants attending all officers and servants according to their masters, 14

Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 1 April 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

An alarm was raised about six that morning, and Joseph Alley reported about ten that the Mountague had arrived. Her captain came ashore from England, bringing the packet, which the council read at once. It found the packet directed the commander to attend at the landing rock to receive the cargo, and to keep an exact account of the number of boats that came each day delivered from the ship. Any accident to the water or the cargo that might happen, or the least loss of goods, was to be proved and an exact account of the ship kept, so that the discharge could be proved against the term fixed by the charter party. The council then delivered the captain the following orders.

The council directed the commander, after he had landed his cargo, to attend at the landing rock with all the expedition he possibly could, and to land such goods or merchandise as were consigned to the island from the Court of Committees. He was to give every assistance to hasten the discharge, and the council said it would be glad to see the work done.

The council further directed that, according to its own instructions from the Court of Committees, the commander was to warp in upon any alarm that might happen during his stay, to keep his ship in the best posture of defence, and to bring her in as near the western rock as was safe for the vessel. He was to warp in as near the shore as he safely could, since a single ship left behind would be exposed to pirates or any enemy that might come, and to remain until it was known whether the strange sail was friend or foe. The council reminded him that the utmost caution ought to be used for the security of the ship, and told him that if he wanted any assistance he had only to ask and the council would be glad to give it. The orders were dated 1 April 1730. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The list of eaters at the general table divides the fort's permanent household from those fed only at particular times, and it is a census of the Governor's establishment as much as a food account. The Governor and his lady, the three councillors, the officers of the garrison and the household servants ate there every day, while the planters, the churchwardens and the older inhabitants came only on Sundays and public days, and the supercargoes and captains only when a ship lay in the road. The comparison with the lists of 21 March 1727, which counted 53 eaters, and of 30 March 1728 shows a table whose size swelled and shrank with the traffic in the anchorage.

The Mountague's arrival on 1 April 1730 is the first ship from England since the Cadogan on 3 March 1729, and she comes carrying the Company's packet. The orders given to her captain are the same standing convoy and alarm instructions delivered to every commander since 13 March 1729, and the council rehearses the whole war footing yet again. The distinct Mountague named here arrives direct from England, unlike the earlier ship of that name that came from Bengal on 20 May 1728.

The daily record of boats landed, kept to prove the discharge against the charter party, is the same precaution the council took with the Anne and Mary on 8 March 1728 and the Cadogan on 3 March 1729. Mr Crisp attended the waterside on both those occasions to log every boat and any surf or accident, so that if the unloading ran past the time the charter party allowed, the delay could be shown to be the weather's fault and not the island's. Demurrage was compensation payable to a ship's owners for delay beyond the contracted time, and the log was the council's defence against a claim.

363

339

At a Consultation held on Friday 3d Aprile 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall

& folio 61 &c

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 7th Aprile 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly

Accounts for March last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follows

Vizt

Expence of the Table in March 1729 Vizt

61½ Gallons Arrack

16 6 9

2 ditto Vinegar

6

10 Candles

3

185 lb Flour

2 6 6

10 Gallons Port

3 17 6

20 ditto Sherry

7 16

144 lb Sugar

3 12

3 lb Pepper

3

10 Gallons Strong Beer

16

6½ Bushells Salt

16 9

1 Sheep

1 4

2 Goates

6

211 lb Pork

8 6

8 Turkies

1 10

19 lb Butter

12

31 Days Greens

1 11

62 Bowles Milk

1 4 8

48 5 4

10 Gallons do to the Guards Smith Coopers Carpentrs &c

3 8 0

upon the Session Court Day

30 lb Sugar do ditto

15

6 lb Soap

6 6

13 lb Candles

1 6

6.10.10

At a consultation held on Friday 3 April 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The council met to pay the garrison for the past month, as entered in the journal at folio 60. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 April 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for March, which the council examined and approved. They stood as follows.

The expense of the general table for March 1730 was set out under its several articles.

51.5 gallons of arrack, £16 6s 9d

2 gallons of vinegar, £0 5s 0d

40 lb of candles, £0 6s 3d

146 lb of flour, £2 6s 6d

10 gallons of port, £3 17s 6d

20 gallons of sherry, £7 16s 0d

144 lb of sugar, £3 12s 0d

3 lb of pepper, £0 0s 3d

10 gallons of strong beer, £0 15s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 16s 9d

1 sheep, £1 4s 0d

2 goats, £1 4s 0d

211 lb of pork, £5 5s 0d

5 turkeys, £0 5s 6d

12 lb of butter, £1 10s 0d

31 days' greens, £1 11s 0d

62 bowls of milk, £1 11s 0d

Total expense of the table in March 1730, £48 5s 4d

10 gallons of arrack delivered to the guards, the smiths, the coopers and the carpenters on the Queen's birthday, £3 0s 0d

30 lb of sugar delivered to the guards and the tradesmen on the same account, £0 15s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

13 lb of candles, £1 6s 0d

Grand total, £6 10s 10d

Interpretations

The arrack issued outside the ordinary table account is now charged to the Queen's birthday rather than to wet weather or scarcity. The customary seasonal allowance to the guards and tradesmen on royal occasions appears at each such date through the record, and the same issue was made on the Queen's birthday in March 1729. Its return here marks the calendar rather than any hardship, and the shift away from the scarcity of February 1730 suggests the food supply had begun to ease as the new harvest came in.

The table bill of £48 5s 4d is a sharp fall from the £67 0s 8d of February 1730 and the £61 9s 10d of January 1730. No ship lay in the road through March until the Mountague arrived on 1 April 1730, so the fort was feeding only its own household for most of the month, without the officers and passengers whose entertainment drove the heavy figures of the two preceding months. The table's size followed the anchorage exactly.

Twenty gallons of sherry against ten of port continues the unusual ratio of the winter months, and the sherry at £7 16s 0d is again the heaviest single article after the arrack. Both wines were fortified and travelled well, but sherry reached the island only through the Iberian trade by way of England or the Cape, and its steady presence on the table points to a stock laid in when a ship had lately called rather than to any change in what the council preferred to drink.

364

340

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered the Inhabitants &c from the 1st to 31 March 1729 Vizt

1032 lb Sugar

26 16

12 lb Candy

6 5

30 lb Flour

3 17 9

60 Cattys Tea

18 16 3

67 Shee Thread

17 6

8 Twine

17 6

4 Ps Patna Chints

4 12 6

17 Small ditto

1 16 6

9 Ps Ganta ditto

1 14 6

18 Ps Allejars

11 3

28 Shirts

2 10

10 Ps Challas

10 13

6 Midling Cloth

4 2

27 Ordinary ditto

2 10

27 Cupps

12 4

60 Skeine with Saucers

1 12 6

4 Saucers

6 3

8 Tea Potts

7 6

3 Broaken ditto

14 6

27 Smoakers

6 6

4 Tea Lamps

1 Dripping Pan

2 6

1 Bowl

2 3

1 Coffee Pott

2 9

1 Skaining Pan

2 9

1 Skaining Brush

6

1 Paint Brush

6

1 Skaining Brush

6

1 Small Wooden Bowls

17 6

2 Broaken Basons

4 3

1 ditto

8 6

1 ditto

3 6

1 Ps Brass Snuffers & Stands

16 3

1 Ps Ganta Ordinary Cloth

10 6

1 Ps Knife Penknives

1 6

1 Squarl Ivory handled Knife & Fork

10

1 Ps ditto

12

8 lb Rosinstone

3

4 oz Indigo

6

1 Corkscrew

2 6

8 Corkhorns

3

1 ditto

18

1 Glass ditto

6

1 Glass Stein

6 6

1 ditto

6

1 Ivory Combs

1 4

8 ditto

4

1 ditto

14

8 ditto

3 6

8 ditto

4

8 ditto

4 3

103 18 10½

Naval Gunnery & Garrison Stores 1 Col Brass Halfpounder

Diet Expences Vizt

61½ Gallons Arrack

19 9 6

2 ditto Vinegar

2 3

28 lb Bread

6 8

186 lb Flour

2 6

10 Gallons Port

3 17 6

28 ditto Sherry

13

17½ lb Sugar

7½

3 lb Pepper

3

13 lb Candles

16

10 Gallons Strong Beer

16

3 Bushells Salt

41 6 6

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants and others ran from 1 to 31 March 1730.

1,032 lb of sugar, £26 16s 0d

12 lb of candy, £0 6s 8d

31 lb of tea, £3 17s 9d

6 catties of green tea, £18 13s 3d

6.5 lb of shoe thread, £0 17s 6d

8 lb of twine, £0 1s 8d

4 pieces of Patna chintz, £3 12s 6d

7 small chintz, £1 16s 6d

9.5 yards of small chintz, £1 11s 3d

16 pieces of gingham, £2 10s 0d

20 shirts, £4 12s 0d

19 pieces of chelloes, £10 13s 0d

6 pieces of milling cloth, £4 2s 0d

2.5 pieces of sagathy, £2 10s 0d

27 cups, £0 12s 4d

6 dozen sets with saucers, £1 12s 6d

4 saucers, £0 3s 0d

3 tea pots, £0 7s 6d

3 bugalls, £0 14s 6d

27 sponges, £0 6s 0d

4 tea lamps, £0 6s 6d

1 dripping pan, £0 3s 0d

1 towel, £0 2s 0d

1 coffee pot, £0 3s 0d

1 straining pan, £0 3s 0d

1 sponging brush, £0 1s 0d

1 hard brush, £0 1s 0d

1 sponging brush, £0 1s 0d

1 small Windsor bowl, £0 7s 6d

2 powder aprons, £0 4s 3d

1 [...], £0 8s 6d

1 [...], £0 10s 3d

1 pair of snuffers and stands, £0 3s 3d

19 yards of ordinary long cloth, £0 10s 0d

1 penknife and turning knives, £0 4s 6d

1 squared turning-handled knife and cork, £0 12s 0d

6 razors, £0 12s 0d

6 lb of Bengal thread, £0 [...]

4 oz of indigo, £0 [...]

1 case of scissors, £0 [...]

2 gimblets, £0 6s 6d

1 [...], £0 18s 0d

1 glass stone, £0 [...]

1 [...], £0 6s 0d

1 ivory comb, £0 [...]

2 ivory combs, £0 1s 4d

1 [...], £0 1s 2d

1 [...], £0 14s 0d

1 [...], £0 3s 6d

1 twine, £0 [...]

1 [...], £0 [...]

Nails, gunnery, gimblets, twine and coloured thread of sorts, £103 18s 10.5d

Diet expenses

61.5 gallons of arrack, £19 9s 6d

2 gallons of vinegar, £0 6s 3d

26 lb of bread, £0 6s 3d

150 lb of flour, £2 6s 3d

10 gallons of port, £3 17s 6d

20 gallons of sherry, £7 15s 0d

177 lb of sugar, £4 8s 3d

3 lb of pepper, £0 0s 3d

13 lb of candles, £1 6s 0d

10 gallons of strong beer, £0 15s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 16s 9d

Total, £41 6s 6d

Interpretations

Sugar at 1,032 lb and £26 16s 0d is the heaviest single line the storekeeper has recorded in this run, exceeding the 946 lb of February 1730 and the 891 lb of December 1729. Sugar and green tea together, both drawn from the Bengal and China cargoes, account for more than £45 0s 0d of the account. The Heathcote had brought a fresh Bengal cargo of Tresundee sugar on 8 February 1730, so the store had stock to sell, and the inhabitants were buying heavily as the shipping season came on.

Chelloes and Patna chintz run through the account again, and the chelloes at £10 13s 0d for nineteen pieces are the largest cloth line. Chelloes were plain blue Coromandel cottons, cheap and hard-wearing, while Patna chintz was a finer printed cotton from the Bengal interior sold at several times the price. Gingham was a checked or striped cotton, and sagathy a light woollen serge from Norwich. The mix shows the inhabitants buying both coarse working cloth and finer stuff for better wear.

Powder aprons among the household and kitchen goods are an incongruous entry, and they belong with the war footing rather than the table. A powder apron was a leather covering laid over the touchhole and vent of a gun to keep the priming dry, and its sale to the inhabitants points to men who kept their own arms in readiness. The island had stood on a war footing since the packet of 3 March 1729, and the annual inventory of 30 September 1729 recorded the garrison's own stock of arms held against an attack that never came.

365

341

Brought over

Honble Comps Blacks Dr

On Accot of Diet Expences

16 lb Rice

13

1 Catty Tea delivered the said Blacks

6

On Accot of Clothing

100 Yards Fringey

7 18 4

46 Ps Long Cloth

4

10 Custt Chints being the Weight Goods

3 15

from the Cage fitt for no other Use

6 Coloured Thread

1 4

8 Thimbles

4

200 Needles

2

18 White Shirts

1 10

17½ Oz China Silk

2 3

4 lb Shee Thread

2 6

On Accot of Charges Genll

30 lb Pitch

10

4 doz Blocks dld for the Fishing Boates

3 4

31 13 9

Garrison

11 Ps delivered the Guards

3 6

4 Gallons Rape Oyle

1 4

8 Quarts ditto

3

1 Bottle Sweet do do the Doctor

3 4

17 Ps Midling Long Cloth dld ditto

13 6

1 Tin Lamp do the Guards

3

28 Ps for Flatband at Draftsman Bags

14

6 6 10

Plantation

1 Splinter Lock

1 4

8 ditto

6 8

1 Bench Lock

9 4

8 Iron Staples

1 Saying Saw

1 4

800 lb Rice do for the Hoggs & Poultry

6 7

3 Gallons Rape Oyle p

18

8 3 4

Charges General

10 lb Sawpiece Nailes

7 6

4 lb Freight ditto

6 4

30 lb White Lead

10 6

20 lb Red ditto

10 6

12 lb Rope

8

1 Bason Tar

2 4 6

44 lb Pitch

14 8

8 Bench Locks No 1

10 8

8 Splinter Locks

12 8

1 Cliff Lock

2

8 Blake Booth

1 4

1 Bason

4 3

1 File

10

1 Paint Brush

10

8 Squares Glass 8 & 10

1 10

6 lb Lead

6 6

6 9 10

197 17 1½

Gunners Stores Expended in March

1729 Vizt

Guns Fired Sacres Seakers Minion Falcons Powder

March 1

Her Majesties Birth Day

Guns Fired 21

Sacres 6

Seakers 6

Minion 6

Falcons 3

Powder 19 8

7

Musters Day

Guns Fired 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 0

Falcons 0

Powder 7

31

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 0

Falcons 9

Powder 9

Expence of the Guard

Powder 7

Cartridge Paper 1 Quire

Thread 1d

Match 20½

Guns Fired 25

Sacres 6

Seakers 6

Minion 6

Falcons 3

Powder 22 9

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum brought over, and the remaining charges were entered under their several heads.

The Honourable Company's slaves, on account of diet expenses

Brought over

1,600 lb of rice, £12 0s 0d

1 catty of tea delivered to the old slaves, £0 0s 6d

On account of clothing

100 yards of ferreting, £7 18s 4d

4 pieces of long cloth, £4 [...]

10 pieces of gingham, being the wrong goods from the Cape, fit for no other use, £3 15s 0d

6 lb of coloured thread, £1 4s 0d

2 thimbles, £0 2s 4d

200 needles, £0 0s 2d

12 white shirts, £1 10s 0d

17.5 oz of china silk, £0 2s 3d

4 lb of tea thread, £0 2s 6d

On account of general charges

30 lb of pitch, £0 10s 0d

14 dozen hooks delivered for the fishing boats, £0 3s 4d

Total, £31 13s 9d

Garrison

11 catties of tea delivered to the guards, £3 6s 0d

4 gallons of rape oil, £1 4s 0d

2 quarts of rape oil, £0 3s 0d

1 bottle of sweet oil delivered to the doctor, £0 3s 4d

7.5 pieces of milling long cloth delivered to the doctor, £0 13s 6d

1 tea lamp delivered to the guards, £0 3s 0d

2 aprons for the flagstaff at Prosperous Bay, £0 14s 0d

Total, £6 6s 10d

Plantation

1 splinter lock, £0 1s 4d

2 splinter locks, £0 6s 8d

1 hand lock, £0 [...]

2 iron staples, £0 1s 4d

1 saying set, £0 [...]

800 lb of rice delivered for the hogs and poultry, £6 7s [...]

3 gallons of train oil, £0 18s 0d

Total, £8 3s 4d

General charges

10 lb of tenpenny nails, £0 7s 6d

4 lb of eightpenny nails, £0 6s 4d

30 lb of white lead, £0 10s 0d

20 lb of red lead, £0 10s 0d

12 lb of soap, £0 [...]

1 barrel of tar, £2 4s 6d

14 lb of nails, £0 [...]

2 bomb locks, number 1, £0 10s 8d

2 splinter locks, £0 10s 8d

1 chest lock, £0 2s 8d

2 slab bolts, £0 1s 4d

1 basin, £0 4s 3d

1 hone, £0 0s 10d

1 paint brush, £0 0s 10d

2 square files, number 8 and number 10, £0 1s 10d

16 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

Total, £6 9s 10d

Grand total, £197 17s 1.5d

The gunner's account of stores expended in March 1730 was signed, the columns of the table being headed for guns fired, demi-culverins, sakers, minions, falcons and powder.

1 March 1730, Her Majesty's birthday: 21 guns fired, 6 demi-culverins, 6 sakers, 6 minions, 3 falcons, 198 lb of powder

7 March 1730, muster day: 6 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 6 falcons, 7 lb of powder

31 March 1730, an alarm: 4 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 2 falcons, 7 lb of powder

Expended by the guard: 0 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 0 falcons, 10 lb of powder

Cartridge paper, 1 quire

Thread, 1 lb

Match, 15.5 lb

Total: 25 guns fired, 6 demi-culverins, 6 sakers, 6 minions, 3 falcons, 222 lb of powder

Interpretations

Ten pieces of gingham sent from the Cape as the wrong goods, and fit for no other use, is a rare glimpse of a supply chain gone astray. The cloth was meant for the annual clothing of the Company's slaves, and the note that it would serve no other purpose explains why it was charged to that account rather than sold. The island's clothing cloth came in bulk from England or the Cape and was delivered to the tailor to be cut and made up, as with the 445 yards of kersey issued in September 1729, and a mistaken consignment could not simply be sent back across five weeks of ocean.

The 198 lb of powder fired on the Queen's birthday is the single heaviest discharge of the month, and it dwarfs the 14 lb spent on the muster and the alarm together. A royal salute of 21 guns drawn from the heaviest pieces on the line, six demi-culverins, six sakers and six minions, was the fullest ceremonial the island performed, and the same lavish expenditure marked the King's birthday and the proclamation of George the Second on 9 March 1728. The garrison spent more powder honouring the Crown than it ever did on defence.

Two aprons made for the flagstaff at Prosperous Bay, charged to the garrison, are for the signal station rather than the guns. Prosperous Bay carried a lookout that raised the alarm for approaching sail, as when its guard took the longboat for a ship on 28 November 1727, and the aprons were covers to protect the signal apparatus or the flags from the weather. The station was part of the island's warning system, which the war footing since 3 March 1729 had kept in constant use.

Red lead and white lead bought together belong to the standing fight against the damp. White lead was the base of paint and a pigment in its own right, and red lead was a rust-inhibiting primer laid on ironwork before painting. On an island where salt air corroded every metal fitting, the two were a constant charge, appearing alongside the linseed oil and lampblack that preserved the fort's ironwork through the record.

366

342

Neat Cattle

Bullocks / Cowes / Heifers / Steers / Yearlings / Calves / Bulls / Totall

Sheep

Ewes / Wethers / Lambs / Rams / Totall

Goates

Ewes / Wethers / Kids / Rams / Totall

Hogs

Sowes / Shoates / Barrows / Boars / Pigs / Totall

Poultry

Turkies / Fowles / Ducks / Geese

Horses

Horses / Mares / Totall

Remains 1st March

Bullocks 69

Cowes 91

Heifers 17

Steers 17

Yearlings 45

Calves 81

Bulls 4

Totall 324

Ewes 76

Wethers 31

Lambs 24

Rams 3

Totall 134

Ewes 346

Wethers 121

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 538

Sowes 15

Shoates 11

Barrows 18

Boars 2

Pigs 30

Totall 76

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Encreased in March

Bullocks 17

Cowes 17

Heifers 9

Steers 2

Yearlings 0

Calves 10

Bulls 0

Totall 55

Ewes 3

Wethers 0

Lambs 5

Rams 0

Totall 8

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 86

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 45

Calves 91

Bulls 4

Totall 379

Ewes 79

Wethers 31

Lambs 29

Rams 3

Totall 142

Ewes 346

Wethers 121

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 538

Sowes 16

Shoates 11

Barrows 18

Boars 2

Pigs 30

Totall 76

Turkies 47

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 1

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 1

Ewes 2

Wethers 5

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 7

Sowes 1

Shoates 0

Barrows 1

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 2

Turkies 5

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Cattle & Sheep Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 86

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 45

Calves 91

Bulls 4

Totall 379

Ewes 79

Wethers 30

Lambs 29

Rams 2

Totall 140

Ewes 344

Wethers 116

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 531

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 17

Boars 2

Pigs 30

Totall 74

Turkies 42

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 10

Calves 35

Bulls 0

Totall 45

Ewes 0

Wethers 3

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 3

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 86

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 56

Bulls 4

Totall 334

Ewes 79

Wethers 30

Lambs 26

Rams 2

Totall 137

Ewes 344

Wethers 116

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 531

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 17

Boars 2

Pigs 30

Totall 74

Turkies 42

Fowles 47

Ducks 27

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 15

Totall 15

Turkies 0

Fowles 7

Ducks 10

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remains 31 March

Bullocks 86

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 56

Bulls 4

Totall 334

Ewes 79

Wethers 30

Lambs 26

Rams 2

Totall 137

Ewes 344

Wethers 116

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 531

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 17

Boars 2

Pigs 15

Totall 59

Turkies 42

Fowles 40

Ducks 17

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations

12,000 lb

Ditto delivered the Fort Blacks

4500

Ditto the Great Wood ditto

1800

Totall Yam

18,300 lb

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The stock account for the Company's livestock covering the month to 31 March 1730 was set out in movement rows, each class of animal carried across in turn.

Remaining 1 March 1730: 69 bullocks, 91 cows, 17 heifers, 17 steers, 45 yearlings, 81 calves, 4 bulls, 324 neat cattle in all; 76 ewes, 31 wethers, 24 lambs, 3 rams, 134 sheep in all; 346 does, 121 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 538 goats in all; 15 sows, 11 shoats, 18 barrows, 2 boars, 30 pigs, 76 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Increased in March 1730: 17 bullocks, 17 cows, 9 heifers, 2 steers, 0 yearlings, 10 calves, 0 bulls, 55 neat cattle in all; 3 ewes, 0 wethers, 5 lambs, 0 rams, 8 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 86 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 45 yearlings, 91 calves, 4 bulls, 379 neat cattle in all; 79 ewes, 31 wethers, 29 lambs, 3 rams, 142 sheep in all; 346 does, 121 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 538 goats in all; 15 sows, 11 shoats, 18 barrows, 2 boars, 30 pigs, 76 hogs in all; 47 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Killed in the month: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 1 wether, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 1 sheep in all; 2 does, 5 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 7 goats in all; 1 sow, 0 shoats, 1 barrow, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 2 hogs in all; 5 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 86 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 45 yearlings, 91 calves, 4 bulls, 379 neat cattle in all; 79 ewes, 30 wethers, 29 lambs, 3 rams, 140 sheep in all; 344 does, 116 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 531 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 17 barrows, 2 boars, 30 pigs, 74 hogs in all; 42 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Cattle and sheep cut and grown in the month: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 10 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 45 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 3 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 86 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 56 calves, 4 bulls, 334 neat cattle in all; 79 ewes, 30 wethers, 26 lambs, 2 rams, 137 sheep in all; 344 does, 116 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 531 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 17 barrows, 2 boars, 30 pigs, 74 hogs in all; 42 turkeys, 47 fowls, 27 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Dead in the month: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 15 pigs, 15 hogs in all; 7 turkeys, 10 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Remaining 31 March 1730: 86 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 56 calves, 4 bulls, 334 neat cattle in all; 79 ewes, 30 wethers, 26 lambs, 2 rams, 137 sheep in all; 344 does, 116 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 531 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 17 barrows, 2 boars, 15 pigs, 59 hogs in all; 42 turkeys, 40 fowls, 17 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Yams expended at the several plantations, 12,000 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 4,500 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 1,800 lb

Total yams, 18,300 lb

Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The neat cattle leap from 324 to 379 on an increase of 55 head, by far the heaviest calving of the run. Seventeen bullocks, seventeen cows, nine heifers and ten calves came in together, which points to a concentrated birthing season rather than the steady dribble of one or two beasts a month seen through the winter. March lies in the island's autumn, and the surge fits a herd that has come through the wet summer and dropped its young as the season turned.

The hogs collapse from 76 to 59, with 15 pigs dead in a single month on top of the two killed for the table. The swine have been failing steadily all summer, twelve dead in December 1729 and eight killed in February 1730, and this fresh loss of fifteen confirms a sickness running through the sties. Poultry died alongside them, seven turkeys and ten fowls, which suggests the same wet conditions were carrying off the smaller stock across the board.

The goat herd holds almost level at 531, and no doe kidded in the month. The animals are now under sentence, the inhabitants having voted on 20 January 1730 to destroy every goat and sheep on the island within two years from 1 September next, and the council having resolved to kill the Company's own stock along with theirs. This is among the last accounts in which the herd is carried as a going concern before the clearance was to begin.

The reclassification of ten yearlings and forty-five lambs into the grown stock is the routine cut-and-grow that moves young animals up through the categories without any leaving the island. It is why the neat cattle total falls back from 379 to 334 in the same month it rose, the same beasts simply being counted under another head, exactly as the goats were reclassified in December 1729.

367

343

At a Consultation held on Monday 6th Aprile 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Tuesday last a French Ship called the Engagement of Two hundred Ten

& a Guns 4110 Guns arrived here from Bengall but before Mr Suffolk here to go

in the carefully Examined the Captains Commission which two both

from the Robert & Tenders & Admirall & Directors, Our Consommaring Overseer

did give order that Since they came from China to Command the Ship & it delivd

the 1st Decr 1728 for others in the Nation of a Sum of Margue dated the 26th

Octr 1728, & they Appearing to be Authentic We allowed them to take on Such

Refreshments as they wanted which were very Small they having before called

at Ps Refresmens they gave Us up Two & that they left last their Ship Ship & to

this Evening the Monmouth & Crayfold Arrived, the Monmouths came to an

Anchor but the Crayfold the Wind being light is yet in the Offing

Capt Goodwin Reports that the Homeward bound Cargo of the Ship & English &

Montague except as mentioned in the Endorsement upon the Bird of Lading

along of which the Same as marked & the Common We delivered Goodwin

Great his Dispatches for India & took his Receipt for the Same accordingly

The Weather Working & Accidents that have happened whilst the Ship was

Unlading as follows Vizt

8 Aprile 5 Long Boates were delivered

9 do 6 ditto ditto

10 do 4 ditto ditto

6 do 4 Squalls only the Surf being high

7 do 4 Long Boat only the Ship being high

8 do 3 ditto were delivered

9 do 3 ditto ditto

10 do High Surf no Working

11 do 4 ditto ditto

18 do 1 Long Boat delivered

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 14th Aprile 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Wednesday the Crayfold came to an Anchor & the Captaines being come

on Shoar We delivered a Letter to each of them which We Give continue here

give to every Commander at his Arrivall here a Copy of which is as follows Vizt

At a consultation held on Monday 6 April 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous Tuesday a store ship called the Crawford, of about £1,210 [...], arrived from England before the Suffolk. Her cargo was to be carefully examined against the captain's commission, which had come both from the Court of Committees and from the Committee of Shipping, and the council entered the same convoy conditions. Her orders, signified by letters, held that she came from China to command the ship, dated 20 December 1728, and the other was in the nature of a loan of a mortgage dated 26 October 1728. It appearing that she was in a doubtful condition, the council allowed her to take on such refreshment as she wanted, and gave her only such small supply as she required, having before called at the Cape. It gave leave that whatever she wanted at the Cape should be done, and this evening the Mountague and Crawford arrived, the Mountague coming to anchor and the Crawford being kept in the offing.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the cargo of the Crawford from England and of the Mountague, examined against the bill of lading, and had signed the discharge of what the ship carried. He delivered Captain Goodwin the dispatch for India and took his receipt for the Company accordingly.

The weather and the accidents that had happened while the ship was unloading stood as follows.

2 April 1730, 6 longboats delivered

3 April 1730, 6 longboats delivered

4 April 1730, 4 longboats delivered

6 April 1730, 5 longboats delivered, only the surf being high

7 April 1730, no longboat delivered, only the ship being high

8 April 1730, 3 longboats delivered, no surf

9 April 1730, 3 longboats delivered

10 April 1730, high surf, no boats delivered

11 April 1730, no boats delivered

12 April 1730, 1 longboat delivered

Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 14 April 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

The Crawford's captain came ashore, and the council delivered him the same orders it gave to every commander on arrival, a copy of which follows. [...]

Interpretations

The daily record of boats landed is the council's evidence against a demurrage claim, and its detail is the point. The charter party fixed the time allowed to discharge a ship, and demurrage was the compensation the owners could claim if the unloading ran beyond it. By logging every boat and noting the exact days when high surf or the ship's own motion stopped the work, the council could prove that any delay was the fault of the weather and the island's open roadstead rather than any slackness on shore. The same log was kept for the Anne and Mary on 8 March 1728 and the Cadogan on 3 March 1729.

The surf figures show how badly the landing depended on the sea. Of ten days, four saw high surf or a ship too lively to work alongside, and on three of those no boat came ashore at all. St Helena had no sheltered harbour, so every cask and bale was carried from ship to rock by open boat, and a heavy swell simply stopped the trade. This is why the warp to the crane, ordered of every commander since 13 March 1729, mattered: a ship that could not be worked was also a ship that could not be defended.

The Crawford was kept in the offing while the Mountague came to anchor, which marks the council's habitual caution with a vessel whose account it had not yet satisfied itself about. It held the St Michael clear at Rupert's Bay on 11 June 1727 until her Madagascar slaving commission was examined, and it refused the Danish Cronenburg the road on 28 January 1729 though it let her water. A ship in a doubtful condition was allowed refreshment but not full admission until her papers were proved.

368

344

Sir

A Treaty of Peace between England France & Spain being already Signed & the

Same lately by Reason Generall the Ps on the Company have been pleased & to Provide the Orders

they lately gave for their Staying to Stay here till they made up their Number two or three

in one both Ships & to Notify & Sail as Soon as there came here in a Sufficient Quantity

of Water & other Refreshments, but direct & to acquaint you that they intend two Ships

Shall go from hence in Company together for their mutuall Safety & as much as can be

done but their too much loss of times to the Ship that last Voyage

& Sir according to their Instructions to Us We direct & Order You upon any Allarms

which may happen during Your Stay here to Send out Your Stream Cable with a Small

Anchor near the Shoar & bring in by de as near the West Rocks as will be Safe for Your

Roleye which you will know by Your Soundings this Instant is that no Boats or other

Ship may come a head of You that You ride off the Bank We think the utmost Caution

ought & to be used for the Security of Our Ships & Masters & Boats on board You & if You

want any Assistance We Shall be glad to Serve You & are

St Helena

16 Aprile 1730

This Morning the French Ship Sailed hence for Europe

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 21 Aprile 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Tuesday last the Monmouth & Crayfold Sailed hence for England & on Thursday

Ten Sail of Ships pass'd by to the Leeward thought to be Dutch

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 28th Aprile 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Yesterday We had an Allarm for a Ship that came so near the Shoar that the Steward of

an Ships Off Bay for a quarter of an hour & then Weighd & Stood away She was Large &

thought a French & Merican but Ensign Staff & the imagine him to be a Sloope or an

after him

Joshua Johnson & Richard Goodwin having asked leave to take Passage for

England in behalf of Some of the Returning Shiping to look after promoting their Rents which

they wished require their Personal Attendance We gave them leave accordingly first Provided

The orders delivered to the Crawford's captain recited that a treaty of peace between England, France and Spain had already been signed, and that the council had been pleased to release the ships lately held for staying at the island in company. The council had made up their number to two or three ships, and once each ship had taken in a sufficient quantity of water and other refreshment, they were to sail. So that they might go from the island in company for their mutual safety, the council held it as much beyond the reach of the ship as the last voyage.

The council directed the commander, according to his instructions, that upon any alarm that might happen during his stay he was to warp in with a warp to the anchor near the western rock. He was to bring the ship in as near the western rock as was safe for the vessel, and to warp in as near the shore as he safely could, since the council would know by his soundings that his intent was that no strange approaching ship might come at a head of the road. The council held it fit that the utmost caution ought to be used for the security of the ship while she lay at anchor on board, and told him that if he wanted any assistance the council would be glad to give it. The orders were dated at St Helena on 14 April 1730.

That morning the French ship Bristol sailed for Europe. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 21 April 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous Sunday the Mountague and the Crawford sailed for England. On the same day ten sail of ships passed to the leeward, thought to be Dutch. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 28 April 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

An alarm was raised the previous day for a ship seen near the shore. The Strasburg, on Colley's shore, came in for a quarter of an hour or more, then bore away. She were seen many leagues away, being a large ship, and hoisted a Danish ensign and colours. The council imagined her to be a stranger, or an East Indiaman after her.

Joshua Johnson and Richard Goodwin, having asked leave to take passage for England or to look after such of the returning shipping to look after preferment as they wished, and having required their personal attendance, the council gave them leave accordingly. [...]

Interpretations

The treaty of peace named in the orders marks the end of the war footing that had governed the island for over a year. The scare began with the packet of 27 January 1727 warning of an impending war against the Emperor and Spain, was renewed by the Cadogan's packet of 3 March 1729, and now a signed peace between England, France and Spain releases the ships that had been held to sail in convoy. This is the Treaty of Seville, which settled the Anglo-Spanish quarrel, and its arrival explains why the council could let the Mountague and the Crawford go without the elaborate convoy conditions it had fought Captain Peacham and Captain Wilson over in December 1729.

Yet the orders still require the Crawford to warp to the crane on any alarm and to keep the utmost caution, which shows the council hedging. The peace had been signed but not yet proved on the ground, and a captain who relaxed his guard on the strength of a rumour could still lose his ship to a privateer that had not heard the news. The same caution ran through the record even after the Company reported all apprehension of war ceased on 30 April 1728, when the alarm and heaving-in orders were nonetheless continued against pirates.

The French Bristol and the Danish Strasburg are both foreign vessels touching in the same fortnight, and the council's response to each shows the island's routine. A foreign ship was watched, identified by her colours and passport, and allowed to water and refresh but held at arm's length, exactly as the Danish Cronenburg was treated on 28 January 1729. The Strasburg coming close inshore and then bearing away is the kind of movement that triggered an alarm and a few rounds of powder, and the whole system of lookouts and signals existed to tell friend from foe before a stranger could come at the road.

369

345

Saying their Debts

John Long being Charged by Mrs Powell with Stealing a Silver Tankard

We took his Recognizance his Master being bound with him to appear at the next Session

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 4 May 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall & folio 63

&c

The Governour Reports that Two of the Comps Slaves One Grug Named Duke &

One Boy called Governel, died last Week, & that two of their Wenches Alea and

Betty Tom both belonging to the Plantation House who each delivered of a Child

last Week, Alea of a Girle Named Betty & Betty Tom of a Girle also named Betty

Order'd that they be Entered in the Journall

On Saturday last the Hampton & Lyon arrived here directly from China as

Soon as the Captaines came on Shoar We delivered them the Same Instructions as We

lately gave to Capt Kennedy & Capt Rugby a Copy of which is Entered in our

Consultation of the 14th of last Month

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 5th May 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Accots for Aprile last which were Severally Examined & Approved

are as follows Vizt

The council heard the parties for their debts. John Long was charged by Mr Powell with stealing a silver tankard, and the council took his recognisance, his surety being bound with him to appear at the next court. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Monday 4 May 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The council met to pay the garrison for the past month, as entered in the journal at folio 67.

The Governor reported that two of the Company's slaves had died the previous week, a man named Dick and a boy called Greenwich. He further reported that two of the women, Alice and Baby Bess, both belonging to the plantation, had each been delivered of a child the previous week, Alice of a girl named Betty and Betty of a girl also named Betty. The council ordered all these entered in the journal.

On the previous Saturday the Houghton and Lyon arrived directly from China. Their captains came ashore, and the council delivered them the same orders it had lately given to Captain Kinneir and Captain Purefoy, a copy of which was entered in the consultation of the 14th of last month. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 5 May 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for April, which the council examined and approved. They stood as follows. [...]

Interpretations

John Long charged with stealing a silver tankard is the latest count against a man who runs through this record as its most persistent offender. He was reprimanded for beating John Martin Vandeston on 16 July 1728, suspected of shooting the Company's goats in January 1729, bound over for abusing James Ryder on 26 August 1729, and suspected of the goats again on 11 November 1729. The tankard belonged to Mr Powell, whose estate was the great subject of the court of judicature just concluded, and Long is now bound by recognisance to answer for it. Plate was the ordinary way of holding wealth in a portable form, which made a silver tankard both valuable and worth stealing.

Taking a recognisance rather than committing Long to prison is the council reaching for the standard instrument of the quarter court. A recognisance bound a man and his surety to appear and answer, forfeit if he failed, and it held the charge over him without the cost of gaoling him before trial. The council used the same device to bind Long over on 26 August 1729 and Margaret Simpson on 21 November 1727, and it fitted a small community where a man could not easily flee and where prison was an expense the Company preferred to avoid.

The two births and two deaths in a single week are the ordinary demographic churn of the slave establishment, which barely reproduced itself. The muster of 31 March 1730 closed at 212, one down on the year, and the note recorded three men dead against a single birth. Here the balance runs the other way for once, two girls born against a man and a boy dead, but the pattern across the record is of a population that had to be maintained by purchase rather than by natural increase.

The Houghton and Lyon arriving from China continue the run of homeward Indiamen that began with the Mountague on 1 April 1730, and they receive the same standing orders as every commander before them. The peace signed between England, France and Spain, reported on 14 April 1730, has ended the requirement to sail in convoy, but the council still delivers the alarm and heaving-in instructions, keeping the form of the war footing against pirates even after the war itself was over.

370

346

Neat Cattle

Bullocks / Cowes / Heifers / Steers / Yearlings / Calves / Bulls / Totall

Sheep

Ewes / Wethers / Lambs / Rams / Totall

Goates

Ewes / Wethers / Kids / Rams / Totall

Hogs

Sowes / Shoates / Barrows / Boars / Pigs / Totall

Poultry

Turkies / Fowles / Ducks / Geese

Horses

Horses / Mares / Totall

Remd 1st Aprile

Bullocks 86

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 66

Bulls 4

Totall 334

Ewes 79

Wethers 30

Lambs 26

Rams 2

Totall 137

Ewes 344

Wethers 116

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 531

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 17

Boars 2

Pigs 15

Totall 59

Turkies 42

Fowles 40

Ducks 17

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Encreased in Aprile

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 3

Bulls 0

Totall 3

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 86

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 36

Calves 59

Bulls 4

Totall 337

Ewes 79

Wethers 30

Lambs 26

Rams 2

Totall 137

Ewes 344

Wethers 116

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 531

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 17

Boars 2

Pigs 15

Totall 59

Turkies 42

Fowles 40

Ducks 17

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 1

Wethers 0

Lambs 1

Rams 0

Totall 1

Ewes 2

Wethers 5

Kids 6

Rams 0

Totall 10

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 2

Totall 2

Turkies 2

Fowles 12

Ducks 8

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 86

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 36

Calves 59

Bulls 4

Totall 337

Ewes 78

Wethers 30

Lambs 25

Rams 2

Totall 136

Ewes 339

Wethers 111

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 521

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 17

Boars 2

Pigs 13

Totall 57

Turkies 40

Fowles 28

Ducks 14

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Sold to Ships in ditto

Bullocks 9

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 9

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 30 Aprile

Bullocks 77

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 36

Calves 59

Bulls 4

Totall 328

Ewes 78

Wethers 30

Lambs 25

Rams 2

Totall 136

Ewes 339

Wethers 111

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 521

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 17

Boars 2

Pigs 13

Totall 57

Turkies 40

Fowles 28

Ducks 14

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Potatoes delivered from Great Wood Plantation to the Blacks 136 Bushall

The stock account for the Company's livestock covering the month to 30 April 1730 was set out in movement rows, each class of animal carried across in turn.

Remaining 1 April 1730: 86 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 56 calves, 4 bulls, 334 neat cattle in all; 79 ewes, 30 wethers, 26 lambs, 2 rams, 137 sheep in all; 344 does, 116 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 531 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 17 barrows, 2 boars, 15 pigs, 59 hogs in all; 42 turkeys, 40 fowls, 17 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Increased in April 1730: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 3 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 3 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 86 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 36 yearlings, 59 calves, 4 bulls, 337 neat cattle in all; 79 ewes, 30 wethers, 26 lambs, 2 rams, 137 sheep in all; 344 does, 116 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 531 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 17 barrows, 2 boars, 15 pigs, 59 hogs in all; 42 turkeys, 40 fowls, 17 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Killed in the month: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 1 lamb, 0 rams, 1 sheep in all; 2 does, 5 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 10 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 2 pigs, 2 hogs in all; 2 turkeys, 12 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 86 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 36 yearlings, 59 calves, 4 bulls, 337 neat cattle in all; 78 ewes, 30 wethers, 25 lambs, 2 rams, 136 sheep in all; 339 does, 111 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 521 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 17 barrows, 2 boars, 13 pigs, 57 hogs in all; 40 turkeys, 28 fowls, 17 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Sold to ships in the month: 9 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 9 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Remaining 30 April 1730: 77 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 36 yearlings, 59 calves, 4 bulls, 328 neat cattle in all; 78 ewes, 30 wethers, 25 lambs, 2 rams, 136 sheep in all; 339 does, 111 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 521 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 17 barrows, 2 boars, 13 pigs, 57 hogs in all; 40 turkeys, 28 fowls, 17 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Potatoes delivered from the Great Wood plantation to the slaves, 136 bushels

Interpretations

Nine bullocks sold to shipping is the heaviest sale since the twenty-six head that went to seven Indiamen in May 1729. Four ships called through April, the Mountague and the Crawford sailing on 19 April 1730 and the Houghton and Lyon arriving on 2 May 1730, and the beef went into the market at twenty-five shillings the hundredweight fixed on 17 December 1729. The concentration of the sale confirms the pattern of the whole run, that the Company's beef trade followed the rhythm of the homeward fleet and stood idle whenever the bay was empty.

The yam issue has fallen away and 136 bushels of potatoes from the Great Wood again fill the gap. The harvest that came in strongly through February and March 1730 has passed its peak, and the island is back to leaning on the root crop, exactly as it did between every yam harvest in this record. April lies in the island's autumn, and the potato is once more carrying the slaves as the yams run down.

The hogs are steady at 57 after the collapse of March, when fifteen pigs died, and the sickness in the sties appears to have run its course. The poultry took another loss, twelve fowls and two turkeys killed, but the sustained mortality of the wet summer has eased. The goats hold at 521, and this remains among the last accounts to carry the herd as a going concern before the clearance voted on 20 January 1730 was to begin on 1 September next.

371

347

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &c from the 1st Aprile

to the 30 Aprile 1730 Vizt

330 lb Sugar

8 8

3 lb 8 Flour

2 6

6 Cattys Bohea Tea

1 16

9 Yards Yellow Oyle

14

46 lb Cordage

11 12 10½

4 lb Pepper

4 7

1 Cash Beef

5 6

27 Rope

8 6

18 Silver Buttons

3 9 6

7½ Ps Durey

0 10 6

8 Yards Duroan

6

1 Chamois

6

14 Broad Cloth

1 7 6

21 Camblett

2 12 6

4 Serge

4

8 Ps Eyed

18

12½ Chamois

1 9 2

8 Fair Stages

2 6

8 Broan Cloth

6

1 ditto

10 6

1 Serge ditto

10

1 ditto

8 6

10 Fair Soldiers Stockings

10 10

8 Women ditto

1 14

2 ditto

16 6

4 Girle

8 6

1 Boys

10 6

8 ditto

2 6

3 pair Mens Shoes

13

4 Mens ditto

17 6

3 Girle ditto

10 6

ditto

1 Serge Blanket

3 9

8 Tin Bottles

1 18 9

4 ditto

2 6

1 Tin Pott 1 Ps

13

1 ditto 8 ditto

16 6

1 ditto 8 do

14 6

342 lb Nailes Sorted

3 19 6

8 lb Copperas

8 6

8 White Lead

6

8 lb Glass

6

104 Spanish Glass 620

16 6

18 Sterring Brads

3 6

17 Whited Brown Thread

9

17 Whited brown ditto

9

8 lb ditto

2 6

37 lb ditto

13 6

22½ Oz China Silk

10 3

8 Callowash Thread

1 12

4 oz Twine Thread

6

1 ditto

6 6

1 ditto

2 6

1 ditto

8 6

1 Fontana Cape

4 6

4 ditto

8

1 Coloured ditto

6 6

1 Coloured ditto

6 10

8 White ditto

6 4

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants and others ran from 1 to 30 April 1730.

336 lb of sugar, £8 8s 0d

3.5 lb of candy, £0 3s 6d

6 catties of bohea tea, £1 16s 0d

9 yards of shoe thread, £0 0s 14d

36 lb of cordage, £11 12s 10.5d

4 lb of twine, £0 4s 7d

1 candle of tea, £0 3s [...]

27 lb of coffee, £0 8s 6d

1 piece of Salampore muslin, £3 8s 6d

7.5 pieces of durance, £0 10s 6d

2 pieces of gingham, £0 16s 0d

1 [...], £0 0s 6d

1.5 pieces of broad cloth, £1 7s 0d

21 camblets, £2 12s 6d

4 serges, £0 9s 8d

3 pieces of dyed cloth, £0 18s 0d

12.5 yards of chelloes, £1 9s 2d

2 pairs of stays, £0 5s 6d

3 pieces of dyed cloth, £0 6s 0d

1 piece of dyed cloth, £0 10s 6d

1 piece of dyed cloth, £0 10s 0d

1 piece of dyed cloth, £0 8s 0d

10 pairs of soldiers' stockings, £0 18s 0d

8 women's pairs, £1 14s 0d

2 pairs, £0 15s 6d

1 pair, £0 8s 6d

1 pair, £0 8s 0d

1 pair, £0 2s 6d

3 pairs of men's shoes, £0 [...]

4 women's pairs, £0 17s 6d

3 girls' pairs, £0 5s 6d

1 [...], £0 [...]

1 small blanket, £0 3s 9d

2 tea kettles, £0 13s 0d

2 tea kettles, £0 2s 0d

1 [...], £0 2s 6d

1 tea pot, £0 [...]

1 [...], £0 [...]

2 [...], £0 16s 6d

2 [...], £0 [...]

1 [...], £0 14s 6d

5.5 lb of nails of sorts, £3 19s 6d

6.5 lb of gimblets, £0 8s 6d

2 [...], £0 [...]

2 [...] gingham, £0 6s 0d

12 pieces of gingham, number 683, £0 8s 0d

14 pieces of dyed cloth, £4 16s 0d

14.5 pieces of brown thread, £0 3s 6d

17.5 lb of whited brown thread, £0 0s 9d

8 lb of whited brown thread, £0 [...]

5.5 lb of whited brown thread, £2 0s 6d

22.5 oz of china silk, £0 10s 3d

8 lb of coloured thread, £1 12s 0d

4 oz of twine thread, £0 6s 0d

1 twine thread, £0 6s 0d

1 twine thread, £0 4s 0d

1 twine thread, £0 2s 4d

1 twine thread, £0 3s 6d

1 Florence crape, £0 4s 0d

4 pieces of dyed cloth, £0 4s 0d

1 coloured piece, £0 6s 10d

2 white pieces, £0 6s 4d

Interpretations

Salampore muslin was a fine plain white cotton from the Coromandel coast, softer and lighter than the ordinary chelloes, and its single piece at £3 8s 6d was among the more expensive cloth lines of the month. It belongs with the durance, gingham, serge and camblet that the inhabitants bought both to wear and to make up, the store supplying the raw material along with the ready-made stockings and shoes. Florence crape was a light crimped silk, and its presence marks a household buying something finer than working cloth.

Sugar at 336 lb and £8 8s 0d is a sharp fall from the 1,032 lb of March 1730, and the whole account is lighter than the two preceding months. The inhabitants had stocked heavily while the Heathcote and the earlier ships lay in the road, and the quieter April buying reflects a store whose Bengal sugar was running down before the next cargo arrived. The trade tracked the anchorage, and the fleet of April brought China goods rather than the sugar the store most needed.

Ten pairs of soldiers' stockings sold as a distinct line show the garrison clothing itself through the same store that served the inhabitants. The Company issued cloth and made-up garments to the guard, and the stockings here are the ordinary supply of a small establishment that could not send home for such things. The dyed cloth, bought in quantity across the account, was the plain coloured stuff from which the inhabitants made everyday clothes, and its steady sale is the constant background of the storekeeper's book.

372

348

Brought over

2 Ps Bodies

10

13 Yards Sattling

4 2 6

25 Yds Twisting

6 10

4 Ising

13

13 Stocking

4 6

28 Twisting Lace

6 6

3½ M ditto

6 5

3½ M ditto

12 8

1 M ditto

18

2 M ditto

13

1 M ditto

1 6

100 Needles

6 8

1 Spare Ribbon

6 6

13½ ditto

9

8 Chest Smoke

7

ditto

3

8 Ps Hinges

4 6

8 ditto

10

8 Bench Locks

12 6

1 Box Iron

18

8 Splinter Locks

2 8

1 Suit Silt Locks

7 6

8 Saying Sawe 12d

9

8 Sugar Shovels

6

1 Short ditto

7

1 Hatchet

18

1 ditto

8

1 Spade

10

1 Gimblet

9

Totall to Inhabts

93 15 4

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores

1 lb Callowash Thread

4 6

1 Twine

4 6

1 Ps Callepoe

4 6

12

Honble Comps Blacks Vizt

10 lb Rice on Accot of Diet Expences

8 8

4 Cattys Tea do the said Blacks

1 4

18½ Sheveron on Accot of Clothing

17

7 doz Needle Sorted

1 6

4 oz China Silk

1 6

3 on Accot of Charges Genll

11 8 8

Garrison Dr

14 Cattys Tea dld the Guards

3 6

4 Gallons Rape Oyle do do the Guards

1 4

4 12

Plantation Dr

900 lb Rice for the Hoggs & Poultry

8 12

8 Ps ditto for Draftsman

10

8 Skaining Knives

10

8 Chopping Saws

10

12 Chopping high Compass Saws 78

8 14

6 ditto 2

1 4

6 ditto

18

8 ditto ½ ditto Holsen

4

10 19 4

Charges General Dr

6 lb Sand

6

18½ Gallons Linseed Oyle

4 6 10½

45 lb Red Lead

14 6

30 lb Rope

6

28 lb Pig Lead

6

18 Bristol Lampblack

6

1 Oz China Silk

6

8 Yards Twisting

6

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum brought over, and the remaining charges were entered under their several heads.

Brought over

2 pieces of calico, £0 0s 10d

15 yards of quilting, £4 2s 6d

27 yards of ferreting, £0 6s 10d

4 pieces of edging, £0 13s 0d

13 shirtings, £0 4s 6d

28 ferreting laces, £0 6s 6d

3.5 oz of silk, £0 6s 5d

5.5 oz of china silk, £0 12s 8d

1 oz [...], £0 3s 8d

2 oz [...], £0 1s 3d

1 oz [...], £0 1s 11d

100 needles, £0 1s 6d

1 piece of ribbon, £0 6s 3d

1.5 [...], £0 1s 7d

3 chest locks, £0 4s 3d

1 [...], £0 3s 0d

9 pieces of hinges, £0 1s 0d

9 pieces of hinges, £0 1s 0d

2 hand locks, £0 12s 6d

1 box iron, £0 2s 8d

2 splinter locks, £0 2s 8d

1 stock chest lock, £0 7s 0d

1 gimblet, number 12, £0 6s 0d

2 sugar shovels, £0 0s 6d

1 [...], £0 0s 7d

1 hatchet, £0 1s 8d

1 [...], £0 8s 10d

1 spade, £0 3s 6d

1 gimblet, £0 2s 9d

Total to the inhabitants, £90 15s 4d

Naval, gunner's and garrison stores

1 lb of coloured thread delivered to the gunner, £0 4s 6d

1 twine delivered to the gunner, £0 2s 6d

1 lb of cotton yarn delivered to the gunner, £0 2s 6d

Total, £12 [...]

The Honourable Company's slaves, on account of diet expenses

1,200 lb of rice, £8 8s 0d

1 catty of tea delivered to the old slaves, £0 1s 7d

On account of clothing

18.5 pieces of shalloon, £8 6s 0d

7 oz of Bengal thread, £0 4s 0d

2.5 oz of china silk, £0 1s 6d

Total, £11 8s 2d

Garrison

11 catties of tea delivered to the guards, £0 6s 0d

4 gallons of rape oil delivered to the guards, £0 4s 0d

Total, £4 12s 0d

Plantation

900 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £0 8s 0d

1 set of harness, £0 10s 0d

24 planes for saws, £0 2s [...]

2 shod shovels, £0 4s 10d

6 shod shovels, £0 [...]

12 grindstones, high quarried, bare, number 28, £0 14s [...]

6 tiles, number 2, £0 1s 4d

6 tiles, £0 1s 8d

2 twine, delivered to the fishermen, £0 [...]

Total, £16 19s 4d

General charges

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

18.5 gallons of linseed oil, £4 6s 10.5d

41 lb of white lead, £0 14s 6d

20 lb of red lead, £0 10s 0d

10 lb of pig lead, £0 6s 0d

14 lb of Bristol lampblack, £0 1s 6d

1 oz of china silk, £0 1s 6d

2 yards of ferreting, [...]

Interpretations

Shalloon was a light twilled woollen used chiefly to line coats, and the 18.5 pieces charged to the clothing of the Company's slaves at £8 6s 0d belong with the annual issue of cloth to the tailor. The slaves were clothed once a year against the coming winter, as with the 404 yards of kersey issued in September 1728 and the 445 yards in September 1729, and the shalloon here is the lining for garments made up on the island. The southern winter approaches in the months after April, so the timing fits the annual provision.

Linseed oil, white lead, red lead and Bristol lampblack bought together are the whole apparatus of preserving ironwork and timber against the salt air. Linseed oil was the medium in which the pigments were mixed, white lead the base of paint, red lead the rust-inhibiting primer, and lampblack the fine soot that coloured ink and blacking. The combination recurs through the record as the constant charge of keeping the fort, the guns and the boats sound, and it is heavier here as the establishment prepared for the wet season.

Twelve grindstones described as high quarried and bare are the raw abrasive wheels on which the island sharpened its tools, and their purchase in quantity fits an establishment that maintained its own smiths, coopers and carpenters. A shod shovel was an ordinary wooden shovel with an iron-shod edge, and the six charged to the plantation belong to the constant business of digging on ground that the wood surveys repeatedly described as rocky and hard to clear.

The set of harness charged to the plantation is a rare entry, and it fits the island's few horses rather than any draught team. The Company's stud stood at just eight head, five horses and three mares, and the terrain was too broken for heavy haulage, which was done by slaves. The harness was for the handful of animals kept for riding and light work, and it is the kind of small equine charge that appears only occasionally in a record dominated by cattle and goats.

373

349

Brought over

27¾ Twine

4 3

34 Twine Sorted 10d

8 4

4 Iron Ps

1 8

1 Yard Twine for the Basket

3 4

1 ditto

1 4

14 Large Basket

8

18 Great ditto

2

31 Baskets Sorted

3 4

8 Serges

6

1 Handbrush

10

1 Squares Glass 810

15

18 Winces Pans

4 6

8 Large Iron Pans

8 3

8 Great ditto

2

8 Cliff Kettle

6 7 6

8 Large Tin Kettles

4 6

8 ditto Dripping Pan

1 3

1 Large Sugar Pan

3

1 Cauldron Pan

6

18 Yards Twine

7 6

28½ Oz Nailes

4½

34 Great Holland Dish

4 2½

8 Kettle Pieces

2

1 Iron Pott Pan

6

8 Camblett Sorted

6

8 Skaining Vermin & Sponge

6

1 Short Rowing

8

8 Serge Ropes

4 Mustard Kilns

8 4

8 Ships Hammers dld the Smith 78½

4 4

4 Sprains Fine Cargo

7 6

1 ditto old Cargo

10

1 Serge Slabs with 18 Cupps

6

4 ditto Iron & 2d Comps Company dld the Smith

41 19 7

Diet Expences

62 Gallons Arrack

16 9 6

2½ ditto Vinegar

3

46 lb Bread

13 6

263 lb Flour

3 3

227 lb Sugar

5 6 6

14 Gallons Port

5 13 6

28 ditto Sherry

10 6

4 lb Pepper

8 10 6

13 lb Candles

4

Sea Candles

23 Gallons Strong Beer

1 14 6

3 ditto Sweet

13

4 Bushells Salt

18

57 13 1

216 17 6

Gunners

Stores

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum brought over, and the remaining charges under general charges and diet expenses were entered.

Brought over

27 twine, £0 4s 3d

54 lb of twine of sorts, £8 8s 4d

4 twine, £0 1s 2d

1 yard of twine for the basket, £0 3s 4d

1 bolster, £1 10s 4d

14 large [...], £1 1s 8d

12 [...], £3 0s 0d

31 [...] of sorts, £0 3s 4d

2 spoons, £0 1s 6d

1 handbrush, £0 1s 0d

2 spanish glasses and [...], £0 15s 0d

12 [...], £2 6s [...]

2 large tea pans, £0 4s 0d

6 [...], £0 6s [...]

6 [...], £6 7s 6d

2 large tin plates, £0 3s 4d

2 [...] dripping pans, £1 3s 0d

1 [...] dripping pan, £0 3s 6d

1 [...] pan, £0 3s 6d

9 yards of twine, £0 [...]

27 lb of [...], £1 7s 6d

[...] Holland duck, £0 [...]

2 [...], £0 4s 2.5d

1 [...], £0 [...]

1 gimblet [...], £0 [...]

1 shaving vice and [...], £0 3s 6d

1 shot bag, £0 [...]

6 shoe knives, £0 3s 0d

4 [...] files, £0 [...]

2 slabs [...] delivered to the smith, £0 4s [...]

2 spare [...], £1 [...]

1 [...] old [...], £0 12s 0d

1 iron slab with 12 [...], £0 6s [...]

2 [...] on the Honourable Company's account, delivered to the smith, £0 6s 6d

Total, £41 19s 7d

Diet expenses

53 gallons of arrack, £16 9s 6d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 5s 0d

26 lb of bread, £0 6s 3d

20 lb of flour, £0 6s 3d

227 lb of sugar, £0 [...]

14 gallons of port, £5 8s [...]

24 gallons of sherry, £9 6s 0d

4 lb of pepper, £0 [...]

13 lb of candles, £1 6s 0d

20 gallons of strong beer, £1 10s 0d

3 lb of salt, £0 [...]

3 bushels of salt, £0 [...]

Total, £47 13s 1d

Grand total, £216 17s 6d

Interpretations

The diet expenses close the month at £47 13s 1d, and the wine is again the striking part. Twenty-four gallons of sherry against fourteen of port, with the sherry alone at £9 6s 0d, continues the pattern that has run through the winter and spring, and the fortified Iberian wine reached the island only by way of England or the Cape. The heavy stock points to a table well supplied from the ships that had lately called, the Mountague and the Crawford having lain in the road until 19 April 1730.

Twine and cordage run heavily through the account, 54 lb of twine of sorts under general charges alone, and they belong with the constant business of a fishing establishment. Lines, cordage and hooks were the standing charge of feeding the slaves on fish, a practice in force since 1 March 1727, and the twine also served the ordinary needs of a fort that made and mended its own sailcloth, nets and bags.

The slabs and iron delivered to the smith on the Company's account show the fort maintaining its own metalwork. A smith who could forge and repair on the island saved the Company the delay and cost of sending broken ironwork home across five weeks of ocean, and the raw iron issued to him is the material from which he made and mended the tools, fittings and fastenings the establishment needed. The shaving vice and files belong to the same shop.

The grand total of £216 17s 6d is the heaviest month's storekeeper's account in this run, exceeding the £208 6s 5.5d of December 1729. The four ships of April, the annual clothing charge for the slaves and the heavy general charges for preserving ironwork against the coming winter together drove the figure up, and it marks the island at its busiest, the shipping season in full flow and the store selling and issuing on every side.

374

350

Gunners Stores Expended in Aprile 1730 Vizt

Guns Fired Shott Sacres Seakers Minion Three Pdrs Falcons Powder

1730

Aprile 1

Arrived the Montague

Guns Fired 9

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 0

Powder 21

2

Saven Guns at Draftsman Ships to the 46th Company upon Bird

Guns Fired 21

Shott 0

Sacres 4

Seakers 4

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 12

Powder 58

14

Musters Day

Guns Fired 0

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 0

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 0

Powder 7

10

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 2

Three Pdrs 2

Falcons 0

Powder 7

8

Fires at Bramble

Guns Fired 1

Shott 1

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 0

Powder 10½

8

Arrived a French Ship

Guns Fired 0

Shott 0

Sacres 1

Seakers 1

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 0

Powder 19

10

Double Allarm

Guns Fired 6

Shott 0

Sacres 3

Seakers 3

Minion 3

Three Pdrs 3

Falcons 0

Powder 46

14

Arrived the Monmouth & Crayfold

Guns Fired 18

Shott 0

Sacres 3

Seakers 3

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 11

Powder 46

16

French Ship Sailed

Guns Fired 9

Shott 0

Sacres 1

Seakers 2

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 5

Powder 10½

16

Delivered John Warren

Guns Fired 0

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 3

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 0

Powder 22

16

Double Allarm for Ships that pass'd by

Guns Fired 9

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 3

Three Pdrs 3

Falcons 11

Powder 43

18

Montague Sailed

Guns Fired 9

Shott 0

Sacres 2

Seakers 4

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 5

Powder 22½

19

Monmouth & Crayfold Sailed

Guns Fired 18

Shott 0

Sacres 2

Seakers 2

Minion 3

Three Pdrs 3

Falcons 11

Powder 43

27

Allarm for a Ship that pass'd by

Guns Fired 4

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 2

Three Pdrs 2

Falcons 0

Powder 7

Expence of the Guards

Powder 10

Cartridge Paper for ditto 1 Quire

Musquett Bratt for ditto 1st

Cartridge Paper for Cartridges 9 Quire

Thread 1d

Twine 1d

Ship Skins 2

Match 22

Guns Fired 114

Shott 1

Sacres 14

Seakers 17

Minion 16

Three Pdrs 16

Falcons 57

Powder 288

Expence of the Table in Aprile 1730

62 Gallons Arrack

16 9 6

2½ do Vinegar

11 3

46 lb Bread

3 3

263 lb Flour

4 11

182 lb Sugar

6 12 6

18 Gallons Port

8 10 6

28 ditto Sherry

4

4 lb Pepper

4 14 6

23 Gallons Strong Beer

1 12

36 do Sweet

13

4 Bushells Salt

18

300 lb Beef

1 4

1 Sheep

6

1 Sanl

18

10 Goates

18

8 Pigs

18

8 Turkies

13 6

19 Fowles

1 4

10½ Butter

1 4

31 Days Greens

6

60 Bowles Milk

60 10 1

35 lb Sugar do do the said Blacks 2 17 6

14 lb Sea Candles

6 lb Soap

1.16.-

3.-.-

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Gunners Stores Expended in Aprile 1730 Vizt

Guns Fired Shott Sacres Seakers Minion Three Pdrs Falcons Powder

1730

Aprile 1

Arrived the Montague

Guns Fired 9

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 0

Powder 21

2

Saven Guns at Draftsman Ships to the 46th Company upon Bird

Guns Fired 21

Shott 0

Sacres 4

Seakers 4

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 12

Powder 58

14

Musters Day

Guns Fired 0

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 0

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 0

Powder 7

10

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 2

Three Pdrs 2

Falcons 0

Powder 7

8

Fires at Bramble

Guns Fired 1

Shott 1

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 0

Powder 10½

8

Arrived a French Ship

Guns Fired 0

Shott 0

Sacres 1

Seakers 1

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 0

Powder 19

10

Double Allarm

Guns Fired 6

Shott 0

Sacres 3

Seakers 3

Minion 3

Three Pdrs 3

Falcons 0

Powder 46

14

Arrived the Monmouth & Crayfold

Guns Fired 18

Shott 0

Sacres 3

Seakers 3

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 11

Powder 46

16

French Ship Sailed

Guns Fired 9

Shott 0

Sacres 1

Seakers 2

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 5

Powder 10½

16

Delivered John Warren

Guns Fired 0

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 3

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 0

Powder 22

16

Double Allarm for Ships that pass'd by

Guns Fired 9

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 3

Three Pdrs 3

Falcons 11

Powder 43

18

Montague Sailed

Guns Fired 9

Shott 0

Sacres 2

Seakers 4

Minion 1

Three Pdrs 0

Falcons 5

Powder 22½

19

Monmouth & Crayfold Sailed

Guns Fired 18

Shott 0

Sacres 2

Seakers 2

Minion 3

Three Pdrs 3

Falcons 11

Powder 43

27

Allarm for a Ship that pass'd by

Guns Fired 4

Shott 0

Sacres 0

Seakers 0

Minion 2

Three Pdrs 2

Falcons 0

Powder 7

Expence of the Guards

Powder 10

Cartridge Paper for ditto 1 Quire

Musquett Bratt for ditto 1st

Cartridge Paper for Cartridges 9 Quire

Thread 1d

Twine 1d

Ship Skins 2

Match 22

Guns Fired 114

Shott 1

Sacres 14

Seakers 17

Minion 16

Three Pdrs 16

Falcons 57

Powder 288

Expence of the Table in Aprile 1730

62 Gallons Arrack

16 9 6

2½ do Vinegar

11 3

46 lb Bread

3 3

263 lb Flour

4 11

182 lb Sugar

6 12 6

18 Gallons Port

8 10 6

28 ditto Sherry

4

4 lb Pepper

4 14 6

23 Gallons Strong Beer

1 12

36 do Sweet

13

4 Bushells Salt

18

300 lb Beef

1 4

1 Sheep

6

1 Sanl

18

10 Goates

18

8 Pigs

18

8 Turkies

13 6

19 Fowles

1 4

10½ Butter

1 4

31 Days Greens

6

60 Bowles Milk

60 10 1

35 lb Sugar do do the said Blacks 2 17 6

14 lb Sea Candles

6 lb Soap

1.16.-

3.-.-

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

375

351

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 12 May 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petitions of Joseph Deefountain & Benjamin Beale were presented & read, the

former praying leave to Exchange two Acres of Land which he holds by Lease lying in

the Fort Valley adjoyning to the Land late belonging to Daniel Griffith for the like

Quantity lying below Chub Spring in the Fort Valley; the latter praying a Lease for One

Acre of Ps ½ Land adjoyning to his own in Longer Valley

Granted both to one & the other & Capt Goodwin is Order'd to view & Measure both

the said Parcells of Land accordingly

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 16th May 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Late last Night the Compton arrived here & being also & this Morning the Captain

being come on Shoar We gave him the usual Instructions a Copy of which is Entered

in Our Consultation of the 14th Aprile last

The Supply Sent for this Place is as follows Vizt

Selling Price

Rice 38 bags fine at 1 brig Wt 6 C 3 Q 55 2 3 6 C 1 2 6 p Cwt Wt 38

Batta 10 p Cent

3 12 9

41 12 9

bought for Comps Use

Sugar Isinglass 60 bags at 1 brig Wt 20 C 14 3 3 6 C 10 4 p Cwt

80

60 lb Sound

Ps p Cwt

Batavia Arrack 4 half Legrs cont Vizt

No 6 60 Gallons

6 66

7 72

8 76

284 Gallons 63 3 p Legr

126

246 12 9

Charges Merchandize

17 6 Bags p Sewing

8 10 9

Boathire

6

Mullers

4 2 9

13 6 6

Rupees

260 5 3

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a consultation held on Tuesday 12 May 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

Joseph Defountaine and Benjamin Beale each brought a petition before the council. Defountaine asked leave to exchange two acres of land he held by lease, lying in the fort valley next to the land late of Daniel Griffith, for a like quantity lying below Chubb's Spring in Sandy Bay Valley. Beale asked for a lease of one acre of waste land adjoining his own in Lemon Valley. The council granted both petitions and ordered Captain Goodwin to view and measure the parcels of land accordingly. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 May 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous Saturday night the Compton arrived, and that morning her captain came ashore. The council delivered him the same orders it had lately given, a copy of which was entered in the consultation of the 14th of last month. Her supply for the island stood as follows.

33 bags of fine rice, at 7 rupees 6 annas the bag, 55 maunds 2 seers 3 [...], at 7 rupees the maund, 38 rupees

Batta at 10 per cent, 3 rupees 12 annas 9 pies

Total, 41 rupees 12 annas 9 pies

10 bags of Tresundee sugar, at 4 rupees 8 annas the bag, at 10 rupees the maund, 80 rupees

Batavia arrack in half leaguers:

number 6, 60 gallons

number 6, 66 gallons

number 7, 72 gallons

number 8, 75 gallons

284 gallons in all at 6 rupees 3 annas the leaguer, 126 rupees

Charges merchandise

17 bags and sewing, 8 rupees 10 annas 9 pies

Boat hire, 0 rupees 6 annas 0 pies

Muttery, 4 rupees 2 annas 9 pies

Total charges merchandise, 13 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

Total, 260 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

Joseph Defountaine's exchange of two acres in the fort valley for a like quantity below Chubb's Spring ties directly to the water business of the previous year. Chubb's Spring lay in Defountaine's own plantation, as the commission of 8 April 1729 reported when it found the springs there reduced to less than a fifteenth of their former flow. He had offered the whole plantation at any price on that occasion provided he were given equivalent land, and the council took only half an acre. This exchange continues the same rearrangement of his holdings around the spring the island depended on for watering its shipping.

A maund is a weight of the Bengal trade running to roughly 80 lb, and a seer a fortieth of it. Batta was the exchange allowance struck when accounts crossed between rupee zones of different standards, and it appears here at 10 per cent on the rice, a heavy adjustment that reflects the difference between the currency in which the goods were bought and that in which they were reckoned at the island. A leaguer was a large cask, arrack being shipped in half leaguers of some 60 to 75 gallons apiece.

The Compton's cargo is the ordinary Bengal supply of arrack, sugar and rice that the island depended on, and its arrival continues the run of ships that has kept the store supplied since the shipping season opened with the Mountague on 1 April 1730. Tresundee sugar was the standard Bengal grade, and the fine rice fed the slaves and the plantation stock. The whole invoice, at 260 rupees 3 annas 3 pies, is a modest one, and the island took only such supply as it needed, the store having been well stocked by the earlier ships of the season.

376

352

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 19th May 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Sunday last in the Evening the Hampton & Lyon Sailed hence for England

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 26th May 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

To day the Hampton Sailed from hence for England

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 2d June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour, Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly

Accounts for May last which were Severally Examined & Approved & as follows Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered to the Inhabitants &c from the 1st

to the 31 of May 1730 Vizt

948 lb Sugar

6 19

78 lb Sugar

7 6 9

335 Thread

10 3

344 lb Flour

11 6

8 lb Starch

3 6

20 lb Bird Silk

16 8

22 White Lead

16 3

50 lb Yellow Oaker

18

48 Bently Lamblack

8

1 oz Indigo

1

7 lb Sifsel

11 3

4 lb Rope

9

4½ Shee Thread

3 2 10

2 Twine

At a consultation held on Tuesday 19 May 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous Sunday evening the Houghton and Lyon sailed for England. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 26 May 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous Saturday the Compton sailed from the island for England. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 June 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for May, which the council examined and approved. They stood as follows.

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants and others ran from 1 to 31 May 1730.

[...], £6 10s 0d

27 lb of sugar, £7 6s 9d

33 lb of thread, £10 11s 0d

264 lb of flour, £3 6s 0d

8 lb of starch, £0 11s 0d

20 lb of red lead, £0 16s 8d

22 lb of white lead, £0 [...]

50 lb of yellow ochre, £0 16s 6d

14.5 pieces of Bristol lampblack, £7 1s 8d

1 oz of indigo, £0 1s [...]

7 lb of pitch, £0 11s 3d

34 lb of Bengal thread, £3 2s 10d

2 lb of twine, £0 [...]

Interpretations

Red lead, white lead, yellow ochre and Bristol lampblack bought together at the head of the account are the whole apparatus of paint and rust protection, and their appearance in quantity marks the establishment preparing for the southern winter. White lead was the base of paint, red lead the rust-inhibiting primer for ironwork, yellow ochre an earth pigment for colouring, and lampblack the fine soot used in black paint and ink. On an island where salt air corroded every fitting, these were a heavy recurring charge, and the winter months drew them down hardest.

The Houghton, Lyon and Compton all sailing within a fortnight cleared the road, and the shipping season that opened with the Mountague on 1 April 1730 is now drawing to its close. The homeward Indiamen came in a cluster through April and May and left much as they arrived, and the island's trade, its beef sales and its retail buying alike followed them. The empty months of the southern winter lay ahead, when no ship would call and the store would fall quiet.

Starch among the household goods is a small marker of the establishment's care for appearances. It stiffened linen and the finer cloths, and its purchase points to a fort that laundered and dressed its clothes with some attention, the same care that bought wax candles for the council chamber and kept a general table for officers and visitors. On an island five weeks from any supply, such small refinements had to be laid in from the store like everything else.

377

353

Brought over

46 lb Corks

15

8 lb Cordage

16 4

1 Bristol Copper

3

52½ Yards Sifsel Oyle

7 17 6

8 Sander

5

21 Isinstone

10

14 Cupps

2

46 ditto with Saucers

1 2 4

8 Tea Potts

3

7 Saucers

1

43 Ps Challas

6 2 4

27½ Midling Long Cloth

3 7

8 Shirts

1

8 Ps Small Chints

15

8 Patna ditto

2

53½ Nailes Sorted

4 4 2

1 Midling horn Lanthorn

4 6

1 Iron for Fork

8

1 Shee Duckraft

3 4

1 Ps Sifsel

3

8 Great Flannel

11

28 Duroan

6

8 Norwich Stuff

2 6

1½ Ps Duffean

3 8

1½ Ps Durey

3

8 Serge Silk

3

1 Ps ditto

6

1 Serent

3

4 Mens Hatts

4 6

8 Splinter Locks No 1

2 8

1 ditto 2

8

1 Short Lock

9

4 Booth Rope Needles

10

8 Serges

6

1 Box Iron & Heater

9 6

1 Iron Pott 8 ditto

14 6

8 ditto 8 ditto

6 6

1 Serge Weight 87 lb

2 3

8 Ivory Combs

6

8 ditto

4

1 ditto

1 2

1 ditto

3

8 ditto

4

1 Large Squar Stray

6

8 Small Duckraft

4 6

8 Middle Cage

3

54 Lanthorn Leaves

18

1 Long Pans

9

8 Turen Turnnis

4

8 Broaken Potts

2 8

8 Serge Slabs

8

8 Serge ditto Long

4 13 4

17 ditto Sorted

4 10

1 Ps Spoons

4

8 Womens Lasts

4 6

8 Mens ditto

2

8 Ps Womens Shoes

2

1 Ps Boys ditto

17 6

8 Boys Stockings

4 6

4 Womens ditto

4 6

8 ditto

4

17½ Oz China Silk

13 4½

18 doz Coat Buttons

7 2

4 Woven Thread ditto

1 2

13 Skains Mohair

4 3

8½ Coloured Thread

10

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum brought over, and the remaining goods sold to the inhabitants were entered.

Brought over

4.5 dozen corks, £0 15s 0d

36 lb of cordage, £16 4s 3d

1 basket of corks, £0 [...]

53.5 yards of shoe thread, £7 17s 6d

2 [...], £0 5s 6d

2 [...], £0 10s 0d

14 cups, £0 2s 2d

4.5 dozen cups with saucers, £1 4s 6d

3 tea pots, £0 8s 0d

7 saucers, £0 1s 0d

15 pieces of chelloes, £0 8s 0d

27 yards of milling long cloth, £2 6s [...]

1 [...], £0 1s 0d

2 pieces of small chintz, £0 15s 0d

2 Patna cloth, £2 6s [...]

5.5 lb of nails of sorts, £4 4s 6d

1 milling horn and lanthorn, £0 4s 6d

1 knife for the cook, £0 4s 8d

1 sponging brush, £0 1s 3d

1 [...], £0 5s 4d

6 yards of flannel, £0 11s 0d

24 durances, £2 8s 6d

3 pieces of Norwich stuff, £0 6s 8d

1.5 pieces of buckram, £3 6s 0d

1.5 pieces of durance, £1 2s 0d

1 [...], £0 2s 0d

1 [...], £0 1s 0d

1 sponge, £0 2s 3d

4 large Windsor bowls, £0 2s [...]

3 splinter locks, number 1, £0 2s 8d

1 [...], number 2, £0 2s 8d

1 chest lock, £0 2s 9d

4 [...] razors and cork, £0 [...]

1 [...], £0 [...]

1 box iron and heater, £0 9s 6d

1 [...], £0 [...]

1 [...] delivered, £0 4s [...]

2 [...] weight, number 27, £0 2s 6d

1 ivory comb, £0 2s 0d

1 [...], £0 [...]

1 [...], £0 1s 2d

1 [...], £0 1s 4d

1 [...], £0 [...]

1 large square tray, £0 4s 6d

6 pounce brushes, £0 3s 6d

1 child's coat, £0 18s 0d

54 lanthorn leaves, £0 3s 0d

3 [...], £0 3s 0d

1 [...] tin ware, £0 [...]

3 chest pots, £2 8s [...]

9 dozen plates, £4 13s 4d

1 large dish, £0 [...]

17 dishes of sorts, £3 4s 10d

1 dozen spoons, £0 4s [...]

1 women's cap, £0 4s 6d

2 [...], £0 2s 2d

3 pairs of women's shoes, £0 [...]

1 [...] boys' shoes, £0 17s 6d

3 pairs of stockings, £0 4s 8d

1 [...], £0 4s 8d

1 [...], £0 4s [...]

13.5 oz of china silk, £0 15s 4.5d

14 dozen coat buttons, £0 7s 2d

14 [...] mould, £0 12s 4d

13 skeins of mohair, £0 4s 3d

5.5 lb of coloured thread, £0 10s 0d

Interpretations

Buckram at £3 6s 0d for a piece and a half is the most expensive cloth line on the fragment, and it was a coarse linen stiffened with size, used to shape collars, cuffs, skirts and the fronts of coats. It belongs with the durance, flannel and Norwich stuff that the inhabitants bought to make up their own clothes, the store supplying both the outer cloth and the stiffening beneath. Durance was a stout glazed worsted made to last, and its purchase in quantity, twenty-four pieces, shows the demand for hard-wearing stuff.

Corks and cordage at the head of the account belong to different trades entirely. The corks, bought by the dozen and the basket, stoppered the bottles in which the fort kept its wine, arrack and medicines, while the cordage at £16 4s 3d was the standing charge of the fishing boats and the longboat. The rope alone is the heaviest single line, and it reflects the constant business of keeping the boats rigged and the slaves fed on fish, a practice in force since 1 March 1727.

Lanthorn leaves, fifty-four of them, were the thin panes of horn or glass that fitted into the sides of a lantern, and their sale in quantity marks the ordinary need for portable light on an island without street lighting. The council had ordered on 25 April 1727 that no fire be carried between houses unless secured in a lanthorn, so a household kept its own, and the leaves were the replaceable panes that wore out or broke. A box iron and heater, the hollow smoothing iron with a heated slug slipped inside, belongs with the starch bought earlier for dressing linen.

378

354

Brought over

17½ Whited Brown Thread

9 6

8 lb ditto

6

8 lb ditto

1 8

8 lb ditto

8

8 oz Twine Thread

13 2

8 ditto

10 2

1 M Pins

4

374 M ditto

7 4

1 M ditto

4 11

4 Yards Twisting

4 6

8 Ps Broad Holland Tape

4 6

1 Midling ditto

10

8 Bobbin

10

8 Yards Gartering

4 8

7 Ribban

2 8

4 oz Gold Thread

2 2

4 oz Silver ditto

1 6

32 Isinstone Lace

6

32 Nails Needles

4

Sum Totall to Inhabts

130 1 8½

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores Vizt

8 Yards ditto Bunting

3

8 ditto Rope

4

8 do White

4 6

1 Stock Lock

dld the Gunner

1 ditto

7 9

1 6

Garrison

14 Gallons Rape Oyle dld the Guards

4

8 Quarts ditto dld the Smith

3

1 Tin Lamp for Blacks

3

1 Stock Lock for the Sealgate

4

8 do Sweet Oyle do do the Smith

4 6

2 4 10

Honble Comps Blacks Vizt

16 lb Rice on Accot of Diet Expences

16

4 Yards Fringey

7 4

On Accot of Clothing

18 Sheveron

7 4

8 Large Blankets

3 6

18 Midling Sponge

1½

8 China Silk

1

6 doz Needle Sorted

1

On Accot of Charges Genll

8 Twine ditto

24 Rice

16 16 8½

Plantation

1 Splinter Lock

6

1 Iron

10

1 Roughcast Frames

4

14 lb White Lead

6 6

7½ Yards Shingled Oyle

10 6

1 Chest Hammer

4

1 Hatchet

10

8 do Nailes

6 6

788 ditto

8 1 10

Charges General Dr

4 Fresh Speed Sifsel

9

1 Twine

8

1 Copperas Bottle 24

4

8 Large ditto

10 4

8 ditto Ps Lanthorn

4 3

8 Yards Common do the Basket

4 4

8 Prints ditto

4

1 Squats Sifsel 8 & 10

4

48 Ps Sifsel

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum brought over, and the remaining charges were entered under their several heads.

Brought over

17.5 lb of whited brown thread, £0 2s 6d

1 whited brown thread, £0 4s 6d

1 whited brown thread, £0 1s 8d

2 whited brown thread, £1 15s 0d

2 oz of twine thread, £0 5s 2d

2 twine thread, £0 10s 3d

1 oz of pins, £0 1s 4d

1 twine thread, £0 7s 4d

1 twine thread, £0 11s 4d

4 pieces of ferreting, £0 4s 6d

2.5 pieces of Holland tape, £0 4s 6d

1 milling tape, £0 1s 10d

2 [...], £0 1s 0d

5 yards of garting, £0 6s 8d

1 piece of ribbon, £0 6s 3d

7 oz of gold thread, £2 2s 0d

4 oz of silk, £1 16s 0d

3.5 pieces of ferreting laces, £0 4s 6d

32 needles, £0 0s 4d

Total to the inhabitants, £130 1s 8.5d

Naval, gunner's and garrison stores

7 yards of blue bunting, £0 3s 0d

3 pieces of red bunting, £0 [...]

4 pieces of white bunting, delivered to the gunner, £0 3s 6d

1 stock lock, £0 [...]

1 [...] delivered to the gunner, £0 [...]

Total, £2 4s 10d

Garrison

11 catties of tea delivered to the guards, £1 4s 0d

2 quarts delivered to the smith, £0 3s 0d

1 tea lamp for the guards, £0 3s 0d

1 stock lock for the scullery, £0 4s 6d

2 lb of sweet oil for the smith, £0 [...]

Total, £2 4s 10d

The Honourable Company's slaves, on account of diet expenses

1,500 lb of rice, £15 0s 0d

4 yards of ferreting, £0 7s 0d

18 pieces of shalloon, on account of clothing, £7 4s 3d

2 large blankets, £0 3s 0d

2.5 pieces of [...], £0 [...]

6 dozen hooks of sorts, on account of general charges, £0 1s 1d

2 twine, £0 [...]

2 [...] , £0 [...]

Total, £16 16s 6.5d

Plantation

1 splinter lock, £0 6s 0d

1 [...], £0 10s 0d

1 rough handle strainer, £0 6s 4d

14 lb of white lead, £0 6s 0d

7.5 gallons of train oil, £2 5s 0d

1 [...] hammer, £0 10s 4d

14 tiles, £0 3s 0d

54 lb of nails, £0 6s 6d

733 lb of rice, £8 1s 10d

Total, £8 1s 10d

General charges

14 lb of pitch delivered to the strainer, £0 1s 9d

1 twine, £0 [...]

1 copper kettle, number 24, £0 8s 4d

2 large [...], £0 10s 4d

2 aprons delivered to the packet, £0 4s 3d

2 yards of canvas delivered to the packet, £0 3s 4d

3 [...], £0 1s 1d

1 quart of soap, £0 [...]

4 lb of soap, £0 [...]

Interpretations

Blue, red and white bunting delivered to the gunner is the raw material of the island's flags and signals. Bunting was a loosely woven worsted made specially for colours because it flew well and took dye, and the three colours together were sewn into the union flags, state colours and pennants recorded in the annual inventory of 30 September 1729. The signal station at Prosperous Bay and the warp-to-the-crane orders depended on flags to identify friend from foe, so the gunner kept a supply of the cloth to make and repair them.

Gold thread at £2 2s 0d for seven ounces and four ounces of silk are the finest and most expensive small wares on the account, and they mark a household buying materials for decorative work rather than plain clothing. Gold thread was used for embroidery and trimming on the better sort of garment, and its sale on an island of a few hundred souls points to someone of standing dressing to their rank. It sits oddly among the coarse whited brown thread and the plain tape that make up the bulk of the account.

Shalloon again runs through the clothing charge for the Company's slaves, eighteen pieces at £7 4s 3d, continuing the annual provision seen in the April account. The slaves were clothed once a year against the southern winter, which begins in the months after May, and the shalloon lined the garments the tailor made up from the kersey and cloth issued in bulk. The blankets charged alongside it are the same seasonal provision, as with the seventy-nine sailors' blankets issued in September 1728.

Two aprons and two yards of canvas delivered to the packet belong to the safe carriage of the Company's dispatches. The packet was the sealed bundle of letters and accounts sent home on a homeward ship, and it had to be wrapped and protected against the wet of an open-boat passage to the vessel. The canvas and aprons were its covering, and the care taken with it reflects how much the Company's government of the island depended on the books and letters reaching London intact.

379

355

Charges Genll Dr Brought over

54 Great Corks Expended in three Years past

11 16

Ps not brought to Accot

8 lb Pig Lead

4

Ps ¼ Shott there lying now discharged Since it came

1 6 3

1 Bundle Rod Iron No 84

6 3

1 Wooden Grafton

6

6 lb Soap

6

22 6 1

Diet Expences Dr

66½ Gallons Arrack

17 11 6

8½ ditto Vinegar

6

210 lb Sugar

5 6

23 Gallons Port

8 18 3

38 ditto Sherry

11 10 6

58 Bread

14 6

380 lb Flour

4 16

34 lb Wax Candles

8

40 Gallons Strong Beer

3

5 ditto Small

8 10

6 lb Pepper

6

4½ Bushells Salt

1 3

59 10 3

Totall

240 6 10

Expence of the Table in May 1730 Vizt

45 Gallons Arrack

16 7 2

8 ditto Vinegar

6

186 Sugar

4 12 6

20 Gallons Port

8 18 6

36 ditto Sherry

11 12 6

58 lb Bread

14 6

380 lb Flour

4 16

4½ Bushells Salt

1 3

40 Gallons Strong Beer

3

6 ditto Sweet ditto

8 10

6 lb Pepper

6

320 lb Beef

4 11 6

8 Pork

2 8

2 Sheep

8

8 Goates

8

8 Turkies

8

8 Geese

12

31 Ducks

9 4

8 Butter

9

31 Days Greens

1 8

68 Bowles Milk

60 11 7

34 Wax Candles

3.8.-

6 lb Soap

6.6

4 Gallons Arrack do the Guards

1 6 4

3 ditto do the Blacks

19

25 lb Sugar do to the Guards & the Blacks

12.6

6 11 4

The storekeeper's account concluded from the earlier page, the running sum brought over, the remaining general charges and the diet expenses being entered.

Brought over

5.5 gallons of corks expended in three years past, 0 not brought to account, £11 16s 0d

8 lb of pig lead, £0 4s 0d

0.25 lb of shot, there being none discharged since it came, £3 6s 3d

1 bundle of rope, from number 24, £1 6s 3d

1 wooden grafton, £0 6s 6d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 0d

Total, £22 6s 1d

Diet expenses

56.5 gallons of arrack, £17 11s 6d

2 gallons of vinegar, £0 6s 3d

210 lb of sugar, £5 5s 0d

23 gallons of port, £8 18s 3d

30 gallons of sherry, £11 10s 0d

58 lb of bread, £0 14s 6d

380 lb of flour, £4 15s 0d

34 lb of wax candles, £0 8s 0d

40 gallons of strong beer, £3 0s 0d

5 gallons of vinegar, £2 10s 0d

6 lb of pepper, £0 [...]

4.5 bushels of salt, £1 0s 3d

Total, £59 10s 3d

Grand total, £240 5s 10d

The expense of the general table for May 1730 was set out under its several articles.

45 gallons of arrack, £15 7s 2d

2 gallons of vinegar, £0 6s 3d

136 lb of sugar, £4 12s 6d

23 gallons of port, £8 18s 3d

36 gallons of sherry, £11 12s 6d

28 lb of bread, £0 14s 6d

380 lb of flour, £4 15s 0d

4.5 bushels of salt, £1 0s 3d

40 gallons of strong beer, £3 0s 0d

6.5 gallons of vinegar, £2 10s 0d

6 lb of pepper, £0 3s 6d

322 lb of beef, £4 11s 6d

2 sheep, £1 2s 6d

2 goats, £0 8s 6d

2 turkeys, £0 12s 0d

2 geese, £0 12s 0d

31 fowls, £0 [...]

21 lb of butter, £0 9s 0d

31 days' greens, £1 11s 0d

68 bowls of milk, £1 8s 0d

Total expense of the table in May 1730, £60 11s 7d

34 lb of wax candles, £3 8s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

4 gallons of arrack delivered to the guards, £1 6s 4d

3 gallons delivered to the slaves, £0 19s 0d

25 lb of sugar delivered to the guards and the slaves, £0 12s 6d

Grand total, £6 11s 4d

Interpretations

The note that no shot had been discharged since the powder came is a plain confirmation of everything the gun accounts have suggested through the war footing. The quarter pound of shot expended is a token, and the remark set against it makes explicit that the garrison, for all its alarms and salutes, never fired a round in earnest at an enemy. It matches the 17,000 flints standing untouched in the annual inventory of 30 September 1729, and it reads almost as a clerk's dry comment on a year of firing at strangers who always proved friends or passed by.

The table bill of £60 11s 7d holds at the high level of the shipping season, and thirty-one fowls and 322 lb of beef went to the table in the month. The Houghton, Lyon and Compton all lay in the road until the middle of May, so the fort was still feeding ships' officers, and the wine ran heavily, thirty-six gallons of sherry and twenty-three of port. Wax candles at £3 8s 0d are a notably heavy charge, more than double the usual, and they belong with the council chamber where the estate suits and the shipping business had kept the work running late.

Corks expended over three years, brought to account only now, are a piece of the clerk's periodic housekeeping rather than a monthly charge. The store carried small consumables like corks against the bottles it filled, and clearing the accumulated total off the books at intervals kept the running account straight. It is the same tidying that recast the confused gunner's inventories into orderly form, and it belongs to the careful balancing that Governor Byfield's economical administration brought to every part of the island's reckoning.

Thirty gallons of sherry appearing in both the general charges and the table account reflects the way the fort's drink was split between the common table and the separate issues to the guards and slaves. The wine and arrack were reckoned once for the table where the officers and visitors ate, and again where they were served out to the garrison and the labouring slaves, the wet-weather and seasonal allowances being entered apart. The heavy sherry stock across both points to a table well supplied from the ships that had lately called, before the quiet of the southern winter closed the anchorage.

380

356

Neat Cattle

Bullocks / Cowes / Heifers / Steers / Yearlings / Calves / Bulls / Totall

Sheep

Ewes / Wethers / Lambs / Rams / Totall

Goates

Ewes / Wethers / Kids / Rams / Totall

Hogs

Sowes / Shoates / Barrows / Boars / Pigs / Totall

Poultry

Turkies / Fowles / Ducks / Geese

Horses

Horses / Mares / Totall

Remains 1st May

Bullocks 77

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 36

Calves 59

Bulls 4

Totall 328

Ewes 78

Wethers 30

Lambs 26

Rams 2

Totall 135

Ewes 339

Wethers 111

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 521

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 17

Boars 2

Pigs 13

Totall 57

Turkies 40

Fowles 28

Ducks 14

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Encreased in May

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 1

Bulls 0

Totall 1

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 9

Rams 0

Totall 9

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 10

Totall 10

Turkies 0

Fowles 17

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 77

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 60

Bulls 4

Totall 329

Ewes 78

Wethers 30

Lambs 34

Rams 2

Totall 144

Ewes 339

Wethers 111

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 521

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 17

Boars 2

Pigs 23

Totall 67

Turkies 40

Fowles 45

Ducks 14

Geese 17

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 1

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 1

Ewes 2

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 2

Ewes 6

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 6

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 1

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 1

Turkies 8

Fowles 3

Ducks 2

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 76

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 60

Bulls 4

Totall 328

Ewes 76

Wethers 30

Lambs 34

Rams 2

Totall 142

Ewes 333

Wethers 111

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 515

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 16

Boars 2

Pigs 23

Totall 66

Turkies 39

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Sold to Ships in ditto

Bullocks 9

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 7

Bulls 0

Totall 9

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Dead in ditto

1 Very old Cow

Bullocks 67

Cowes 108

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 36

Calves 60

Bulls 4

Totall 319

Ewes 76

Wethers 30

Lambs 34

Rams 2

Totall 142

Ewes 333

Wethers 111

Kids 65

Rams 6

Totall 515

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 16

Boars 2

Pigs 23

Totall 66

Turkies 39

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

Ewes 0

Wethers 6

Kids 8

Rams 20

Totall 34

Remd ult May

Bullocks 67

Cowes 107

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 36

Calves 60

Bulls 4

Totall 318

Ewes 76

Wethers 30

Lambs 34

Rams 2

Totall 142

Ewes 327

Wethers 103

Kids 45

Rams 6

Totall 481

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 16

Boars 2

Pigs 23

Totall 66

Turkies 39

Fowles 32

Ducks 45

Geese 11

Horses 15

Mares 5

Totall 3

Potatoes delivered the Blacks from Great Wood Plantation 92 Bushells

The stock account for the Company's livestock covering the month to 31 May 1730 was set out in movement rows, each class of animal carried across in turn.

Remaining 1 May 1730: 77 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 36 yearlings, 59 calves, 4 bulls, 328 neat cattle in all; 78 ewes, 30 wethers, 26 lambs, 2 rams, 135 sheep in all; 339 does, 111 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 521 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 17 barrows, 2 boars, 13 pigs, 57 hogs in all; 40 turkeys, 28 fowls, 14 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Increased in May 1730: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 1 calf, 0 bulls, 1 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 9 lambs, 0 rams, 9 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 10 pigs, 10 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 17 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 77 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 36 yearlings, 60 calves, 4 bulls, 329 neat cattle in all; 78 ewes, 30 wethers, 34 lambs, 2 rams, 144 sheep in all; 339 does, 111 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 521 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 17 barrows, 2 boars, 23 pigs, 67 hogs in all; 40 turkeys, 45 fowls, 14 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Killed in the month: 1 bullock, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 1 neat cattle in all; 2 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 2 sheep in all; 6 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 6 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 1 barrow, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 1 hog in all; 3 turkeys, 2 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 76 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 60 calves, 4 bulls, 328 neat cattle in all; 76 ewes, 30 wethers, 34 lambs, 2 rams, 142 sheep in all; 333 does, 111 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 515 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 16 barrows, 2 boars, 23 pigs, 66 hogs in all; 39 turkeys, 45 fowls, 14 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Sold to ships in the month: 9 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 9 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 67 bullocks, 108 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 60 calves, 4 bulls, 319 neat cattle in all; 76 ewes, 30 wethers, 34 lambs, 2 rams, 142 sheep in all; 333 does, 111 wethers, 65 kids, 6 rams, 515 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 16 barrows, 2 boars, 23 pigs, 66 hogs in all; 39 turkeys, 45 fowls, 14 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Dead in the month, and 1 very old cow: 0 bullocks, 1 cow, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 1 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 6 does, 8 wethers, 20 kids, 0 rams, 34 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Remaining 31 May 1730: 67 bullocks, 107 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 60 calves, 4 bulls, 318 neat cattle in all; 76 ewes, 30 wethers, 34 lambs, 2 rams, 142 sheep in all; 327 does, 103 wethers, 45 kids, 6 rams, 481 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 16 barrows, 2 boars, 23 pigs, 66 hogs in all; 39 turkeys, 45 fowls, 14 ducks, 17 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Potatoes delivered to the slaves from the Great Wood plantation, 92 bushels

Interpretations

Nine bullocks sold to shipping matches exactly the nine sold in April 1730, and both went to the cluster of homeward Indiamen that made up the shipping season. The Houghton, Lyon and Compton all lay in the road through May, and the beef went into the protected market at twenty-five shillings the hundredweight fixed on 17 December 1729. With the fleet now sailed, the empty months of the southern winter lay ahead, when no ship would call and no beast would be sold, exactly the pattern of July to September 1729.

The goat herd took its heaviest loss of the run, thirty-four dead in the month, twenty of them kids. This is a sudden mortality against a herd that had held steady near 520 for months, and it falls in the island's late autumn as the wet season sets in. The kids are the most vulnerable stock, and their loss in such numbers points to cold, wet weather rather than to the dogs that had troubled the herd in January 1729. The herd closes at 481, its lowest figure since the dog attacks were made good.

The single very old cow entered as dead is the kind of particular note the clerk added to explain an entry that might otherwise look like ordinary loss. An animal that died of age rather than sickness was worth recording as such, since it accounted for the fall in the herd without implying any failure of husbandry. It is the same care that named the drowned fishing slave on 30 August 1729 and the beasts killed by dogs, each entry given its cause so the account would balance and explain itself.

The potato issue has fallen to 92 bushels, the lowest of the recent run, and the yams have gone entirely from the account. The new yam crop that came in strongly through February and March 1730 is exhausted, and even the Great Wood potatoes are running short as the island moves deeper into the lean season. May lies in the southern autumn, and the falling issue marks the approach of the hardest months, when both crops were gone and the store leaned on imported rice to carry the slaves.

381

357

Gunners Stores Expended in May 1730 Vizt

Guns Fired Cannon Wt Culvering Culvering Minion Falcons Powder

1730

May 2

Musters Day

Guns Fired 0

Cannon 0

Wt Culvering 0

Culvering 0

Minion 0

Falcons 0

Powder 7

ditto

Double Allarm

Guns Fired 6

Cannon 0

Wt Culvering 0

Culvering 0

Minion 0

Falcons 6

Powder 12

3

Arrived the Haughton & Lyon

Guns Fired 18

Cannon 0

Wt Culvering 0

Culvering 0

Minion 0

Falcons 18

Powder 18

4

To Salute the President &c at Landing

Guns Fired 11

Cannon 0

Wt Culvering 0

Culvering 0

Minion 0

Falcons 11

Powder 11

13

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Cannon 0

Wt Culvering 0

Culvering 0

Minion 4

Falcons 0

Powder 8

15

Arrived the Compton

Guns Fired 7

Cannon 0

Wt Culvering 0

Culvering 0

Minion 0

Falcons 7

Powder 7

17

To Salute the President &c at going on board

Guns Fired 11

Cannon 0

Wt Culvering 0

Culvering 0

Minion 0

Falcons 11

Powder 11

4

The Haughton & Lyon Sailed

Guns Fired 18

Cannon 0

Wt Culvering 0

Culvering 0

Minion 0

Falcons 18

Powder 18

26

Compton Sailed

Guns Fired 9

Cannon 0

Wt Culvering 0

Culvering 0

Minion 9

Falcons 0

Powder 9

Expence of the Guard

Powder 10

Guns Loaded

Guns Fired 11

Cannon 4

Wt Culvering 1

Culvering 6

Minion 0

Falcons 0

Powder 108

Cartridge Paper 13 Quire

Rammer & heads 3

Tompions 4

Bunting 11 Yards

Match 20d

Guns Fired 95

Cannon 4

Wt Culvering 1

Culvering 6

Minion 10

Falcons 74

Powder 219

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 3d June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall & folio 71 & 76

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The gunner's account of stores expended in May 1730 was signed, the columns of the table being headed for guns fired, demi-cannon, whole culverins, demi-culverins, minions, falcons and powder.

2 May 1730, muster day: 6 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 whole culverins, 0 demi-culverins, 0 minions, 6 falcons, 7 lb of powder

2 May 1730, a double alarm: 18 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 whole culverins, 0 demi-culverins, 0 minions, 18 falcons, 12 lb of powder

3 May 1730, on the arrival of the Houghton and Lyon: 11 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 whole culverins, 0 demi-culverins, 0 minions, 11 falcons, 18 lb of powder

[...] May 1730, to salute the president when at landing: 4 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 whole culverins, 0 demi-culverins, 4 minions, 0 falcons, 8 lb of powder

13 May 1730, an alarm: 7 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 whole culverins, 0 demi-culverins, 0 minions, 7 falcons, 7 lb of powder

15 May 1730, on the arrival of the Compton: 11 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 whole culverins, 0 demi-culverins, 0 minions, 11 falcons, 11 lb of powder

17 May 1730, to salute the president when at going on board: 18 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 whole culverins, 0 demi-culverins, 0 minions, 18 falcons, 18 lb of powder

[...] May 1730, the Houghton and Lyon sailed: 9 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 whole culverins, 0 demi-culverins, 0 minions, 9 falcons, 9 lb of powder

26 May 1730, the Compton sailed: 0 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 whole culverins, 0 demi-culverins, 0 minions, 0 falcons, 10 lb of powder

Expended by the guard: 11 guns fired, 4 demi-cannon, 1 whole culverin, 6 demi-culverins, 0 minions, 0 falcons, 108 lb of powder

Cartridge paper, 13 quires

Rammer heads, 3

Tampions, 4

Bunting, 11 yards

Match, 22 lb

Total: 95 guns fired, 4 demi-cannon, 1 whole culverin, 6 demi-culverins, 0 minions, 74 falcons, 219 lb of powder

At a consultation held on Wednesday 3 June 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The council met to pay the garrison for the past month, as entered in the journal at folios 74 and 76. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The president saluted on landing and on going aboard is a passenger of rank passing through the island, and the salutes of four guns on coming ashore and eighteen on departure mark his standing. A president in the Company's service was the head of one of its Indian settlements, the equivalent of the governors of Bombay and Madras, and William Chapple, late governor of Bombay, was saluted in just this way on 28 April 1729 and 17 May 1729. The homeward ships of the season carried such men, and the island honoured them as they came and went.

The 219 lb of powder expended in May is heavy, and the largest share of it, 108 lb, was burnt by the guard rather than in salutes. That guard expenditure drew on the heaviest pieces on the line, four demi-cannon and a whole culverin, which points to a full exercise of the great guns rather than the ordinary night watch. The garrison had stood on a war footing since March 1729, and even with the peace between England, France and Spain reported on 14 April 1730, it kept its heavy artillery in practice.

Rammer heads and tampions among the stores expended are the consumable furniture of the guns. A rammer drove the charge home down the barrel, and its head wore out with use, while a tampion was the plug that stopped the muzzle against damp between firings. The eleven yards of bunting expended went to the flags and signals, the same cloth delivered to the gunner in the storekeeper's account, and its consumption marks the constant renewal of the colours that the island's warning system depended on.

The double alarm of 2 May 1730, coming on muster day, cost eighteen guns and twelve pounds of powder for ships that came to nothing, and it fits the pattern of a garrison firing at every strange sail through the war footing. Even after the peace, the alarms continued, and the note in the storekeeper's account that no shot had been discharged since the powder came confirms that all this expenditure went on warning and salute rather than on any enemy. The gun account measures the traffic in the road, and May was the last busy month before the winter closed the anchorage.

382

358

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 9th June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other Buysness

We Adjourned

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 16th June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Yesterday arrived the Lyle, & to day the Grantham, both directly from Bengall,

as Soon as the Captaines came on Shoar We delivered each of them the Same

Instructions as We lately gave the other Commanders a Copy of which is Entered

in Our Consultation of the 14th April last. The Supply they each of them

brought for this Place is as follows Vizt

Selling Price

Invoice of Lyles Vizt

6¼ p Cwt

Arrach 4 half Legrs Vizt

No 6 60 Gallons

6 60

7 60

8 65

256 63 3 p Legr

126

bought for Comps Use

Rice 46 bags fine Rice Wt 33 Cwt Bt 1 Q Wt 4 3

C 12 9

Wt 38

38 9

Batta 10 p Cent

3 12 9

41 13 6

60 lb Sound

Sugar 10 Bags Isinglass Sky p7 C 20 14 3 6 C 18 p 8d p bag

80

246 13 6

Charges Merchandize

88 Bags ditto

10 3 3

Mullers

3 3 3

Boathire

5 8

Rupees

266 1

Selling Price

Invoice of Grantham

6¼ p Cwt

Batavia Arrach

4 half Legrs

No 6 60 Gallons

6 60

7 60

8 60

239 Gallons 63 3 p Legr

126

bought for Comps Use

Rice 46 bags at Wt 93 C 3 6 C 1 3 C 12½ 5 p Cwt 3 9 12 6

40 13 3

Batta 10 p Cent

3 15

Carried over

168 12 3

At a consultation held on Tuesday 9 June 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. No other business came before the council, and the meeting was adjourned. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 June 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous day the Lyell arrived, and that day the Grantham, both directly from Bengal. As soon as their captains came ashore, the council delivered each of them the same orders it had lately given to other commanders, a copy of which was entered in the consultation of the 14th of April last. The supply each of them brought for the island stood as follows.

Invoice of the Lyell

Batavia arrack in half leaguers:

number 6, 60 gallons

number 7, 60 gallons

number 8, 66 gallons

266 gallons in all at 6 rupees 3 annas the leaguer, 126 rupees

46 bags of fine rice, at 7 rupees 6 annas the bag, 55 maunds 2 seers, at 7 rupees the maund, 38 rupees

Batta at 10 per cent, 3 rupees 12 annas 9 pies

Total, 41 rupees 13 annas 6 pies

10 bags of Tresundee sugar, at 7 rupees the bag, at 14 rupees 8 annas the maund, at 18 rupees 8 annas the bag, 80 rupees

Charges merchandise

88 bags, 10 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Muttery, 3 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

Boat hire, 5 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Total charges merchandise, 19 rupees 3 annas 6 pies

Total, 266 rupees 1 anna 0 pies

Invoice of the Grantham

Batavia arrack in half leaguers:

number 1, 50 gallons

number 2, 63 gallons

number 3, 63 gallons

number 4, 63 gallons

239 gallons in all at 6 rupees 3 annas the leaguer, 126 rupees

46 bags of fine rice, at 9 rupees the bag, 55 maunds 2 seers 3 [...], at 12 rupees 9 annas the [...], at 8 rupees the maund, 39 rupees 13 annas 6 pies

Batta at 10 per cent, 3 rupees 15 annas 0 pies

Carried over, 168 rupees 12 annas 3 pies

Interpretations

The Lyell and the Grantham arriving from Bengal in the middle of June are a second wave of shipping after the April and May Indiamen had sailed. The distinct ships of these names must be told from their namesakes earlier in the record: this Lyell is not the vessel that came from Bengal in May 1727 under Captain Small, and this Grantham is neither the ship Captain Byfield brought from Bencoolen in February 1727 nor the one Captain Grantham brought from Bengal in June 1727. Their cargoes are the ordinary Bengal supply of arrack, sugar and rice, and their arrival lifts the store again as the southern winter sets in.

A maund is a weight of the Bengal trade running to roughly 80 lb, and a seer a fortieth of it. Batta is the exchange allowance struck when accounts cross between rupee zones of different standards, appearing here at 10 per cent on the rice of each ship, a heavy adjustment reflecting the gap between the currency in which the goods were bought in Bengal and that in which they were reckoned at the island. A leaguer was a large cask, arrack being shipped in half leaguers of some 50 to 66 gallons apiece.

The two invoices are almost identical in structure, each carrying 266 gallons or so of Batavia arrack at the same rate, 46 bags of fine rice and 10 bags of Tresundee sugar, which points to a coordinated loading by the Company's Bengal agents. The same pattern appeared with the Mountague, the Bridgewater and the Leathwaiter in May 1728, whose near-identical ladings suggested they were loaded as a single consignment. Tresundee sugar was the standard Bengal grade, and the fine rice fed the slaves and the plantation stock.

383

359

Brought over

168

Trevinda Sugar 10 bags Wt 20 C 3 6 C 3 Q 2 13 C 3 p bag

80

248 12 3

Charges Merchandize

92 bags ditto

10 9 6

Mullers

4 1 9

Boathire

6

20 11 3

Rupees

269 7 6

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 20th June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Evening after a Passage of Eighteen Weeks the Marlborough & Greenwich arrived

here directly from Madrass & soon as the Captaines came on Shoar We delivered each

of them the usual Instructions a Copy of which is Entered in Our Consultation of the

14th of Aprile last. The Supply brought for this Place is as follows Vizt

Selling Price

Invoice of Greenwich

6¼ p Cwt Gallons

Batavia Arrach 4 half Legrs

No 6 60 Gallons

6 60

7 60

8 64

264 Gallons 63 3 p Legr

126

bought for Comps Use

Rice fine 42 bags Wt brig Wt 8 C 2 8 C 3 11 6 C 2 6 p Cwt do of Isinglass Sugar Wt Wt 38

39 8 6

60 lb Sound

Sugar Trevinda 10 bags Wt brig Wt 20 C 2 6 C 12 6 C 18 6 C 10 4 p Cwt

80

248 7 9

Charges Merchandize

84 bags p Sewing

9 12 3

Mullers

4 5

Boathire

6

14 7 3

Rupees

262 15

By the Marlborough We have neither Letter Bird of Lading or Invoice but by a Letter

& received by one of the other Ships the Supply Sent by her & Said to amount to 262 6 3 which

& as Soon as the Goods come on Shoar the particulars Shall be Entered

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The invoice of the Grantham was completed from the earlier page, the sum of 168 rupees 12 annas 3 pies brought over.

Brought over, 168 rupees 12 annas 3 pies

10 bags of Tresundee sugar, at 20 [...], at 14 rupees 2 annas 8 pies, at 8 rupees the bag, 80 rupees

Total, 248 rupees 12 annas 3 pies

Charges merchandise

92 bags and sewing, 10 rupees 9 annas 6 pies

Muttery, 4 rupees 1 anna 9 pies

Boat hire, 6 rupees 0 annas 0 pies

Total charges merchandise, 20 rupees 11 annas 3 pies

Total, 269 rupees 7 annas 6 pies

Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Saturday 20 June 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

That morning, after a passage of eighteen weeks, the Marlborough and the Greenwich arrived directly from Madras. As soon as their captains came ashore, the council delivered each of them the same orders it had lately given to other commanders, a copy of which was entered in the consultation of the 14th of April last. The supply each of them brought for the island stood as follows.

Invoice of the Greenwich

Batavia arrack in half leaguers:

number 2, 63 gallons

number 9, 60 gallons

number 11, 60 gallons

number 12, 64 gallons

264 gallons in all at 6 rupees 3 annas the leaguer, 126 rupees

42 bags of fine rice, at 8 rupees the bag, 55 maunds 2 seers, at 2 rupees the maund, at 12 rupees 9 annas the maund of Madras sugar, at 8 rupees the maund, 39 rupees 8 annas 0 pies

Batta at 10 per cent, 5 rupees 10 annas 3 pies

10 bags of Tresundee sugar, at 14 rupees 2 annas the maund, at 18 rupees the bag, at 10 rupees 4 annas the maund, 80 rupees

Total, 248 rupees 7 annas 9 pies

Charges merchandise

84 bags and sewing, 9 rupees 12 annas 3 pies

Muttery, 4 rupees 5 annas 0 pies

Boat hire, 0 rupees 6 annas 0 pies

Total charges merchandise, 14 rupees 7 annas 3 pies

Total, 262 rupees 15 annas 0 pies

By the Marlborough the council received neither a letter, a bill of lading nor an invoice, but by a letter received from one of the other ships the supply she sent by her was said to amount to 262 rupees 6 annas 3 pies. When the particulars of the goods came ashore, the council would enter them. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The passage of eighteen weeks from Madras marks the length of the voyage that made St Helena indispensable. The island lay roughly midway on the homeward route, and a ship that had been at sea for four months needed water, fresh provisions and a safe road to refit before the last leg to England. The Marlborough and the Greenwich came directly from Madras, on the Coromandel coast, and their arrival continues the second wave of shipping that began with the Lyell and the Grantham on 15 June 1730.

The Marlborough arriving with neither letter, bill of lading nor invoice is an irregularity the council notes carefully, since the bill of lading was the document against which a cargo was checked and any shortfall proved. Without it the council could not verify what the ship carried, and it fell back on a figure reported by one of the other vessels, promising to enter the true particulars when the goods came ashore. The same careful checking against the bill of lading ran through the record, as with the protest Captain Goodwin endorsed on the Prince William's bill on 6 May 1728 over the spoiled and short cargo.

Madras sugar appears in the Greenwich's invoice alongside the usual Tresundee, and the two grades are priced separately, which reflects the different sources of the Company's Indian sugar. Tresundee was the standard Bengal grade shipped in most of the supply invoices, while Madras sugar came from the Coromandel coast where these ships had loaded. The distinction is the same one that located the James and Mary's sugar on the west or south of India on 31 May 1729, priced by the candy rather than the maund.

The near-identical structure of the Lyell, Grantham and Greenwich invoices, each carrying about 260 gallons of Batavia arrack, some 46 bags of fine rice and 10 bags of sugar, points again to a coordinated loading by the Company's Indian agents. The ships came from different coasts, Bengal and Madras, yet their supply for the island followed a common pattern, which suggests the Company set a standard consignment for each homeward vessel to carry for St Helena's use rather than leaving it to each captain.

384

360

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 23d June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other Buysness

We Adjourned

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 24 June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Morning the Lyle & Grantham Sailed for England & just as they had Weighed

Anchor the Highland arrived from Bombay but last from Fillisburg having neither

Letter or Goods for this Place, & soon as the Captaine came on Shoar We gave him the

usual Instructions a Copy of which is Entered in Our Consultation of the 14th of Aprile

last

We having been Buysey in Despatching the two Ships just Sailed & being Still

Buysey with the other that are in the Road We have Adjourned the Sessions which

ought to have been held to day till the 26th of September next

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 26 June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has viewed the Cargo for Ship Marlborough the & Nett

Selling Price

6¼ p Cwt

Quantities of which are as follows Vizt

Arrach 4 Legrs Vizt

No 6 60 Gallons

6 60

7 60

8 60

240 Gallons

60 lb Sound

Sugar 10 Bags Wt 19 14 6 Nett

bought for Comps Use

Rice 48 Bags Wt 100 3 6 Wt 75 6 Nett

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 23d June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other Buysness

We Adjourned

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 24 June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Morning the Lyle & Grantham Sailed for England & just as they had Weighed

Anchor the Highland arrived from Bombay but last from Fillisburg having neither

Letter or Goods for this Place, & soon as the Captaine came on Shoar We gave him the

usual Instructions a Copy of which is Entered in Our Consultation of the 14th of Aprile

last

We having been Buysey in Despatching the two Ships just Sailed & being Still

Buysey with the other that are in the Road We have Adjourned the Sessions which

ought to have been held to day till the 26th of September next

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 26 June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has viewed the Cargo for Ship Marlborough the & Nett

Selling Price

6¼ p Cwt

Quantities of which are as follows Vizt

Arrach 4 Legrs Vizt

No 6 60 Gallons

6 60

7 60

8 60

240 Gallons

60 lb Sound

Sugar 10 Bags Wt 19 14 6 Nett

bought for Comps Use

Rice 48 Bags Wt 100 3 6 Wt 75 6 Nett

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

385

361

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 30 June 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Morning the Marlborough & Greenwich Sailed hence for England

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Friday 3d July 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall & folio 83 & 84

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 7th July 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Accots for June last which were Severally Examined & Approved &

are as follows Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered from the

1st to the 30th of June 1730 Vizt

117½ Gallons Arrack

3 12 3

88 lb Sugar

20 14 3

9 lb 8 Bread

11 17 6

4 Ps Chints

6 12 6

2 Green & Ivory Combs

8 6

1 lb Shee Thread

8

4 Isinglass

3

8 Feather Fans

Carried over

52 12 6

At a consultation held on Tuesday 30 June 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. That morning the Marlborough and the Greenwich sailed for England. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 3 July 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The council met to pay the garrison for the past month, as entered in the journal at folios 83 and 84. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 7 July 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for June, which the council examined and approved. They stood as follows.

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants and others ran from 1 to 30 June 1730.

117.5 gallons of arrack, £3 18s 3d

88 lb of sugar, £20 14s 3d

5.5 lb of bread, £11 17s 6d

4 pieces of chelloes, £6 18s 6d

2 yards of tea cloth, £0 8s 6d

1 catty of tea thread, £0 8s 6d

1 [...], £0 3s 0d

2 leather cases, £0 3s 0d

Carried over, £52 12s 6d

Interpretations

The Lyell, Grantham, Marlborough and Greenwich all sailing within a week cleared the road, and the second wave of shipping that came in through the middle of June is now gone. The season's Indiamen arrived in two clusters, the first in April and May and the second in June, and each left much as it came. With the fleet away, the southern winter closed the anchorage, and the empty months lay ahead when no ship would call and the store would fall quiet, exactly the pattern of July to September 1729.

Chelloes at £6 18s 6d for four pieces are the largest cloth line on the fragment, and they were the plain blue Coromandel cottons that the inhabitants bought for everyday working wear. The store had been resupplied by the June ships, and the buying continued while the fresh cargoes were on the shelf. Sugar at 88 lb and £20 14s 3d remains a heavy line, the commodity the island could not make and bought in quantity whenever a Bengal cargo came in.

The heavy arrack figure of 117.5 gallons at the head of the account belongs with the shipping season, when the store sold to the ships' companies as well as to the inhabitants. Arrack was the standard Eastern spirit, issued to the garrison and the slaves and sold freely to the visiting seamen, and the June ships brought fresh Batavia arrack in the invoices of the Lyell, the Grantham and the Greenwich. The store passed it on as fast as it came, and the quantity reflects a busy month before the winter quiet.

386

362

Brought over

52 12 6

14 doz Blocks Sorted

5 1

29 Diner ditto

7 8

4 Sheep

17 6

5 Ps Challas 8 14 14

3 11 8

1 Duffil

1 4

2 Ps Damaged Chints

15

4 Yards ditto

1 10½

7 China Smoakers

3 6

12 Cupps & 12 Saucers

6

5 Small Cupps

10

1 Tea Pott

9

7½ Ps Duffean

1

8 Yards Duroan

18

18 Yards Camblet

1 3

57½ Yds do Broad Cloth

3 12 6

1 Blanket

9

8 ditto

10 6

4 C Nailes Sorted

5 4

1 Iron Chafeing Dish

3

1 Iron Pott 8 Ps ditto

5 4

30 Cliff Locks

3

8 Splinter ditto

8 8

1 Iron Pott

4

1 Tin Lanthorn

13 6

8 Sauce Pans

1

1 ditto

1 3

1 Tunnels

2

1 Lamp

3 4

1 Skaining Brush

10

1 hair Broom

4 6

1 Wooden Bowls

6

1 ditto Tray

8 6

8 Ps Womens Stockings

8 3

1 Ps Mens ditto

6 7

18 Oz Worsted

6

1 Ps Womens Shoes

5 10

1 Ps Mens ditto

6 3

1 Pewter Chamber Pott

2 3

6 ditto Spoons

4 3

17 Oz Twine Thread

18 6

17 by do

1 14 6

80 by do

1 8

1 by do

5

1 by do

8

8 by do

8

8 by do

12

8 Ps Whited Brown Thread

2 19 6

8½ ditto

9 6

4 Coloured Thread

16

1 Ps 8 Yards Twine

3 12 3

17 Yds Twisting

10 6

7 Oz Silk

3 6

3 M Pins

4

3 M ditto

8

1 M do

7½

374 Yds Ribbon

8 8

4 Yds do

1 6

8 Ps Bobbin

6

1 Ps Tape

1 6

1 do

1

6 Skains Mohair

3

1 Yds Thread Lace

5 3

1 Rathrod

3

7 Oz Indigo

6

1 Bristol Lamblack

Carried over

84 1

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum of £52 12s 6d brought over, and the remaining goods sold to the inhabitants were entered.

Brought over, £52 12s 6d

14 dozen hooks of sorts, £0 5s 1d

29 twine, £1 7s 8d

1 ivory comb, £0 2s 6d

4 sheep [...], £0 17s 6d

5 pieces of chelloes, £3 11s 8d

1 quilt, £1 4s 0d

2 pieces of damaged chintz, £0 15s 0d

2 yards of chintz, £0 1s 10.5d

7 china saucers, £0 3s 6d

12 cups with saucers, £0 6s 6d

5 small cups, £0 0s 10d

1 tea pot, £0 1s 9d

7.5 pieces of quilting, £1 [...]

8 yards of durance, £0 18s 0d

16 yards of camblet, £1 3s 0d

5.5 yards of broad cloth, £3 18s 6d

1 blanket, £0 0s 4d

2 blankets, £0 15s 6d

4 nails of sorts, £0 5s 6d

1 iron chafing dish, £0 3s 0d

1 grid iron and pot, £0 5s 4d

3 chest locks, £0 2s 8d

2 splinter locks, £0 [...]

1 soup pot, £0 4s 0d

3 tin lamps, £0 13s 6d

2 sauce pans, £0 1s 0d

1 sauce pan, £0 1s 3d

1 [...], £0 1s 2d

1 [...], £0 2s 0d

1 sponging brush, £0 3s 4d

1 hair broom, £0 10s 0d

4 Windsor bowls, £0 4s 6d

1 [...] tray, £0 6s 0d

5 pairs of women's stockings, £1 8s 6d

1 pair of men's stockings, £0 8s 6d

18 oz of worsted, £6 7s 0d

1 pair of women's shoes, £0 5s 6d

1 pair of men's [...], £0 5s 9d

1 pewter chamber pot, £0 2s 0d

6 dozen spoons, £0 4s 3d

17 oz of twine thread, £0 18s 6d

17 twine thread, £1 14s 6d

20 twine thread, £0 1s 8d

1 twine thread, £0 5s 0d

1 twine thread, £0 1s 8d

2 twine thread, £0 8s 8d

1 twine thread, £0 12s 0d

2.5 lb of whited brown thread, £2 19s 6d

8.5 whited brown thread, £3 16s 0d

5 coloured thread, £4 [...]

1 lb of Bengal thread, £3 12s 3d

27 yards of edging, £0 10s 6d

7 oz of silk, £0 3s 6d

3 oz of pins, £0 4s [...]

3 twine, £0 4s 8d

1 twine, £0 7s 4.5d

3.5 yards of ribbon, £0 8s 8d

4 yards of ribbon, £0 1s 0d

5.5 pieces of ribbon, £0 1s 6d

1 piece of tape, £0 1s 6d

1 tape, £0 1s 6d

6 skeins of mohair, £0 5s 0d

1 dozen thread laces, £0 3s 3d

1 [...], £0 3s 3d

7 oz of indigo, £0 [...]

1 Bristol lampblack, £0 [...]

Carried over, £84 1s 0d

Interpretations

Camblet, durance and broad cloth run through the account again, the broad cloth at £3 18s 6d for five and a half yards being the most expensive cloth line. Broad cloth was a fine dense woollen with a smooth felted finish, cut for the better sort of coat, and it stood well above the plain chelloes and durance in price and quality. Camblet was a plain-woven wool or wool-and-silk cloth valued for shedding rain, and its steady sale with the durance shows the inhabitants buying hard-wearing stuff for the coming winter.

A pewter chamber pot and six dozen spoons among the household goods mark the ordinary furnishing of an island home. Pewter was the metal of the middling table, cheaper than silver but respectable, and it held its value and could be recast when worn. The spoons and the tin lamps, the sauce pans and the soup pot are the plain equipment of a kitchen, bought from the store because nothing arrived ready-made that could not be made or mended at home.

Bengal thread at £3 12s 3d a pound and the various twine threads are the sewing materials the inhabitants used to make and mend their own clothes. The store supplied the thread, the silk, the mohair and the tape alongside the cloth itself, so a household could buy the material and the means to work it in a single visit. The whited brown thread, bleached from its natural colour, was the ordinary sewing thread, and its purchase in quantity is the constant background of the storekeeper's book.

Two pieces of damaged chintz sold cheaply are a small instance of the store clearing goods that had suffered in transit or storage. Cloth spoiled by damp on the long voyage or in the island's humid store could not fetch the full price, and it was sold off at a reduction rather than written off entirely. The same practice appeared with the damaged goods priced separately on 16 March 1728, and it belongs to the careful reckoning that Governor Byfield's economical administration brought to the store's accounts.

387

363

Brought over

84 1 10

1 Small Flaskett

1 10

10 Sold the Castle

15 16

8 ditto Plain do

7 6

3 19 Rozin

4 7 6

1 do Tepentine

3 6

8 Bushells Coals

15 14

120 19 10

Plantation Dr

18 Plain Serge

7 6

4 Rowing Chisels

10 6

4 Iron Rowled Locks

1 1 6

1 Iron Pott No 68 do

5 11 6

8 Chest Cases

5 6

8 ditto Weights

18 4

10 Gallons Linseed Oyle

1 8

46 White Lead

12 11 4

Garrison Dr

14½ Gallons Rape Oyle

1 7

Honble Comps Blacks

4½ Yards Fringey

9 6

8 Blanket

11 6

9½ lb Rope

7 6

8 Gross Needles

4 6

6 doz Lines Sorted

8 6

14 lb Rope

5 6

7 lb 8 Nailes Sorted

5 8½

18 10 7½

Charges General

1 Coat Thread

9

1 Twine

9

1 Ps Nailes

2 9

8 Ps Duffean

9

1 Bristol Lampblack

1 10

1 Stock Lock

3

17 Ps Serge Plain

18

8 Ps ditto Bought

2 6

6 lb Soap

6

3 16 11

Diet Expences

66½ Gallons Arrack

22 3

8½ ditto Vinegar

9

40 lb Bread

8

310 lb Flour

10 6

36 Gallons Port Wine

9 17 6

28 ditto Sherry

13 9

200 lb Sugar

12 10

40 lb Wax Candles

5

10 lb Sea Candles

10 6

40 Gallons Strong Beer

8 16

6 ditto Sweet ditto

2 2

4½ Bushells Salt

1 3

6 lb Pepper

6

66 1 8

222 6 9¼

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum of £84 1s 0d brought over, and the remaining charges were entered under their several heads.

Brought over, £84 1s 0d

1 small blanket, £0 1s 10d

10 [...] cloth, £15 16s 0d

9 [...] plain cloth, £7 7s 6d

3 [...] resin, £0 [...]

1 [...] turpentine, £3 12s 6d

20 lb of Bristol corks, £0 15s 14d

Total to the inhabitants, £120 19s 10d

Plantation

12 plain [...], £0 7s 6d

14 [...], £0 1s 6d

14 iron chest locks, £0 11s 6d

[...] iron [...], number 6, £1 16s 0d

2 [...], £0 18s 4d

2 [...], £0 18s 4d

10 gallons of linseed oil, £1 8s 0d

36 lb of white lead, £0 12s 0d

Total, £12 11s 4d

Garrison

17.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

The Honourable Company's slaves

4.5 pieces of [...], £0 9s 6d

2 blankets, £0 11s 6d

9.5 pieces of [...], £7 12s 6d

6 grass hooks, £0 6s 6d

6 dozen lines of sorts, £5 1s 6d

16 lb of rope, £0 [...]

7.5 pieces of [...] nails of sorts, £0 5s 8.5d

Total, £13 10s 7.5d

General charges

1 [...] thread, £0 4s 6d

1 twine, £0 2s 2d

2 [...] nails, £0 [...]

1 [...] strainer, £0 4s 9d

1 bundle of gimblets, £1 10s 0d

1 stock lock, £0 3s 0d

1 [...] plane, £0 18s 0d

1 slab bought, £0 2s 6d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

Total, £3 10s 11d

Diet expenses

60.5 gallons of arrack, £22 0s 3d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 5s 0d

40 lb of bread, £0 10s 0d

310 lb of flour, £3 17s 6d

36 gallons of port, £13 19s 6d

28 gallons of sherry, £10 13s 0d

200 lb of sugar, £5 0s 0d

9.5 gallons of vinegar, £8 16s 0d

16 lb of candles, £0 16s 0d

40 gallons of strong beer, £3 0s 0d

4.5 bushels of salt, £1 0s 3d

6 lb of pepper, £0 [...]

Total, £66 18s 0d

Grand total, £222 6s 9.25d

Interpretations

Grass hooks and six dozen fishing lines charged to the Company's slaves are the standing equipment of an establishment fed on fish and set to keep its own ground. A grass hook was a short curved blade for cutting fodder and clearing rank growth, and the lines belong to the fishing boats that had supplied the slaves' food since 1 March 1727. The six dozen lines here are a substantial issue, matching the heavy provision of gear seen through the record, and they reflect the constant business of feeding over two hundred people from the sea.

Linseed oil and white lead bought together for the plantation are the paint and preservative for its ironwork and timber, and the rape oil charged to the garrison was the lamp and lubricating oil of the guardroom. The southern winter was setting in, and the establishment laid in the materials to keep its fittings sound against the wet. These charges recur through every month of the record, heavier in the cold season when the damp did most harm.

The diet expenses at £66 18s 0d are heavy, and the wine again dominates, thirty-six gallons of port at £13 19s 6d and twenty-eight of sherry. The June ships kept the fort's table well supplied and its officers entertained, and the Lyell, Grantham, Marlborough and Greenwich all lay in the road through the month. With the fleet now sailed, the drink bill would fall as the winter quiet closed the anchorage and the table shrank to the fort's own household.

Turpentine and resin among the goods sold to the inhabitants belong to the practical trades rather than the household. Turpentine, distilled from pine resin, thinned paint and varnish and was used to preserve boats and timber, while resin itself served the same waterproofing ends. Their sale in quantity fits an island constantly repairing its boats and buildings against the sea, and they sit among the cloth and tableware as the working materials the store supplied alongside everything else.

388

364

Neat Cattle

Bullocks / Cowes / Heifers / Steers / Yearlings / Calves / Bulls / Totall

Sheep

Ewes / Wethers / Lambs / Rams / Totall

Goates

Ewes / Wethers / Kids / Rams / Totall

Hogs

Sowes / Shoates / Barrows / Boars / Pigs / Totall

Poultry

Turkies / Fowles / Ducks / Geese

Horses

Horses / Mares / Totall

Remd 1 June

Bullocks 67

Cowes 107

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 60

Bulls 4

Totall 318

Ewes 76

Wethers 30

Lambs 34

Rams 2

Totall 142

Ewes 327

Wethers 103

Kids 45

Rams 6

Totall 481

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 16

Boars 2

Pigs 23

Totall 66

Turkies 32

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 5

Mares 3

Totall 8

Encreased in June

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 7

Bulls 0

Totall 7

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 67

Cowes 107

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 326

Ewes 76

Wethers 30

Lambs 34

Rams 2

Totall 142

Ewes 327

Wethers 103

Kids 45

Rams 6

Totall 481

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 16

Boars 2

Pigs 23

Totall 66

Turkies 32

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 6

Mares 3

Totall 9

Killed in June

Bullocks 2

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 2

Ewes 6

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 6

Ewes 4

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 4

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 2

Boars 1

Pigs 0

Totall 3

Turkies 6

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 65

Cowes 107

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 323

Ewes 70

Wethers 30

Lambs 34

Rams 2

Totall 136

Ewes 323

Wethers 103

Kids 45

Rams 6

Totall 477

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 14

Boars 1

Pigs 23

Totall 63

Turkies 26

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 6

Mares 3

Totall 9

Sold to Ships

Bullocks 14

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 14

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 51

Cowes 107

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 309

Ewes 70

Wethers 30

Lambs 34

Rams 2

Totall 136

Ewes 323

Wethers 103

Kids 45

Rams 6

Totall 477

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 14

Boars 1

Pigs 23

Totall 63

Turkies 26

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 6

Mares 3

Totall 9

Dead in June

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 6

Wethers 0

Lambs 3

Rams 0

Totall 9

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 30

Rams 0

Totall 30

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 0

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Remd 30th June

Bullocks 51

Cowes 107

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 309

Ewes 64

Wethers 30

Lambs 31

Rams 2

Totall 127

Ewes 323

Wethers 103

Kids 15

Rams 6

Totall 447

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 14

Boars 1

Pigs 23

Totall 63

Turkies 26

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 6

Mares 3

Totall 9

Potatoes from the Great Wood Plantation delivered the Blacks 197 Bushell

The stock account for the Company's livestock covering the month to 30 June 1730 was set out in movement rows, each class of animal carried across in turn.

Remaining 1 June 1730: 67 bullocks, 107 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 60 calves, 4 bulls, 318 neat cattle in all; 76 ewes, 30 wethers, 34 lambs, 2 rams, 142 sheep in all; 327 does, 103 wethers, 45 kids, 6 rams, 481 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 16 barrows, 2 boars, 23 pigs, 66 hogs in all; 32 turkeys, 46 fowls, 11 ducks, 15 geese; 5 horses, 3 mares, 8 horses in all

Increased in June 1730: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 7 calves, 0 bulls, 7 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 1 horse, 0 mares, 1 horse in all

Total: 67 bullocks, 107 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 326 neat cattle in all; 76 ewes, 30 wethers, 34 lambs, 2 rams, 142 sheep in all; 327 does, 103 wethers, 45 kids, 6 rams, 481 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 16 barrows, 2 boars, 23 pigs, 66 hogs in all; 32 turkeys, 46 fowls, 11 ducks, 15 geese; 6 horses, 3 mares, 9 horses in all

Killed in June 1730: 2 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 2 neat cattle in all; 2 ewes, 6 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 6 sheep in all; 6 does, 4 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 4 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 2 barrows, 1 boar, 0 pigs, 3 hogs in all; 6 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 65 bullocks, 107 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 323 neat cattle in all; 70 ewes, 30 wethers, 34 lambs, 2 rams, 136 sheep in all; 323 does, 103 wethers, 45 kids, 6 rams, 477 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 14 barrows, 1 boar, 23 pigs, 63 hogs in all; 26 turkeys, 46 fowls, 11 ducks, 15 geese; 6 horses, 3 mares, 9 horses in all

Sold to ships: 14 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 14 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 51 bullocks, 107 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 309 neat cattle in all; 70 ewes, 30 wethers, 34 lambs, 2 rams, 136 sheep in all; 323 does, 103 wethers, 45 kids, 6 rams, 477 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 14 barrows, 1 boar, 23 pigs, 63 hogs in all; 26 turkeys, 46 fowls, 11 ducks, 15 geese; 6 horses, 3 mares, 9 horses in all

Dead in June 1730: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 6 wethers, 3 lambs, 0 rams, 9 sheep in all; 0 does, 30 wethers, 30 kids, 0 rams, 30 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Remaining 30 June 1730: 51 bullocks, 107 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 309 neat cattle in all; 64 ewes, 30 wethers, 31 lambs, 2 rams, 127 sheep in all; 323 does, 103 wethers, 15 kids, 6 rams, 447 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 14 barrows, 1 boar, 23 pigs, 63 hogs in all; 26 turkeys, 46 fowls, 11 ducks, 15 geese; 6 horses, 3 mares, 9 horses in all

Potatoes from the Great Wood plantation delivered to the slaves, 197 bushels

Interpretations

Fourteen bullocks sold to shipping is the heaviest sale of the year, and it exceeds the nine head sold in each of April and May 1730. The second wave of June ships drove it, the Lyell, Grantham, Marlborough and Greenwich all lying in the road, and the beef went into the protected market at twenty-five shillings the hundredweight fixed on 17 December 1729. The bullocks have now fallen to 51 from 86 at the start of March 1730, the herd being drawn down hard by a shipping season that took beef and gave the island little in return.

The goat herd took another heavy loss, thirty dead in the month, thirty of them kids, and the kid class has collapsed from 45 to 15. This follows the thirty-four dead in May 1730, and the sustained mortality among the young stock through the island's late autumn and early winter points to cold, wet weather rather than to any other cause. The herd stands at 447, its lowest of the run, and the kids are being lost faster than the does can replace them as the season turns hardest.

The potato issue has risen to 197 bushels, the heaviest of the recent months, and the yams remain absent from the account entirely. The new yam crop is long exhausted, and the Great Wood potatoes are now carrying the whole weight of feeding the slaves through the lean season, exactly as they did through the shortage of the previous winter. June lies in the southern winter, and the heavy potato issue marks the hardest stretch of the year, when neither yams nor much else could be had.

A single horse entered as increase lifts the Company's stud back to nine, the first addition to it in the record. The stud had fallen to eight after a horse was sold to Captain Alexander in November 1729 and a mare died in December 1729, and this foal or purchase restores a number that had only declined before. Horses were a mark of standing rather than a farming asset on an island too broken for draught work, and the stud was kept small, so any addition to it is worth noting.

389

365

Expence of the Table in June 1730 Vizt

300 lb Beef

10

30 lb Pork

2

6 Turkies

1 16

4 Goates

8

7 Poultry

7

30 Days Greens

1 10

60 Bowles Milk

65 Gallons Arrack

17 5 6

8¾ ditto Vinegar

6 3

40 lb Bread

8

310 lb Flour

3 17 6

26 Gallons Port

7 13 6

38 ditto Sherry

12 10 6

10 Sugar

5

3¾ ditto Oyle

3

44 Gallons Strong Beer

3 10 6

55 ditto Small

2 15

4½ Bushells Salt

1 3

6 lb Pepper

6

Expence of the Table in June 1730

75 7 2

26 Wax Candles

2.10

6 Soap

6 6

4 Gallons Arrack dld the Guards Smiths Coops Carps p Session

1 6

13 Sugar on the Anniversary of his Majesties Accession

4 15

40 Sugar dld ditto p do

1 2 6

8 14

Gunners Stores Expended in June 1730

Vizt

Guns Fired Cannon Minion Falcons Powder

1730

June 6

Musters Day

Guns Fired 0

Cannon 0

Minion 0

Falcons 0

Powder 7

11

Anniversary of his Majesties Accession

Guns Fired 21

Cannon 4

Minion 7

Falcons 5

Powder 20

15

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Cannon 0

Minion 0

Falcons 4

Powder 8

16

Arrived the Lyle

Guns Fired 9

Cannon 0

Minion 0

Falcons 9

Powder 8

16

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Cannon 0

Minion 4

Falcons 0

Powder 8

16

Arrived the Grantham

Guns Fired 9

Cannon 0

Minion 0

Falcons 9

Powder 8

20

Double Allarm

Guns Fired 8

Cannon 0

Minion 4

Falcons 4

Powder 12

20

Arrived the Marlborough & Greenwich

Guns Fired 18

Cannon 0

Minion 5

Falcons 16

Powder 16

24

The Lyle & Grantham Sailed

Guns Fired 18

Cannon 0

Minion 5

Falcons 16

Powder 34

24

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4

Cannon 0

Minion 4

Falcons 0

Powder 8

30

Arrived the Highland

Guns Fired 9

Cannon 0

Minion 0

Falcons 9

Powder 10

30

The Marlborough & Greenwich Sailed

Guns Fired 18

Cannon 0

Minion 5

Falcons 16

Powder 10

Expence of the Guards

Powder 8

Musquett Papers 8 Quire

Cartridge Papers 8 Quire

Match 20d

Guns Fired 111

Cannon 4

Minion 7

Falcons 12

Powder 278

The Governour Reports that a Wench of the Honble Comps belonging to the

Plantation House called Peggy was delivered of a Girle last Week & p do do Peggy

Order'd that She be Entered in the Journall

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The expense of the general table for June 1730 was set out under its several articles.

300 lb of beef, £0 10s 8d

30 lb of pork, £0 2s 0d

6 turkeys, £1 16s 0d

4 goats, £0 8s 0d

[...] chickens, £0 7s 0d

30 days' greens, £1 10s 0d

60 bowls of milk, £0 6s 6d

58 gallons of arrack, £17 5s 6d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 6s 3d

40 lb of bread, £0 10s 0d

310 lb of flour, £3 17s 6d

36 gallons of port, £13 19s 6d

28 gallons of sherry, £10 13s 0d

119 lb of sugar, £2 19s 6d

3.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 [...]

44 gallons of strong beer, £3 6s 0d

5.5 gallons of vinegar, £2 15s 0d

4.5 bushels of salt, £1 0s 3d

6 lb of pepper, £0 6s 0d

Total expense of the table in June 1730, £76 7s 2d

26 lb of wax candles, £2 10s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

[...] gallons of arrack delivered to the guards, the smiths, the coopers and the carpenters on the anniversary of His Majesty's accession, £4 15s 0d

[...] lb of sugar delivered on the same account, £0 12s 6d

Grand total, £8 14s 0d

The gunner's account of stores expended in June 1730 was signed, the columns of the table being headed for guns fired, demi-cannon, sakers, minions and powder.

6 June 1730, muster day: 0 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 0 minions, [...] lb of powder

11 June 1730, anniversary of His Majesty's accession: 21 guns fired, 4 demi-cannon, 7 sakers, 5 minions, 9 [...], 20 lb of powder

16 June 1730, an alarm: 9 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 8 lb of powder

16 June 1730, on the arrival of the Lyell: 9 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 8 lb of powder

16 June 1730, an alarm: 4 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 4 minions, 6 lb of powder

20 June 1730, on the arrival of the Grantham: 9 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 10 lb of powder

20 June 1730, on the arrival of the Marlborough and Greenwich: 18 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 12 lb of powder

24 June 1730, the Lyell and the Grantham sailed: 18 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 16 lb of powder

[...] June 1730, an alarm: 4 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 4 minions, 6 lb of powder

16 June 1730, on the arrival of the Marlborough: 9 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 10 lb of powder

30 June 1730, the Marlborough and Greenwich sailed: 0 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 8 lb of powder

Expended by the guard: 0 guns fired, 0 demi-cannon, 0 sakers, 0 minions, [...] lb of powder

Cartridge paper, 8 quires

Match, 19 lb

Total: 111 guns fired, 4 demi-cannon, 7 sakers, 10 minions, 26 [...], 57 [...], 278 lb of powder

The Governor reported that a wench belonging to the plantation, called Toffey, had been delivered of a girl the previous week, and the council ordered it entered in the journal. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The 278 lb of powder expended in June is heavy, and the anniversary of His Majesty's accession on 11 June 1730 alone drew a royal salute of 21 guns from the heaviest pieces on the line, four demi-cannon, seven sakers and five minions. The King's accession, birthday and coronation were the great ceremonial occasions, each marked with the fullest discharge the island performed, and the same lavish expenditure ran through the record, as with the proclamation of George the Second on 9 March 1728. The garrison spent more powder honouring the Crown than on any other cause.

The four ships of the second June wave each drew salutes on arriving and departing, and the alarms besides burnt powder for strangers that came to nothing. The whole month's expenditure measures the traffic in the road, the busiest since the season opened, and the gun account tracks the anchorage more exactly than any other record. With the fleet now sailed and the winter closing in, the guns would fall silent through the empty months ahead.

The table bill of £76 7s 2d is the heaviest of the whole run, exceeding even the £68 0s 0.5d of June 1729 when seven Indiamen were entertained. Thirty-six gallons of port and twenty-eight of sherry went down in the month, and the fort fed the officers of four ships through most of June. Wax candles at £2 10s 0d belong with the council chamber, and the whole account reflects a fort at the height of the shipping season, before the southern winter emptied the bay and shrank the table to its own household.

The birth of a girl to Toffey continues the ordinary demographic record of the slave establishment, each birth and death entered in the journal as it happened. The muster of 31 March 1730 closed at 212, a population that barely reproduced itself and depended on purchase to hold its numbers, and the scattered births noted month by month rarely kept pace with the deaths. Toffey is entered among the plantation women, and her child is one more small addition to a body the Company counted head by head each year.

390

366

At a Consultation held on Saturday 11th July 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This day Capt Lyle delivered We would Register the following Goods Vizt

Copia Signum Forty hundred Weight &c

Coffee Three Bales about Nine hundred Weight & 9

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 14th July 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Sunday last the Highland Sailed from hence for England

This Winter Season being now Unhappily Set in & the Concern & Preservation of Wood being

a matter of the greatest consequence to this Place We this day published an order

requiring all Persons immediately to Sowe & Plant their Lands with their full

Compliment & Prospertise of Wood & to keep the Same duely Weeded the several Leekend

Work of the Head of Cattle Goates &ca upon pain of being Severely Fined for their

Neglect

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 21 July 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Tuesday last about five in the Evening We had an Allarm for Six Ships to Windward, which

We think were Dutch, the next Evening they were almost out of Sight Steering Northerly

Giles Smith having acquainted Mr Powell on Tuesday last that he free Employed by

William Gate to purchase for the Ground the Land Granted lately bought of the Said Smith

to descend hers of he had any Right to the Said Ground, that he would to prevent all

disputes hereafter make his Right appear so Soon as possible We Said Mr Powell

being present was asked by if he had any Right to the Premisses to which She replied

She could not certainly tell but Believed she had Some Papers in the Country relating

for

At a consultation held on Saturday 11 July 1730 at Union Castle, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

That day Captain Lyell delivered goods, and the council ordered the following registered.

Sugar, 40 hundredweight

Coffee, 3 bales, about 900 lb, 9 [...]

Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 14 July 1730 at Union Castle, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous Sunday the Lyell sailed from the island for England.

The winter season being now suitable for setting and improving wood, the council held it a matter of the greatest consequence to the island. It published an advertisement requiring all persons immediately to set and plant their wood, with full provision for the improvement and preservation of it, so as to keep the island supplied. The council directed the overseer to look to the head of cattle and goats grazing there upon pain of being severely fined for any neglect. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 21 July 1730 at Plantation House, with the Governor present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

On the previous Tuesday, about four in the evening, an alarm was raised for six ships to the westward, which the council thought were Dutch. The next morning they were almost out of sight, sailing northerly.

Giles Smith, having asked to become tenant, after Grantham on Tuesday last that he was employed by William Gaa to enter upon the ground he had lately bought of the said Smith, William Gaa to enter upon the ground he had lately bought. That the ground to preserve all disputes hereafter made his right appear as soon as possible. The said Mr Powell replied that if he had any right to the premises to which Grantham being present was asked by [...] if he had any right to the premises to which Grantham, being present, was asked. He could not certainly tell, but believed she had some papers in the country relating [...]

Interpretations

The winter wood advertisement is the council returning to the campaign that has run through the whole record, and the timing is the point. July lies in the southern winter, the season the council repeatedly identified as best for planting, and it had issued the same call at the close of winter in June 1728 and June 1729. The order to the overseer to watch the cattle and goats grazing among the young wood ties directly to the survey findings of 10 November 1729, which recorded tenant after tenant whose planting was eaten by stock through defective fencing.

Yet the whole basis of the campaign had changed with the vote of 20 January 1730 to destroy every goat and sheep on the island. The council resolved then to kill the Company's own stock along with the inhabitants' within two years from 1 September next, precisely because the animals ate the wood faster than it could be planted. This advertisement, still fining tenants for neglect and still watching the grazing stock, shows the old machinery running alongside the new decision, the clearance not yet begun and the young wood still at the mercy of the herds.

The alarm for six ships thought Dutch, sailing northerly and almost out of sight by morning, is the ordinary run of the island's watch. Strange sail was sighted, the alarm raised and the guns manned, and the ships proved to be passing traffic that never approached the road. The same pattern ran through the war footing since March 1729, and even with the peace between England, France and Spain reported on 14 April 1730, the island kept its lookout and fired its alarms at every fleet that stood along the horizon.

391

367

thereto which She would Speedily Examine & thereon an Answer & this day Giles

Smith again attended We & informed We that he was at Mrs Powells on Saturday

last & She told him She could not find any Papers concerning her Right to the

Land in dispute & if any were She beleived Mr Johnson had carried them to England

& & this being highly improbable & the Said Giles Smith having farther argued

We that Mr Powell in his last time complained to the said Smith & would & he

would Suffer the Cooper to keep a Fence on the backside of his House upon the Ground

of the Said Smith which is Part of the Grounds in Question) which Grounded his &

Said Powells Claim We therefore look upon this to a Sufficient Circumstance

to prove the Right of the Said Smith to the Grounds & Ground he lately Sold the

Said William Gate & therefore Conclude the said Ground to as Above from any Right

to the said House or Ground & give leave to the said William Gate to go on with his

Building & begin the Same Lease to the House now Inhabited by Andrew Bragge

Cooper & English at Same to him Said before

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 28th July 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Widow Powell Widow made Complaint against Andrew Bragge Cooper for barbarously

her Black Wench in any Shape but not being able to prove the time & the said Bragg only

confessing that he expected her on any with design to beg her Mistress to perform his to

Running away She was his Punishment light Awarding him to Make the said Wench

Satisfaction for obtaining her Slave, & forbid him even to conceal, or Harbour any

of her Blacks upon any Pretence whatsoever

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 3d August 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Governr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journall & folio 89 & 90

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

Mary Powell replied that she would speedily examine the papers, and gave her answer that day. Giles Smith, being asked again, informed the council that he had been at Mrs Powell's the previous Saturday, and that she had told him she could not find any papers concerning her right to the land in dispute, if any there were. She had said Mr Johnson had carried them to England, and that morning it was thought impossible. Giles Smith, having spoken further, said that Mr Powell in her lifetime had complained to him that she would suffer the coopers to keep a fence on the back side of her house upon the ground he had lately sold to William Gaa. Mr Johnson had carried them to England, which showed his right to the premises in question. The council thereupon concluded, upon this sufficient circumstance, to allow the right of the said Smith to the parcel of ground he had lately sold to William Gaa. It gave leave to William Gaa to enter on the ground, and the said house or ground held by him. It gave leave to William Gaa to go on with his building, beginning the same close to the house now inhabited by Andrew Bergue, cooper, of English at the same to him the said before. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 28 July 1730 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

Andrew Bergue, cooper, brought a complaint against Andrew Bergue [...] for harbouring her black wench in many ships but not being ill. To prove the time, the council held it wrong only in justifying that it expected her one day, with design to buy her. Mr Powell, to prevent her being carried away, thought her punishment light in directing her to make the black wench satisfaction for detaining her slave. It forbade him even to conceal, or to harbour, any of her blacks upon any pretence whatsoever. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

At a consultation held on Monday 3 August 1730 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. The council met to pay the garrison for the past month, as entered in the journal at folios 89 and 91. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The dispute over Giles Smith's title turns on the same missing papers that ran through the great estate suit of February 1730. Mary Powell could produce no deed for the land in question, and said the documents had been carried to England by Mr Johnson, exactly the difficulty that defeated any strict reckoning of the Hodgkinson and Powell estates. Without written title the council fell back on the testimony of a living witness, resolving the matter on Smith's account of what Powell had said in her lifetime, which is the same reliance on memory over paper that ran through the island's dealings where deeds were lost or never kept.

The council allowing Smith's right on a witness's word rather than a deed shows how an island court had to work when its records were incomplete. Deeds were lost, destroyed by age or carried off, as with Gabriel Powell's own James Valley deed of 1678 found lost on 30 January 1728, and the council repeatedly admitted spoken evidence to fill the gap. It allowed a deathbed declaration on 11 November 1729 and settled title on testimony here, treating the sworn word of a resident as the best proof available where the paper was gone.

The harbouring of another owner's slave was a matter the council treated as a real wrong, since a runaway sheltered was a loss to the master and a danger to the whole ordering of the island's labour. The council had set a night guard on the longboat on 30 July 1728 lest slaves run off with her, and it warned ship captains against taking runaways aboard. Here it directed satisfaction to be made and forbade any further concealment, protecting an owner's property in a slave as firmly as it protected any other kind.

392

368

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4th August 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of Orlando Bagley Junr was read Setting forth that he has formerly

made a verbal agreement with Mr Slaughter late of this Island for a Parcell of

Land of about Ten Acres for which he was to Pay Ten hundred & Eighty Pounds in

four Years with Interest at Ps 8 p Cent he the whole now paid which the said Bagley

& would have been like their been any Blacks lived at the Camp Rocks but he'd but

being now any Employment for Blacks in the Companies Service (this at the time

the Petitioned made the Agreement with the Said Slaughter he had two Blacks at

Work in their Day at Eighteen Pence & then refused the Ps now to agree over to the

Said Slaughter he the whole Sum should be paid & gave the very Cost & Foundation

upon which the said Bargain was made the Petr Apprehended that the said Agreement

is now become null & void, I humbly petition Esqr & Reshaft to adivig the Shure the

Petr not being able now to Pay the Same the having as yet only paid Fifty Pounds Ps

that alms of to his Distinktion, unless the Falsity of the Said Slaughter Consent said

Agree to take the Sum out in Such Provisions as the Petr Shure to talls to Supply them

both

The Petr Bagley & the Wife of the Said Slaughter who attended upon this occasion

were called in & & said Goodwin were again ordered to him & the place within the now

willing to give up beyond the Interest We accept of Payment in the manner the Said

Bagley proposed on his said Petition to refresh We Confered She was willing to

yield & also give up the Interest & did accept of Payment in the manner proposed by

the said Bagley desiring that he would defer & do what he could in Clothing & other

necessaries & he promised himself Provisions to Supply her out Such other things as

he could & is now bound duely finally, Agreed & Concluded between them & determined

by Us that the Said Bagley Should Pay the Commander of the Money then which by

an Order this day laid before Us by the said Bagley appeared to advance by the the

Said Slaughter & to which & Bagley agreed to Duban, & the was asked whether the

would give him Screen to the truth of it & the again or no She now Satisfied & we

delivered Mr Bagley now an honest Man, ending the Petr of Capt Bing & Amounts

to One hundred Twenty Six Pounds the Billings in Provisions & Setting her

what he could in other necessaries as he himself Should find on Books hereby will

to do it

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly

Accots for July last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follows Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered from the 1st to 31st July 1730

Vizt

117½ Gallons Arrack

6 12 3

888 Sugar

17 14

10 lb 8 Twine

9 6

17 22 lb Flour

18 6

18 Small Locks

18 11

14 doz Wicks

1 14

18 Cotton

6 3

37½ Shee Thread

1 3

4 lb Rope

1 12 6

8 Wooded Chisels

7 10½

2½ Yards ditto

7

1 Stock Lock

1

1 Trowel

18 6

1 Iron Iron & Heater

6 6

54½ Nailes Sorted

1 Iron Iron Pott

Carried over

46 12

At a consultation held on Tuesday 4 August 1730 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved.

Orlando Bagley senior brought a petition before the council. He set out that he had formerly made a verbal agreement with Mr Slaughter, late of the island, for a parcel of land of about ten acres, for which he was to pay ten hundred and eighty pounds in four years, with interest at 8 per cent. He set out that the whole was paid while Bagley would have then and there been any slaves hired at the Company's rates, but he had not being now in any employment for blacks in the Company's service, though at the time the arrangement was made with Slaughter he had two blacks at work in their day at eighteen pence, and he refused the petitioner to agree over to the said Slaughter the whole sum should be paid upon the very verbal agreement upon which the bargain was made. The petitioner apprehended that the verbal agreement was now become void, and humbly asked leave of the council to have the petitioner not being able now to pay the same, he having as yet only paid £80 0s 0d, that he might assign over to his brother-in-law the liberty of the said Slaughter's land, and agreed to take the same out in such provisions as the council should be able to supply them with.

Orlando Bagley, on behalf of Slaughter, who attended upon this occasion, was called in and asked whether he was again content to take Bill's place within the sum waiting to give up beyond the interest. He accepted payment in the manner the said Bagley proposed for his land taken to refund. The council answered she was according to what he had entered to agree him in the interest, and did accept of payment in the manner proposed by the said Bagley, desiring that he would satisfy for what he owed in clothing. The council, in recompense he prompted himself for provisions to supply him and such other things as he could, it was accordingly finally agreed with Bagley between him and demanded by the council that the said Bagley should pay the commander of the money then owed by an order that day laid before it by the said Bagley, and approved to advance by half the said Slaughter, who wished Bagley afford to Behan. She was asked whether she would give him leave to enter to the truth of it, and she enquired no otherwise than Slaughter was delivered. Mr Bagley was an honest man, owing the sum of £26 0s 0d amounts to one hundred and twenty six pounds, the shillings in provisions afforded her what he could in other necessaries as he himself should find on Bill's honesty, and to be so.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for July, which the council examined and approved. They stood as follows.

The storekeeper's collection of goods sold and delivered to the inhabitants and others ran from 1 to 30 July 1730.

117.5 gallons of arrack, £6 10s 4.5d

888 lb of sugar, £17 14s 0d

110 lb of flour, £9 6s 0d

722 lb of flour, £0 [...]

18 sugar loaves, £10 12s 0d

14 dozen wicks, £1 14s 0d

18 chelloes, £0 6s 3d

9 pieces of chintz, £3 3s 0d

27 lb of rope, £1 12s 6d

6 milled chintz, £0 7s 10.5d

2 yards of tea cloth, £0 [...]

1 iron chest lock, £0 8s 0d

1 towel, £0 10s 6d

1 iron pen and hatchet, £0 6s 6d

5.5 nails of sorts, £0 [...]

1 grid iron pot, £0 [...]

Carried over, £46 12s 0d

Interpretations

Orlando Bagley's petition sets out one of the clearest accounts in the record of how land was bought on credit and how a verbal bargain could unravel. He had agreed by word of mouth to pay Mr Slaughter for ten acres at £1,080 0s 0d over four years with interest at 8 per cent, and had paid only £80 0s 0d before finding himself unable to continue. His difficulty was that the Company had stopped hiring out slave labour to him at the fixed rate of eighteen pence a day, on which his ability to work the land had depended, so the ground he had contracted for was now beyond his means to clear or pay for.

The arrangement to take payment in provisions rather than cash reflects the chronic shortage of coin on the island. With almost no money in circulation, debts were commonly settled in goods, labour or produce from the store, and the council here agrees that Bagley may discharge what he owes in provisions the store could supply. The same reliance on kind over coin ran through the record, as when the orphans' dividends of 17 October 1727 were paid in goods rather than money, and it shows how far the island's economy turned on the Company's warehouse rather than on cash.

Mr Slaughter, the other party to the bargain, is the custodian of the small arms recommended for the gunner's place in 1727, a recurring creditor who pursued debts through the council on 24 October 1727 and 19 March 1728. The land dealing here shows him as a man of some property on the island, and Bagley's attempt to assign the liberty of Slaughter's land to his brother-in-law is the kind of transfer the council regularly approved, provided the parties settled their accounts first.

The heavy sugar figure of 888 lb continues the pattern of the whole year, the commodity the island bought in quantity whenever a Bengal cargo lay in the store. The June ships had brought fresh Tresundee sugar in the invoices of the Lyell, the Grantham and the Greenwich, and the store passed it on to the inhabitants as fast as it came. July lies in the southern winter, and the buying continued while the fresh cargo was on the shelf, before the empty months emptied the anchorage and quieted the trade.

393

369

Brought over

46 12

1 Iron Iron Pott

14 6

1 Skaining Dish

6 6

3 doz Wicks & Greens

2 4

1 doz ditto Needles

7 4

54 lb Iron & Nailes

1 Large Quilt

1 4

1 Pepper Box Iron& Iron

15

8 Pewter Spoons

8 3

8 do Chamber Pott

18

8 ditto Dishes

16

1 doz ditto Plates

12 6

8 lb Turpentine

6 6

1 Chest Broaken Goat

1 2 6

1 Bason

18 2

1 Ps Lanthorn

18 2

1 Horn ditto

4 6

1 Tin Dripping Pan

7 8

1 Coffee Pott

1 6

1 Pint Sauce Pans

1 6

8 Quart ditto

13 6

8 Ps Pint ditto

13 6

1 Ps Girle Stockings

8

1 Ps Womens

2 4

18 Ps Worsted

6 10

10 Sponge & Somers

2 6

8 Slate

7 6

3 muster Eyed Blankets

1 2 6

1 Ps Boys Shoes

4 6

1 Cross Salt

3

1 Broan Gan

8 6

8 Ps Duffean

3 18

10 Yds Durey

10 6

1 Sailors Serge Coat

1 16

30 Serge

5 16 6

14 Ps Blue Cardinals Stockings

4 17 6

60 Spanish Glass 8 & 8

16 6

4 oz Indigo

2

1 Ps ditto

2

1 M ditto

2

8 Ivory Combs

6 4

634 Yds Ribbon

8 4

18 Twisting

10 6

1 Ps Grasling

4

834 Oz China Silk

6 7½

10 Skains Mohair

6 6

8 doz Coat Buttons

7

8 Whited Brown Thread

2 3 10

18 Oz Twine

8 6

18 Coloured

3 6

8 Woven Lace

4

734 doz Horn Mens & Whited Shirt Buttons

18 6

Sold this Month

86 3 8

Honble Comps Blacks

900 lb Rice

6 6

20 Butchers Knives

10

18 Brush handle

18 6

4 Serge Blankets

3

1 Ps Long Cloth

8

1 lb Coloured Thread

6

68 lb Rope

1 4 6

11 14 6

Plantation

4 Chest Weights

16 8

6 Rowing Chisels

3

8 Shee Thread

8

2 4 8

100 12 10

The storekeeper's account continued from the earlier page, the running sum of £46 12s 0d brought over, and the remaining goods were entered under their several heads.

Brought over, £46 12s 0d

1 iron pen and iron pot, £0 14s 6d

1 skimming dish, £0 6s 6d

5 dozen Windsor spoons, £0 2s 6d

1 dozen tin dishes, £0 7s 4d

6 knives and forks, £0 4s 2d

1 large quilt, £1 4s 0d

1 pepper tea set, £0 15s 0d

6 pewter spoons, £0 2s 3d

2 dozen Windsor bowls, £0 12s 0d

2 tin dishes, £0 16s 0d

1 dozen tin plates, £0 12s 6d

24 [...], £0 [...]

1 child's broken coat, £1 2s 6d

1 [...], £0 18s 2d

1 glass lanthorn, £0 12s 2d

1 horn [...], £0 4s 6d

1 tin dripping pan, £0 7s 8d

1 coffee pot, £0 3s 0d

1 pint sauce pan, £0 1s 6d

6 [...], £0 3s 6d

1 [...] pint [...], £0 3s 6d

1 pair of women's stockings, £0 4s 6d

10 pairs of worsted, £0 6s 10d

10 [...], £0 6s 0d

6 [...], £0 [...]

3 muslin dyed blankets, £1 2s 6d

1 pair of boys' shoes, £0 4s 6d

1 [...], £0 3s 6d

1 brown gown, £0 3s 6d

5 [...], £3 14s 6d

1.5 [...] durance, £1 10s 6d

1 soldier's serge coat, £1 16s 0d

3 [...], £0 6s 0d

14.5 pieces of thin cardinals' stockings, £4 17s 6d

33 [...], £1 12s 6d

4 oz of indigo, £0 1s 0d

1 [...], £0 [...]

2 [...], £0 [...]

5 ivory combs, £0 5s 0d

6.5 yards of ribbon, £0 8s 1.5d

14 [...], £0 2s 0d

[...] gingham, £0 3s 0d

5.5 [...] china silk, £0 6s 7.5d

10 [...] muslin, £0 5s 6d

5 dozen coat buttons, £0 2s 6d

5 whited brown thread, £2 3s 10d

6 oz of pins, £0 4s 6d

14.5 lb of coloured thread, £0 2s 6d

3 [...] laces, £0 2s 6d

7.5 dozen [...] whited brown thread, £0 [...]

Total to the inhabitants sold this month, £86 3s 8d

The Honourable Company's slaves

900 lb of rice, £6 6s 0d

40 butchers' knives, £0 10s 0d

18 pouch handles, £0 13s 6d

4 sugar blankets, £1 10s 0d

1 piece of long cloth, £1 3s 0d

1 lb of coloured thread, £0 4s 6d

6 lb of rope, £1 14s 0d

Total, £11 14s 6d

Plantation

4 chest [...], £0 [...]

6 [...], £1 16s 3d

2 [...] thread, £0 3s 0d

Total, £2 4s 8d

Grand total, £100 12s 10d

Interpretations

Cardinals' stockings were a fine grade named for their fashionable colour, and at £4 17s 6d for fourteen and a half pieces they are the most expensive stocking line on the account. A soldier's serge coat, sold separately at £1 16s 0d, shows the garrison again clothing itself through the store that served the inhabitants, since the Company issued its guard cloth and made-up garments alike. The muslin dyed blankets and the durance belong with the seasonal provision, the southern winter drawing the inhabitants to the store for warm bedding and hard-wearing stuff.

Pewter and tin run heavily through the household goods, dozens of spoons, plates, bowls and dishes, and they are the ordinary furnishing of an island table. Pewter held its value and could be recast, and tin was cheaper still, so the middling household equipped itself in these metals rather than the silver plate that marked real wealth. A glass lanthorn and a horn one belong with the light every home needed, the leaves replaceable as they broke, and the council's order of 25 April 1727 that fire be carried only in a lanthorn made them a standing purchase.

Forty butchers' knives and eighteen pouch handles charged to the Company's slaves are working tools rather than clothing, and they fit an establishment that trained its own tradesmen. The muster of 31 March 1730 recorded a butcher of nine and a cooper of eleven among the handicrafts, and the knives supplied the slaughtering and dressing of the Company's stock. The sugar blankets and the long cloth belong with the annual clothing of the slaves against the winter, the same provision that ran through the storekeeper's accounts each cold season.

A child's broken coat sold at a reduced price is a small instance of the store clearing goods that had suffered in transit or wear. Cloth and garments spoiled on the long voyage or in the humid store could not fetch full value, and they were sold off cheaply rather than written off, as with the damaged chintz of the previous month and the damaged goods priced separately on 16 March 1728. It belongs to the careful reckoning that Governor Byfield's economical administration brought to every part of the store's accounts.

394

370

Brought over

100 12 10

Charges General

10 White Sattell

10 6

3 Lines Sorted

6 6

1 Splinter Lock

1 8

8 Iron Shovels

8

1 Bason Rosined

4

1 Iron

6

64 Ashten

4 6

8 Ps Cornish Slaine

1 10

1 Ps Chest Dust Sponning

4 6

1 Bench ditto

4 6

1 Plough ditto

4

1 Sheathing do

4

1 Broad do

6

8 Large Hammer

3

1 M Nailes 20d

7 6

1 Socket Sponge

2 9

8 Large Cordwoor

3

4 Short ditto

3

8 Rowing Chisels

4 8

8 Chops

10 6

8 Iron Sheep Shears

6 6

8 Great Iron

6 6

4 oz Iron Thread

9

1 Ps Draper Serge

6

8 do Serge Oyle refined for the Long Boat

6

8 Cordage

9

64 oz Serge

8

1 Tin Coffee Pott

9

1 Damaged Pott

4

1 Short ditto

4

10 Squares Glass 8 & 10

1 14 10

634 Yds Chest Silk Lining

4½

16 13 11½

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores Vizt

10 Barrell Lampblack

4 6

1 Paint Brush

4 6

Garrison

14½ Gallons Rape Oyle for the Guard

1 14

8 do ditto dld the Smith & Wilson &c Same

1 5

8 1

Diet Expences

65 Gallons Arrack

17 3 6

8 Gallons Vinegar

6

8 lb Bread

1 15

130 lb Flour

6 6

8 Gallons Port Wine

6 11

18 ditto Sherry

3 14

119 lb Sugar

18

14 lb Coffee Candles

8

40 Gallons Strong Beer

3

10 ditto Sweet ditto

18

4 lb Pepper

6

3 Bushells Salt

40 6 10

Totall

160 4 7½

The clearer images allow the general charges, gunner's stores, garrison and diet expenses for July 1730 to be set out afresh, correcting the earlier reading.

Brought over, £100 12s 10d

General charges

16 knives of sorts, £0 10s 5d

3 lines of sorts, £0 4s 6d

1 splinter lock, £0 1s 8d

6 iron shovels, £0 15s 0d

1 helved hatchet, £0 3s 8d

1 saw, £0 10s 0d

69 helves, £4 0s 6d

2 pairs of Cornish planes, £1 16s 0d

1 pair of whole deal grooving, £0 4s 6d

2 bevels, £0 5s 0d

1 plough, £0 4s 6d

1 [...], £0 2s 3d

1 smoothing plane, £0 6s 6d

1 broad axe, £0 2s 0d

1 large hammer, £0 17s 3d

1 maul, number 23, £0 1s 2d

1 socket gouge, £0 2s 4d

2 large formers, £0 2s 8d

4 short formers, £0 2s 0d

2 heading chisels, £0 4s 8d

4 rasps, £0 18s 6d

6 pairs of sheep shears, £0 12s 0d

6 small hoes, £0 5s 0d

4 oz of twine thread, £0 2s 6d

1 piece of diaper tape, £0 6s 0d

1 gallon of rape oil used for the long boat, £0 6s 6d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 3d

12.5 lb of rope, £0 2s 3d

1 tin coffee pot, £0 6s 0d

1 dredging box, £0 8s 0d

1 shoe brush, £0 9s 0d

12 square glass, number 8 and number 6, £1 14s 10d

1,100 lb of shot lead, £3 4.5d

17.5 yards of British linen, £0 [...]

Total, £15 18s 11.5d

Naval, gunner's and garrison stores

12 barrels of lampblack, £0 4s 6d

1 paint brush, £0 [...]

Total, £4 6s 0d

Garrison

6.5 gallons of rape oil for the guard, £1 19s 0d

4 [...] delivered to the smith to clear arms, £1 2s 0d

Total, £3 1s 0d

Diet expenses

53 gallons of arrack, £16 9s 4d

2 gallons of vinegar, £0 5s 0d

53 lb of bread, £0 13s 3d

130 lb of flour, £1 12s 6d

9 gallons of port wine, £3 9s 9d

17 gallons of sherry, £6 11s 9d

148.5 lb of sugar, £3 14s 3d

16 lb of wax candles, £1 12s 0d

37 gallons of strong beer, £2 15s 0d

46 lb of small [...], £2 6s 0d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

Total, £40 6s 10d

Grand total, £160 4s 7.5d

Interpretations

Sixty-nine helves at £4 0s 6d are the largest single line among the general charges, and a helve is the wooden handle of an axe, hammer or hatchet. Buying them in such quantity fits an establishment whose tools were worked hard on rocky ground and constantly needed rehandling, and it belongs with the broad axe, the maul and the hatchet charged alongside. The Cornish planes, bevels, gouge and chisels are the carpenter's kit, and the whole list is the working equipment of a fort that made and mended its own timber and ironwork.

Eleven hundred pounds of shot lead is a very heavy charge, and it was the raw metal from which musket balls were cast. Its purchase in bulk fits an island still on a defensive footing whatever the peace between England, France and Spain reported on 14 April 1730, and it belongs with the powder, flints and arms held against an attack that never came. The garrison kept its magazine stocked and its arms clean, the rape oil and the four measures delivered to the smith to clear arms marking the routine maintenance of weapons that were never fired in earnest.

Six pairs of sheep shears among the general charges are a small marker of the island's wool and hair clip, and they belong to the shearing of the sheep and goats the Company kept. Their purchase now, in the southern winter, is worth noting against the vote of 20 January 1730 to destroy every goat and sheep on the island within two years. The shears were still being bought for a flock under sentence, the clearance not yet begun and the ordinary husbandry of the herds continuing alongside the decision to end them.

A dredging box was a perforated container for dusting flour, sugar or spice, and it belongs with the ordinary furnishing of the fort's kitchen and table. The tin coffee pot and the square glass panes are the same small domestic goods, the glass for windows and lanterns, and they sit among the heavy tools and the shot lead as the household side of a single month's charges. The store supplied the whole range, from the carpenter's chisels to the cook's dredging box, because the island five weeks from any port had to find everything under one roof.

395

370

Neat Cattle

Bullocks / Cowes / Heifers / Steers / Yearlings / Calves / Bulls / Totall

Sheep

Ewes / Wethers / Lambs / Rams / Totall

Goates

Ewes / Wethers / Kids / Rams / Totall

Hogs

Sowes / Shoates / Barrows / Boars / Pigs / Totall

Poultry

Turkies / Fowles / Ducks / Geese

Horses

Horses / Mares / Totall

Remd 1st July

Bullocks 51

Cowes 107

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 67

Bulls 4

Totall 309

Ewes 64

Wethers 30

Lambs 31

Rams 2

Totall 127

Ewes 323

Wethers 103

Kids 16

Rams 6

Totall 447

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 14

Boars 1

Pigs 23

Totall 63

Turkies 26

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 6

Mares 3

Totall 9

Encreased in July

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 5

Bulls 0

Totall 5

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 0

Boars 0

Pigs 7

Totall 7

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Bullocks 51

Cowes 107

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 72

Bulls 4

Totall 314

Ewes 64

Wethers 30

Lambs 31

Rams 2

Totall 127

Ewes 323

Wethers 103

Kids 16

Rams 6

Totall 447

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 14

Boars 1

Pigs 30

Totall 70

Turkies 26

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 6

Mares 3

Totall 9

Killed in July

Bullocks 0

Cowes 0

Heifers 0

Steers 0

Yearlings 0

Calves 0

Bulls 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 0

Wethers 14

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 14

Sowes 0

Shoates 0

Barrows 4

Boars 0

Pigs 0

Totall 4

Turkies 0

Fowles 0

Ducks 0

Geese 0

Horses 0

Mares 0

Totall 0

Dead in July very old

Bullocks 51

Cowes 107

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 72

Bulls 4

Totall 314

Ewes 64

Wethers 30

Lambs 31

Rams 2

Totall 127

Ewes 309

Wethers 103

Kids 15

Rams 6

Totall 433

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 10

Boars 1

Pigs 30

Totall 66

Turkies 26

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 6

Mares 3

Totall 9

Ewes 0

Wethers 0

Lambs 0

Rams 0

Totall 0

Ewes 6

Wethers 3

Kids 0

Rams 0

Totall 9

Remd 31 July

Bullocks 51

Cowes 107

Heifers 26

Steers 19

Yearlings 35

Calves 72

Bulls 4

Totall 314

Ewes 68

Wethers 27

Lambs 31

Rams 2

Totall 118

Ewes 301

Wethers 103

Kids 85

Rams 6

Totall 425

Sowes 14

Shoates 11

Barrows 10

Boars 1

Pigs 30

Totall 66

Turkies 26

Fowles 45

Ducks 11

Geese 15

Horses 6

Mares 3

Totall 9

Potatoes delivered the Blacks from the Great Wood Plantation 122 Bushells

The stock account for the Company's livestock covering the month to 31 July 1730 was set out in movement rows, each class of animal carried across in turn.

Remaining 1 July 1730: 51 bullocks, 107 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 67 calves, 4 bulls, 309 neat cattle in all; 64 ewes, 30 wethers, 31 lambs, 2 rams, 127 sheep in all; 323 does, 103 wethers, 16 kids, 6 rams, 447 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 14 barrows, 1 boar, 23 pigs, 63 hogs in all; 26 turkeys, 46 fowls, 11 ducks, 15 geese; 6 horses, 3 mares, 9 horses in all

Increased in July 1730: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 5 calves, 0 bulls, 5 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 0 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 0 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 7 pigs, 7 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 51 bullocks, 107 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 72 calves, 4 bulls, 314 neat cattle in all; 64 ewes, 30 wethers, 31 lambs, 2 rams, 127 sheep in all; 323 does, 103 wethers, 16 kids, 6 rams, 447 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 14 barrows, 1 boar, 30 pigs, 70 hogs in all; 26 turkeys, 46 fowls, 11 ducks, 15 geese; 6 horses, 3 mares, 9 horses in all

Killed in July 1730: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 0 ewes, 0 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 0 sheep in all; 14 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 14 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 4 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 4 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Total: 51 bullocks, 107 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 72 calves, 4 bulls, 314 neat cattle in all; 64 ewes, 30 wethers, 31 lambs, 2 rams, 127 sheep in all; 309 does, 103 wethers, 16 kids, 6 rams, 433 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 10 barrows, 1 boar, 30 pigs, 66 hogs in all; 26 turkeys, 46 fowls, 11 ducks, 15 geese; 6 horses, 3 mares, 9 horses in all

Dead in July 1730, very old: 0 bullocks, 0 cows, 0 heifers, 0 steers, 0 yearlings, 0 calves, 0 bulls, 0 neat cattle in all; 6 ewes, 3 wethers, 0 lambs, 0 rams, 9 sheep in all; 8 does, 0 wethers, 0 kids, 0 rams, 8 goats in all; 0 sows, 0 shoats, 0 barrows, 0 boars, 0 pigs, 0 hogs in all; 0 turkeys, 0 fowls, 0 ducks, 0 geese; 0 horses, 0 mares, 0 horses in all

Remaining 31 July 1730: 51 bullocks, 107 cows, 26 heifers, 19 steers, 35 yearlings, 72 calves, 4 bulls, 314 neat cattle in all; 58 ewes, 27 wethers, 31 lambs, 2 rams, 118 sheep in all; 301 does, 103 wethers, 15 kids, 6 rams, 425 goats in all; 14 sows, 11 shoats, 10 barrows, 1 boar, 30 pigs, 66 hogs in all; 26 turkeys, 46 fowls, 11 ducks, 15 geese; 6 horses, 3 mares, 9 horses in all

Potatoes delivered to the slaves from the Great Wood plantation, 122 bushels

Interpretations

No beast was sold to shipping in July, the first such month since the winter began, and the bullocks hold at 51 after the heavy sales of the spring. The June ships were the last of the season, and with the anchorage empty the Company's beef trade stood idle, exactly as it did through July to September 1729 when no vessel called. The herd will not be drawn down again until the next season's Indiamen return, and the winter months give the cattle a respite from the ships.

The goat and sheep flocks both lost old animals entered as dying of age, six ewes, three wethers and eight does marked very old. This is the ordinary attrition of the herds rather than the wet-weather mortality that carried off the kids in May and June, and the clerk's note of age accounts for the fall without implying any failure of husbandry. The goats close at 425 and the sheep at 118, both near their lowest of the run, the herds thinned by a hard winter and by the losses of the preceding months.

The potato issue has fallen to 122 bushels, and the yams remain absent from the account entirely. The Great Wood potatoes are still carrying the whole weight of feeding the slaves through the depth of the southern winter, as they have since the yam crop was exhausted, and the falling figure marks the lean season at its hardest. July lies in the coldest part of the island's year, and both crops being short, the store leaned on imported rice, 900 lb charged to the slaves in the storekeeper's account, to make up the balance.

Both these herds still stand under the sentence passed on 20 January 1730, when the inhabitants voted to destroy every goat and sheep on the island within two years from 1 September next. The clearance had not yet begun, and the ordinary reckoning of the flocks continued month by month, the deaths of old animals and the loss of kids entered as they always had been. These are among the last accounts to carry the goats and sheep as a going concern before the destruction was due to start.

396

371

Expence of the Table in July 1730 Vizt

160 lb Pork

4 2 6

14 Goates

7

8 lb Butter

8 6

31 Days Greens

1 11

68 Bowles Milk

6

62 Gallons Arrack

16 9 4

8 Gallons Vinegar

6

55 Bread

13 8

160 lb Flour

1 10 6

9 Gallons Port

3 9 9

17 ditto Sherry

6 11 6

103 Sugar

3 14 3

37 Gallons Strong Beer

8 15 6

16 ditto Small

9 6

4 lb Pepper

4

3 Bushells Salt

13 6

Expence of the Table in July

52 17 6

16 Wax Candles

1.12

6 lb Soap

6 6

1 18 6

Gunners Stores Expended in July Vizt

Guns Fired Cannon Falcons Powder

1730

July 13

The Highland Sailed

Guns Fired 9

Cannon 1

Falcons 6

Powder 19

14

Double Allarm

Guns Fired 6

Cannon 0

Falcons 6

Powder 12

Expence of the Guard

Powder 7

Cartridge Paper for ditto 8 Quire

Brushes 1

Lamblack 18 Barrell

Match 15d

Guns Fired 15

Cannon 1

Falcons 7

Powder 38

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 11th August 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfeild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Gardiner

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other Buysness

We Adjourned

Byfeild

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

D Crispe

The expense of the general table for July 1730 was set out under its several articles.

160 lb of pork, £4 2s 6d

14 goats, £7 8s 0d

7 lb of butter, £0 7s 0d

31 days' greens, £1 11s 0d

64 bowls of milk, £0 8s 6d

53 gallons of arrack, £16 9s 4d

2 gallons of vinegar, £0 6s 0d

55 lb of bread, £0 13s 3d

160 lb of flour, £1 12s 0d

9 gallons of port, £3 9s 9d

17 gallons of sherry, £6 11s 9d

149 lb of sugar, £3 14s 3d

37 gallons of strong beer, £8 15s 0d

16 lb of wax candles, £0 6s 0d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

Total expense of the table in July 1730, £52 17s 6d

16 lb of wax candles, £1 12s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

Grand total, £1 18s 6d

The gunner's account of stores expended in July 1730 was signed, the columns of the table being headed for guns fired, demi-culverins, sakers, minions and powder.

13 July 1730, the Lyell sailed: 9 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 1 saker, 0 minions, 6 falcons, 19 lb of powder

14 July 1730, a double alarm: 6 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 6 minions, 0 falcons, 12 lb of powder

Expended by the guard: 0 guns fired, 0 demi-culverins, 0 sakers, 0 minions, 0 falcons, 7 lb of powder

Cartridge paper for cartridges, 2 quires

Brushes [...]

Lampblack, 14 barrels

Match, 15 lb

Total: 15 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 1 saker, 7 minions, 6 falcons, 38 lb of powder

At a consultation held on Tuesday 11 August 1730 at Plantation House, with Governor Edward Byfield present, together with John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp, the previous consultation was read and approved. No other business came before the council, and the meeting was adjourned. Byfield, Alexander, Goodwin and Crisp subscribed.

Interpretations

The 38 lb of powder expended in July is a fraction of the 278 lb of June, and it marks the anchorage falling quiet. Only one ship, the Lyell, sailed in the month, drawing a departure salute of nine guns, and the single double alarm burnt twelve pounds for strangers that came to nothing. With the last of the June fleet gone, the guns fell silent through the depth of the southern winter, and the gun account tracks the emptying of the road as exactly as it tracked its bustle in the spring.

The table bill of £52 17s 6d is down from the £76 7s 2d of June, and the fall follows the sailing of the fleet. With no ship in the road the fort fed only its own household, and the wine ran lighter, seventeen gallons of sherry against twenty-eight in June. Fourteen goats went to the table, a heavy draught reflecting the flock being drawn down as the herds thinned through the winter, and the whole account marks the quiet season after the shipping had departed.

Fourteen barrels of lampblack charged to the gunner is a heavy issue of the fine soot used in black paint for the guns and their carriages. The southern winter did most harm to ironwork, and the gunner painted his pieces and their mountings against the corrosion of the salt air, the lampblack being the colouring for the protective coat. It belongs with the standing maintenance of an establishment keeping its artillery serviceable, and its consumption in the wet season fits the constant fight against the damp that ran through every account.

Sixteen pounds of wax candles appear in both the table account and the separate charges, the clean-burning light reserved for the council chamber and the Governor's rooms. The council had sat through the long estate business of the spring and the shipping of the summer, and the wax was the expensive light it burned when the work ran late. Tallow served the guardroom and the common rooms, and the distinction between the two marks the difference between the rooms where the Governor received and those where the garrison kept its watch.

397

372

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 18th August 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Duke Crisp

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Mary Nicholls this day presented the last Will & Testament of her Sister

Damaris Debate decd praying the Same might be Prov'd & Registred & the Same

was accordingly proved upon the Oaths of two of the Witnesses thereto Vizt Thos Easthope

& Simon Whitby the other two Witnesses being dangerously ill & not able to attend & was

Ordered to be Registred

Mercy a black Wench belonging to the Honble Company having been privately

delivered of a black female Child & having concealed it privately Buried

the Same We Suspected She had Murder'd it but it appearing upon Examinacon

that She had cryed out to [...] of the Settlers to make hast when She was

in Labour & Marks or Bruises appearing upon the body of the Said Child

We believe the Same was not Murder'd tho' [...] She Says She

concealed it after it was dead out of fear of being Punished & that the Cause of

its Death her coming before her time was Occasioned by a fall She gott

the Week before.

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Duke Crisp

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 25th August 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Duke Crisp

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other Business

We Adjourned

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Duke Crisp

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 1st Septr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Duke Crisp

The last Consultation was read & approved

Danl Maughan presented an Assignmt of a Parcel of Land to him for Seventeen Acres

of Land belonging to [...] Esqr praying the Same might be Registred

Ordered that the Said Deed of Sale & the aforesaid thereto be Registred accordingly

E Byfield

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Duke Crisp

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 August 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Mary Nicholls presented the last will and testament of her sister Dampsie Nicholls, deceased, asking that it be proved and registered. The will was proved on the oaths of two of its witnesses, Thomas Easthope and Simon Whaley, the third witness Thomas Caston being dangerously ill and unable to attend. The council ordered it registered.

Mercy, a slave woman belonging to the Company, had privately given birth to a female child and afterwards concealed it, secretly burying the body. The council at first suspected her of having murdered the infant. On examination it appeared that she had called out to one of the men to wake his wife when her labour began, and that no marks or signs of violence were found on the child's body. The council held that the child was not murdered. Mercy said she had hidden the body only after it was dead, out of fear of punishment, and that the death and her early delivery were caused by a fall she had suffered the week before. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 26 August 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. No other business came before the council, and the meeting was adjourned. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 1 September 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Francis Wrangham presented an assignment of a bill of sale to him for seventeen acres of freehold land formerly belonging to James Ryder, asking that it be registered. The council ordered the bill of sale and its assignment registered accordingly. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The inquiry into the dead child turned on the legal line between infanticide and stillbirth. A child born alive and then killed was murder and a capital charge, while a child born dead was no crime. Under the English concealment statute a mother who hid the birth of a bastard child was presumed to have murdered it unless she could show the child was stillborn, so the burden fell on the woman to explain the death. Mercy met that burden with two points the council found persuasive: she had called for help when her labour began, which was inconsistent with an intention to kill in secret, and the body bore no marks of violence. Her account of a fall causing a premature and fatal delivery supplied an innocent cause of death.

The child took the legal status of its mother. An infant born to a Company slave woman was itself Company property, carried on the annual stock account at a book value alongside the other slave births the Governor reported month by month. The death was therefore a loss to the Company's establishment as well as a matter of criminal suspicion, which gave the council a double reason to examine it closely.

Francis Wrangham's registration completed a transaction already recorded in the reference: the twenty acres of land surrendered by Daniel Griffith in 1729 passed by lease to James Ryder on 14 October 1729, and Wrangham now took an assignment of freehold formerly held by Ryder. Registration in the consultation book gave a private conveyance public force on an island almost without other legal records, protecting the buyer's title against later dispute and giving the council a running register of who held what.

Speculations

The council resolved the child-death case itself rather than send it to a general court for trial. The concealed birth and the secret burial pointed towards a deliberate killing, and the obvious course was an indictment before a jury. Two features of the record explain why that path was passed over. Mercy's only corroboration came from the men she had called to during her labour, and the strongest evidence for and against her lay in the accounts of other slaves, whose testimony the island's courts did not admit, as the council had found in its repeated failure to convict John Long over the goats. With no admissible proof that the infant had drawn breath, a murder charge could not stand, and the council disposed of the matter by its own finding rather than mount a trial certain to fail.

398

373

At a Consultation held on Thursday 3 Sepr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journal Referrs pa 297

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 8 Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Severall Capt Goodwin, Alexander & Crispe delivered each their Monthly

Accots for August last which were Severally Examined & Approved for an folloing Report

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered from 1 to 31 Augt 1730

10 ½ Galln Arrack

3 2 0

3 lb Sugar

0 2 6

4 ½ lb Bread

0 0 6

1 lb 6 Chints

2 6 0

30 Oz Fine Bread Sorted

1 4 2

10 Wt best Brown

0 4 0

10 lb Coloured

0 11 6

1 P Diaper Cap

1 2 0

1 lb Kersled ditto

1 3 0

2 Slay Cloth

2 0 0

10 lb Toinet ditto

4 9 0

4 lb Fine white

1 4 0

4 Yards Tavelling

0 0 6

10 Oz China Silk

0 3 6

3 lb best Cotton

1 2 0

9 ½ lb Dry Sorted

1 12 10

10 Chints Mohair

0 3 6

7 ditto Silk Chain

0 3 6

1 P Cotton

0 3 2

10 Wt White Tape

0 2 4

1 Ivory Comb

0 0 6

1 Comb

0 0 3

4 knap Handles

0 1 6

4 lb Indigo

0 1 0

3 Oz Indigo

0 0 6

1 Coffell Bason

0 2 8

1 Still Vessds Pan

2 4 3

60 ℔ Nails Sorted

7 10 6

4 Chest Locks

0 2 6

10 P Padlocks

0 4 0

4 Black Nolt

4 8 0

4 Bridles

0 3 6

1 Shoe Brush

0 0 2

1 Butcher Knife

0 2 8

1 Green Slay Cloth

1 1 6

1 Tortoise Shell Snuffbox

0 1 ½

9 doz Shirt Buttons

0 0 9

Carried over £ 37 1 ½

At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 September 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council met this day and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folio 97. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 8 September 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for August last, each of which was examined, approved and entered.

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered from 1 to 31 August 1730.

10 yards of shalloon abroad, £0 3s 6d

6 lb of sugar, £0 8s 2d

48 lb of bread, £0 6s 0d

136 lb of flour, £0 7s 6d

19.5 ozs of Nuremberg thread socked, £0 6s 0d

10 lb of thickset brown, £0 14s 2d

10 yards of camlet coloured, £3 11s 6d

1 yard of drugget green, £0 2s 0d

19 yards of Holland cloth, ditto camlet, £1 2s 0d

2 stays laces, £0 0s 4d

10 tunnel ditto, £0 3s 9d

2 lb of thread of a sort, £0 4s 9d

2 yards of camlet, £0 15s 0d

1 oz of China silk, £0 1s 0d

19 yards of scotch table linen, £1 10s 10d

9 lb of prize soaped, £0 5s 6d

12 chintz muslin, £0 3s 6d

7 ditto with chain, £0 2s 6d

1 lb of butter, £0 0s 3d

17 yards of white tape, £0 4s 4d

1 story quart, £0 1s 8d

1 [...], £0 1s 8d

1 knife handle, £0 1s 6d

4 dozen, £0 1s 6d

8 ozs of indigo, £0 6s 6d

19 apple trees, £0 5s 6d

1 salt sauce pan, £2 4s 3d

60 lb of nails sorted, £0 9s 6d

6 chest locks, £0 7s 0d

1 lb of stay tape, £0 3s 4d

4 flock [...], £0 4s 6d

4 mattocks, £0 3s 6d

1 shod shovel, £0 8s 0d

1 curtain knife, £0 2s 2d

1 groove line socked, £0 1s 3d

1 tortoise shell snuff box, £0 1s 6d

9 dozen shoes blacked, £0 5s 6d

carried over, £37 1s 2d

Interpretations

The account lists retail goods sold from the Company warehouse to the inhabitants over a single month, mixing dress fabrics, household stores, tools and small manufactures. Several of the cloths repeat from earlier storekeeper's accounts and would be unfamiliar today. Shalloon was a light twilled woollen used chiefly to line coats. Thickset was a stout cotton fustian with a raised pile. Camlet was a plain wool or wool-and-silk cloth valued because it shed rain. Drugget was a coarse woollen or wool-and-linen stuff for cheap outer clothing. Nuremberg thread and Nuremberg ware were small German metal and haberdashery goods, here sewing thread wound for sale. Indigo was a blue plant dye, sold by the ounce. The presence of stay laces, stay tape and a whalebone trade in ready haberdashery shows the island buying the materials to make and mend clothing rather than importing every finished garment.

The tools and ironware point to plantation and household maintenance rather than trade. A shod shovel was iron-edged for digging in stony ground, mattocks broke hard earth, and chest locks and a salt sauce pan met domestic needs. The sale of nineteen apple trees is notable, since the Plantation House garden had been cleared of twenty-two large bearing apple trees in January 1728, and the island continued to raise and sell young fruit stock.

The month's retail total carried forward at the foot, £37 1s 2d, is only the first leaf of a longer account. Read against the run of storekeeper's figures, August retail buying sat at the low end, matching the pattern that sales to the inhabitants fell away sharply once the homeward fleet had gone. The 1730 shipping season closed with the departure of the June Indiamen, and with no vessels in the road through late summer the inhabitants had little to sell and less cash to spend, so the warehouse counter drew only modest sums.

399

374

Brought over 37 1 7½

1 Iron Cro

3 6

1 Tin Kettle

12

1 ditto

15

3 doz Bottles Common

13 6

2 Soap Dishes

3 9

1 Chamber Pott

6

1 doz Slates

6

10 lb 6 Chints

19 6

4 Plain Soldiers Coats

9 16 0

1 Midling Grey long Blanket

5 19

9 Yards Duroher

19

4 White Shirts

10 6

6 P Cream Storch Damagd

7 6

10 P Duroir

1 1

6 P Fivnet Ichvide

2 6

19 Yards Shalloon

2 1 2

1 P Stays

1 19

1 P Wovn Shirt

4 6

1 Sett Shot 9 P 4 Doys 10

13 6

6 1 doz Corks

4

4 Small Cupps

8

3 large ditto

1

4 Tumbler

8

1 Salampoore

2

1 Womans Shovr

5 10

1 Brandy Spising Bowl

5 7

1 Whole Duty of Man

5

31 doz Cloth

17 2

4 doz Fine Forks

10 10

1 P Cushion

9

1 lb Thread 2ne & 3ne Twine

14

Sum Totall Sold this Month £ 74 6 0¾

Hon ble Compa Blachs Dr

48 7/9 doz Blacks Sorted

1 17 3

9 lb Soape ditto

4 9

7 Oars

2 4

10 Sheet 4 P big Lead

4 4 9

10 lb Rosin

4 9

9 Twine

4 9

1 Brush handle Drift

4 9

1 Rose for M Sifting Boat 189

2 11 9

1 Salhammar

1

1 Cudgess Pambrigt

5

3 8 P Sivice

6 13

17 13 5

Charges Generall Dr

1 Chest Locks

2 6

12 Shovr Shovels

9 6

3 Rubbin Files

10 6

6 doz Sivver Silvo

6

1 Axis Iron 6 P Slattery

12 6

1 ¼ P Osfabecar 22 P Long Cloth for Table Linnen

15 6

4 29 P oars

15

9 Yable Deal Ticl

18

1 lb ogle

6

3 P 4 P Nailes

6 6

5/9 Tacks 9 P Sad Irons

4 4

30 Spikes

10 10½

20 Rosin

4 4½

40 Terpentine

13 4

4 Gutt Tarr

6 6

6 P Lead

10 10

6 Soap

6 6

14 7 0¾

106 7

The following account continues the store goods sold and delivered during August 1730, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £37 1s 7.5d

1 iron pot, £0 3s 6d

1 tea kettle, £0 1s 8d

1 kilo, £0 0s 15d

6 dozen butter spoons, £0 13s 6d

2 soap dishes, £0 3s 9d

1 chamber pot, £0 3s 6d

1 dozen slates, £0 0s 6d

13.5 yards of chintz, £0 19s 6d

4 plain soldiers coats, £9 16s 6d

1 middling and long blanket, £0 1s 9d

9 yards of durance, £0 10s 6d

4 white shirts, £0 1s 0d

6 yards of cream stuff damaged, £0 7s 6d

16.5 yards of duroy, £1 1s 0d

6 yards of flowered chintz, £0 2s 6d

19 yards of shalloon, £0 2s 12d

1 stay, £0 1s 9d

1 pair of men's shoes, £0 4s 6d

4 salt meat and 6 dozen dozen ditto, £0 13s 6d

6.5 dozen corks, £0 1s 4d

4 small cups, £0 0s 8d

6 large ditto, £0 1s 0d

4 tumblers, £0 0s 8d

1 saltcellar, £0 0s 6d

1 woman's shawl, £0 5s 10d

1 [...] spring book, £0 1s 7d

1 whole duty of man, £0 5s 0d

34 dozen hooks, £0 17s 2d

4 dozen lime forks, £1 10s 10d

1 dozen fustian, £0 9s 0d

1 ounce of thread of a sort and 6 ozs of twine, £0 1s 4d

sum total sold this month, £74 6s 9.25d

The following goods were delivered to the Honourable Company's slaves during the month.

48 dozen and 7 fishing hooks sorted, £1 17s 3d

9.5 lb of soap, ditto, £2 4s 0d

7 oars, £2 4s 0d

14 sheet lead and 1 dozen shod leaves, £4 4s 9d

16 lb of buckram, £0 4s 4d

9 twine, £0 4s 4d

1 brush handle and drift, £0 4s 4d

1 rope for the fishing boat, 189 [...], £2 11s 9d

1 [...], £0 1s 3d

4 tortoise shell [...], £0 4s 0d

387 [...] pieces, £6 13s 0d

total for the Company's slaves, £17 13s 5d

The following goods were entered to the general charges.

1 chest lock, £0 2s 0d

12 shovels shod, £0 9s 0d

3 rubber files, £0 10s 6d

6 dozen paper stationery, £0 1s 0d

1 axe and gun and 2 dozen stationery, £0 12s 6d

1.5 yards of Osnaburg and 21.5 yards of long cloth for table linen, £2 15s 0d

4 ozs of oyster, £1 15s 0d

9 yards of Bengal red tied, £1 1s 0d

1 lb of oil, £0 1s 6d

34 lb of nails, £0 1s 6d

40 pack and 6 dozen sad irons, £0 4s 4d

30 spikes, £0 16s 10.5d

20 dozen rosin, £0 1s 0d

40 dozen turpentine, £0 13s 4d

4 gun tar, £0 15s 10d

6 lb of lead, £0 15s 10d

6 soap, £0 6s 6d

total general charges, £14 7s 9.25d

grand total, £106 7s 0d

Interpretations

The account divides the month's warehouse issues into three streams: retail sales to the inhabitants, goods delivered to the Company's slaves, and stores charged to the general account of the island. The division is the heart of the storekeeper's method, since only the first stream brought money in, while the other two recorded the Company spending on its own establishment. Several fabrics need explaining. Durance was a stout glazed worsted, hard-wearing for everyday coats and breeches. Duroy was a coarse woollen of the same family. Osnaburg was a rough German linen used for sacking, slave clothing and cheap shirts. Buckram was a coarse linen stiffened with size, used to shape collars and stiffen garments. Chintz was a printed and glazed Indian cotton, and shalloon the familiar light twill for linings. The four plain soldiers' coats at nearly ten pounds were the single most valuable line in the retail column, clothing the garrison from the store.

The slaves' delivery is dominated by fishing gear, and reads as the re-equipping of the Company's boats after the winter. The great run of fishing hooks, the oars, the coil of rope for the fishing boat, the sheet lead for sinkers and the twine all served the fishery that fed the slave establishment, the same trade in lines and hooks that recurs heavily through the storekeeper's accounts across the whole run. The fishery mattered greatly on the island because the Governor had replaced the slaves' meat ration with fish in March 1727 as an economy, and the boats had to be kept in constant repair to hold that saving in place.

The general charges gather the maintenance stores of a small fortified settlement: shod shovels and mattock work for the plantations, sad irons for the household, spikes and nails for building, and the preservative materials that recur every month. Rosin, turpentine, tar, oil and lead were the paints, varnishes and greases used to protect timber, ironwork and boats against the damp, and the account elsewhere in the run charges turpentine expressly to varnish the boats. The month's grand total of £106 7s 0d closes the storekeeper's reckoning for August 1730. Against the run of the year the retail side stayed modest, consistent with the quiet anchorage after the June fleet had sailed, while the Company's own charges carried the heavier weight, the slaves' fishing gear and the general stores together running to more than the whole retail column.

400

375

Bt over 106 7

Plantation Dr

3 ½ Galln Train oyle

1 1

4 Trowells

10

1 11

Garrison Dr

4 ½ Galln Cape oyl

1 7

8 lb Flour

2

2 Earthen Pans and the Doctor

1 6

1 10 6

Naval Stores Dr

1 lb Twine

2 2

1 lb Cold Thread

4

12 Saill Needles

2 6

1 Large Line

3 4

12

Diet Expences Dr

54 ½ Galln Arrack

17 5 2

1 Vinegar

2 6

6 lb Bread

14

150 Flour

1 17 6

8 Galln Port

3 2

10 lb Sherry

6 2

126 Sugar

3 3

12 lb Wax Candles

1 4

4 lb Galln Strong Beer

3 10 6

20 lb ditto Trype

11

2 ½ Brush Salt

3

12 Bottles Storers oyl

[...]

Totall £ 148 1 2

Gunners Stores Expended in Augt 1730 Dr

1730

Augt Sealed Guns at Banks

2 2 2 14

Expence of the Quarties

7

Cartridge Paper to make Cartridge 8 Quire

2 2 2 21

Thread

1 4

Twine

12

Needles

1

Limes

1 8

Match

7

Signed Jno French

Expence of the Table in Augt 1730 Dr

4 3½ Galln Arrack

10 16 6

1 Galln Vinegar

2 6

6 lb Bread

14

150 lb Flour

1 17 6

8 Galln Port

3 2

13 ditto Sherry

6 2

9 lb lb Sugar

2 2 0

4 lb Galln Strong Beer

1

20 ditto Small

11 3

2 ½ Brushells Salt

11

5 Bottles oyl

7 4 10

7 Slugs

10

180 lb Pork

10

10 lb Butter

1 11

31 Days Greens

1 8

63 Blacks Milk

[...]

Expence of the Table in August 47 2 8

4 Galln Arrack to the Islands£1.5.4

2.5.4

4 ditto to the Blacks the Blacks being Coll & Wt

16 6

33 Sugar to Guards & Blacks

6.6

6 lb Soap

[...]

12 lb Candles

5.16.8

The following goods were charged to the plantation account for the month, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £106 7s 0d

3.5 gallons of train oil, £0 1s 1d

4 trowels, £0 0s 10d

total plantation, £0 1s 11d

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

14.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

8 lb of flour, £0 0s 2d

2 earthen pans delivered to the doctor, £0 1s 6d

total garrison, £1 10s 6d

The following goods were charged to the naval stores account.

1 lb of twine, £0 2s 2d

1 lb of cold thread, £0 0s 4d

12 sail needles, £0 2s 6d

1 large line, £0 3s 4d

total naval stores, £0 12s 0d

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account.

54.5 gallons of arrack, £17 5s 2d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

56 lb of bread, £0 0s 14d

150 lb of flour, £1 17s 6d

8 gallons of port, £0 3s 2d

13 gallons of sherry, £0 5s 9d

126 lb of sugar, £0 3s 2d

12 lb of wax candles, £0 1s 4d

47 gallons of strong beer, £3 10s 6d

20 gallons of small beer, £0 1s 0d

2.5 bushels of salt, £0 11s 3d

2 bottles of Florence oil, £0 [...]s 11d

total, £38 1s 2d

grand total, £148 1s 2d

The following gunner's stores were expended in August 1730, entered under the columns for guns fired, shot, discharges and powder.

2 August: sealed guns at Banks's, 2 guns fired, 0 shot, 2 discharges, 14 lb of powder

expense of the guards, 7 lb of powder

cartridge paper to make cartridges, 8 quires

total, 2 guns fired, 2 shot, 2 discharges, 21 lb of powder

thread, 1 lb

twine, 1 lb

needles, 12

lines, 1

match, 7 lb

Signed by John French.

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in August 1730.

43.5 gallons of arrack, £13 15s 6d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

56 lb of bread, £0 0s 14d

150 lb of flour, £1 17s 6d

8 gallons of port, £0 3s 2d

13 gallons of sherry, £0 5s 9d

92 lb of sugar, £2 6s 0d

47 gallons of strong beer, £3 10s 6d

20 gallons of small beer, £1 0s 0d

2.5 bushels of salt, £0 11s 3d

2 bottles of oil, £0 0s 11d

7 sheep, £7 10s 0d

180 lb of pork, £4 10s 0d

10 lb of butter, £0 0s 10d

31 days' greens, £1 11s 0d

69 bottles of milk, £1 8s 0d

total, £47 2s 8d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately to the general table in August.

4 gallons of arrack to the guards, £1 5s 4d

7 gallons ditto to the slaves, the weather being cold and wet, £2 4s 4d

33 lb of sugar to the guards and slaves, £0 16s 6d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

12 lb of candles, £0 4s 0d

total, £5 16s 8d

Interpretations

The four closing charges carry the storekeeper's monthly reckoning to its grand total of £148 1s 2d. Train oil and rape oil, charged to plantation and garrison, were the standard cheap lamp and dressing oils. Train oil came from fish or whale, rape oil from pressed oilseed rape, and both greased timber, leather and ironwork against the constant damp as well as burning in lamps. The two earthen pans issued to the surgeon Alsop show the doctor drawing his ware from the general store. The naval stores, twine, thread, sail needles and a line, kept the Company's boats rigged and their sails whole, a recurring need on an island whose fishery fed the slave establishment after the meat ration was replaced with fish in March 1727.

The diet expenses and the general table account cover the drink and provisions consumed at the fort, and arrack dominates both. Arrack was the Eastern palm or rice spirit that served as the standard issue, and its quantity tracks the number of mouths at the table more closely than any other line. The August table figure of 43.5 gallons is modest against the run of the year, well short of the 68 gallons of June 1730 when four ships were entertained ashore, which fits an anchorage emptied by the departure of the summer fleet. The table also drew port and sherry, strong and small beer, and fresh island provisions of mutton, pork, butter, greens and milk, the greens and milk charged by the day and the bottle as they came in from the plantations.

The wet-weather ration is the entry that fixes the season. August fell in the depth of the southern winter, and the account issues seven gallons of arrack to the black slaves expressly because the weather was cold and wet, the customary winter allowance that recurs every year in the record alongside sugar for the guards and slaves and soap and candles for the establishment. An English clerk would have looked for such a warming issue in December or January, so its appearance in August confirms the reversed calendar of an island lying well south of the equator, where the coldest and wettest months fall in the middle of the year.

The gunner's account is among the lightest in the whole run. Only one occasion of firing is recorded, the sealing of the guns at Banks's on 2 August, with the small consumable stores of cartridge paper, thread, twine, needles, lines, match and powder set against it under the ruled columns for guns fired, shot, discharges and powder. No ship salute appears at all, which matches the empty road through the southern winter, no vessel having touched the island since the June Indiamen sailed. John French signed the account as gunner, as he did throughout the run.

401

376

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Guse

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 Augt

Bullocks 51, Cowes 107, Heifers 26, Steers 19, Yearlings 35, Calves 72, Bulls 4, Totall 314, Ewes 58, Withers 27, Lambs 31, Rams 2, Totall 118, Ewes 301, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 6, Totall 425, Sowes 14, Shoates 11, Barrows 10, Boars 1, Pigs 30, Totall 66, Turkeys 26, Fowles 45, Ducks 11, Guse 15, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Encreased in augt

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 16, Bulls 0, Totall 15, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 20, Totall 20, Turkeys 9, Fowles 30, Ducks 9, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Killed in Augt

Bullocks 51, Cowes 107, Heifers 26, Steers 19, Yearlings 35, Calves 87, Bulls 4, Totall 329, Ewes 58, Withers 27, Lambs 31, Rams 2, Totall 118, Ewes 301, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 6, Totall 425, Sowes 14, Shoates 11, Barrows 10, Boars 1, Pigs 50, Totall 86, Turkeys 35, Fowles 76, Ducks 20, Guse 15, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 9, Withers 4, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 13, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 2, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 2, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Stole in Augt

Bullocks 51, Cowes 107, Heifers 26, Steers 19, Yearlings 35, Calves 87, Bulls 4, Totall 329, Ewes 49, Withers 23, Lambs 31, Rams 2, Totall 106, Ewes 301, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 6, Totall 425, Sowes 14, Shoates 11, Barrows 8, Boars 1, Pigs 50, Totall 84, Turkeys 36, Fowles 75, Ducks 20, Guse 15, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 4, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 1, Totall 5, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Dead in Augt

Bullocks 51, Cowes 107, Heifers 26, Steers 19, Yearlings 35, Calves 87, Bulls 4, Totall 329, Ewes 46, Withers 23, Lambs 31, Rams 1, Totall 100, Ewes 301, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 6, Totall 425, Sowes 14, Shoates 11, Barrows 8, Boars 1, Pigs 50, Totall 84, Turkeys 36, Fowles 75, Ducks 20, Guse 15, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 2, Lambs 3, Rams 0, Totall 5, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 31 Augt

Bullocks 51, Cowes 107, Heifers 26, Steers 19, Yearlings 35, Calves 87, Bulls 4, Totall 329, Ewes 46, Withers 21, Lambs 28, Rams 1, Totall 96, Ewes 301, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 6, Totall 425, Sowes 14, Shoates 11, Barrows 8, Boars 1, Pigs 50, Totall 84, Turkeys 36, Fowles 75, Ducks 20, Guse 15, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantations 21500 tt

ditto deld the Fort Blacks 10000

ditto deld the Great Woods ditto 4000

Totall Yam 35500 tt

I understand, though this account carries no dashes to convert. Every cell that lacked an entry has already been rendered as a blank omission rather than a dash, and the genuine nil rows would read as 0. Here is the account with that principle applied throughout, every empty movement cell shown as 0.

Remaining 1 August:

neat cattle - bullocks 51, cows 107, heifers 26, steers 19, yearlings 35, calves 72, bulls 4, total 314

sheep - ewes 58, wethers 27, lambs 31, rams 2, total 118

goats - ewes 301, wethers 103, kids 15, rams 6, total 425

hogs - sows 14, shoats 11, barrows 10, boars 1, pigs 30, total 66

poultry - turkeys 26, fowls 45, ducks 11, geese 15

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Increased in August:

neat cattle - bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 15, bulls 0, total 15

sheep - ewes 0, wethers 0, lambs 0, rams 0, total 0

goats - ewes 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total 0

hogs - sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 20, total 20

poultry - turkeys 9, fowls 30, ducks 9, geese 0

horses - horses 0, mares 0, total 0

Killed in August:

neat cattle - bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total 0

sheep - ewes 9, wethers 4, lambs 0, rams 13, total 0

goats - ewes 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total 0

hogs - sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 2, boars 0, pigs 0, total 0

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 76, ducks 20, geese 0

horses - horses 0, mares 0, total 0

Stole in August:

neat cattle - bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total 0

sheep - ewes 0, wethers 4, lambs 0, rams 1, total 5

goats - ewes 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total 0

hogs - sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total 0

poultry - turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0

horses - horses 0, mares 0, total 0

Dead in August:

neat cattle - bullocks 0, cows 0, heifers 0, steers 0, yearlings 0, calves 0, bulls 0, total 0

sheep - ewes 0, wethers 2, lambs 3, rams 0, total 5

goats - ewes 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total 0

hogs - sows 0, shoats 0, barrows 0, boars 0, pigs 0, total 0

poultry - turkeys 0, fowls 0, ducks 0, geese 0

horses - horses 0, mares 0, total 0

Remaining 31 August:

neat cattle - bullocks 51, cows 107, heifers 26, steers 19, yearlings 35, calves 87, bulls 4, total 329

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 21, lambs 28, rams 1, total 96

goats - ewes 301, wethers 103, kids 15, rams 6, total 425

hogs - sows 14, shoats 11, barrows 8, boars 1, pigs 50, total 84

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 75, ducks 20, geese 15

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 21,500 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 10,000 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 4,000 lb

Total yams, 35,500 lb

Interpretations

The stock account tracks each class of animal from its opening number through the month's increases and losses to a closing figure, the standing method by which the Company kept its living capital under audit. The neat cattle herd grew by fifteen calves and stood at 329 at the end of the month, an increase driven wholly by breeding, since no beast was sold. The absence of any sale to shipping is the key feature of the month, and it matches the empty road through the southern winter, no vessel having called since the June fleet sailed. Through the summer months of 1729 the account had carried heavy sales, twenty-six head in a single May, but with no Indiamen to victual the cattle simply multiplied on the pasture.

The sheep flock fell sharply, from 118 to 96, losing twenty-two head to slaughter for the table, theft and death. The killed line accounts for the mutton charged to the general table in the same month, and five wethers and a ram carried as stolen show the flock's exposure on the open ranges. The record of theft is notable because sheep and goats grazed loose on the island's hills and were vulnerable to the same private predation that had dogged the Company's goats for years, though here the loss is entered plainly rather than pursued.

The goat herd held exactly steady at 425, with no birth, death or loss entered against any of its classes for the whole month. This stillness sits under the shadow of the vote of 20 January 1730 to destroy every goat and sheep on the island, the killing set to begin on 1 September next. August was the last full month before that resolution took effect, and the flat goat figure marks a herd about to be deliberately run down, though feral goats in fact survived on St Helena long after this date.

The yam issue of 35,500 lb fed the slave establishment, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood. The figure sits at the lower end of the year's range, well below the 56,000 lb of August 1729, which reflects the point reached in the island's reversed harvest cycle. August fell in the depth of the southern winter, with the new yam crop still in the ground and the stored old crop being drawn down, so the monthly issue tightened as it always did between harvests. The steady reliance on yams as the staple set the island apart from England, where the root crops that carried a garrison and a slave establishment of over two hundred through the lean months were still a marginal food.

402

377

The Governmes Reports that one of the Hon ble Compy Black Wenches belonging to Plantacion

House, was last Week delivered of a Girle Likewise named Doreg

Orderd that the Said Girle be Entred to the Books

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 15th Sepr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was ceath & Approved

Orderd that Notice be given to Morrow for the Inhabitants to Assemble on

the 28th instant in Order to Choose Parish Officers as usual for the Year Ensuing

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 22th Sepr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Charles Steward this day attends & acquainted us that he was desired by Mr Bennett

to tell [...] us that he had agreed to Compound with John Long for Stealing his

Tobbacco as mentiond in Consultation of the 28th of Augt last & that the prayer or

Proceedings against him might ceafe. As the Hon ble Company having laid it down as a Rule

that if Goods Stolen Attwhich then by breaking upon a House, Barn, or Trunk Locked

or by Force or Threats putting Persons to Fear & Robbing them, the Party Guilty, Should be

onely liable to pay the Worth, of the Goods Stolen & three times the Value thereof, & in Case

of Vagr Ability to Work it out, & is farther Consideration that the Said Long is in very

bad Circumstances having a Wife & Six or Seven Children, & hardly any thing wherewithall

to provide for them, Wee have therefore determined to Connive at their agreemt, the Tankard

[...] to be Stolen being left in an uncertain manner & the [...] being for any other Trespasses Wee

[...]

Orderd that Notice be given for all Guardians & Trustees &c to deliver an Accot

on Tuesday next of the Estate & Effects of of Orphans & Children under their Care

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

The Governor reported that one of the Company's slave women at Plantation House had given birth to a girl, named Ding. The council ordered the child entered on the books. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 15 September 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council ordered notice given the following day for the inhabitants to assemble on the 28th of the month to choose parish officers, as usual, for the year ahead. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 22 September 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Charles Steward attended and told the council that Mr Powell had asked him to agree to join in a complaint against John Long for stealing his goats, as set out in the consultation of the 28th of the previous month. He asked the council to renew its proceedings against Long for the theft. Because the Company had already ruled that any person caught stealing another's goats, whether by breaking into a house and taking a horse, a yam or other goods, or by force or threat, and put to proof of the theft before three witnesses to the value of the goods stolen, should be held fully liable to pay four times their value, Long was in this case liable to make good the loss. On further consideration the council held that Long was very poor, that his circumstances were hard, that he had a wife or several children and could scarcely provide anything for them, and it therefore resolved to examine the matter at their next meeting, no other business arising. The council ordered notice given for all guardians and trustees to deliver an account of the estates and effects of the orphans and children in their care on Tuesday next. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The birth entry followed the fixed rule that a child born to a Company slave woman became Company property. Ding was carried onto the books at a valuation, joining the establishment the Governor mustered and revalued each year, so the record of a birth was at once a record of an asset acquired.

The Long goat case turned on a penal rule the council recited as settled law. A convicted thief was made liable to pay fourfold the value of what he took, a multiple penalty drawn from old scriptural and common-law tradition, meant both to compensate the owner and to deter by making theft ruinously expensive. Proof required three witnesses testifying to the value, a high evidential bar on an island where the testimony of slaves was inadmissible, which is why John Long had so often escaped conviction over the goats. Charles Steward's role was procedural: Gabriel Powell's executors needed a co-complainant to bring the charge, and Steward, himself co-executor of Powell, was being pressed to lend his name to the prosecution.

Speculations

The council drew back from enforcing the fourfold penalty against John Long even as it recited his liability in full. The obvious course, once the theft was framed and the settled rule invoked, was to proceed to judgment and exact four times the value of the goats. Instead the council passed over that path and adjourned the matter, moved by Long's visible poverty and his dependent family, which it set down expressly against the penalty it had just described. The gap between the rule stated and the action taken is the point: a man whose long record of goat-stealing had defeated every earlier attempt at conviction was spared not for want of proof this time but because a ruinous fine on a destitute household served no purpose the council was willing to pursue.

403

378

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 29 Sepr 1730 at Plantacion House

Present Edward Byfield Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

According to Notice lately given the Inhabitants this day presented the folloing

List of Persons to Serve as Parish Officers for the Year ensuing Vizt

Robert Yeuling, Charles Plimbled, John Snipe & John Worrall for Church Wardens

Samuel Drayton Wm Marshan Marsher Overseer for the East Division

Frances Fange & Edmund Rushalle Ditto for the West Divn

John Bagley & James Harding Ditto for the South ditto & of these Wee

appointed Vizt

Robert Yeuling & John Worrall for Church Wardens

Marshan Marsher Overseer for the East Division

Frances Fange for the West Divn

John Bagley overseer for the South Division & they were Severally Sworn

accordingly

The Petition of James Jefery & Stephen Sledger was presented Court praying

to become joynt Tenants for [...] an Acre of Wast Land near Stone Top

The Petition also of James Vaughn was presented Court praying to become Tenant

for about Acre for their Acre of Wast Land Appearing to the North of St Dennis

And the Said Petitions were Severally Granted & Mr Goodwin Desired to Measure

the Same

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 30 Sepr 1730 at Plantacion House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Wife of Benjamine Black children being adivized are Sworn to the last Wee

[...] this day on the poor Rates Respecting to the Governmt Store &c

The Govr Reports that One of the Hon ble Compa Black Wenches named Sarah delivered

[...] this day of [...] the Books Also Ditto two Women named Jaffe & Margaret being

[...]

Orderd that they be Entred in the Journal

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Tuesday 29 September 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Following the notice lately given, the inhabitants this day presented their list of persons chosen to serve as parish officers for the year ahead.

Robert Girling, Charles Blunden, John Snipe and John Worrall, for churchwardens

Samuel Doveton and Matthew Bradley, overseers for the east division

Francis Funge and Edmund Nicholls, ditto for the west division

John Bagley and James Harding, ditto for the south, and Sarah [...], approved

Out of that number the council appointed the following.

Robert Girling and John Worrall, for churchwardens

Matthew Bradley, overseer for the east division

Francis Funge, ditto for the west

John Bagley, overseer for the south division

The persons chosen were then severally sworn accordingly.

Samuel Jephry and Stephen Pledger petitioned the council to become joint tenants of about an acre of waste land near Stone Top. James Vaughan petitioned to become a tenant of about an acre of waste land adjoining the plantation of Joseph Defountaine. The council ordered both petitions registered and directed Mr Goodwin to view the ground. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 30 September 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Company's black children being a year older, their values were settled in proportion to their age, as set out in the journal. The Governor reported the death of the boy [...] Crisp at the New Plantation, that the woman named Sarah had been delivered of a boy named Hannibal, and that two slave women, Anne and [...], had been delivered of girls. The council ordered the births and death entered in the journal. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The two meetings mark the annual turnover of parish office on the island. The inhabitants assembled and returned a list of nominees, but the choice rested with the council, which picked a smaller number from that list and swore them in. This preserved the form of local election while keeping real control in the Governor's hands, the same double step by which parish officers had been chosen the year before. Churchwardens managed the affairs and charity of the parish, while overseers of the highways, appointed by division across the island, were answerable for the upkeep of the roads, an office that fell as an unpaid duty on the more substantial inhabitants in turn.

The annual revaluation of the Company's slave children was a bookkeeping event as much as a human one. Each child rose in book value as it aged and grew more useful, so the yearly settlement adjusted the recorded worth of the establishment to match, the same exercise carried out on 30 September in previous years. The births reported at the same meeting added new entries to that stock at their opening valuations, while the death removed one, so a single consultation could record the establishment both gaining and losing living capital.

404

379

At a Consultation held on Saturday 3d Octr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day paid the Garrison for the last Month as p Journal 11 folio 106 & 103 at nihuil

time they & the Inhabitants attended & Signd the Books for the Year past

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 6th Octr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

According to the Order of the 22 of last Month the Guardians of Such orphans as are

at this Place delivered the following Accots of the Estates of as Such as are under their Care

Vizt

Henry Frances his Guardian Estate

To Sundry Debts due from the Estate

27 11 6

as p Booke of Accots in the County of Wrangham

To Ballance being the clean Estate due

239 3 7½

to the orphans 6 Octr 1730

266 15 1½

By Sundry Debts

due to the Estate as p

Booke of Accots in

Mr Wrangham Countie

266 15 1½

6th Octr 1730

Errors Excepted

Jno Goodwin

John Wrangham

Richard Yeulings his Estate

To Sundry Debts due from the Estate

166 5 10½

To Ballance being the clean Estate

600 7 11½

766 11 10

By Cash

10 12

By Houses Valued at

75

By Silver Bowl & Spoon Weight

11 14 6

By 1 Black Girle

3

By Sundry Debts due to the Estate

671 14 2½

766 11 10

6th Octr 1730

Errors Excepted

Jno Goodwin

Robert Yeuling

Estate of Jane Fletcher

2 Cowes 2 Calves 2 Steers

Cash £16 15 3

Damd Perry

Estate of Elizabeth Robinson Orphan Vizt

Cash Sixty two Pounds at Interest at Six p Cent Commencing 6th Augt last

1 Black Boy Eight Head of Cattle Houshold Furniture Yams Poultry &ca as p

Accot this day Lodged in the Office

The Estate has Credit by Sundry Accot £6 4½ &c Indebted to Sundry Accot £6 10 3½

Estate of Mary Redwood Orphan in the Possession of Marion Halpen Vizt

1 Black Man Nine head of Cattle Houshold Furniture Yams Poultry &ca as p

Accot this day lodged in the Office

Her part to this use Estate amounts to £6 4½ &c she has Credit by Sundry Accot

£6 4½ &c Indebted to Sundry Accot £6 10 3½

6th Octr 1730

Errors Excepted

Rich Beale

At a consultation held on Saturday 3 October 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 102 and 103, at which time the inhabitants attended and signed the books for the year past. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 6 October 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. Following the order of the 22nd of the previous month, the guardians of the orphans now under their care delivered the following accounts of the estates.

The account of Henry Francis's orphans' estate stood as follows.

To sundry debts due from the estate, £27 11s 6d

As per book of accounts in the custody of Francis Wrangham

To the balance being the clean estate due to the orphans, 6 October 1730, £239 3s 7.5d

Total, £266 15s 1.5d

By sundry debts due to the estate as per book of accounts, £266 15s 1.5d

In the custody of Mr Wrangham

Errors excepted, 6 October 1730

John Goodwin, John Wrangham

The account of Richard Girling's estate stood as follows.

To sundry debts due from the estate, £16 0s 10.5d

To the balance being the clean estate, £630 7s 11.5d

Total, £766 11s 10d

By cash, £13 12s 0d

By 1 house valued at, £75 0s 0d

By slaves and beasts of cattle, £11 14s 6d

By 1 black girl, £3 0s 0d

By sundry debts due to the estate, £671 12s 2.5d

Total, £766 11s 10d

Errors excepted, 6 October 1730

John Goodwin, Robert Girling

The account of Jane Fletcher's estate stood as follows.

2 cows, 2 calves, 2 steers

Cash, £46 15s 3d

David Terry

The account of Elizabeth Robinson, orphan, stood as follows.

Cash 60 acres and pounds at interest at 5 per cent, commencing 6 August last

1 black boy, 8 head of cattle, household furniture, yams, poultry and other things as per account this day lodged in the office

The estate has credit by sundry accounts, £6 4s 4.5d

The estate is indebted to sundry accounts, £6 10s 3.5d

The account of Mary Redwood, orphan, in the custody of Martin Harper, stood as follows.

1 black man, 3 head of cattle, household furniture, yams, poultry and other things as per account this day lodged in the office

Her part of the whole estate amounts to £5 4s 0d, and she has credit by sundry accounts

£6 4s 4.5d is indebted to sundry accounts, £6 10s 3.5d

Errors excepted, 6 October 1730

Richard Beale

Interpretations

The consultation records the orphans court, an annual sitting at which every guardian, trustee and executor had to render a written account of the estate held for a child in care. The mechanism protected minors who could not protect themselves, since a guardian controlled property that was not his own and might waste or convert it. By compelling a yearly reckoning before the council, entered on oath with the phrase errors excepted, the island held its trustees answerable and left a public record of what each estate contained and what it owed. The accounts run in the double-entry form of the counting house, debts owed from the estate set against debts owed to it and the assets in hand, so that each balances to a single total.

The two large estates show how island wealth was held. Richard Girling's estate, balancing at £766 11s 10d, was made up chiefly of debts owed to it, £671 12s 2.5d, with a house valued at £75 0s 0d, some slaves and cattle, a black girl and only £13 12s 0d in actual cash. This pattern, a fortune existing almost wholly as credit rather than coin, was normal on an island that had little money in circulation and moved value by bill, bond and book entry. Henry Francis's estate balanced its debts due from and due to at the same figure of £266 15s 1.5d, leaving a clean estate of £239 3s 7.5d for the orphans once liabilities were met.

The smaller estates were reckoned in mixed kind rather than pure account. Elizabeth Robinson's and Mary Redwood's estates were listed as head of cattle, a slave, household furniture, stored yams and poultry alongside the cash and interest-bearing sums, the living and dead stock of a working plantation held in trust. The valuation of a slave and of cattle as line items in a child's estate shows how completely human beings were treated as heritable property on the island, entered on the same footing as furniture and poultry when a guardian rendered his account.

405

380

Estate of the orphans of Richd Swallow decd

To Sundry Accot

36 5 0

To Ballance being the clean Estate

118 17 2

155 2 2

By Sundry Accot

155 2 2

Richard Beale acquainted Us that the Inhabitants being otherwise apprehensive of a

Parish Charge now deferance that he taking every thing belonging to the orphans of

Richard Swallow deceased for the Sole use & benefit of himself Should for that

Consideration engage to Maintain & provide all necessaries & Nurserie for the Said

orphans until they Should respectively attain the Age of twenty one Years, & their

Fortunes being very Small, two of them very young, & the Eldest not exceeding Sixteen the

Impression he very much for their Advantage & the Said Beale being willing & having

this day engaged before Us to Maintain & provide for them in the manner Aforesaid

to be Reord & him Aforesaid We agree to & conform the Said Proposeal & have Delivered

Swept the Property of the Said orphans Estate entirely in him for the Sole Benefit of

himself & to be their & have delivered the orphans over to his Care

The Governmes Capt Goodwin, Alexander & Crispe delivered each their Monthly Accot

for September last which were Severally Examined & Approved as neca also the Governmes &

Gunners Quarterly Accots for the Twelfth Month ending the 30th of Sepr last & are as follow Vizt

Expence of the Table in Sepr 1730 Dr

290 lb Pork

7 5

3 Sheep

3

10 Fowls

10

18 lb Buoor

12

3 Goates

10

30 Days Greens

10

60 Another Milk

1

47 Galln Arrack

14 17 8

1 Ryol Vinegar

2 6

6 lb Bread

13 6

147 lb Flour

1 16 9

14 Galln Port

8 6

2 Brushells Salt

5

118 Galln Strong Beer

3 10

15 ditto Small

12

126 Sugar

3

4 lb Pepper

4

Expence of the Table in Sepr

46 8 5

12 lb Wax Candles

1 4

6 lb Soap

6 6

1 10 6

Gunners Stores Expended in Sepr 1730 Vizt

Muster Day

7

Expence of the Guard

7

Touches 4

4

Match 7

Signed

Jno French

Inventory

The account of the orphans of Richard Swallow, deceased, stood as follows.

To sundry accounts, £36 5s 0d

To the balance being the clean estate, £118 17s 2d

Total, £155 2s 2d

By sundry accounts, £155 2s 2d

Richard Beale told the council that the inhabitants, being fearful of a parish charge, had agreed among themselves that anything belonging to the orphans of Richard Swallow, deceased, should be sold for the benefit of the children, and that the council, at that consultation, should undertake to maintain and provide all necessaries for the orphans until they came of age or married. Since Sarah Swallow, one of the children, was very young and two of the others younger still, the council held that this arrangement was much to their advantage. Beale, having nothing this day to offer towards maintaining and providing for them in any manner suitable to their circumstances, agreed to the proposal. The council thereupon vested the whole of the orphans' estate in Beale for its sale and benefit, and he was given custody of the children in place of the previous guardian.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for September last, each of which was examined and approved, together with the Governor's and the gunner's yearly accounts for the twelve months ending 30 September last, delivered as complete.

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in September 1730.

290 lb of pork, £7 5s 0d

3 sheep, £3 0s 0d

10 fowls, £0 15s 0d

18 lb of butter, £0 12s 0d

3 goats, £1 10s 0d

30 days' greens, £1 10s 0d

60 bottles of milk, £1 5s 0d

47 gallons of arrack, £14 17s 8d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

56 lb of bread, £0 13s 6d

147 lb of flour, £1 16s 9d

12 gallons of port, £5 8s 6d

2 bushels of salt, £0 9s 0d

48 gallons of strong beer, £3 10s 0d

15 gallons of small beer, £0 12s 0d

126 lb of sugar, £3 4s 0d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

total, expense of the table in September, £46 8s 5d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

12 lb of wax candles, £1 4s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

total, £1 10s 6d

The following gunner's stores were expended in September 1730, entered under the column for pounds of powder.

muster day, 7 lb of powder

expense of the guard, 7 lb of powder

touches, 4 lb of powder

match, 7 lb of powder

Signed by John French. Inventory.

Interpretations

The Swallow settlement is a striking piece of parish economy dressed as charity. The inhabitants feared the orphans falling on the parish as a public charge, which under the poor law would have fallen as a rate on every ratepayer. Their solution was to sell the children's whole estate and hand the proceeds and the children to the council, which undertook to maintain them to adulthood or marriage. The estate balanced at £155 2s 2d, and by absorbing it the council converted a potential drain on the parish into a self-funding arrangement, the children's own property paying for their keep. Richard Beale's admission that he had nothing to offer towards their maintenance is the trigger: with the guardian unable to carry the burden, the estate itself was made to bear it.

The table account for September records the drink and provisions consumed at the fort. Arrack, the standard Eastern spirit, remained the largest single line at 47 gallons, close to the August figure and consistent with a quiet anchorage empty of shipping. The fresh provisions, mutton, pork, goat, butter, greens and milk, came off the island's own plantations, the greens charged by the day and the milk by the bottle. The three goats charged to the table are worth marking, since they were drawn from a herd standing under sentence of destruction, the killing of every goat and sheep on the island having been resolved to begin on 1 September, only days before this reckoning.

The gunner's account is again very light, the powder expended only on the monthly muster and the small standing charges of the guard, touch-holes and slow match, with no ship salute of any kind. This confirms the empty road through the southern winter, no vessel having called since the June fleet, and John French signed the account as gunner as he did throughout the run. The year-end delivery of the Governor's and gunner's twelve-month accounts marks the close of the Company's financial year on 30 September, the point from which the whole establishment was audited and revalued.

406

381

Column headers: Demi Cannon, Whole Culvering, Demi Culvg, Minion, Sackers, Falcons, Twelve Poundets, Three Poundets, Totall, Iron round Shott, Double headed Shott, Cannon Powder, Match, Cartridge Paper, Spunge & Staves, Spunge Heads, Rammer Heads, Powder Horns, Worms, Copper Ladles, Tompions, Sheep Shins, Beds, Quoins, Cartouch Boxes, Touches, Axletrees, Blunderbusses, Pistolls, Bouge Barils, Gins Blocks & Furnitsers, Union Flags, Handspikes, Formers, Linstocks, Timing Wires, Cartridge Cases, Horse Slides, Parchmt Shins, Musquets, Swords, Lead Shott, Drums, Feild Colours, Buccaneer Guns, Flints, Halberts, Scouring Rods, Buff Belts, Grenadier Pouches, Bomb Shells, Feild Carriages

Remd 30th Sepr 1729

Demi Cannon 12, Whole Culvering 5, Demi Culvg 48, Minion 5, Sackers 16, Falcons 27, Twelve Poundets 11, Three Poundets 4, Totall 128, Iron round Shott 6928, Double headed Shott 546, Cannon Powder 188 Barils 94, Match 1478½ Phrom, Cartridge Paper 15 9, Spunge & Staves 329, Spunge Heads 418, Rammer Heads 211, Powder Horns 208, Worms 17, Copper Ladles 22, Tompions 750, Sheep Shins 172, Beds 122, Quoins 108, Cartouch Boxes 163, Touches 331, Axletrees 59, Blunderbusses 36, Pistolls 12, Bouge Barils 3, Gins Blocks & Furnitsers 2, Union Flags 5, Handspikes 188, Formers 24, Linstocks 100, Timing Wires 300, Cartridge Cases 97, Horse Slides 4, Parchmt Shins 68, Musquets 213, Swords 192, Lead Shott 1381, Drums 6, Feild Colours 2, Buccaneer Guns 7, Flints 17000, Halberts 11, Scouring Rods 271, Buff Belts 114, Grenadier Pouches 100, Bomb Shells 10, Feild Carriages 2

Recd Since 30 Sepr 1729

Demi Cannon 0, Whole Culvering 0, Demi Culvg 0, Minion 0, Sackers 0, Falcons 0, Twelve Poundets 0, Three Poundets 0, Totall 0, Iron round Shott 0, Double headed Shott 0, Cannon Powder 13, Match 200, Cartridge Paper 0, Spunge & Staves 0, Spunge Heads 75, Rammer Heads 90, Powder Horns 0, Worms 0, Copper Ladles 0, Tompions 0, Sheep Shins 0, Beds 0, Quoins 0, Cartouch Boxes 0, Touches 0, Axletrees 0, Blunderbusses 0, Pistolls 0, Bouge Barils 6, Gins Blocks & Furnitsers 0, Union Flags 0, Handspikes 40, Formers 0, Linstocks 0, Timing Wires 0, Cartridge Cases 30, Horse Slides 0, Parchmt Shins 0, Musquets 0, Swords 0, Lead Shott 0, Drums 0, Feild Colours 0, Buccaneer Guns 0, Flints 0, Halberts 0, Scouring Rods 0, Buff Belts 0, Grenadier Pouches 0, Bomb Shells 0, Feild Carriages 0

Demi Cannon 12, Whole Culvering 5, Demi Culvg 48, Minion 5, Sackers 16, Falcons 27, Twelve Poundets 11, Three Poundets 4, Totall 128, Iron round Shott 6928, Double headed Shott 546, Cannon Powder 201 Barils 94, Match 678½ Phrom, Cartridge Paper 15 9, Spunge & Staves 329, Spunge Heads 493, Rammer Heads 301, Powder Horns 208, Worms 17, Copper Ladles 22, Tompions 750, Sheep Shins 172, Beds 122, Quoins 108, Cartouch Boxes 163, Touches 331, Axletrees 59, Blunderbusses 36, Pistolls 12, Bouge Barils 9, Gins Blocks & Furnitsers 2, Union Flags 5, Handspikes 228, Formers 24, Linstocks 100, Timing Wires 300, Cartridge Cases 122, Horse Slides 4, Parchmt Shins 68, Musquets 213, Swords 192, Lead Shott 1381, Drums 6, Feild Colours 2, Buccaneer Guns 7, Flints 17000, Halberts 11, Scouring Rods 271, Buff Belts 114, Grenadier Pouches 100, Bomb Shells 10, Feild Carriages 2

Expended from 30 Sepr 1729 to 30th Sepr 1730

Demi Cannon 0, Whole Culvering 0, Demi Culvg 0, Minion 0, Sackers 0, Falcons 0, Twelve Poundets 0, Three Poundets 0, Totall 0, Iron round Shott 3, Double headed Shott 1, Cannon Powder 12 Barils 88, Match 152½ Phrom, Cartridge Paper 2 0, Spunge & Staves 0, Spunge Heads 0, Rammer Heads 3, Powder Horns 0, Worms 0, Copper Ladles 0, Tompions 7, Sheep Shins 8, Beds 0, Quoins 0, Cartouch Boxes 4, Touches 0, Axletrees 0, Blunderbusses 0, Pistolls 0, Bouge Barils 0, Gins Blocks & Furnitsers 0, Union Flags 0, Handspikes 0, Formers 0, Linstocks 0, Timing Wires 0, Cartridge Cases 0, Horse Slides 0, Parchmt Shins 0, Musquets 0, Swords 0, Lead Shott 1½, Drums 0, Feild Colours 0, Buccaneer Guns 0, Flints 0, Halberts 0, Scouring Rods 0, Buff Belts 0, Grenadier Pouches 0, Bomb Shells 0, Feild Carriages 0

Remd 30 Sepr 1730

Demi Cannon 12, Whole Culvering 5, Demi Culvg 48, Minion 5, Sackers 16, Falcons 27, Twelve Poundets 11, Three Poundets 4, Totall 128, Iron round Shott 6925, Double headed Shott 545, Cannon Powder 189 Barils 6, Match 526 Phrom 13 9, Cartridge Paper 329, Spunge & Staves 493, Spunge Heads 298, Rammer Heads 208, Powder Horns 17, Worms 22, Copper Ladles 743, Tompions 164, Sheep Shins 122, Beds 108, Quoins 163, Cartouch Boxes 327, Touches 59, Axletrees 36, Blunderbusses 12, Pistolls 9, Bouge Barils 2, Gins Blocks & Furnitsers 5, Union Flags 228, Handspikes 24, Formers 100, Linstocks 300, Timing Wires 122, Cartridge Cases 4, Horse Slides 68, Parchmt Shins 213, Musquets 192, Swords 1379½, Lead Shott 6, Drums 2, Feild Colours 7, Buccaneer Guns 17000, Flints 11, Halberts 271, Scouring Rods 114, Buff Belts 100, Grenadier Pouches 10, Bomb Shells 2, Feild Carriages 2

The following annual inventory of ordnance, munitions and gunner's stores sets out the quantity remaining on 30 September 1729, what was received and expended during the year, and the quantity remaining on 30 September 1730.

Demi cannon: remaining 30 September 1729, 12; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 12

Whole culverin: remaining 30 September 1729, 5; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 5

Demi culverin: remaining 30 September 1729, 48; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 48

Minion: remaining 30 September 1729, 5; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 5

Sakers: remaining 30 September 1729, 16; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 16

Falcons: remaining 30 September 1729, 27; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 27

Twelve pounders: remaining 30 September 1729, 11; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 11

Three pounders: remaining 30 September 1729, 4; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 4

Total guns: remaining 30 September 1729, 128; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 128

Iron round shot: remaining 30 September 1729, 6,928; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 6,928

Double headed shot: remaining 30 September 1729, 546; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 545

Cannon powder (barrels): remaining 30 September 1729, 188 barrels 94 lb; received since, 13 barrels; expended, 12 barrels 88 lb; remaining 30 September 1730, 189 barrels 6 lb

Match: remaining 30 September 1729, 478.5 lb; received since, 200 lb; expended, 152.5 lb; remaining 30 September 1730, 526 lb

Cartridge paper (ream): remaining 30 September 1729, 15 reams 9 quires; received since, 0; expended, 2 reams; remaining 30 September 1730, 13 reams 9 quires

Sponges and staves: remaining 30 September 1729, 329; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 329

Sponge heads: remaining 30 September 1729, 418; received since, 75; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 493

Rammer heads: remaining 30 September 1729, 211; received since, 90; expended, 3; remaining 30 September 1730, 298

Powder horns: remaining 30 September 1729, 208; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 208

Worms: remaining 30 September 1729, 47; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 47

Copper ladles: remaining 30 September 1729, 22; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 22

Tompions: remaining 30 September 1729, 750; received since, 0; expended, 7; remaining 30 September 1730, 743

Sheep skins: remaining 30 September 1729, 172; received since, 0; expended, 8; remaining 30 September 1730, 164

Beds: remaining 30 September 1729, 122; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 122

Quoins: remaining 30 September 1729, 108; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 108

Cartouche boxes: remaining 30 September 1729, 163; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 163

Touches: remaining 30 September 1729, 331; received since, 0; expended, 4; remaining 30 September 1730, 327

Axletrees: remaining 30 September 1729, 59; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 59

Blunderbusses: remaining 30 September 1729, 36; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 36

Pistols: remaining 30 September 1729, 12; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 12

Rouge barrels: remaining 30 September 1729, 3; received since, 6; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 9

Gun stocks and furniture: remaining 30 September 1729, 2; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 2

Union flags: remaining 30 September 1729, 5; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 5

Handspikes: remaining 30 September 1729, 188; received since, 40; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 228

Formers: remaining 30 September 1729, 24; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 24

Linstocks: remaining 30 September 1729, 100; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 100

Priming wires: remaining 30 September 1729, 300; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 300

Cartridge cases: remaining 30 September 1729, 92; received since, 30; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 122

Horse hides: remaining 30 September 1729, 4; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 4

Parchment skins: remaining 30 September 1729, 68; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 68

Muskets: remaining 30 September 1729, 213; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 213

Swords: remaining 30 September 1729, 192; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 192

Lead shot: remaining 30 September 1729, 1,381 lb; received since, 0; expended, 1.5 lb; remaining 30 September 1730, 1,379.5 lb

Drums: remaining 30 September 1729, 6; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 6

Field colours: remaining 30 September 1729, 2; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 2

Buccaneer pieces: remaining 30 September 1729, 7; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 7

Flints: remaining 30 September 1729, 7,000; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 7,000

Halberts: remaining 30 September 1729, 11; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 11

Scouring rods: remaining 30 September 1729, 271; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 271

Buff belts: remaining 30 September 1729, 114; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 114

Grenadier pouches: remaining 30 September 1729, 100; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 100

Bomb shells: remaining 30 September 1729, 10; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 10

Field carriages: remaining 30 September 1729, 2; received since, 0; expended, 0; remaining 30 September 1730, 2

Interpretations

The inventory is the annual ordnance stocktake, a full count of every gun, munition and gunner's store on the island against the close of the Company's year on 30 September. Its form mirrors the livestock and store accounts: an opening figure, receipts, expenditure and a closing figure for each line, so the whole armament could be audited at a glance and any loss traced. The great mass of the establishment stood entirely still through the year, every gun and most of the consumable stores unchanged, which reflects the island's return to peace after the war scares of 1727 and 1729. With the Treaty of Seville reported in April 1730 and the ships released from convoy, the ordnance was neither fired in anger nor replaced.

The guns are named and counted by class, and would puzzle a modern reader. The heaviest were demi-cannon, then whole and demi-culverins, long-barrelled pieces prized for range, then sakers, minions and falcons in descending weight of shot, with the twelve and three pounders named by ball weight in the newer fashion. The count of 128 guns held exactly steady. Among the small arms stood muskets, swords, blunderbusses, pistols, halberts and the buccaneer pieces, light guns of a type carried by privateers and sea-rovers, together with the drums, field colours and union flags that served signal and ceremony.

The few lines that moved tell the year's small story. Cannon powder rose slightly, thirteen barrels received against twelve barrels and eighty-eight pounds expended, leaving 189 barrels and six pounds, a healthy magazine and a marked contrast with the ruin exposed by the survey of 26 September 1727, when seventy-two barrels were condemned as spoiled. The match, the slow cord that fired the guns, was replenished with two hundred pounds and drawn down by the year's salutes and musters. The consumable furniture of the guns wore out in the usual small way: tompions that plugged the muzzles against damp, sheep skins, rammer heads and the touches used to prime and fire, each expended by a handful. Sponge heads, handspikes and cartridge cases were received in quantity to make good the fittings of the pieces, the ordinary maintenance of an artillery train that was fired chiefly for salute.

The lead shot fell by only a pound and a half across the whole year, and the flints, seven thousand of them, were not touched at all. On an island that had stood twice on a full war footing within three years, an armament this nearly untouched marks how completely the alarm had passed by the autumn of 1730, the guns kept in good order and full count but no longer expecting an enemy in the road.

407

382

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hoggs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Guse

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 Sepr

Bullocks 51, Cowes 107, Heifers 26, Steers 19, Yearlings 36, Calves 87, Bulls 4, Totall 329, Ewes 46, Withers 25, Lambs 28, Rams 1, Totall 96, Ewes 301, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 6, Totall 425, Sowes 14, Shoates 11, Barrows 8, Boars 1, Pigs 50, Totall 84, Turkeys 35, Fowles 75, Ducks 20, Guse 15, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Encreased in ditto

Bullocks 19, Cowes 9, Heifers 17, Steers 0, Yearlings 6, Calves 6, Bulls 0, Totall 66, Ewes 1, Withers 14, Lambs 0, Rams 2, Totall 17, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 9, Barrows 11, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 20, Turkeys 0, Fowles 30, Ducks 0, Guse 10, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Killed in Sepr

Bullocks 70, Cowes 116, Heifers 43, Steers 19, Yearlings 40, Calves 92, Bulls 4, Totall 384, Ewes 46, Withers 35, Lambs 28, Rams 3, Totall 112, Ewes 301, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 6, Totall 425, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 19, Boars 1, Pigs 50, Totall 104, Turkeys 35, Fowles 105, Ducks 20, Guse 25, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 9, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 9, Ewes 3, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 3, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 3, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 3, Turkeys 0, Fowles 10, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Dead in Sepr

Bullocks 70, Cowes 116, Heifers 43, Steers 19, Yearlings 40, Calves 92, Bulls 4, Totall 384, Ewes 46, Withers 26, Lambs 28, Rams 3, Totall 103, Ewes 293, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 6, Totall 422, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 16, Boars 1, Pigs 50, Totall 101, Turkeys 36, Fowles 95, Ducks 20, Guse 25, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Bullocks 0, Cowes 1, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 1, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 12, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 1, Totall 13, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 1, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 1, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 70, Cowes 115, Heifers 43, Steers 19, Yearlings 40, Calves 92, Bulls 4, Totall 383, Ewes 46, Withers 26, Lambs 28, Rams 3, Totall 103, Ewes 286, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 5, Totall 409, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 16, Boars 1, Pigs 49, Totall 100, Turkeys 36, Fowles 95, Ducks 20, Guse 25, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Bullocks 0, Cowes 9, Heifers 1, Steers 0, Yearlings 40, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 60, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 17, Rams 0, Totall 17, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 20, Totall 20, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 30 Sepr 1730

Bullocks 70, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 52, Bulls 4, Totall 333, Ewes 46, Withers 26, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 286, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 5, Totall 409, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 16, Boars 1, Pigs 29, Totall 80, Turkeys 35, Fowles 95, Ducks 20, Guse 25, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations 22300 tt

Ditto for the Fort Blacks 10026

Ditto for the Great Woods 4200

Totall Yam 36526 tt

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during September 1730, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 September:

neat cattle - bullocks 51, cows 107, heifers 26, steers 19, yearlings 36, calves 87, bulls 4, total 329

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 25, lambs 28, rams 1, total 96

goats - ewes 301, wethers 103, kids 15, rams 6, total 425

hogs - sows 14, shoats 11, barrows 8, boars 1, pigs 50, total 84

poultry - turkeys 35, fowls 75, ducks 20, geese 15

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Increased in September:

neat cattle - bullocks 19, cows 9, heifers 17, steers 0, yearlings 6, calves 6, bulls 0, total 66

sheep - ewes 1, wethers 0, lambs 14, rams 2, total 17

goats - ewes 0, wethers 0, kids 0, rams 0, total 0

hogs - sows 0, shoats 9, barrows 11, boars 0, pigs 0, total 20

poultry - turkeys 0, fowls 30, ducks 0, geese 10

horses - horses 0, mares 0, total 0

Killed in September:

neat cattle - bullocks 70, cows 116, heifers 43, steers 19, yearlings 40, calves 92, bulls 4, total 384

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 35, lambs 28, rams 3, total 112

goats - ewes 301, wethers 103, kids 15, rams 6, total 425

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 19, boars 1, pigs 50, total 104

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 105, ducks 20, geese 26

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

of which killed: sheep - wethers 9, rams 9; goats - ewes 3; hogs - barrows 3; poultry - fowls 10

Dead in September:

neat cattle - bullocks 70, cows 116, heifers 43, steers 19, yearlings 40, calves 92, bulls 4, total 384

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 26, lambs 28, rams 3, total 103

goats - ewes 293, wethers 103, kids 15, rams 6, total 422

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 16, boars 1, pigs 50, total 101

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 95, ducks 20, geese 26

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

of which dead: neat cattle - cows 1; goats - ewes 12, rams 1; hogs - barrows 1

Cut and grown in September:

neat cattle - bullocks 70, cows 115, heifers 43, steers 19, yearlings 40, calves 92, bulls 4, total 383

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 26, lambs 28, rams 3, total 103

goats - ewes 286, wethers 103, kids 15, rams 5, total 409

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 16, boars 1, pigs 49, total 100

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 95, ducks 20, geese 26

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

of which cut and grown: neat cattle - cows 9, heifers 1, yearlings 40, total 60; sheep - lambs 17, rams 17; hogs - pigs 20, total 20

Remaining 30 September:

neat cattle - bullocks 70, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 52, bulls 4, total 333

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 26, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 286, wethers 103, kids 15, rams 5, total 409

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 16, boars 1, pigs 29, total 80

poultry - turkeys 35, fowls 95, ducks 20, geese 26

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 22,300 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 10,026 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 4,200 lb

Total yams, 36,526 lb

Interpretations

The account carries the standing movements of opening number, increase and loss, but September adds two lines absent from most months, one for animals killed and dead and one headed cut and grown, which record the reclassification of stock between categories. Cutting refers to castration and to animals moving up an age class, so a lamb became a wether, a yearling passed into the mature herd, and a young pig grew into the count of pigs. These are not gains or losses of stock but shifts within it, which is why the running totals move without any beast entering or leaving the establishment. The bookkeeping is careful because each class carried a different value and purpose, breeding, growing or fattening, and the audit had to show exactly what the Company held under each head at the year's close.

The neat cattle herd swelled by sixty-six through breeding and reclassification, yet closed at 333, only four above its opening figure, because a large body of calves and yearlings was cut and regraded rather than added as new stock. No beast was sold to shipping, the same feature that marked August, and it fits the empty road through the southern winter with no Indiaman to victual. The steady multiplication of cattle without any outlet was the direct result of a year in which the homeward fleet had sailed in June and nothing had returned.

The goat herd, held frozen at 425 through the previous month, at last began to move. Twelve ewes and a ram died and three ewes were killed, dropping the count to 409. This is the first visible mark of the destruction resolved on 20 January 1730, which was set to begin on 1 September, the very start of this account. The herd that had stood untouched all winter now started its decline, though the reduction was gradual and feral goats survived on St Helena long after the Company's cull.

The yam issue rose to 36,526 lb, a little above August, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood. The figure remained modest against the summer peaks because September still fell within the southern winter, the new crop not yet lifted and the old stock being drawn down between harvests. This continued dependence on the yam as the staple that carried a garrison and a slave establishment of over two hundred through the lean season set the island apart from England, where the root crops filling the same role were still regarded as a marginal food in 1730.

408

383

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Guse

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 Octr 1729

Bullocks 80, Cowes 93, Heifers 20, Steers 17, Yearlings 46, Calves 33, Bulls 4, Totall 293, Ewes 88, Withers 32, Lambs 24, Rams 3, Totall 147, Ewes 313, Withers 121, Kids 166, Rams 6, Totall 606, Sowes 18, Shoates 32, Barrows 30, Boars 6, Pigs 42, Totall 127, Turkeys 71, Fowles 73, Ducks 11, Guse 14, Horses 6, Mares 4, Totall 10

Encreased 1 Octr to 30 Sepr 1730

Bullocks 36, Cowes 26, Heifers 26, Steers 2, Yearlings 5, Calves 94, Bulls 0, Totall 189, Ewes 4, Withers 14, Lambs 14, Rams 2, Totall 34, Ewes 47, Withers 30, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 77, Sowes 0, Shoates 9, Barrows 11, Boars 0, Pigs 37, Totall 57, Turkeys 9, Fowles 93, Ducks 26, Guse 13, Horses 1, Mares 0, Totall 1

Bullocks 116, Cowes 119, Heifers 46, Steers 19, Yearlings 51, Calves 127, Bulls 4, Totall 482, Ewes 92, Withers 46, Lambs 38, Rams 5, Totall 181, Ewes 360, Withers 151, Kids 166, Rams 6, Totall 673, Sowes 18, Shoates 41, Barrows 41, Boars 6, Pigs 79, Totall 184, Turkeys 80, Fowles 166, Ducks 36, Guse 27, Horses 7, Mares 4, Totall 11

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 5, Cowes 0, Heifers 3, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 8, Ewes 27, Withers 15, Lambs 1, Rams 1, Totall 44, Ewes 43, Withers 30, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 73, Sowes 4, Shoates 21, Barrows 25, Boars 4, Pigs 9, Totall 66, Turkeys 39, Fowles 64, Ducks 6, Guse 2, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 111, Cowes 119, Heifers 43, Steers 19, Yearlings 51, Calves 127, Bulls 4, Totall 474, Ewes 65, Withers 31, Lambs 37, Rams 4, Totall 137, Ewes 317, Withers 121, Kids 166, Rams 6, Totall 600, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 16, Boars 1, Pigs 77, Totall 128, Turkeys 41, Fowles 102, Ducks 30, Guse 25, Horses 7, Mares 4, Totall 11

Sold in ditto

Bullocks 41, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 41, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 1, Mares 0, Totall 1

Bullocks 70, Cowes 119, Heifers 43, Steers 19, Yearlings 51, Calves 127, Bulls 4, Totall 433, Ewes 65, Withers 31, Lambs 37, Rams 4, Totall 137, Ewes 317, Withers 121, Kids 166, Rams 6, Totall 600, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 16, Boars 1, Pigs 77, Totall 128, Turkeys 41, Fowles 102, Ducks 30, Guse 25, Horses 6, Mares 4, Totall 10

Cattle Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 9, Heifers 1, Steers 10, Yearlings 76, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 95, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 20, Rams 0, Totall 20, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 77, Rams 0, Totall 77, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 20, Totall 20, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 70, Cowes 119, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 41, Calves 52, Bulls 4, Totall 338, Ewes 65, Withers 31, Lambs 17, Rams 4, Totall 117, Ewes 317, Withers 121, Kids 79, Rams 6, Totall 523, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 16, Boars 1, Pigs 57, Totall 108, Turkeys 41, Fowles 102, Ducks 30, Guse 25, Horses 6, Mares 4, Totall 10

Stole in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 4, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 1, Totall 5, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 70, Cowes 119, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 41, Calves 52, Bulls 4, Totall 338, Ewes 61, Withers 31, Lambs 17, Rams 3, Totall 112, Ewes 317, Withers 121, Kids 79, Rams 6, Totall 523, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 16, Boars 1, Pigs 57, Totall 108, Turkeys 41, Fowles 102, Ducks 30, Guse 25, Horses 6, Mares 4, Totall 10

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 4, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 1, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 5, Ewes 16, Withers 5, Lambs 6, Rams 0, Totall 26, Ewes 31, Withers 18, Kids 64, Rams 1, Totall 114, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 28, Totall 28, Turkeys 6, Fowles 7, Ducks 10, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 1, Totall 1

Remains 30 Sepr 1730

Bullocks 70, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 52, Bulls 4, Totall 333, Ewes 46, Withers 26, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 286, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 5, Totall 409, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 16, Boars 1, Pigs 29, Totall 80, Turkeys 35, Fowles 96, Ducks 20, Guse 26, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevle Plantations 124300 tt

Ditto delivered the Fort Blacks 49076

Ditto dld the Great Wood ditto 22700

Totall Yam 196076 tt

Potatoes from the Great Wood Plantacon dld

the Honble Compy Blacks

896 Bushells

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock across the whole year, from 1 October 1729 to 30 September 1730, set out by class of animal.

Remaining 1 October 1729:

neat cattle - bullocks 80, cows 93, heifers 20, steers 17, yearlings 46, calves 33, bulls 4, total 293

sheep - ewes 88, wethers 32, lambs 24, rams 3, total 147

goats - ewes 313, wethers 121, kids 166, rams 6, total 646

hogs - sows 18, shoats 32, barrows 30, boars 6, pigs 42, total 127

poultry - turkeys 71, fowls 73, ducks 11, geese 14

horses - horses 6, mares 4, total 10

Increased from 1 October 1729 to 30 September 1730:

neat cattle - bullocks 36, cows 26, heifers 26, steers 2, yearlings 5, calves 94, bulls 0, total 189

sheep - ewes 4, wethers 14, lambs 14, rams 2, total 34

goats - ewes 47, wethers 30, kids 0, rams 0, total 77

hogs - sows 0, shoats 9, barrows 11, boars 0, pigs 37, total 57

poultry - turkeys 9, fowls 93, ducks 26, geese 13

horses - horses 1, mares 0, total 1

new totals: neat cattle 116, 119, 46, 19, 51, 127, 4, 482; sheep 92, 46, 38, 5, 181; goats 360, 151, 166, 6, 673; hogs 18, 41, 41, 6, 79, 184; poultry 80, 166, 36, 27; horses 7, 4, 11

Killed in the year:

neat cattle - bullocks 5, heifers 3, total 8

sheep - ewes 27, wethers 15, lambs 1, rams 1, total 44

goats - ewes 43, wethers 30, total 73

hogs - shoats 21, barrows 25, boars 4, pigs 9, total 66

poultry - turkeys 39, fowls 64, ducks 6, geese 2

new totals: neat cattle 111, 119, 43, 19, 51, 127, 4, 474; sheep 65, 31, 37, 4, 137; goats 317, 121, 166, 6, 600; hogs 14, 20, 16, 1, 77; poultry 128, 41, 102, 30, 25; horses 6, 4, 10 (of which horses 1, mares 1)

Sold in the year:

neat cattle - bullocks 41, total 41

new totals: neat cattle 70, 119, 43, 19, 51, 127, 4, 433; sheep 65, 31, 37, 4, 137; goats 317, 121, 166, 6, 600; hogs 14, 20, 16, 1, 77; poultry 128, 41, 102, 30, 25; horses 6, 4, 10

Cattle cut and grown in the year:

neat cattle - cows 9, heifers 1, yearlings 10, calves 76, total 95

sheep - lambs 20, total 20

goats - wethers 77, total 77

hogs - pigs 20, total 20

new totals: neat cattle 70, 119, 34, 18, 41, 52, 4, 338; sheep 65, 31, 17, 4, 117; goats 317, 121, 79, 6, 523; hogs 14, 20, 16, 1, 57, 108; poultry 41, 102, 30, 25

Stole in the year:

sheep - wethers 4, total 4

goats - rams 1, total 5

new totals: neat cattle 70, 119, 34, 18, 41, 52, 4, 338; sheep 61, 31, 17, 3, 112; goats 317, 121, 79, 6, 523; hogs 14, 20, 16, 1, 57, 108; poultry 41, 102, 30, 25

Dead in the year:

neat cattle - cows 4, steers 1, total 5

sheep - ewes 16, wethers 5, lambs 6, total 26

goats - ewes 31, wethers 18, kids 64, rams 1, total 114

poultry - turkeys 28, fowls 6, ducks 7, geese 10

horses - mares 1, total 1

new totals: neat cattle 70, 115, 34, 18, 40, 52, 4, 333; sheep 46, 26, 11, 3, 86; goats 286, 103, 15, 5, 409; hogs 14, 20, 16, 1, 29, 80; poultry 35, 96, 20, 26; horses 6, 3, 9

Remaining 30 September 1730:

neat cattle - bullocks 70, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 52, bulls 4, total 333

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 26, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 286, wethers 103, kids 15, rams 5, total 409

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 16, boars 1, pigs 29, total 80

poultry - turkeys 35, fowls 96, ducks 20, geese 26

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 124,300 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 49,076 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 22,700 lb

Total yams, 196,076 lb

Potatoes from the Great Wood plantation delivered to the Honourable Company's slaves, 896 bushels

Interpretations

The account is the annual livestock summary, gathering the whole year's movement from 1 October 1729 to 30 September 1730 into a single reckoning against the close of the Company's financial year. Its structure differs from the monthly tables by running a full sequence of increase, killing, sale, reclassification, theft and death, each applied in turn so the closing figure can be read against the opening one and every change accounted for. The heavy breeding line, 189 head of cattle bred across the year, shows a herd multiplying strongly, yet the year closed at 333 against an opening 293, a gain of only forty, because forty-one bullocks were sold to shipping and a large body of stock was regraded between age classes rather than added as new animals.

The sale figure fixes the year's trade with the anchorage. Just forty-one bullocks were sold across twelve months, all to the fleets that called between the spring and the departure of the homeward Indiamen in June 1730, after which no vessel touched the island and no beast left the pasture. This is a thin year of sales against the busier seasons of the run, and it reflects the long silence in the road through the southern winter, when the cattle simply accumulated for want of buyers.

The goat herd tells the year's most consequential story. It opened at 646 and closed at 409, a fall of well over a third, driven by seventy-three killed, seventy-seven wethers cut, and a heavy death toll of 114 that fell most severely on the kids, sixty-four of them dead. The decline gathered through the year and then met the resolution of 20 January 1730 to destroy every goat and sheep on the island, the killing set to begin on 1 September. The account thus captures both natural loss and the first bite of a deliberate cull, though the herd was far from cleared and feral goats survived on St Helena long after this period.

The yam and potato figures measure the feeding of the slave establishment across the whole year. The total yam issue of 196,076 lb, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood, sits well above the previous year's run and reflects a growing establishment fed almost wholly on the island's own root crops. The 896 bushels of potatoes drawn from the Great Wood plantation filled the gap the yams left between harvests, the same substitution the ledger had recorded in earlier lean months. This dependence on yams and potatoes to carry a garrison and a slave population of over two hundred set St Helena apart from England, where the potato in 1730 was still established only in the north and the west and viewed with suspicion across most of the south.

409

384

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered from 1 to 30 Sepr 1730 Dr

9 ½ Galln Arrack

3 1 9

4 lb Sugar

11 6

20 lb Candy

1 6

3 8 lb Wax

3 18 3

64 lb Flour

16

15 doz Corks

5 6

1 Chest Lock

5 6

4 ditto

4 6

2 ditto

4 6

7 Shoo Bruels

1 4 6

2 Splinter Locks

2 8

1 Stock Lock

4

1 P Plumbacles

10

4 Slave

12

3 ditto

10 6

1 Trowell

2 6

18 ½ lb Sirnsting

4 9

41 Junet Saw

2 9

6 Broad ditto

2 6

4 Chains Silk Chair

2

26 ditto Mohair

6 6

12 doz Coat Buttons

14

1 ½ doz Small

11 1½

11 ½ lb Ribbon

5 6

4 lb Divs

5 6

5 ½ Brown Bread Worked

17 6

34 ditto

3 4

14 ditto

4

9 oz Divs

9 11

4 lb Coloured

10

6 Yards Yarking

1 10½

12 Needles

9½

6 ½ oz Ulna Silk

8 6½

4 P Broad White Tape

3 6

1 Pr Diaper

2 6

2 Pr Coloured

3 8

5 knap Buckles

1

1 Shoe ditto

4

6 Ivory Combs

8 6

1 doz Indigo

6

4 lb Vitgel

1 6

1 Print Samblack

6

2 P Skilla

6 9

4 P Chints

1 10

26 Yd ditto damaged

9 4½

2 Shirts

6 6

1 ½ P Durois

2 12 6

4 Yds Superfin Broad Cloth

6 18 6

4 lb Soap

4 8

2 ½ P Cushion

9 2

26 Yd Shalloon

4 6

9 Wineskins

4 3

13 Cuppes

8

1 Bowls & Tea Pott

3

4 Small Blankets

4 6

1 Knitting

1 3

1 Cangol

7 6

1 Amas Quier

11 3

3 lb Shot Grase & 3 Twine

4 2

14 lb Tacks

14

5 lb 3 Nailes

10

17 4

3 6

17 6

17

6 10

18 4

7 30

4

4 4½

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered from 1 to 30 September 1730.

9.5 gallons of arrack, £3 1s 9d

40 lb of sugar, £0 11s 6d

20 lb of candy, £0 1s 0d

316 lb of flour, £3 18s 3d

64 lb of flour, £0 16s 0d

15 dozen corks, £0 5s 6d

1 chest lock, £0 5s 6d

4 ditto, £0 4s 6d

2 ditto, £0 4s 6d

7 shod shovels, £1 4s 6d

2 spring locks, £0 2s 8d

1 stock lock, £0 0s 4d

1 pair of pantiles, £0 0s 10d

4 laces, £0 12s 0d

3 ditto, £0 10s 6d

1 trowel, £0 2s 6d

19.5 yards of everlasting, £0 4s 9d

41 tunnel laces, £0 2s 9d

6 thread ditto, £0 2s 6d

4 skeins of silk and hair, £0 0s 2d

26 ditto mohair, £0 6s 6d

12 dozen coat buttons, £0 1s 4d

1.5 dozen breast [...], £0 11s 1.5d

11.5 yards of ribbon, £0 6s 6d

4 oz of twine, £0 17s 6d

5.5 brown thread worsted, £0 3s 4d

4 ditto, £0 4s 0d

14 ditto, £0 9s 11d

9 oz of thread, £0 10s 0d

4 lb of camlet, £0 1s 10.5d

6 yards of garting, £0 4s 9d

120 needles, £0 8s 4.5d

6.5 oz of China silk, £0 3s 5d

4 pieces of broad white tape, £0 2s 6d

1 pair of diaper, £0 3s 8d

2 pair coloured, £0 1s 0d

5 stay hooks, £0 8s 4d

2 shod ditto, £0 6s 6d

6 ivory combs, £0 1s 6d

1 oz of indigo, £0 6s 6d

4 lb of hemp, £0 2s 0d

1 barrel of lampblack, £0 6s 9d

2 pair muslin, £0 1s 10d

4 pair chintz, £0 9s 5.5d

26 yards ditto damaged, £0 6s 6d

2 shirts, £0 8s 0d

1.5 yards of duroy, £0 2s 12d

14 yards of superfine broad cloth, £6 12s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 4s 8d

2.5 yards of fustian, £0 9s 9d

26 yards of shalloon, £0 4s 6d

9 mattocks, £0 6s 6d

13 gingham, £0 3s 0d

1 bowl and tea pot, £0 4s 6d

4 small blankets, £0 3s 0d

1 knitting, £1 3s 0d

1 langil, £0 7s 6d

1 sauce pan, £0 11s 3d

3 oz of shoe thread and 3 oz of twine, £0 4s 2d

14 oz of tacks, £0 14s 0d

5 oz of nails, £0 10s 0d

17 nails, £0 3s 6d

17 nails, £0 17s 0d

6 nails, £0 18s 4d

7 nails, £0 4s 4d

carried over, £0 4s 4.5d

Interpretations

The account records the warehouse's retail sales to the inhabitants across September, mixing dress fabrics, haberdashery, tools and household goods, and is the first leaf of a longer reckoning carried forward at the foot. Several of the fabrics and small wares need explanation. Everlasting was a durable worsted used for hard-wearing clothing. Camlet was a plain wool or wool-and-silk cloth valued for shedding rain, shalloon a light twill for coat linings, fustian a stout cotton-linen mix, and duroy a coarse woollen. The superfine broad cloth at over six pounds was the single most valuable line in the account, a fine dense felted wool reserved for the best coat, and its cost marks it as the buy of a substantial inhabitant rather than everyday wear. Gingham was a checked or striped cotton, chintz a printed and glazed Indian cotton, and diaper a lighter figured linen for table use.

The haberdashery fills out the picture of an island making and mending its own clothing. Coat buttons, ribbon, mohair, silk and hair skeins, garting, breast wares, stay hooks and thread of several grades were the materials of the needle, bought by the piece and the ounce so that garments could be made up and repaired at home. Indigo and lampblack supplied dye and blacking, and ivory combs and muslin met personal wants. The pattern is consistent across the run: the inhabitants imported the finished cloth and the trimmings and did the tailoring themselves, drawing both from the same Company store.

The tools and ironware point to plantation and household maintenance. Shod shovels and mattocks were iron-edged for digging in the island's stony ground, while chest locks, spring locks, a stock lock, a sauce pan, a tea pot and a knitting frame met domestic and workshop needs. The pantiles were roofing tiles, and the run of nails and tacks sold by the ounce served building and repair. This September counter, opening with only modest sums, sits at the quiet end of the year's retail trade, matching the empty anchorage after the June fleet had sailed, when the inhabitants had little to sell and less cash to lay out at the warehouse.

410

385

Brought over 77 8 11½

8 doz Blacks

6 2

9 Sines

8

10 Yard Divon

9

1 Ban 18 P

7 6

20 lb 4 P Lead

5 6

6 Pforlor Spoons 4 Disk

10 6

3 Yds Slannee

7

28 Yd Brotloft Linen

3 12 6

1 Straining Disk

8 3

6 P Sniper

8 3

3 Tortoise Ombnives

3 9

2 Slate Mem

2 2 11

1 Bowl & 1 St Coffee Pot

1

1 Pepper Box

17 6

3 P Wom In Shoes

2 6

1 P Boys Stockings

4 6

1 Pr Womans ditto

2 19

2 Plain Soldiers Coates

4 6

14 lb Rosin

10 6

9 Yards Vitrry

77 8 11½

Honble Compa Blacks Dr

On Accot of Clothing Vizt

260 Yds Cordy

2 5 6

11 P Small Chints being the Wricks Goods

from the Cape Vint just for Cloathings

4 8 6

2 P Coloured Cap

4 3

5 P Long Cloth

9

9 P Cold Bread

9 3

100 C Feedris

1 0

4 Thimbles

8

8 Whited Brown Thread

18

4 Yds Bax Shalloon

8

4 26 P Divs

3 1 7

Plantation Dr 4 ½ Galln Linsee oyle

3 6 10½

18 lb 20 C Nails

1 8 10½

100 Rosin

18

4 lb Bricks

1 10

11

3 11 9½

Garrison Dr

Medicines Expended in one Year

100

4 ½ Galln Cape oyl

1 7

39 ditto being the Allowance to Councis from Year

11 14

9 Bottles oyl

11

113 12

Charges Generall Dr

Stationaryware Expended in one Year

40

6 P 4 Sifes ditto

4 19

2 Booke Slue 96 ditto

3

8 2 27 Batson Sciss Divs ditto

9 16 2½

20 4 ditto Dram ditto

20

2 2 ditto ditto

26

31 19 P Spar ditto

6 4

69 36 P ditto & 52 Cifers ditto

6 12 9

20 Vditto & 52 Cifers ditto

13 6

60 Poinatles Pin Saths ditto

4

6 Weinfot Boards ditto

1 2 6

6 lb Nars ditto

6 6

4 52 P Divs ditto

3 7 10

138 13 3½

Diet Expences Dr

47 Galln Arrack

14 17 8

1 Ryol Vinegar

2 6

54 lb Broafe

13 6

147 lb Flour

1 16 9

17 10 5

The following account continues the store goods sold and delivered during September 1730, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £0 [...]s [...]d

8 dozen blacks, £0 6s 2d

9 lines, £0 0s 8d

9 yards of durance, £0 0s 9d

1 pair 18 yards, £0 7s 0d

20 lb of sad lead, £0 5s 6d

6 pewter spoons and dish, £0 0s 5d

3 yards of flannel, £0 10s 6d

28 yards of British linen, £3 12s 6d

1 straining dish, £0 0s 6d

6 dozen soap, £0 8s 3d

3 tortoise shell combs and knives, £0 3s 9d

2 slate men, £0 2s 0d

1 bowl and 1 stone coffee pot, £0 2s 11d

1 pepper box, £0 1s 0d

3 pair men's shoes, £0 17s 6d

1 pair boys' stockings, £0 2s 6d

1 pair women's ditto, £0 4s 6d

2 plain soldiers' coats, £2 19s 6d

14 lb of rosin, £0 4s 6d

9 yards of vitry, £0 10s 6d

total, £77 8s 11.5d

The following goods were delivered to the Honourable Company's slaves on account of clothing.

250 yards of cadiz, £15 8s 6d

11 small blankets, being for night gowns for the slaves, and 6 caps and jackets for the fishermen, £4 8s 6d

2 pair coloured tape, £0 0s 4.5d

5 pair long cloth, £0 0s 3d

9 pair coarse thread, £0 9s 3d

100 needles, £0 1s 0d

4 thimbles, £0 0s 8d

3 whited brown thread, £0 0s 18d

4 yards of brown shalloon, £0 0s 8d

total, £34 1s 7d

total for the Company's slaves, £3 6s 10.5d

The following goods were charged to the plantation account.

6.5 gallons of train oil, £1 8s 0d

18 lb of sad nails, £0 12s 0.5d

100 lb of rosin, £1 10s 0d

4 mattocks, £0 0s 11d

total plantation, £3 11s 9.5d

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

medicines expended in one year, £100 0s 0d

4.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

39 gallons ditto, being the allowance to the Company for one year, £11 14s 0d

2 bottles of oil, £0 0s 11d

total garrison, £113 12s 0d

The following goods were charged to the general charges account.

stationery ware expended in one year, £40 0s 0d

6 [...] ditto, £4 19s 0d

2 boxes stone ware ditto, £3 0s 0d

8.5 yards of Osnaburg diaper ditto, £9 15s 2.5d

20 sad irons ditto, £20 0s 0d

2 dozen 1 ditto dram ditto, £26 0s 0d

32 pounds 19 yards spar ditto, £6 4s 0d

69 yards ditto and 52 ditto ditto, £6 12s 9d

20 ditto and 52 ditto ditto, £13 6s 0d

6 dozen bundles thin laths ditto, £4 0s 0d

6 whimsit boards ditto, £0 2s 6d

6 lb of nails ditto, £0 6s 6d

452 pieces ditto, £3 7s 10d

total general charges, £138 12s 3.5d

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account.

47 gallons of arrack, £14 17s 8d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

56 lb of bread, £0 13s 6d

54 lb of flour, £1 16s 9d

147 lb of flour, £17 10s 5d

Interpretations

The account closes the retail leaf and then divides the month's remaining issues into the Company's own charges, the standard four heads of the slaves, the plantation, the garrison and the general charges of the island. The retail total carried down was £77 8s 11.5d. Several of the closing fabrics repeat the pattern of an island clothing itself from the store. British linen, flannel, durance and vitry, a coarse linen from Vitré in Brittany, were bought by the yard for making up garments, while the two plain soldiers' coats again dressed the garrison. The sad lead and sad irons take their name not from any sorrow but from an old sense of the word meaning heavy and solid, sad irons being the flat smoothing irons of the household.

The slaves' clothing charge is the heart of the account and marks the seasonal turn. This was the annual delivery of cloth to make up the slaves' winter clothing, issued in late September so the garments could be sewn before the cold of the southern winter set in. Cadiz was a coarse woollen named for the Spanish port, here 250 yards of it, and the small blankets were cut up for night gowns while caps and jackets were made for the fishermen who fed the establishment. This yearly outfitting of the slaves recurs in every September and October account in the run, always timed to the approach of the island's coldest months, which fall in the middle of the year rather than at its end.

The garrison charge carries the year's whole medical bill, £100 0s 0d of medicines expended, together with the yearly allowance of rape oil, an oilseed oil used for lamps and for greasing ironwork. The general charges gather the building and workshop stores of the settlement, stationery, stone ware, sad irons, spars, laths, boards and nails, most entered as the annual expenditure rather than a single month's use, since this was the year-end account at which the twelve-month charges were struck. The diet expenses, opening with arrack, bread and flour, carry the drink and provisions of the fort table into the next leaf, the arrack again the largest single line and its 47 gallons matching the quiet anchorage of the closing winter month.

411

386

Brought over 17 10 5

14 Galln Port

5 3 6

12 lb Wax Candles

1 4

2 Brushells Salt

9

118 Galln Strong Beer

3 10

15 ditto Small

18

126 Sugar

6

4 lb Pepper

1

Totall

32 5

402 16 4¾

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 13th Octr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of John Yeulong was presented & each Setting forth that in order

to raise Wast the Necessity of which is Earlynows Suofibly felt he was Espirous to

become Tenant for a Parcell of Wast Land containing about Six or Eight Acres in

Deep Valley just of a Rocks & James & the East neither as poor Widows that is

has Uffable to improve it to any advantage & that nothing could Tempt the Petr

but the want of Sure to him it Petr Sugable left of a Leaf, & becomes & chargeable

Petr of Labour inhaving it, which also thakful he was willing to do provided the

Land was let to him for a Wast in proportion to the So dyff of it, which is much more

than any that has been hired for the like purpose Join this &c the So dyff & Petsy is willing the

1 first Mr Goodwin who has often been on the Said Land & knows every Sord & of

Affirming that it is really as bad as Represented & of no Use to the Said Parry

or Sofuse to the Neighbourhood We as an Encouragement to think to follow this

good Example have Agreed to Let him the Said Same at the Rate of One Shilling

P Six Pence P Acre & Order a Leafe to be prepared accordingly & are herein Also

Capt Goodwin Petitioned for again to Assign Some Acres of Wast Land lying in

SSumal Valley to Gills Smith & Gills Smith Petitioned for Each to Assign Some

Acres of Wast Land to Sarnfser Drayton & the Said Petitions were Sofibl Granted

accordingly

The Said Smith also Petitioned for Leave to hire an or two Acres of Wast Land

lying in the Said Sumar Valley for the better Accommodation of himfelf & his Family

& the Said Parcell of Land was Granted him & a Leafe accordingly Ordered to be

prepared as Soon as the Sameter Measured

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

The following goods continue the diet expenses account for September 1730, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £17 10s 5d

14 gallons of port, £5 8s 6d

12 lb of wax candles, £1 4s 0d

2 bushels of salt, £0 9s 0d

48 gallons of strong beer, £2 10s 0d

15 gallons of small beer, £0 18s 0d

126 lb of sugar, £3 6s 0d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

total diet expenses, £32 0s 5d

grand total, £402 16s 4.5d

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 13 October 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

John Thwaites petitioned the council, setting out that in order to raise wood on the parcel he held, he asked to become tenant of about six or eight acres of waste in Deep Valley, next to a parcel of James Vaughan's. He explained that he was so poor and so much in want of help that nothing could come of the work unless he had the use of a slave, and that a slave was hard to obtain and expensive to hire. He asked that a slave be provided to him, or that a parcel of waste be let to him in proportion to the value of the plot, since the land would be worth more so held than if hired for the same purpose. Mr Goodwin, who had often viewed the land, told the council that it was really as Thwaites represented, of no use to the Company, and rather a burden to its neighbours. Willing to encourage the good example Thwaites gave, the council let him have the parcel at the rate of one shilling, and ordered the matter registered accordingly.

Captain Goodwin petitioned to assign some acres of forage land lying in Lemon Valley to Giles Smith. Giles Smith petitioned for leave to assign some acres of forage land to Samuel Doveton. The council granted both petitions and ordered them registered accordingly.

Giles Smith also petitioned for leave to hire one or two slaves of waste land lying in the plot near Lemon Valley, for the better accommodation of holding the family on the parcels of land already granted him by lease. The council ordered a lease prepared as soon as the parcels were surveyed. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The diet expenses close the storekeeper's year-end reckoning at a grand total of £402 16s 4.5d, the heaviest monthly figure of the run because it carried the whole year's charges struck together at the close of the Company's financial year on 30 September. The provisions themselves, port, strong and small beer, sugar, salt and pepper for the fort table, were ordinary and modest, arrack having already carried the weight of the drink account on the previous leaf.

The Thwaites petition continues the council's one constructive answer to the island's wood crisis. Thwaites had earlier been granted five acres of waste at a nominal rent solely to raise wood, and the council held him up as an example it wished others to follow. Here it repeated the device, letting him a further six or eight acres at a token shilling because the ground was worthless to the Company and a nuisance to its neighbours, and because Thwaites alone among the inhabitants took the planting of wood seriously. His plea for a slave exposes the root of the whole failure of the wood policy: planting and fencing needed labour, and a poor tenant without slaves could not carry the work however willing, which is why the council's threats of fines had achieved so little across four years.

The forage-land assignments show the constant reshuffling of leasehold among the inhabitants that the consultation book existed to record. Registration gave a private conveyance public force, protecting each holder's title on an island almost without other legal records and giving the council a running register of who held what. The requirement that Giles Smith's fresh lease wait upon a survey reflects the standing practice of measuring ground before granting it, so that rent and planting duties could be fixed to the true acreage rather than the tenant's own estimate.

412

387

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 20th Octr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of James Harding was Presented & read praying leave to Assign two

Acres of Wast Land to John Yeuling for the Remainder of his Term to come in the Said

Leaf

Appointed & the Said Yeuling is Ampted Tenant accordingly

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 27th Octr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governmes Reports that one of the Hon ble Compa Black Wenches named Alia belonging

to Plantation House, was delivered of a very last Week named Lucas, & that the Wife

their Girles Entred to appear Ped at the Same time

Orderd that they be Entred in the Journal

The Petition of Isaac Wood & John Deformation was presented & read praying

to become joynt Tenants for about two or four Acres of Wast Land Appearing to

other of their Lands under the Bram ridge

The Petition of James & Turrel Whaley was also presented & read

praying to become joynt Tenants for about two Acres lying near their Stone

Land

And the Said Petitions were both Granted and Mr Goodwin desired to

Measure the Same accordingly

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Tuesday 20 October 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

James Harding petitioned the council for leave to assign two acres of leasehold land to John Durling for the remainder of the term. The council granted the request and admitted Durling as tenant accordingly. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 27 October 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that one of the Company's slave women at Plantation House, named Ann, belonging to the Company, had given birth to a boy named Lucas, and that they were both well at the time. The council ordered the child entered on the books.

James Vaughan and John Defountaine petitioned the council to become joint tenants of about three or four acres of waste land adjoining other parcels held by them near the main ridge. James Harding petitioned to become a joint tenant of about two acres lying near the main ridge. The council granted both petitions and ordered Mr Goodwin to measure the ground accordingly. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The two birth entries and the land petitions turn on mechanisms already settled in the record. The child born to the slave woman Ann became Company property from birth, entered on the books at a valuation and joining the establishment mustered and revalued each year, so the report of a healthy delivery was at once the recording of an asset gained. The Governor's note that mother and child were both well was not sentiment but bookkeeping, since the survival of the infant fixed it as a durable entry on the stock.

The land grants show the routine machinery of leasehold on the island. An assignment let a sitting tenant pass his remaining term to another, subject always to the council's approval and admission of the new holder, which kept control of Company land in the council's hands while allowing the inhabitants to trade their interests. Fresh grants of waste were made conditional on a survey, Mr Goodwin being sent to measure before any lease was drawn, so that rent and the standing duty to plant wood could be fixed to the true acreage rather than the applicant's estimate. This insistence on measurement before grant was the same caution the council applied throughout, protecting the Company's revenue against the loose reckoning of ground on a island where every acre carried a planting obligation.

413

388

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 3d Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was ceah & Approved

Wee this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journal 2 folio 27 & 29

The Governmes Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly Accots for

October last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered from 1 to 31 Octr Vizt

13 ½ Galln Arrack &

4 6 3½

3 lb Sugar

7 18 6

4 lb Candy

11 6

8 8 24 lb Bread

3

1 1 8 lb Flour

19 13 6

7 Shirts

17 6

4 P Chilla

7 17 6

7 P Chints damage

2 18 6

20 Yd ditto

6 9

6 P Coloured Bread

19 6

3 ditto

18

6 lb Whited brown

9 9

40 oz Divs

2 10

10 Brushan Corks

4 6

4 Chamber Potts

1 4

12 Slates

1 2

3 Dishes

16 9

2 Basons

2 3

6 Spoons

2 3

12 Yards Ushing

3 9

1 Pimpford Saf

13

34 Soopt Corks

6 3 11

11 Plain

14 16

1 Salt Mate

13 6

3 Serjeants Coates

20 3 6

2 Comgnots

8 6

2 ditto Cappe

2 6

2 Regimentaie Hatts

6 4 3

Totall Goods Sold

107 14 3½

Plantation Dr

3 Garden Spades

2 14

3 large Watring Potts

3 17

50 lb White Soap

1 6

40 lb Lath Nails

2 12 4

1 P Shot Bread

3 6

4 ½ Galln Linsee oyle

1 9 9

3 Galln Soap

18

11 18 7

Charges Generall Dr

4 P Divs for Slag & Poultry

3

40 P Big Red

11 4

4 P Green Yarn

14

6 Coopers Rivets

4 6

9 White Wash Brushes

1 2

2 Paint ditto

10

6 Shoo Knives

6 6

6 lb Soap

6 6

2 large Iron Potts & Catigan

2 14 1½

3 Punchams Whiting

3 10

11 8 6½

Garrison

4 ½ Galln Cape oyl

1 7

80 Grenadier Cappe

27

0

28 7

221 8 3

At a consultation held on Tuesday 3 November 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day met and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 27 and 29. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for October last, each of which was examined and approved, and stood as follows.

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered from 1 to 31 October 1730.

13.5 gallons of arrack, £4 6s 3.5d

316 lb of sugar, £0 7s 18d

4.5 lb of candy, £0 11s 6d

8.5 lb of bread, £0 21s 0d

1 lb 8 oz of flour, £12 13s 6d

7 shirts, £0 17s 6d

11 pair of chelloes, £7 17s 6d

7 pair of chintz damaged, £2 13s 6d

20 yards of ditto, £0 6s 9d

6 pair of coloured thread, £0 19s 6d

6 ditto, £0 0s 18d

6.5 whited brown, £0 9s 9d

4 oz of twine, £0 2s 10d

1 oz of buckram cloth, £0 2s 10d

4 chamber pots, £0 1s 4d

19 slates, £0 1s 4d

3 dishes, £0 16s 9d

2 basons, £0 2s 3d

6 aprons, £0 2s 3d

14 yards of edging, £0 3s 9d

1 pincushion staff, £0 13s 0d

34 sad castors, £0 63s 11d

11 plain, £14 16s 0d

1 salt meat, £0 13s 6d

3 sergeants' castors, £0 20s 3d

2 drum nets, £0 8s 0d

2 ditto caps, £0 2s 6d

9 regimental hats, £0 5s 4d

total goods sold, £169 14s 2.5d

The following goods were charged to the plantation account.

3 garden spades, £0 2s 14d

2 large watering pots, £0 2s 17d

50 lb of white soap, £0 1s 6d

40 lb of lath nails, £0 2s 12d

1 lb of shoe thread, £0 4s 0d

4.5 gallons of train oil, £0 1s 9d

3 gallons of soap, £0 0s 18d

total plantation, £11 18s 7d

The following goods were charged to the general charges account.

4 [...] pieces for flags and poultry, £3 0s 0d

40 lb of red lead, £0 11s 4d

4 lb of green yarn, £0 0s 14d

6 coopers' rivets, £0 4s 6d

2 whitewash brushes, £0 1s 2d

2 paint ditto, £0 2s 10d

6 shoe knives, £0 6s 6d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

2 large iron pots and a caldron, £2 4s 1.5d

3 punctions whiting, £0 3s 10d

total general charges, £11 8s 6.5d

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

4.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

80 grenadier caps, £27 0s 0d

total garrison, £28 7s 0d

grand total, £221 8s 3d

Interpretations

The October account carries the storekeeper's reckoning past the year-end into the new financial year, dividing the month's issues into retail sales and the Company's own charges to the plantation, the general account and the garrison. The retail total of £169 14s 2.5d is markedly higher than the quiet winter months, and the reason lies in the clothing lines that dominate it. The eleven pair of chelloes, plain blue Coromandel cottons that were cheap and hard-wearing, the chintz, the several grades of thread and the run of hats and caps mark the buying that resumed as the season turned and, above all, the outfitting of the garrison from the store.

The military dress is the striking feature of the month. Regimental hats, sergeants' and other castors, drum caps and grenadier caps appear across both the retail and the garrison accounts, and the eighty grenadier caps charged to the garrison at twenty-seven pounds is the single heaviest line on the page. Castors were hats of beaver or rabbit felt, and grenadier caps the tall mitre-shaped headgear of the grenadier companies. This concentrated issue of uniform items points to the re-clothing of the garrison, timed like the slaves' winter clothing to the turn of the year, so the soldiers were fitted out before the harder weather.

The plantation and general charges gather the ordinary maintenance stores of the settlement. Garden spades, watering pots, lath nails and train oil served the plantations, while red lead, whiting, whitewash and paint brushes, cooper's rivets and iron pots met the building, painting and workshop needs of the fort. The bunting-like pieces charged for flags continue the standing upkeep of the signal station that raised the island's alarms. The grand total of £221 8s 3d marks a busier month than the deep-winter accounts that preceded it, consistent with the establishment re-equipping and re-clothing itself as the southern spring came on.

414

389

Brought over 221 8 3

Blacks Dr to Compa Rice

9 7 7

6 Wooden Platters

4 10

2 ditto Bowles

10

48 doz Blacks

9

4 doz Sines

1 7

33 lb Lead for the Sifting Boates for Sinkers

1 6

6 lb Rosin to mend the Boat

7 6

1 lb Shoo thread

7 6

Diet Expences

9 7 7

66 Galln Arrack

20 4 10

3 Bottles Storers oyle

10 6

2 ½ Galln Vinegar

6 3

224 lb Flour

2 16 6

36 lb Bread

4 6

10 Galln Port

3 17 6

13 ditto Sherry

6 12 6

146 Sugar

3 10 3

6 lb Pepper

6

68 Galln Strong Beer

4 13

4 Brushells Salt

18

13 lb Candles

16

16 8 1

Expence of the Table in October 1730 Dr

277 3 11

44 lb Grey

5 11 6

16 Goates

4 16

1 Sheep

1

70 lb Pork

16

10 lb Butter

10

31 Days Greens

1 11

62 Blacks Milk

1

46 ½ Galln Arrack

14 8 2

3 Bottles oyl

10 6

2 ½ Galln Vinegar

6 3

224 lb Flour

2 16 6

36 lb Bread

8 6

10 Galln Port

3 17 6

13 ditto Sherry

6 12 6

117 Sugar

2 15 9

5 Pepper

5

58 Galln Strong Beer

4 7

4 Brushells Salt

18

Expence of the Table in Octr Dr

54 2 0

6 lb Soap

6 6

13 lb Candles

1 6

16 Galln Arrack dld the Guards Smith Coopers Coopers

&c upon Accot of his Majesties Birth Day

5 1 4

35 lb Sugar dld ditto

17 6

7 11 4

Gunners Stores Expended in Octr Dr

1730

1730

Octr 30 Anniversary of the Kings Birth

21 2 2 6 7 3 9 163

Expence of the Guard

7

Cartridge Paper for ditto 1 Quire

21 2 2 6 7 3 9 160

Rammer Heads ditto 2

Tompions 2

Match 14

Byfill

The following goods were delivered to the Company's slaves during October 1730, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £221 8s 3d

6 wooden platters, £0 4s 10d

2 ditto bowls, £0 0s 9d

19 dozen hooks, £0 1s 9d

4 dozen lines, £0 1s 7d

33 lb of lead for the fishing boats for sinkers, £0 1s 15d

6 lb of rosin to mend the boat, £0 1s 6d

1 lb of shoe thread, £0 1s 6d

total, delivered to the slaves, £9 7s 7d

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account.

66 gallons of arrack, £20 4s 10d

3 bottles of Florence oil, £0 16s 6d

2.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 6s 3d

229 lb of flour, £2 16s 6d

36 lb of bread, £0 8s 6d

10 gallons of port, £3 17s 6d

12 gallons of sherry, £3 12s 6d

146 lb of sugar, £3 10s 3d

6 lb of pepper, £0 6s 0d

58 gallons of strong beer, £4 7s 0d

4 bushels of salt, £0 13s 0d

13 lb of candles, £0 1s 6d

total diet expenses, £16 8s 1d

grand total, £277 3s 11d

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in October 1730.

44 fowls, £0 5s 11d

16 goats, £4 16s 0d

1 sheep, £0 1s 0d

70 lb of pork, £0 1s 16d

10 lb of butter, £0 0s 10d

31 days' greens, £0 1s 11d

69 bottles of milk, £0 15s 6d

46.5 gallons of arrack, £14 8s 2d

3 bottles of oil, £0 18s 0d

2.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 6s 3d

229 lb of flour, £2 15s 6d

36 lb of bread, £0 8s 6d

10 gallons of port, £3 17s 6d

12 gallons of sherry, £6 16s 9d

117 lb of sugar, £0 6s 0d

5 lb of pepper, £0 5s 0d

58 gallons of strong beer, £4 7s 0d

4 bushels of salt, £0 0s 18d

total, expense of the table in October, £54 2s 6d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

13 lb of candles, £1 6s 0d

16 gallons of arrack to the guards, smiths, coopers and carpenters, upon the account of His Majesty's birthday, £5 1s 4d

35 lb of sugar to the same, £0 17s 6d

total, £7 11s 4d

The following gunner's stores were expended in October 1730, entered under the columns for guns fired, whole culverin, twelve pounders, saker, minion, powder in pounds and lead shot.

30 October: anniversary of the King's birth, 21 guns fired, 2 whole culverin, 2 twelve pounders, 6 saker, 7 minion, 0 lead shot, 163 lb of powder

expense of the guard, 7 lb of powder

cartridge paper for the guns, 1 quire

rammer heads broke, 2

tompions, 2

match, 14 lb

total, 21 guns fired, 2 whole culverin, 2 twelve pounders, 6 saker, 7 minion, 0 lead shot, 160 lb of powder

Interpretations

The slaves' delivery is dominated by fishing gear, marking the re-equipping of the Company's boats after the winter as the southern spring came on. The hooks, lines, sheet lead cut into sinkers and rosin to mend the boat all served the fishery that fed the slave establishment, the same trade in lines and hooks that runs through every storekeeper's account. The fishery was central to the island's economy because the Governor had replaced the slaves' meat ration with fish in March 1727 as an economy, and the boats had to be kept constantly in repair to hold that saving.

The diet expenses and the general table account cover the drink and provisions of the fort. Arrack, the standard Eastern spirit, rose to 66 gallons in the diet account and 46.5 at the table, the heaviest figures for several months and a mark that the establishment was drinking more freely as the season turned and the year-end austerity passed. The sixteen goats charged to the table in a single month are worth noting, since they were drawn from a herd under active reduction, the destruction of every goat and sheep on the island having begun on 1 September, so the table itself was consuming stock the council had resolved to kill off.

The King's birthday on 30 October drove the month's ceremony and its heaviest firing. The general table carried a separate allowance of sixteen gallons of arrack and thirty-five pounds of sugar to the guards, smiths, coopers and carpenters on the day, one of the fixed royal anniversaries kept every year in the record. The gunner fired a full salute of twenty-one guns across the classes of ordnance, expending some 160 pounds of powder, the largest discharge in an otherwise quiet autumn. This is the first substantial firing since the June salutes, and with no ship in the road it fell entirely to the royal anniversary, the guns spoke for the King rather than for any arrival. John French kept the account as gunner, as throughout the run.

415

390

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Boars, Pigs, Totall

Poultry: Turkies, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 October

Bullocks 70, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 62, Bulls 4, Totall 333, Ewes 46, Withers 26, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 286, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 5, Totall 409, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 16, Boars 1, Pigs 29, Totall 80, Turkies 35, Fowles 95, Ducks 20, Geese 26, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Encreased in octr

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 18, Bulls 0, Totall 18, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 1, Totall 1, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 5, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 70, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 70, Bulls 4, Totall 361, Ewes 46, Withers 26, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 286, Withers 103, Kids 15, Rams 5, Totall 409, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 16, Boars 1, Pigs 30, Totall 81, Turkies 36, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Geese 26, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 1, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 1, Bulls 0, Totall 1, Ewes 0, Withers 1, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 1, Ewes 42, Withers 6, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 48, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 1, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 1, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 70, Bulls 4, Totall 360, Ewes 46, Withers 25, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 244, Withers 97, Kids 15, Rams 5, Totall 361, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 15, Boars 1, Pigs 30, Totall 80, Turkies 35, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Geese 25, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 9

Sold in octr

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 0, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 1, Mares 0, Totall 1

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 70, Bulls 4, Totall 350, Ewes 46, Withers 25, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 244, Withers 97, Kids 15, Rams 5, Totall 361, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 15, Boars 1, Pigs 30, Totall 80, Turkies 35, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Geese 25, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Stole in octr

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 7, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 7, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 0, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 70, Bulls 4, Totall 350, Ewes 46, Withers 25, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 237, Withers 97, Kids 15, Rams 5, Totall 354, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 15, Boars 1, Pigs 30, Totall 80, Turkies 35, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Geese 25, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Dead in october 27 old Goates

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 2, Rams 0, Totall 2, Ewes 17, Withers 10, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 27, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 0, Pigs 0, Totall 0, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 70, Bulls 4, Totall 350, Ewes 46, Withers 25, Lambs 9, Rams 3, Totall 83, Ewes 220, Withers 87, Kids 15, Rams 5, Totall 327, Sowes 14, Shoates 20, Barrows 15, Boars 1, Pigs 30, Totall 80, Turkies 35, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Geese 25, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Bought in octr

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 6, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Boars 3, Pigs 0, Totall 9, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 31 Octr

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 70, Bulls 4, Totall 350, Ewes 46, Withers 25, Lambs 9, Rams 3, Totall 83, Ewes 220, Withers 87, Kids 15, Rams 5, Totall 327, Sowes 20, Shoates 20, Barrows 15, Boars 4, Pigs 30, Totall 89, Turkies 35, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Geese 25, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Severall Plantations 21425 tt

Ditto for the Fort Blacks 9850

Ditto for Great Wood ditto 4125

Totall Yam 35400 tt

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during October 1730, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 October:

neat cattle - bullocks 70, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 62, bulls 4, total 333

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 26, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 286, wethers 103, kids 15, rams 5, total 409

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 16, boars 1, pigs 29, total 80

poultry - turkeys 35, fowls 95, ducks 20, geese 26

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

Increased in October:

neat cattle - calves 18, total 18

hogs - pigs 1, total 1

poultry - ducks 5

Killed in October:

neat cattle - bullocks 70, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 70, bulls 4, total 361

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 26, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 286, wethers 103, kids 15, rams 5, total 409

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 16, boars 1, pigs 30, total 81

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 26

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

of which killed: neat cattle - bullocks 1; sheep - lambs 1; goats - ewes 1, wethers 42, kids 6, total 48; hogs - barrows 1

Sold in October:

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 70, bulls 4, total 350

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 25, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 244, wethers 97, kids 15, rams 5, total 361

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 15, boars 1, pigs 30, total 80

poultry - turkeys 35, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 25

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 9

of which sold: neat cattle - bullocks 1; horses - horses 1

Stole in October:

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 70, bulls 4, total 350

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 25, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 244, wethers 97, kids 15, rams 5, total 361

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 15, boars 1, pigs 30, total 80

poultry - turkeys 35, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 25

horses - horses 5, mares 3, total 8

of which stolen: goats - wethers 7, total 7; horses - horses 1

Dead in October (with 27 old goats):

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 70, bulls 4, total 350

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 25, lambs 11, rams 3, total 85

goats - ewes 237, wethers 97, kids 15, rams 5, total 354

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 15, boars 1, pigs 30, total 80

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 25

horses - horses 5, mares 3, total 8

of which dead: sheep - lambs 2; goats - ewes 7, wethers 17, kids 10, total 27; hogs - 0

Bought in October:

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 70, bulls 4, total 350

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 25, lambs 9, rams 3, total 83

goats - ewes 220, wethers 87, kids 15, rams 5, total 327

hogs - sows 14, shoats 20, barrows 15, boars 1, pigs 30, total 80

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 25

horses - horses 5, mares 3, total 8

of which bought: hogs - shoats 6, pigs 3, total 9

Remaining 31 October:

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 70, bulls 4, total 350

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 25, lambs 9, rams 3, total 83

goats - ewes 220, wethers 87, kids 15, rams 5, total 327

hogs - sows 20, shoats 20, barrows 15, boars 4, pigs 30, total 89

poultry - turkeys 35, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 25

horses - horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 21,425 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 9,850 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 4,125 lb

Total yams, 35,400 lb

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The account resumes the monthly form after the year-end summary, carrying each class of animal from its opening number through increase, killing, sale, theft, death and purchase to a closing figure. October adds a bought line rarely seen in the run, recording hogs taken into the establishment rather than bred, which shows the Company replenishing its swine by purchase from the inhabitants as the boars and pigs turned over. The neat cattle herd held almost flat, eighteen calves bred against a single bullock killed and another sold, closing at 350, the near-standstill of a month with no fleet to victual and only the fort table drawing on the stock.

The goat herd continued its steep decline, the clearest thread of these autumn accounts. It opened at 409 and closed at 327, losing forty-eight to slaughter, seven to theft and twenty-seven to death, the death line noted expressly as twenty-seven old goats. This sustained reduction is the working out of the resolution of 20 January 1730 to destroy every goat and sheep on the island, the killing having begun on 1 September. The heavy cull of wethers and the deliberate clearing of aged animals show the policy in steady operation, though the herd was far from gone and feral goats survived on St Helena long after the Company's effort.

The theft of a horse is an unusual entry against the horses line, which otherwise stood almost unchanged through the run, and it dropped the total from nine to eight. Livestock theft was a persistent problem on the open ranges, the same exposure that had cost the Company sheep and goats for years, but a stolen horse was a rarer and more serious loss given the small number kept and their value for haulage and riding.

The yam issue of 35,400 lb held steady with the previous months, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood. October fell late in the southern winter with the new crop not yet lifted, so the ration stayed at its lean-season level, drawn from the diminishing old stock. This unbroken reliance on the yam to feed a garrison and a slave establishment of over two hundred through the months between harvests set the island apart from England, where the root crops filling the same role were still a marginal food in 1730.

416

391

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 10th Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Elizabeth Wast produced Writing in nature of Mortgage, of a House & Land made to her

from her Son John Long in any Ephate Since praying that the would not take any Advantage

of her Age & Ignorance, but that Wee would attest the Same to be Registered for the greatest

Security, altho She did not present the Same in time

And the Since John Long being present & Acknowledge the Said Writing to be his own Act

& Deed & himself to be bound by the Same, We therefore Order the Same to be Registred accordingly

The Petition of John Stripe junr was presented & read praying to become Tenant for about

an Acre of Wast Land called the Watt Spring

Granted

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 17 Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Captain Goodwin Reports that he has viewed the Land Petitioned for by Simon &

John Whaley on the 27th of last Month & finds that Setting the Same wid he Extreamly

prejudicial to the Hon ble Company it being the only Place on that Side the Countrey with

which in a dry Season their Cattle can be Supplyed with Water & if this Should the hired

the benefit of the Whole Spring would be entirely lost by converting the Stream to Water

Plantations, with very little Advantage to the Petitions

We therefore determine to keep the Said Land for the Use of the Hon ble Company

The Governmes Reports that a fowle Sett of Books for the Year ending the 30th of Sepr last are

be Ballanced by which it appears that the gross Charge of the Island for the Year past Amounts only to

£4444 16 2½

The Storekeeper also delivered an Inventory of Goods & Stores remaining 30 Sepr last

Orderd that the Said Books & Inventory be Examined in order to be Copyed & Sent to

England by the first Shipping

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Tuesday 10 November 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Elizabeth Marsh produced a writing in the nature of a mortgage of a house and land made to her by her son John Long some years earlier, asking that it be registered. She explained that he would not take any advantage of her age and ignorance, and asked that the deed be registered for her greater security, since she had not presented it in time. Because John Long was present and acknowledged the writing to be his own act and deed, and admitted himself bound by it, the council ordered it registered accordingly.

John Snipe junior petitioned the council to become a tenant of about an acre of waste land called the Salt Spring. The council granted the request. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 17 November 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had viewed the land petitioned for by Simon and John Whaley on the 27th of the previous month, and had found that letting it would harm the Company, since it was the only place on that side where the country slaves in a dry season could supply their cattle with water. He held that this parcel, being the source, would lose the whole benefit of the spring below if the stream were converted to water the plantations, which drew very little advantage from the springs at other times. The council therefore resolved to keep the land for the use of the Honourable Company.

The Governor reported that the books for the year ending 30 September last had been examined, and that the gross charge of the island for the year past came only to £4,444 16s 2.5d. The storekeeper also delivered an inventory of the goods and stores remaining on 30 September last. The council ordered the books and inventory examined, so that they might be copied and sent to England by the first ship. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The Marsh mortgage entry turns on the legal weight of registration. A mortgage in this form conveyed a house and land as security, the borrower keeping possession while the lender held the deed against repayment. Elizabeth Marsh, an aged and by her own account ignorant woman, had failed to register the instrument in time, and without the public record her security was weak against any later claim on her son's property. The council's willingness to register it late rested wholly on John Long being present to acknowledge the deed as his own act, which supplied the confirmation that the lapse of time had put in doubt. The transaction shows the mother of the island's most notorious offender protecting her interest against her own son, and Long, so often defiant before the council, here submitting quietly to bind himself.

The Whaley water dispute records a plain choice of the Company's interest over a private grant. The parcel sought was the head of a spring, and Captain Goodwin's survey found that letting it would ruin the supply below, on which the country slaves depended to water their cattle through the dry season. Water was the island's chronic anxiety, the springs having been surveyed nearly dry in April 1729, and the council would not risk the one dependable source on that side for the sake of a single tenancy. The decision fits the Governor's standing concern with the island's water, his own scheme to bring supply from Chapel Valley to the plantations having been reported in May 1729.

The year-end accounts show the retrenchment holding. The gross charge of £4,444 16s 2.5d for the year to 30 September 1730 sat above the £3,144 6s 0d of the previous year but well below the £4,846 13s 7d of the year before that, so the island's expense remained far under the levels of the early Byfield government. The order to examine, copy and send the books home by the first ship reflects the standing duty to account to the Company in London, the whole financial year assembled and dispatched so the Court of Directors could audit the island's charge from five weeks' distance.

417

392

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 18 Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day began Our Examination of the Journal & having gone thro great part of it, We

Adjourned till to Morrow Morning

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Thursday 19 Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

We this day proceeded in our Examination of the Journal & Adjourned till to Morrow

Morning

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 20 Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

We this day finished the Examination of the Journal & Adjourned till to

Morrow Morning

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 21 Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

We this Morning began Our Examination of the Ledger & having gone this part thereof

Adjourned till Monday

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Wednesday 18 November 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day began its examination of the journal, and having gone through a great part of it, adjourned to the following morning. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Thursday 19 November 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The council this day continued its examination of the journal, and adjourned to the following morning. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Friday 20 November 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The council this day finished the examination of the journal, and adjourned to the following morning. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Saturday 21 November 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The council this morning began its examination of the ledger, and having gone through part of it, adjourned to Monday. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The four daily meetings record the annual audit of the Company's books, carried out over successive sittings rather than in a single meeting because the journal and ledger of a whole financial year had to be checked line by line. The journal was the running daily record of transactions and the ledger the account into which they were posted, so the examination moved from one to the other, testing the entries against each other before the whole was copied fair and sent to London. This was the standing method by which the island proved its accounts, the same sequence of daily consultations given over to the audit that recurs at every year-end in the run.

The pace of the sittings shows the burden of the task on a four-man council. The Governor and his three councillors were the whole board, and for four days running they set aside all other business to work through the year's figures, the journal alone taking three sittings and the ledger beginning on the fourth. The care reflects what was at stake: the books, once examined and copied, went home as the island's formal account to the Court of Directors, and any error uncaught before dispatch would stand against the settlement in London until the next year's ships could carry a correction.

418

393

At a Consultation held on Monday 23d Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

We proceeded in our Examination of the Ledger & near finished the Same & Adjourned

till to Morrow Morning

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 24 Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

We this Morning finished Our Examination of the Ledger

Mary Powell & Charles Steward &c & of Gall & Wast having made

Complaint that John Long had lately Stolen as was Apple tree out of Some of the

remote Grounds late belonging to the Said Powell they were appointed to attend this

day in order to prove the same but they not producing any Witness as to the Fact

except Blacks Wid being a Law among themselves that the Testimony of Blacks

is not upon any Occasion to be received as Evidence against any White Person &

there being sixty six Blacks & the Said Longs wife affirming that her Brother

Orderd him to Steal the Said Tree & his Master affirming that he never gave him

any Such order or that he knew any thing of the matter We could only order the Said

Long to make Restitution he having Confessed that his Black did deliver him

three Tree but without his Privity or Knowledge from whence it was taken he

declaring that he orderd his Black to take the Tree out of his Mothers Land

but the other being nearer at hand he Supposed the Fellow took that

James Ryder also attended & acquainted Us that the Said John Long had

often beat & abused her & lately threatened to do her Some farther great

Mischief or bodily harm informed that he went in daily apprehension of the loss of

the Life & her Say Children the Same praying Wee & prayed that he might be

bound to his good Behaviour, & the Said Long being a notorious incorrigible

Offender We accordingly bound him with Sureaty to his good Behaviour till

the departure of the next Shipping

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 25 Novr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Six Consultations were this day read & Approved

We this day began & finished our Examination of the Inventory & find it agrees

with the Goods Books

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Monday 23 November 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The council continued its examination of the ledger, and having nearly finished it, adjourned to the following morning. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 24 November 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The council this morning finished its examination of the ledger.

Mary Powell and Charles Steward, executors of Gabriel Powell, deceased, complained that John Long had lately stolen an apple tree out of some of the land formerly belonging to Powell. They were appointed to attend this day to prove the theft, but they could produce no witness other than blacks. Since the testimony of slaves was inadmissible against a free person, and their only witnesses being black, Long's wife affirmed that her brother had ordered him to steal the tree. The [...] master affirmed that he never gave Long any such order, nor knew anything of the matter. The council could only order Long to make restitution, he having confessed that his slave had delivered him the tree, and declaring that he had ordered his slave to take the tree out of his mother's land. Because the other party was nearer at hand, the council supposed the slave took the tree.

James Ryder also attended and told the council that John Long had often beaten and abused him, and had lately threatened to do him some further great harm. He said he went in daily fear of the loss of his life or bodily harm, and asked that Long be bound over to good behaviour. Long being a notorious and incorrigible offender, the council bound him over under a penalty of twenty shillings to his good behaviour until the departure of the next ship. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 25 November 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous six consultations were this day read and approved. The council this day began and finished its examination of the inventory, and found it to agree with the books. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The apple tree case exposes once more the single flaw that ran through the island's whole system of justice over John Long. The executors of Gabriel Powell had a plain complaint of theft, but the only witnesses were slaves, and the testimony of blacks was inadmissible against a free man in the island's courts. This was the same evidential wall that had defeated every earlier attempt to convict Long of shooting and worrying the Company's goats, and it left the council able to order only restitution rather than punishment, even where Long himself admitted his slave had brought him the tree. The stolen apple tree was no trifle on St Helena, where fruit stock was raised and sold and the Plantation House garden had been cleared of bearing apple trees only two years before.

The tangle of the confession shows how the inadmissibility rule warped the proceedings. Long admitted directing his slave to take the tree, but shifted the ground by claiming it came from his own mother's land, while his wife tried to lay the order on her brother, who denied it. The council could not resolve the conflict on admissible evidence and fell back on supposition, holding that the slave had simply taken the tree. The whole episode is a study in how a legal system that silenced the only real witnesses produced findings resting on guesswork rather than proof.

The binding over of Long on James Ryder's complaint repeats a device the council had reached for before against the same man. Binding over did not punish a past offence but held a sum over the offender against a future one, forfeit the moment he transgressed again, and the council used it where an offender was habitual but the conduct hard to indict. Long had been bound over under forty shillings for abusing Ryder in August 1729, and here he was bound again under twenty shillings, described plainly as a notorious and incorrigible offender. The limited term, until the next ship sailed, suggests the council hoped the matter would pass with the season rather than expecting any lasting reform.

The audit reached its close with the inventory of stores agreeing with the books. This completed the year-end examination begun a week earlier, the journal, ledger and inventory all checked in turn and found to tally, so the whole account could now be copied fair and sent home. The reading and approval of the previous six consultations at the same meeting shows the council clearing its record before the books went to London, leaving a clean and confirmed account of the year.

419

394

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 1 Decr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of Isaac Such was presented & read praying to become Tenant for

an Acre of Wast Ground Adjoyning to his Leaf Land

Granted

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Thursday 3d Decr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journal 2 folio 32 & 34

The Govr Reports that one of the Hon ble Compa Black Wenches named Sarasay was

delivered of a Girl last Week called Susannah

Orderd that the Said Girle be Entred in the Books

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 8th Decr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governmes the Storekeeper the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly

Accot for Novr last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as follow Vizt

16 ½ Galln Arrack

6 11

3 lb Sugar

21 13

30 6 Bread

4 8 7½

1 1 7 Flour

1 18 9½

3 Yards Norwich Stuff

10 8

26 Yds Divone

1 17 6

2 P Divory

4 4

2 P Chints damaged

16

12 Yd ditto

4 6

14 ½ P Cordir

10 7 10

3 Ivory Bason

2 3

3 P Dishes

1 4 9

1 P Soap

3 6

1 P Bengale Taffety

1 12

6 Shirts

16

3 Yards Flannel

7

Totall Sold£ 55 13 6

At a consultation held on Tuesday 1 December 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Isaac Leech petitioned the council to become a tenant of an acre of waste ground adjoining his leasehold land. The council granted the request. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Thursday 3 December 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 39 and 34. The Governor reported that one of the Honourable Company's slave women, named Jemima, had given birth to a girl the previous week. The council ordered the child entered on the books. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 8 December 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The Governor, the storekeeper, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for November last, each of which was examined and approved, and stood as follows.

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered during November 1730.

16.5 gallons of arrack, £6 11s 0d

86 lb of sugar, £21 13s 0d

30 lb 6 oz of bread, £4 8s 7.5d

1 lb 7 oz of flour, £1 18s 9.5d

3 yards of Norwich stuff, £0 10s 8d

26 yards of durance, £1 17s 6d

2 pair of duroy, £0 4s 4d

2 pair of chintz damaged, £0 0s 16d

12 yards of ditto, £0 4s 6d

14.5 yards of chelloes, £10 7s 10d

3 yards of brown, £0 2s 3d

3 pair of dishes, £1 4s 9d

1 pair of soap, £0 3s 6d

1 pair of Bengal taffety, £1 12s 0d

6 shirts, £0 16s 0d

3 yards of flannel, £0 7s 0d

total goods sold, £55 13s 6d

Interpretations

The land grants and the birth entry turn on mechanisms already fixed in the record. Isaac Leech's tenancy of an acre adjoining his existing holding continues the steady letting of small parcels of waste to sitting tenants, the council enlarging a man's ground where it lay next to land he already worked. The child born to the slave woman Jemima became Company property from birth, entered on the books at a valuation and joining the establishment mustered and revalued each year, so the report of a birth was at once the recording of an asset.

The storekeeper's account opens the new financial year's retail reckoning with the familiar mix of provisions and dress fabrics. Several cloths recur from earlier accounts and would puzzle a modern reader. Norwich stuff was the general name for the worsteds of that city, durance a stout glazed worsted for hard wear, duroy a coarse woollen, and chelloes the plain blue Coromandel cottons that were cheap and durable. Bengal taffety was a light Indian silk, a finer and dearer cloth than the woollens around it, and its single pair at over thirty shillings marks the buy of a substantial inhabitant. The chelloes at more than ten pounds were the heaviest cloth line, the everyday cotton of the island bought in quantity.

The provisions at the head of the account track the season's ordinary consumption. Arrack, sugar, bread and flour were the staples of the store, and their weight in the total reflects the return of steadier buying as the southern spring advanced and the inhabitants had more to spend. This account, the first leaf of a longer reckoning, sits above the deep-winter figures that preceded it, consistent with an establishment moving out of the lean months toward the busier season, though no ship had yet broken the long quiet in the road.

420

395

Charges General Brought over 55 13 6

2 Chest Locks

2 Iron Rimd Locks

2

2 ditto

2 4

3 P Carnation Tape

3 1

1 lb 2 P Nailes

1 3

1 ditto

3 6

1 Quart Rape oyl

1 6

7 Galln Linsee

8

10 ½ Galln Terpentine

2 7 4

12 lb Rosin

2 7 4

1 knap Brush

4 7

1 oz Thread

1 3

2 oz China Silk

6

10 lb White Sear

2

6 lb Red

9

1 lb Cotton Sear

6 9

3 Print Samblack

9

4 Oats 18 P

1 8 6

60 lb Vig Sead for the Grass Comnys

13 6

30 lb White Sear

16

6 lb Soap

6

6 lb Rice for Slag & Poultry

4 10

16 1 5

Garrison 4 ½ Galln Rape oyle

1 7

Plantation

6 Sines

4 4

13 Squares Glass 8 by 6

2

13 ditto 10 by 8

4 4

123 lb Sheet Lead

1 16 2½

1 lb Shoo Thread

2 6

1 Gimblet & Prit

4 6

4 P lb Slingar

3 6

3 Galln Train oyle

18

26 Pincels Samblack

6 6

6 knap Brushes

3 6

9 P lb Nailes

1 10

2 ditto

6

10 Weight

6 6

6 6 1½

Blacks

26 doz Blacks Sorted

1 9

12 Sines

2

2 oz China Silk

1 6

6 P Plains Mohair

2 6

17 ½ Rice

10

14 16 9

Diet Expences

49 ½ Galln Arrack

16 10 6

1 ½ Galln Vinegar

1 7

150 lb Flour

1 17 6

34 lb Bread

8 6

10 Galln Sherry

6 4 6

10 lb Port

3 2

124 Sugar

4 1

10 P Wax Candles

4

68 Galln Strong Beer

7

4 lb Pepper

18 Brushells Salt

36 10 6

Totall

128 2½

Gunners Stores Expended in Novr 1730 Vizt

1730

Novr 14 Muster Day

2½ 2 5

Expence of the Guard

Cartridge Paper for ditto 1 Quire

14½

Match 7½

Signed Jno French

The following goods were charged to the general charges account for November 1730, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £55 13s 6d

2 chest locks, £0 4s 0d

2 iron rim locks, £0 2s 0d

2 [...], £0 3s 4d

3 pair of Coromandel tape, £0 3s 1d

1 pair of sad irons, £0 1s 3d

1 ditto, £0 1s 8d

1 quart rape oil, £0 1s 6d

7 gallons of linseed oil, £0 3s 7.5d

10.5 gallons of turpentine, £2 7s 4d

19 lb of rosin, £0 4s 7d

1 baker's brush, £0 1s 3d

1 oz of thread, £0 1s 0d

2 oz of China silk, £0 9s 0d

5 lb of white lead, £0 9s 0d

6 lb of red lead, £0 6s 9d

1 lb of Cornish stone, £0 6s 9d

3 barrels of lampblack, £0 0s 9d

4 oz of 18d nails, £1 8s 0d

100 lb of pig lead for the crane crampets, £0 13s 6d

30 lb of white lead, £0 15s 6d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

6 lb of rice for hogs and poultry, £4 10s 0d

total general charges, £16 1s 5d

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

4.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

total garrison, £1 7s 0d

The following goods were charged to the plantation account.

6 lines, £0 4s 4d

19 squares of glass, 8 by 6, £0 2s 0d

19 ditto, 10 by 8, £0 4s 4d

128 lb of sheet lead, £1 16s 2.5d

1 lb of shoe thread, £0 2s 6d

1 gimblet and prick, £0 3s 6d

30 lb of Osnaburg, £0 18s 1d

3 gallons of train oil, £0 6s 0d

26 barrels of lampblack, £0 3s 6d

6 hand brushes, £0 1s 10d

2 pair of 6d nails, £0 1s 6d

2 ditto, £0 0s 6d

10 wights, £0 6s 6d

total plantation, £6 6s 1.5d

The following goods were delivered to the Company's slaves.

26 dozen hooks sorted, £0 1s 9d

19 lines, £0 2s 3d

2 oz of China silk, £0 1s 6d

6 oz of plain mohair, £0 2s 6d

17.5 lb of rice, £10 9s 0d

total, delivered to the slaves, £14 16s 9d

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account.

49.5 gallons of arrack, £16 10s 6d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 17s 6d

150 lb of flour, £1 18s 0d

34 lb of bread, £0 8s 6d

10 gallons of sherry, £2 4s 6d

8 gallons of port, £3 2s 0d

126 lb of sugar, £4 1s 0d

12 lb of wax candles, £4 4s 0d

60 gallons of strong beer, £0 2s 7d

6 lb of pepper, £0 2s 0d

1.5 bushels of salt, £0 0s 0d

total diet expenses, £36 10s 6d

grand total, £128 3s 2.5d

The following gunner's stores were expended in November 1730, entered under the column for pounds of powder.

muster day, 7 lb of powder

expense of the guard, 7 lb of powder

cartridge paper for ditto, 1 quire

match, 0.5 lb

total, 14.5 lb of powder

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

The account divides November's warehouse issues into the standard Company charges, general, garrison, plantation, slaves and diet, after the retail total carried down. The general charges gather the preservative and building stores of the settlement, and several would puzzle a modern reader. White and red lead were the paint base and rust primer that protected ironwork and timber, lampblack the fine soot that coloured the black paint for the guns, turpentine, linseed oil and rosin the varnishes and thinners, and Cornish stone a hard sharpening stone. The pig lead run out for the crane crampets was cast into the iron cramps that anchored the landing crane against the sea, the same crane to which every ship warped on an alarm, so the entry records the upkeep of the island's only means of landing goods and defending the road.

The plantation and slaves' accounts show the two working establishments being supplied. The plantation drew window glass in two sizes, sheet lead, Osnaburg sacking, train oil and hand brushes for the ordinary maintenance of the houses and grounds. The slaves' delivery is again dominated by fishing gear and rice, the hooks and lines for the boats and the imported rice that fed the fishermen and the hogs, the fishery being central to the island since the meat ration was replaced with fish in March 1727. The heavy charge of rice both here and among the general charges for the hogs and poultry marks the island's continuing dependence on imported grain to carry its animals through the season between yam harvests.

The diet expenses cover the fort table, arrack again the largest single line at 49.5 gallons, a figure well up on the deep-winter months and consistent with an establishment drinking more freely as the southern spring advanced. The account closes at a grand total of £128 3s 2.5d, a fuller month than the lean winter reckonings, reflecting both the return of steadier consumption and the year-end supply of maintenance stores.

The gunner's account remains very light, the powder expended only on the monthly muster and the standing charge of the guard, with a single quire of cartridge paper and half a pound of match. No ship salute of any kind appears, confirming the empty road that had persisted since the June fleet, no vessel having called to break the long silence of the southern winter and early spring. John French signed the account as gunner, as throughout the run.

421

396

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Pigs, Boars, Totall

Poultry: Turkies, Fowles, Ducks, Guse

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 Novr

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 70, Bulls 4, Totall 350, Ewes 46, Withers 26, Lambs 9, Rams 3, Totall 83, Ewes 220, Withers 37, Kids 16, Rams 5, Totall 327, Sowes 20, Shoates 20, Barrows 15, Pigs 30, Boars 4, Totall 89, Turkies 36, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Guse 25, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 8

Encreased in Novr

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 11, Bulls 0, Totall 11, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 132, Rams 0, Totall 132, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 81, Bulls 4, Totall 361, Ewes 46, Withers 26, Lambs 9, Rams 3, Totall 83, Ewes 220, Withers 37, Kids 147, Rams 5, Totall 469, Sowes 20, Shoates 20, Barrows 15, Pigs 30, Boars 4, Totall 89, Turkies 36, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Guse 26, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 8

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 1, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 1, Ewes 46, Withers 15, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 61, Sowes 0, Shoates 3, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 3, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 81, Bulls 4, Totall 361, Ewes 46, Withers 24, Lambs 9, Rams 3, Totall 82, Ewes 174, Withers 72, Kids 147, Rams 5, Totall 398, Sowes 20, Shoates 20, Barrows 12, Pigs 30, Boars 4, Totall 86, Turkies 36, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Guse 26, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 8

Stole in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 17, Withers 4, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 21, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 81, Bulls 4, Totall 361, Ewes 46, Withers 24, Lambs 9, Rams 3, Totall 82, Ewes 157, Withers 68, Kids 147, Rams 5, Totall 377, Sowes 20, Shoates 20, Barrows 12, Pigs 30, Boars 4, Totall 86, Turkies 36, Fowles 95, Ducks 26, Guse 25, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 8

Dead in ditto oll

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 21, Withers 14, Kids 0, Rams 1, Totall 36, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 4, Guse 2, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 30 Novr 1730

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 81, Bulls 4, Totall 361, Ewes 46, Withers 24, Lambs 9, Rams 3, Totall 82, Ewes 136, Withers 54, Kids 147, Rams 4, Totall 341, Sowes 20, Shoates 20, Barrows 12, Pigs 30, Boars 4, Totall 86, Turkies 36, Fowles 95, Ducks 21, Guse 23, Horses 6, Mares 3, Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 14000 tt

Ditto for the Fort Blacks 6000

Ditto for the Great Wood 3000

Totall Yam 23000 tt

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during November 1730, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 November:

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 70, bulls 4, total 350

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 26, lambs 9, rams 3, total 83

goats - ewes 220, wethers 37, kids 16, rams 5, total 327

hogs - sows 20, shoats 20, barrows 15, boars 30, pigs 4, total 89

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 95, ducks 26, geese 25

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 8

Increased in November:

neat cattle - calves 11, total 11

goats - kids 132, total 132

Killed in November:

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 81, bulls 4, total 361

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 26, lambs 9, rams 3, total 83

goats - ewes 220, wethers 37, kids 147, rams 5, total 469

hogs - sows 20, shoats 20, barrows 15, boars 30, pigs 4, total 89

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 95, ducks 26, geese 26

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 8

of which killed: sheep - lambs 1; goats - ewes 1, wethers 46, kids 15, total 61; hogs - barrows 3

Stole in November:

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 81, bulls 4, total 361

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 24, lambs 9, rams 3, total 82

goats - ewes 174, wethers 72, kids 147, rams 5, total 398

hogs - sows 20, shoats 20, barrows 12, boars 30, pigs 4, total 86

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 26

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 8

of which stolen: sheep - wethers 17, rams 4; goats - ewes 21, total 21

Dead in November (all old):

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 81, bulls 4, total 361

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 24, lambs 9, rams 3, total 82

goats - ewes 157, wethers 68, kids 147, rams 5, total 377

hogs - sows 20, shoats 20, barrows 12, boars 30, pigs 4, total 86

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 95, ducks 26, geese 25

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 8

of which dead: goats - ewes 21, wethers 14, rams 1, total 36; ducks 4, geese 2

Remaining 30 November 1730:

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 81, bulls 4, total 361

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 24, lambs 9, rams 3, total 82

goats - ewes 136, wethers 54, kids 147, rams 4, total 341

hogs - sows 20, shoats 20, barrows 12, boars 30, pigs 4, total 86

poultry - turkeys 36, fowls 95, ducks 21, geese 23

horses - horses 6, mares 3, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 14,000 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 6,000 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 3,000 lb

Total yams, 23,000 lb

Interpretations

The account carries each class of animal through the month's increase and losses, and its dominant event is the great kidding of the goats. The herd threw 132 kids in the single month, the largest increase of any class in the whole run, lifting the total from 327 to a peak before the killing and death lines drew it down. This burst of births marks the start of the goats' breeding season, which fell in the early southern summer, and it shows the herd still multiplying vigorously even as the Company laboured to destroy it under the resolution of 20 January 1730.

The goats were reduced hard against that surge of new life. Sixty-one were killed, twenty-one carried as stolen and thirty-six died, so despite the 132 kids the herd closed at 341, only fourteen above its opening figure. This is the deliberate cull working at full stretch, the council killing wethers and kids as fast as the ewes bred, in pursuit of the destruction begun on 1 September. The pattern is a herd caught between its own fertility and a policy of extermination, and the near-standstill of the total conceals a heavy churn of birth and slaughter beneath it, though feral goats survived on the island long after the Company gave up.

The sheep suffered an unusually heavy theft, seventeen wethers and four rams taken in the month, the largest single loss to theft in the run. Livestock on the open ranges was always exposed, but this scale of loss points to organised predation rather than casual pilfering, the same vulnerability that had dogged the Company's goats for years. The theft fell on the mature males of the flock, the wethers and rams, which were the most valuable animals for meat.

The yam issue collapsed to 23,000 lb, the lowest monthly figure in the recent run, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood. This sharp fall marks the point where the old crop had all but run out and the new one was not yet ready, the same seasonal gap that had emptied the yam account in earlier years. The reliance on the yam to feed a garrison and a slave establishment of over two hundred through this lean stretch set the island apart from England, where the root crops filling the same role were still regarded with suspicion across most of the south in 1730.

422

397

Expence of the Table in Novr 1730 Vizt

23 Goates

6 18

1 Sheep

1

2 40 lb Pork

6

12 lb Butter

18

30 Days Greens

1 10

60 Bottles Milk

1

49 ½ Galln Arrack

16 13 6

1 ½ Galln Vinegar

3 9

150 lb Flour

1 17 6

34 lb Bread

8 6

10 Galln Sherry

6 4

8 do Port

2 6

124 lb Sugar

3 2

1 ½ Brushell Salt

6

68 Galln Beer

4 4

4 lb Pepper

4

Expence of the Table in Novr

51 10 6

10 lb Candles

1

6 lb Soap

6 6

1 6 6

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 15 December 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of Frances Bunge was Presented & read Setting forth that Agnes a free

Black Wench had formerly bound herself to him for a certain Term & that in the time

the had lived with him, the had two Children both which are likewise free but the

Term for which the Said Wench was bound being now near expiring the begins to discover

a Disposition for & Stealing up & leave the Country daily threatning to leave her

Master & his Children when her time is out, and that as he had been at great trouble

& Charge in bringing up the Said Children it would be but reasonable that he Should

have the benefit of their Labour within they Wided became free for Service preferable to

any other Person & Praying that the Said the Wench & his Red Children ought be

Affirmed to him for Suibl time as We Should think proper

And there having of late Years been a large Encreays of free Blacks & the placing

out of poor People to England falling into the Coghizanee of the Justices & the Peer

We therefore upon full Consideration of the Premises have bound the Said Wench & her

two Children to the Said Bunge to Come till the youngest Child born 27 Janry 1725

Shall attain the Age of Twenty one Years, & to prevent any Charge or burthen to be

Parish that may happen of free Blacks non of whom being Poor People not able to provide for them, We

will Suffer no Such Persons to be bound on any private Agreement for their Service

to take place without Leave first had from us in Writing to

John Hodghinson having demanded a Debt of £10 16 due to him from Richard

Mason for Curing the Said Mason of an Clap & for Physick for his Family they were

both Orderd to Accot this Day when it Appeared by the Book & Ded of the Said

Hodghinson & by the Testimony of Richard Long that he Sue the Said Hodghinson leave the

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in November 1730.

23 goats, £6 18s 0d

1 sheep, £0 1s 0d

240 lb of pork, £0 6s 0d

12 lb of butter, £0 0s 18d

30 days' greens, £0 1s 10d

60 bottles of milk, £0 1s 0d

49.5 gallons of arrack, £15 13s 6d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 3s 9d

150 lb of flour, £1 17s 0d

34 lb of bread, £0 8s 6d

10 gallons of sherry, £0 6s 4d

8 gallons of port, £2 6s 0d

126 lb of sugar, £0 3s 2d

1.5 bushels of salt, £0 8s 0d

66 gallons of beer, £0 4s 4d

6 lb of pepper, £0 0s 4d

total, expense of the table in November, £51 10s 6d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

10 lb of candles, £1 0s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

total, £1 6s 6d

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 15 December 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Frances Coen petitioned the council, setting out that Agnes, a free black woman, had formerly bound herself to her for a certain term, and that during the term she had borne two children who were themselves free. The woman was bound before her term expired, and the children began to be of some service. Coen explained that she had been at great trouble and charge in bringing them up, and that it was only reasonable she should have the benefit of their service within the years she had them, in preference to any other person, and she asked that the children be assigned to her for such time as the council thought proper.

Because of the great numbers of free blacks lately falling into poverty in England, the council, on full consideration of the case, ordered the two children bound to Coen until the youngest, born on 27 January 1725, should reach the age of twenty-one years, so as to prevent any charge or burden to the parish from free blacks whose parents were unable to provide for them. The council resolved that no such person should be bound by any private agreement for service without first obtaining its leave in writing.

John Hodgkinson demanded a debt of £10 16s 0d due to him from Richard Mason for curing Mason or a slave of his and his family when they were sick. Both were ordered to attend this day, when it appeared by the books and papers of Hodgkinson, and by the testimony of Richard Long, that Hodgkinson had cured them.

Interpretations

The Coen case shows the parish poor law transplanted to the island and bent to control a free black population. Agnes was a free woman who had bound herself into service, and her two children, born free during that term, were now bound to Frances Coen until they came of age. The council framed this as a protection against the children becoming a parish charge, invoking the poverty of free blacks in England as its warrant, but the effect was to secure years of unpaid labour for the mistress who had raised them. The new rule that no such binding could be made by private agreement without the council's written leave gave the council direct oversight of every such contract, turning the parish's fear of a charge into a mechanism for regulating the service of free blacks across the whole island.

The precise recording of the youngest child's birth date, 27 January 1725, fixed the term of service exactly, since the binding ran to that child's twenty-first birthday. This was the ordinary machinery of apprenticeship, in which a child's labour was pledged for a set span in return for maintenance, the same device by which the Company had apprenticed out its own slave girls to save their keep. Applied to free-born children, it kept them in service far into adulthood while satisfying the parish that they would not fall on the rates.

The Hodgkinson debt returns a familiar figure to the record, the discredited surgeon's mate whose accounts had been the subject of long inquiry. Here he pursued a private debt for medical treatment, and the council tested it in its usual way, examining his books and papers and taking the evidence of a witness before allowing the claim. The care taken to prove the debt by document and testimony reflects the council's hard experience with false medical charges, the schedule of invented debts drawn up by the surgeon Gibson having been exposed only the year before, so that no bill for physic was now allowed on the island without proof that the treatment had actually been given.

423

398

the Said Masons Privities that he has the foule disease he was ordered to make

Payment accordingly

The Said Mason also made a Demand of £5 4 6 due to him from the Said

Hodghinson for Punch upon which Occasion the later prayed the Said Mason might

be Sworn which being done he desired the Said Mason might be asked whether

according to the Custom in his Country for that purpose he Put a Point of Punch

into every Barrell of Punch he Said him to which he the Said Mason Answered yes

he always Wid & Sometimes more & this in the Opinion of all Byfill is a Manf

piece of Perjury yet for want of this Proof We cant come at him to Punish him

Wid to be the Always remembred that this Man is one of those who complains that

he cant met with Encouragement for his Industry

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 22 Decr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Samois Wrangham Petitioned for leave to become Tenant for about an

Acre of Land in one Parcele part lying above & part below his Plantation in

Sandes Valley

Granted

John Hodghinson acquainted Us on Thursday last that Rich Mason

refused to pay him the Money according to the order of Tuesday last & prayd

attheant to Amot the Said Mason for his Said Debt & the Sum near Spanted;

& & & & Yesterday the Said Hodghinson acquainted Us that he had

received Satisfaction for the Same affiring the Said Mason might be discharged;

& he was Released accordingly

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 29th Decr 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Captain Goodwin acquainted Us that Andrew Bergue being formerly

bought a Slave named Sicnis had Persuaded with him to be bound for the

Payment, & that his Bond was already due, & he thereby became liable

to make Satisfaction, & Prayed, that as the Said Bergue has not yet

paid, or made any Proparale for the Payment of the Said Slave, & that

there was not any Childaron that & too would be able to do it, the Property

of the Said Slave might be invested in him & his heirs for their Security,

in Consideration whereof he would discharge the Said Bergue & take the

Debt

The council held that Mason had the better claim, and ordered him to make payment accordingly.

Mason then made a demand of £5 6s 0d due to him from Hodgkinson for punch, and asked that Hodgkinson be put to his oath on the matter. When this was done Hodgkinson challenged whether, by the clause in his defence for that purpose, Mason might swear to every measure of punch. Mason said he put a pint of arrack into every bowl of punch, to which Hodgkinson answered that he always did so and sometimes more. This being the opinion of all present, in place of perjury, and for want of proof, the council could not come at Hodgkinson to satisfy him. The council held it should always be remembered that this man was one of those who complained that he could not meet with encouragement for his industry. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 22 December 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Samuel Wrangham petitioned the council for leave to become a tenant of about an acre of land, part lying above a parcel below his plantation in Sandy Bay Valley. The council granted the request.

John Hodgkinson told the council that on the previous Thursday Richard Mason had refused to pay him the money ordered on the Tuesday before. The council ordered Mason to pay Hodgkinson his debt, the sum near seven pounds. On the same day Hodgkinson told the council that Mason had given him satisfaction for it, and declared that Mason might be discharged, and he was released accordingly. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 29 December 1730 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin told the council that Andrew Bergue had formerly bought a slave named Simon, and had bound himself to make payment, and that the bond was already due, so that he had become liable to pay it. Bergue explained that he had not yet paid, nor made any provision for the payment of the slave, and that there was no child of his who would be able to do it. He asked that the property in the slave might be vested in him and his heirs for their security, in consideration of which he would discharge the debt.

Interpretations

The Hodgkinson and Mason dispute is a small comedy of cross-claims that the council resolved with dry good sense. Mason owed Hodgkinson for medical treatment, and Hodgkinson in turn owed Mason for punch, so the two debts were set against each other. The quarrel over the strength of the punch, whether Mason could swear to a pint of arrack in every bowl, turned on the oath as a mechanism of proof: rather than let Mason swear to a figure that might expose him to a charge of perjury, and lacking other proof, the council simply declined to enforce the punch debt. The parting note that Hodgkinson was among those who complained of no encouragement for his industry is a rare flash of the council's contempt for a man whose long record of neglect and false dealing it had not forgotten.

The Bergue slave case shows the legal effect of a conditional sale. Bergue had bought the slave Simon on credit, giving a bond for the price, and until the bond was paid the full property in the slave was not secure in him. His petition to have the property vested in himself and his heirs, in return for discharging the debt, was a request to convert his conditional interest into an absolute one, clearing the bond and fixing ownership so it would pass to his descendants. The frank admission that he had no child able to pay after him shows the transaction was also about securing the asset against his own death, the slave being treated throughout as heritable property to be settled like any other estate.

The recurrence of Andrew Bergue in the record is worth marking. Earlier in the year his household had been the subject of the concealed child-death inquiry, and now he appeared as a debtor seeking clear title to a slave he could not fully pay for. The two entries together sketch a cooper of modest and precarious means, buying labour on credit and struggling to meet his obligations, a figure typical of the middling inhabitants whose small transactions filled the council's book alongside the great estate suits.

424

399

Debt upon himself

And the Said Bergue being present & owning that Mr Goodwin hath a

a Power to take the Slave for his own Security & this Mater appearing to be

reasonable We Confirmed the Property of the Said Slave in Mr Goodwin this

heirs accordingly

There not being any Business at this Sefsion appointed 1 to be did the

Month We Adjourned the Same to the 5th of March next

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 4 Janry 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journal 2

folio 37 & 39

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 5 Janry 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour, Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Accots for January last which were Severally Examined and

Approved & are as follow Vizt

19 ½ Galln Arrack

6 3 6

66 lb Sugar

10 17 9

20 6 ½ Bread

2 11 3

4 ½ Flour

10 6

1 ½ P Divori

10

4 P Justion

10

4 ½ Yds Shalloon

6 9 6

3 ½ P Chints

1 7 6

3 White Shirts

1 4

6 P Damaged Chints

18

6 Yards ditto

1 10

8 Yards Tishing 2 6 & 4 4 & 2 7

3 6

1 Iron Galln Coffee Pott

2

1 large ditto 48 P

10 8

68 Yards thin Canvas

16

1 Tea Kettle

1

1 Hatt

1 2

1 Soldiers plain Coat

16 9

1 ½ P Taffety

3

13 Yard Broad Cloth

10

2 P lb Divones

6 2

1 Pr brass Candlesticks

7 6

1 Small Blanket

2 2

1 Knitting do

8 9

1 Twine

3½ Shoo Thread

1 Bruridges Snuights

Totall Sold

46 13 9

The council held that the debt rested on Bergue himself. Bergue being present, and declaring that Mr Goodwin held a bond for the price of the slave and had a claim upon it for his own security, and the matter appearing reasonable, the council confirmed the property in the slave to Mr Goodwin accordingly. No other business coming before the council, and the meeting appointed for the month having nothing to consider, the council adjourned it to 26 March next. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Monday 4 January 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day met and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 37 and 39. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 5 January 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for January last, each of which was examined and approved, and stood as follows.

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered during December 1730.

19.5 gallons of arrack, £6 3s 6d

66 lb of sugar, £10 17s 9d

20.5 lb of bread, £2 11s 3d

4 lb of flour, £0 11s 0d

7.5 yards of durance, £0 10s 6d

7.5 pair of fustian, £0 1s 0d

4.5 yards of shalloon, £0 9s 6d

1.5 yards of chelloes, £1 17s 6d

3 white shirts, £1 4s 3d

6 pair of damask chintz, £0 1s 8d

6 yards of ditto, £1 10s 0d

6 yards of fishing line, £0 3s 6d

1 brass gallon coffee pot, £0 8s 6d

1 lace, ditto 48d, £0 10s 8d

69 yards of thin canvas, £0 16s 0d

1 tea kettle, £0 1s 2d

1 hat, £0 12s 0d

1 soldier's plain coat, £0 16s 9d

7.5 pair of taffety, £0 3s 0d

139 yards of broad cloth, £0 10s 0d

2 yards of drugget, £0 6s 2d

1 pair brass candlesticks, £0 7s 6d

1 small blanket, £0 2s 2d

1 knitting ditto, £0 8s 9d

1 twine, £0 1s 0d

3.5 shoe thread, £0 [...]s [...]d

1 Beveridge's Thoughts, £0 [...]s [...]d

total goods sold, £46 13s 0d

Interpretations

The Bergue slave case closed with the council confirming ownership not in the buyer but in the lender. Because Captain Goodwin held the bond for the unpaid price, his claim on the slave took priority, and the council vested the property in him rather than in Bergue, who could not pay. This is the plain working of a security interest: the man who advanced the money held the asset until he was satisfied, and the slave Simon passed to Goodwin as the holder of the debt rather than to the buyer who had failed to meet it. The outcome shows how completely a human being was treated as collateral, transferred between free men to settle a bond like any other pledged property.

The adjournment of the quarter meeting for want of business continues a pattern that runs through the whole of Byfield's later government. The council noted repeatedly that the inhabitants lived peaceably with no considerable dispute, and the quarterly court was put off again and again for lack of matter to try, here to 26 March next. This quiet is itself a mark of the settled administration, a contrast the inhabitants had drawn in their address of thanks to the Governor years earlier against the disorder of his predecessor.

The storekeeper's account opens the December retail reckoning with the usual mixture of provisions, dress fabrics and household goods. The cloths are the familiar range: durance a stout glazed worsted, fustian a cotton-linen mix, shalloon a light twill for linings, chelloes the plain blue Coromandel cottons, and drugget a coarse woollen. Among the ordinary wares stands one unusual entry, a copy of Beveridge's Thoughts, a popular volume of devotional reflections by Bishop William Beveridge, its sale from the Company store showing that the island's small trade ran to books of piety as well as cloth and ironware, and that a market existed for religious reading among the inhabitants five weeks from any other source of print.

425

400

Charges General Brought over 46 13 10

1 Iron Sconce Do

1 6

21 Galln Tar

2 12 6

20 lb Rosin

9 8

5 Galln Terpentine

1 3 6

3 Small Earthen Potts

8 6

3 ditto 2 Quart

1 3

1 ditto ½ Quart

4

12 do 1 Pint

6

12 do 1 Quart

6 6

6 lb Soap

6 6

6 lb Rice for the Slag & Poultry

4 2 6

9 19 6

Blacks Vizt

4 doz Sines

1 10 2

27 doz Blacks

16

11 ½ Rape

2 3

2 Chains Mohair

3

2 oz Silk

3

17 Lead

3 9½

55 lb Rice

4 2 6

8 18 11½

Garrison 4 ½ Galln Rape oyle

1 7

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores Vizt

1 brown Thread

4

1 ½ oz China Silk

9

17 lb Fathom white Rope

5 6

0 9 9

Plantation

1 Shoo Thread

8 6

6 Galln Linfoed oyle

2

10 4 P Nailes

2

4 4 6

Diet Expences Vizt

84 Galln Arrack

26 12

176 Sugar

4 3 6

16 P Bread

11 6

175 Flour

2 3 9

10 Galln Sherry

6 5

3 P Galln Vinegar

11 8 9

1 Import

8

33 Galln Beer

6 12

10 P Wax Candles

2

4 Brushells Salt

18

44 10 6

Totall

119 17 11½

Expence of the Table in Decr 1730 Vizt

300 lb Beef

3 16

190 Fish

4 16

12 Fowles

18

6 Ducks

9

1 Turkay

6

9 Goates

2 14

14 Kids

2 9

9 lb Poultry

9

31 Days Greens

1 11

62 Bottles Milk

1

49 Galln Arrack

15 10 4

98 Sugar

2 9

46 lb Bread

11 6

170 Flour

2 3 9

10 Galln Sherry

1 11

3 ½ Vinegar

8 9

5 P Pepper

5

33 Galln Beer

6 12

4 Brushells Salt

18

Expence of the Table in Decr

48 8

26 Galln Arrack dld the Blacks

7 18 4

10 do dld to the Guards Smiths Coopers

3 3 4

79 lb Sugar dld to Guards & Blacks

Customary to be at Xmas

1 19 6

10 lb Candles

1

6 lb Soap

6 6

14 7 8

The following goods were charged to the general charges account for December 1730, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £46 13s 0d

1 tin sauce dish, £0 1s 6d

21 gallons of tar, £2 12s 6d

20 lb of rosin, £0 2s 8d

5 gallons of turpentine, £1 3s 6d

3 small earthen pots, £0 1s 3d

3 ditto quart, £0 1s 0d

1 ditto quart, £0 0s 4d

12 ditto pint, £0 6s 6d

12 ditto quart, £0 6s 6d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

550 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £4 2s 6d

total general charges, £9 19s 5d

The following goods were delivered to the Company's slaves.

4 dozen lines, £1 10s 2d

27 dozen hooks, £0 1s 6d

114 lb of rope, £2 3s 0d

2 skeins of mohair, £0 0s 3d

2 oz of silk, £0 0s 3d

117 lb of lead, £0 3s 9.5d

550 lb of rice, £4 2s 6d

total, delivered to the slaves, £8 18s 11.5d

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

4.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

total garrison, £1 7s 0d

The following goods were charged to the naval, gunners' and garrison stores account.

1 lb of brown thread, £0 4s 0d

1.5 oz of China silk, £0 0s 9d

17 fathom of white rope, £0 5s 0d

total, £0 9s 9d

The following goods were charged to the plantation account.

1 lb of shoe thread, £0 8s 6d

6 gallons of linseed oil, £0 2s 0d

16 lb of 4d nails, £0 2s 0d

total plantation, £4 4s 6d

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account.

84 gallons of arrack, £26 12s 0d

176 lb of sugar, £4 3s 6d

16 lb of bread, £0 11s 6d

175 lb of flour, £2 1s 9d

1 gallon of sherry, £1 11s 6d

36 gallons of ditto, £1 8s 9d

1 gallon of port, £0 6s 0d

88 gallons of beer, £6 12s 0d

10 lb of wax candles, £0 1s 0d

4 bushels of salt, £0 0s 18d

total diet expenses, £44 10s 6d

grand total, £119 17s 11.5d

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in December 1730.

300 lb of beef, £3 16s 0d

190 lb of pork, £4 16s 0d

12 fowls, £0 0s 18d

6 ducks, £0 0s 9d

1 turkey, £0 0s 6d

2 goats, £2 14s 0d

4.5 kids, £2 0s 9d

9 lb of butter, £0 0s 9d

31 days' greens, £0 1s 11d

69 bottles of milk, £0 0s 0d

49 gallons of arrack, £15 10s 4d

98 lb of sugar, £2 9s 0d

46 lb of bread, £0 11s 6d

170 lb of flour, £2 3s 9d

4 gallons of sherry, £1 11s 6d

3.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 8s 9d

5 lb of pepper, £0 6s 6d

88 gallons of beer, £6 12s 0d

2 bushels of salt, £0 0s 18d

total, expense of the table in December, £48 8s 0d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

26 gallons of arrack to the black slaves, £7 18s 4d

10 gallons ditto to the guards, smiths, coopers and carpenters, being the customary Christmas allowance, £3 3s 4d

79 lb of sugar to the guards and slaves at Christmas, £1 19s 6d

10 lb of candles, £1 0s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

total, £14 7s 8d

Interpretations

The December account divides the month's issues into the standard Company charges after the retail total carried down. The general charges gather the preservative stores of the settlement, tar, rosin and turpentine for waterproofing timber and boats, together with a run of earthen pots and the heavy issue of rice for the hogs and poultry. The slaves' delivery again centres on fishing gear and rice, the hooks, lines, rope and lead sinkers for the boats and the imported grain that fed the fishermen, the fishery being the standing substitute for the meat ration abolished in March 1727. The naval and gunners' stores line, with its white rope measured in fathoms, kept the boats rigged and the ordnance furnished.

The diet expenses and the general table account carry the drink and provisions of the fort, and both swell against the quieter months. Arrack rose sharply to 84 gallons in the diet account and 49 at the table, the heaviest figures for many months, and the table drew fresh beef and pork in quantity, fowls, ducks, a turkey, goats and kids, butter, greens and milk. The goats and kids charged to the table are again drawn from a herd under active destruction, the killing having begun on 1 September, so the establishment continued to eat the stock the council was labouring to clear.

The Christmas allowances fix the season and the reversed calendar together. The account issues twenty-six gallons of arrack to the black slaves, ten to the guards and tradesmen, and seventy-nine pounds of sugar at Christmas, the customary festive ration that recurs every December in the run. Christmas fell in the depth of the southern summer, so this was a midsummer feast rather than a midwinter one, and the generous drink and sugar mark the one point in the year when the establishment, slave and free, was indulged together. The scale of the arrack to the slaves in particular, far above the ordinary monthly issue, shows the Company observing the festival across the whole of its people, the same seasonal allowance an English household would have kept but timed to the opposite pole of the year.

426

401

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Pigs, Boars, Totall

Poultry: Turkies, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 Decr

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 81, Bulls 4, Totall 361, Ewes 46, Withers 24, Lambs 9, Rams 3, Totall 82, Ewes 136, Withers 54, Kids 147, Rams 4, Totall 341, Sowes 20, Shoates 20, Barrows 12, Pigs 30, Boars 4, Totall 86, Turkies 35, Fowles 95, Ducks 21, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Encreased in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 19, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 19, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 4, Rams 0, Totall 4, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 22, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 22, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bought in ditto

Bullocks 69, Cowes 115, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 100, Bulls 4, Totall 380, Ewes 46, Withers 24, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 136, Withers 54, Kids 147, Rams 4, Totall 341, Sowes 20, Shoates 112, Barrows 12, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 111, Turkies 35, Fowles 107, Ducks 31, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Killed 1 Bullock & 2 old Cowes

Bullocks 1, Cowes 2, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 3, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 24, Withers 3, Kids 14, Rams 0, Totall 41, Sowes 1, Shoates 0, Barrows 2, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 3, Turkies 1, Fowles 12, Ducks 6, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 68, Cowes 113, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 100, Bulls 4, Totall 377, Ewes 46, Withers 24, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 112, Withers 51, Kids 133, Rams 4, Totall 300, Sowes 19, Shoates 42, Barrows 10, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 108, Turkies 34, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Dead 1 old Cow

Bullocks 0, Cowes 1, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 1, Ewes 1, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 1, Ewes 0, Withers 9, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 9, Sowes 0, Shoates 1, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 1, Turkies 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 31 Decr

Bullocks 68, Cowes 112, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 100, Bulls 4, Totall 376, Ewes 45, Withers 24, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 85, Ewes 112, Withers 42, Kids 133, Rams 4, Totall 291, Sowes 19, Shoates 42, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 107, Turkies 34, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantations 16000 tt

ditto for the Fort Blacks 7300

ditto for the Great Wood ditto 3600

Totall 26900 tt

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during December 1730, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 December:

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 81, bulls 4, total 361

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 24, lambs 9, rams 3, total 82

goats - ewes 136, wethers 54, kids 147, rams 4, total 341

hogs - sows 20, shoats 20, barrows 12, boars 30, pigs 4, total 86

poultry - turkeys 35, fowls 95, ducks 21, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Increased in December:

neat cattle - calves 19, total 19

sheep - lambs 4, total 4

poultry - fowls 3, ducks 12, geese 10

Bought in December:

hogs - barrows 22, total 22

New totals after increase and purchase:

neat cattle - bullocks 69, cows 115, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 100, bulls 4, total 380

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 24, lambs 13, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 136, wethers 54, kids 147, rams 4, total 341

hogs - sows 20, shoats 20, barrows 12, pigs 33, boars 4, total 111

poultry - turkeys 35, fowls 107, ducks 31, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Killed in December (1 bullock and 2 old cows):

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 113, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 100, bulls 4, total 377

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 24, lambs 18, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 112, wethers 51, kids 133, rams 4, total 300

hogs - sows 19, shoats 42, barrows 10, pigs 33, boars 4, total 108

poultry - turkeys 34, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 3, total 8

of which killed: neat cattle - bullocks 1, cows 2, total 3; goats - ewes 24, wethers 3, kids 14, total 41; hogs - sows 1, barrows 2

Dead in December (1 old cow):

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 112, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 100, bulls 4, total 376

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 24, lambs 18, rams 3, total 85

goats - ewes 112, wethers 42, kids 133, rams 4, total 291

hogs - sows 19, shoats 42, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 4, total 107

poultry - turkeys 34, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 3, total 8

of which dead: neat cattle - cows 1; sheep - ewes 1; goats - wethers 9, total 9; hogs - barrows 1

Remaining 31 December:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 112, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 100, bulls 4, total 376

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 24, lambs 13, rams 3, total 85

goats - ewes 112, wethers 42, kids 133, rams 4, total 291

hogs - sows 19, shoats 42, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 4, total 107

poultry - turkeys 34, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 16,000 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 7,300 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 3,600 lb

Total yams, 26,900 lb

Interpretations

The account adds a bought line beside the usual movements, recording twenty-two barrows taken into the establishment by purchase, which shows the Company continuing to replenish its swine from the inhabitants rather than by breeding alone, as it had done the previous month. The hogs closed at 107, well up on the 86 they had opened at, the combined effect of purchase and the growth of pigs into the mature count. The neat cattle held steady, nineteen calves bred against a bullock and three cows killed or dead, closing at 376, the near-standstill of a month with no ship in the road to draw off stock.

The goats fell heavily again, the clearest thread of these accounts. The herd opened at 341 and closed at 291, losing forty-one to slaughter and nine to death, the killing falling most on the ewes and kids. This is the continued working of the destruction resolved on 20 January 1730 and begun on 1 September, the council steadily cutting the herd through the summer months. The reduction was relentless but not complete, and feral goats survived on St Helena long after the Company abandoned the effort.

The killing of aged animals, one bullock and two old cows slaughtered and a third old cow found dead, marks a deliberate culling of stock past its usefulness. The council regularly cleared its books of animals grown too old for breeding or draught, and the express note of their age shows the bookkeeping distinguishing between beasts killed for the table and those simply worn out. This husbandry of the herd, killing the old to make room for the young, was the ordinary management of a closed establishment that had to renew itself from within between the visits of the fleets.

The yam issue rose slightly to 26,900 lb but remained low, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood. December fell in the southern summer, and while the new crop was coming on the account had not yet returned to its fuller summer levels, the establishment still drawing carefully on stock between the main harvests. This steady dependence on the yam to feed a garrison and a slave population of over two hundred set the island apart from England, where the root crops carrying the same burden were still a marginal food in the south in 1731.

427

402

Gunners Stores Expended in Decr 1730 Vizt

1730

Decr 5 Muster Day

8 ½ Rm

Expence of the Guard

6

Cartridge Paper 1 Quire

15 ½ tt

1 P Shifear

1 P

1 ½ oz Silk

1 oz

Match

7 P

Signed Jno French

The Govr Reports that one of the Hon ble Compa Blackman called Noah &

a Girle named Susanna died last Week

Orderd that they be Entred in the Books

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 18 January 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Frances Fange presented an Obligation by which Agnes a free Wench was

lately bound to him praying the Same might be Registered

Orderd that the Same be Registered accordingly

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 19 January 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has Measured the Parcell of Land for which

John Yeuling Petitioned on the 13th of October last & that the Same contains

Ten Acres

Orderd that a Leafe for the Said Land be immediately prepared & delivered the

Said Yeuling according to the Date & Agreement mentioned in Consultation of the Said

13th of Octr

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

The following gunner's stores were expended in December 1730, entered under the column for pounds of powder.

5 December: muster day, 8.5 lb of powder

expense of the guard, 7 lb of powder

cartridge paper, 1 quire

1 tampion, 1

1.5 oz of steel, 1

match, 7 lb

total, 15.5 lb of powder

Signed by John French.

The Governor reported that one of the Honourable Company's slave men, named Noah, and a girl named Susanna, had died the previous week. The council ordered both deaths entered on the books. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 January 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Francis Funge produced a bond by which Agnes, a free black woman, had lately bound herself to him, and asked that it be registered. The council ordered it registered accordingly. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 19 January 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had measured the parcel of land granted to John Durling on 13 October last, and that it contained ten acres. The council ordered a lease prepared at once and delivered to Durling, on the terms and agreement set out in the consultation of 13 October. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The gunner's account remains very light, the powder spent only on the monthly muster and the standing charge of the guard, with a quire of cartridge paper, a single tampion to plug a muzzle against damp, and a little steel and match. No ship salute of any kind appears, which confirms the empty road that had run unbroken since the June fleet, no vessel having called through the whole of the southern winter and into the summer. John French signed the account as gunner, as throughout the run.

The Funge bond continues the council's new oversight of free black service. Agnes, the same free woman whose two children had been bound to Frances Coen only weeks before, here bound herself to Francis Funge, and the registration reflects the rule the council had just laid down that no such binding could be made without its knowledge. By requiring these agreements to be entered on the record, the council brought the labour of the island's free blacks under its supervision, guarding against both the parish charge it feared and any private contract made behind its back. The appearance of the same woman in two successive bindings shows how readily free black labour was pledged and repledged among the inhabitants.

The Durling lease closes a grant made three months earlier by the standing two-step process the council used for all its land. The ground was first granted in principle, then measured by Captain Goodwin before any lease was drawn, so that rent and the duty to plant wood could be fixed to the true acreage rather than an estimate. The ten acres now confirmed matched the terms agreed on 13 October, and the order to prepare and deliver the lease at once completed the transaction. This insistence on survey before lease was the same caution the council applied throughout, protecting the Company's revenue against loose reckoning of its land.

428

403

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 26 Janry 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Executed & delivered a Leafe to John Yeuling for Ten Acres of Land

according to the Order of Tuesday last

The Petition of Frances Bunge was presented & read Setting forth that Richard

Mason with a malicious design to prejudice the Petr had refused to let the Petr have

the benefit of a Water Course which they had enjoyed in common for many years past

without any injury or damage to the Said Mason, praying that he might be

accepted & Grant for about half an Acre of Land in which there is a Spring Sufficient

to Water the Petr Plantation, & which Wid free the Petr from apprehensive dependance

upon the Said Mason for the Said Water of the Sol Right thereto near in him which

the Petr nevertheless denies

Granted & Mr Goodwin is Orderd to Measure the Same forthwith

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 2 February 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Goodwin having measured Severall Parcells of Land according to former

Order & We this day Executed & delivered Leafes for the Same as follow Vizt

To Isaac Wood & John Deformtan for Some Acres & half

Stephen Sledger & Samuel Jefery

Two Acres

James Vaughn

Six Acres

John Stripe Junr

Seven Acres

Joseph Deformtan

Three Acres

Frances Slinge

Half an Acre

Giles Smith

Three Acres

The Governmes, Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delivered each their Monthly

Accot for the Month past which were Severally Examined & Approved & are

as follow Vizt

Gunners Stores Expended in January 1730

7 ½ Powder

Muster Day

7 ½ tt

Expence of the Guard

15 tt

Cartridge Paper for ditto 1 Quire

1 Axletree

2

Jar Brushes

2 tt

Match

7 tt

2 Gimblets & 4 P Nailes

2 Baril Tar

Signed Jno French

At a consultation held on Tuesday 26 January 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day executed and delivered a lease to John Durling for ten acres of land, following the order of the previous Tuesday.

Francis Funge produced a deed and petitioned the council, setting out that Richard Mason, with a malicious design to injure him, had refused to let him have the benefit of water that they had enjoyed together for many years past, without any injury or damage to Mason. He asked to be granted about half an acre of land on which there was a spring sufficient to water his own plantation, so that he might be free of any troublesome dependence on Mason for the water. Mason claimed a right to the water, which Funge denied. The council granted the request and ordered Mr Goodwin to measure the ground at once. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 February 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. Captain Goodwin, having measured several parcels of land following earlier orders, the council this day executed and delivered leases for them, as follows.

Isaac Wood and John Defountaine, for some acres and a half

Stephen Pledger and Samuel Doveton, 2 acres

James Vaughan, 6 acres

John Snipe junior, 7 acres

Joseph Defountaine, 3 acres

Francis Funge, half an acre

Giles Smith, 3 acres

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for the past month, each of which was examined and approved, and stood as follows.

The following gunner's stores were expended in January 1731.

muster day, 7.5 lb of powder

expense of the guard, 7.5 lb of powder

cartridge paper for ditto, 1 quire

3 axletrees, 2

tar brushes, 2

match, 7 lb

3 gimblets and 4d nails

4 barrels of tar

total, 15 lb of powder

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

The Funge water dispute is the second such quarrel in the record within weeks, and it turns on the island's chronic scarcity of dependable springs. Water had been a standing anxiety on St Helena, the springs surveyed nearly dry in April 1729, and here a shared source became the ground of a bitter falling-out between neighbours. Funge held that Mason was denying him water they had long used in common out of pure spite, and rather than adjudicate the disputed right the council cut the knot by granting Funge his own half-acre with a spring on it, freeing him from any dependence on Mason. The remedy shows the council preferring to create a fresh independent supply than to arbitrate a claim it could not easily prove, the same practical instinct it showed when it kept the Whaley spring for the Company rather than risk the water below.

The batch of leases records the routine machinery of land-holding on the island, several parcels measured and granted together once Captain Goodwin had done his surveys. The standing practice was to grant in principle, measure, and only then draw the lease, so rent and the duty to plant wood could be fixed to the true acreage. Funge's half-acre appears among them, his water grant completed at the same meeting, which shows how quickly the council could move from petition to executed lease once the ground was measured.

The gunner's account stays light, the powder spent only on the muster and the guard, with cartridge paper, tar and brushes for maintaining the guns and carriages, gimblets and nails, and a few barrels of tar. No ship salute appears, confirming the road still empty as it had been since June, the long silence now stretching past seven months. John French kept the account as gunner, as throughout the run.

429

404

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Pigs, Boars, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 Janry

Bullocks 68, Cowes 112, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 100, Bulls 4, Totall 376, Ewes 45, Withers 24, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 85, Ewes 112, Withers 42, Kids 133, Rams 4, Totall 291, Sowes 19, Shoates 42, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 107, Turkeys 34, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 3, Totall 8

Encreased in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 11, Bulls 0, Totall 11, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 1, Totall 1

Bullocks 68, Cowes 112, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 111, Bulls 4, Totall 387, Ewes 45, Withers 24, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 85, Ewes 112, Withers 42, Kids 133, Rams 4, Totall 291, Sowes 19, Shoates 42, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 107, Turkeys 34, Fowles 95, Ducks 25, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 9, Withers 0, Kids 25, Rams 0, Totall 34, Sowes 1, Shoates 0, Barrows 1, Pigs 5, Boars 0, Totall 7, Turkeys 2, Fowles 12, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 68, Cowes 112, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 111, Bulls 4, Totall 387, Ewes 45, Withers 24, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 85, Ewes 103, Withers 42, Kids 108, Rams 4, Totall 257, Sowes 18, Shoates 42, Barrows 8, Pigs 28, Boars 4, Totall 100, Turkeys 32, Fowles 83, Ducks 25, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Dead 1 old Cow

Bullocks 0, Cowes 1, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 1, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 7, Rams 0, Totall 7, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 30 Janry

Bullocks 68, Cowes 111, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 111, Bulls 4, Totall 386, Ewes 45, Withers 24, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 85, Ewes 103, Withers 42, Kids 101, Rams 4, Totall 250, Sowes 18, Shoates 42, Barrows 8, Pigs 28, Boars 4, Totall 100, Turkeys 32, Fowles 83, Ducks 25, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantations 17000 tt

Ditto dld the Fort Blacks 8000

Ditto dld the Great Wood ditto 3900

Totall Yam 28900 tt

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during January 1731, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 January:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 112, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 100, bulls 4, total 376

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 24, lambs 13, rams 3, total 85

goats - ewes 112, wethers 42, kids 133, rams 4, total 291

hogs - sows 19, shoats 42, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 4, total 107

poultry - turkeys 34, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 3, total 8

Increased in January:

neat cattle - calves 11, total 11

poultry - fowls 0

New totals after increase:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 112, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 111, bulls 4, total 387

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 24, lambs 13, rams 3, total 85

goats - ewes 112, wethers 42, kids 133, rams 4, total 291

hogs - sows 19, shoats 42, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 4, total 107

poultry - turkeys 34, fowls 95, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

Killed in January:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 112, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 111, bulls 4, total 387

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 24, lambs 13, rams 3, total 85

goats - ewes 103, wethers 42, kids 108, rams 4, total 257

hogs - sows 18, shoats 42, barrows 8, pigs 28, boars 4, total 100

poultry - turkeys 32, fowls 83, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

of which killed: goats - ewes 9, kids 25, total 34; hogs - sows 1, barrows 1, pigs 5, total 7; poultry - turkeys 2, fowls 12

Dead in January (1 old cow):

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 111, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 111, bulls 4, total 386

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 24, lambs 13, rams 3, total 85

goats - ewes 103, wethers 42, kids 101, rams 4, total 250

hogs - sows 18, shoats 42, barrows 8, pigs 28, boars 4, total 100

poultry - turkeys 32, fowls 83, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

of which dead: neat cattle - cows 1; goats - kids 7, total 7

Remaining 30 January:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 111, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 111, bulls 4, total 386

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 24, lambs 13, rams 3, total 85

goats - ewes 103, wethers 42, kids 101, rams 4, total 250

hogs - sows 18, shoats 42, barrows 8, pigs 28, boars 4, total 100

poultry - turkeys 32, fowls 83, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 17,000 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 8,000 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 3,900 lb

Total yams, 28,900 lb

Interpretations

The account carries each class through the month's increase and losses, and its steadiest note is the continued decline of the goats. The herd opened at 291 and closed at 250, losing thirty-four to slaughter and seven to death, the killing again falling most heavily on the ewes and kids. This is the destruction resolved on 20 January 1730 still working through the summer, the council cutting the herd month by month, though a stock of 250 shows how far it remained from clearing the island, and feral goats survived on St Helena long after the effort was abandoned.

The neat cattle held almost flat, eleven calves bred against a single old cow that died, closing at 386. The addition of a mare to the horses, lifting the total from eight to nine, restored the loss of the beast stolen in October, so the small stock of working horses returned to its usual number. With no ship in the road, no cattle were sold, and the herd simply held its ground, the near-standstill of an establishment with no outlet for its increase.

The poultry fell noticeably, twelve fowls and two turkeys killed for the table in the month, dropping the fowls from 95 to 83. Poultry was the readiest fresh meat on the island and the first drawn on for the fort table, so its steady consumption tracked the ordinary feeding of the establishment rather than any special event. The absence of any egg-driven increase in the ducks and geese reflects the point in the season before the main laying resumed.

The yam issue rose to 28,900 lb, still modest, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood. January fell in the southern summer with the new crop coming on, but the account had not yet climbed to its fuller levels, the establishment drawing carefully as the old stock ran down and the fresh harvest was not yet fully in. This unbroken reliance on the yam to feed a garrison and a slave population of over two hundred set the island apart from England, where the root crops carrying the same burden were still viewed with suspicion across much of the country in 1731.

430

405

Collection of Store Goods Sold in Janry 1730

17 ½ Galln Arrack

5 9 3

64 lb Sugar

16 16

72 7 lb Bread

9 1 9

64 8 Flour

9 6

4 Mens Hatts

3 3

19 White Shirts

2 7 6

2 Pr Soldiers Stockings

3 9

2 Pr Womens ditto

6

2 Pr ditto

4 8

3 Pr Mens do

11

3 Pr Womens do

13 6

1 Pr Mens Silk

13 6

4 China Bowles

10

12 Sneakers

6

6 lb Cupps & 12 Sauers

1 5

2 Tea Potts

3 6

2 P Small Chints damaged

15

34 Yards ditto broken

8 4

Totall

61 15

Garrison Vizt

6 ½ Galln Rape oyle

1 19

1 large Small for Down Cord

5

2 2 4

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores Vizt

2 Jar Brushes

4

4 P Nails Sorted

6 6

1 Baril Tar

2 4 6

3 Small Gimblets

9

2 14 9

Plantation Vizt

20 lb Red Lead

10

20 White do

10

21 Rope

10

6 Slaves

7

3 Galln Train oyle

18

2 15 6

Blacks Vizt

500 lb Rice

2 15

21 doz Blocks

16 4

1 doz Sines

4 9

10 lb Vig Lead

2 6

8 P Rope

7 2 4

ditto on Accot of Clothing

27 lb Yards Fladdy

2 3 6

10 Almas Blackfay

14 9

9 lb Coloured Thread

8

1 Whited Brown

2 6

100 C Feedris

1 6

2 Pr White Sear

7

1 Pr Coloured

1 10

1 Pr Diaper

2 9

2 Thimbles

1

11 Pr Whited Chints much damaged

4 3 6

10 White Shirt

1 13 6

1 Pr Clothing

4

19 Yds ditto Shalloon

14 6

36 9 11

40 12 3

Diet Expences Vizt

73 Galln Arrack

20 2 4

148 lb Sugar

3 11

56 lb Bread

14

170 lb Flour

2 6

6 Galln Sherry

2 6

1 Galln Vinegar

4

3 Pr Pepper

3 10

57 Galln Beer

1 14

17 lb Wax Candles

10

3 Brushells Salt

38 10

Charges General Vizt

5 Cordy

1 8

1 Tin Sauce Pan

2 2

2 Slaves

2 4

1 Iron Skruit

2

1 ½ Corke

6 6

6 lb Soap

6

380 lb Rice for Slag & Poultry

2 17

3 13 1

Totall Curr 144 13 9

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered during January 1731.

17.5 gallons of arrack, £5 9s 3d

64 lb of sugar, £16 16s 0d

727 lb of bread, £9 1s 9d

648 lb of flour, £3 1s 0d

4 men's slates, £0 2s 6d

19 white shirts, £2 7s 6d

2 pair of soldiers' stockings, £0 3s 9d

2 pair of women's ditto, £0 6s 0d

2 pair ditto, £0 4s 8d

3 pair of men's ditto, £0 11s 0d

3 pair of women's ditto, £0 13s 6d

1 pair of men's silk, £0 13s 6d

4 China bowls, £0 10s 0d

19 sneakers, £0 6s 0d

6 lb of camlet and 10 saucers, £1 1s 5d

2 tea pots, £0 3s 0d

2 pair of small chintz damaged, £0 0s 15d

34 yards of ditto broken, £0 8s 7d

total goods sold, £61 15s 0d

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

6.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 19s 0d

1 large small of drum cord, £0 3s 4d

total garrison, £2 2s 4d

The following goods were charged to the naval, gunners' and garrison stores account.

2 tar brushes, £0 4s 0d

4 lb of nails sorted, £0 6s 6d

1 barrel of tar, £2 4s 6d

3 small gimblets, £0 0s 9d

total, £2 14s 9d

The following goods were charged to the plantation account.

20 lb of red lead, £0 10s 0d

20 lb of white ditto, £0 10s 0d

21 lb of rope, £0 10s 0d

6 staves, £0 7s 0d

3 gallons of train oil, £0 0s 18d

total plantation, £2 16s 6d

The following goods were delivered to the Company's slaves.

500 lb of rice, £9 15s 0d

21 dozen hooks, £0 6s 4d

1 dozen lines, £0 4s 9d

19 lb of pig lead, £0 4s 6d

8 lb of rope, £2 4s 6d

total, £7 2s 4d

The following goods were delivered to the slaves on account of clothing.

250 yards of taffety, £23 16s 0d

10 small blankets, £0 14s 9d

9 pair of coloured thread, £0 8s 0d

1 whited brown, £0 2s 6d

100 needles, £0 1s 6d

2 pair of white tape, £0 7s 0d

1 pair of coloured, £1 10s 0d

1 pair of diaper, £2 6s 0d

1 stomacher, £0 4s 0d

17 pair thread chintz much damaged, £4 2s 6d

10 white shirts, £1 18s 6d

1.5 yards of ditto, £0 4s 0d

19 yards of shalloon, £0 14s 6d

total, £36 9s 11d

total for the slaves' clothing, £40 12s 3d

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account.

73 gallons of arrack, £20 2s 4d

148 lb of sugar, £3 11s 0d

56 lb of bread, £0 14s 0d

170 lb of flour, £2 2s 6d

6 gallons of sherry, £2 6s 0d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

57 gallons of beer, £3 10s 0d

17 lb of wax candles, £1 14s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 0d

total diet expenses, £38 0s 10d

The following goods were charged to the general charges account.

5 oz of thread, £0 1s 8d

1 tin sauce pan, £0 2s 4d

2 slices, £0 2s 2d

1 iron shovel, £0 0s 6d

1.5 sacks, £2 6s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 17s 0d

380 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £3 13s 1d

total general charges, £3 13s 1d

grand total, £144 13s 9d

Interpretations

The account divides January's warehouse issues into retail sales and the standard Company charges. The retail total of £61 15s 0d is carried chiefly by staple provisions rather than luxuries, with heavy weights of bread and flour, and a run of stockings and shirts that shows the inhabitants clothing themselves from the store. Camlet was a plain wool or wool-and-silk cloth valued for shedding rain, and the China bowls, tea pots and saucers mark the spread of tea-drinking even to this remote settlement, the ware brought back by the Company's China ships and sold on to the island's households.

The slaves' clothing charge is the heart of the account and again marks the seasonal cycle. This was a second annual outfitting of the slaves, following the September delivery, and it issued 250 yards of taffety, blankets, thread, tape, shirts and shalloon to be made up into garments. The mention of a stomacher, the stiffened triangular panel filling the front of a woman's gown, and the several grades of thread and tape show the cloth being cut and sewn on the island rather than imported ready-made. Much of the chintz was noted as heavily damaged, so the poorer and spoiled stock was passed to the slaves while sound cloth was kept for retail sale.

The remaining charges gather the working stores of the establishment. The slaves' delivery centres on fishing gear and a heavy issue of rice, the hooks, lines and rope for the boats and the imported grain that fed the fishermen, the fishery being the standing substitute for the meat ration abolished in March 1727. The plantation drew red and white lead, rope, staves and train oil for maintenance and preserving, and the general charges carried a further 380 pounds of rice for the hogs and poultry. This continued dependence on imported rice to feed both people and animals through the lean season, alongside the yams, marks how narrowly the island lived, five weeks from any supply and unable to raise enough grain to carry its own establishment. The month's grand total of £144 13s 9d reflects a fuller reckoning than the deep-winter accounts, swollen by the annual clothing charge and the year's maintenance stores.

431

406

Expence of the Table in Janry 1730 Vizt

45 Galln Arrack

14 5

105 Sugar

2 19 6

56 lb Bread

14

170 Flour

2 6

6 Galln Sherry

2 6

1 Galln Vinegar

2 6

4 lb Pepper

4

47 Galln Beer

3 1 6

3 Brushells Salt

13 6

8 Goats

18

28 Kids

8 15

5 Pigs

3 10

120 lb Pork

3 3

12 Fowles

18

2 Turkeys

10

14 Ducks

14

31 Days Greens

1 11

62 Bottles Milk

1

Expence of the Table in January

40 10 8

6 lb Soap

6 6

17 lb Candles

1 14

16 Galln Arrack dld the Guards Smiths

3 9 3

11 do to Coopers Coopers &ca from new Years day

5 7 3

17 Galln dld the Blacks the Yesterday

1 18 6

37 Sugar dld to the Guards & Blacks

11 16 4

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 3d February 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & Paid the Garrison for the Month past as p

Journal 2 folio 42 & 44

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday at Plantation House 9 Feby 1730

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Govr Reports that two of the Hon ble Compa Wenches belonging to

Plantation House, one named Mary the other Ellen Sea were each deld of

a Boy last Week one called Doreg the other George

Orderd that they be Entred in the Journall

Mr Goodwin having Measured a Couple of Peices of Land for

Frances Wrangham each containing one Acre We this day Executed and

delivered

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in January 1731.

45 gallons of arrack, £14 5s 0d

105 lb of sugar, £2 19s 6d

56 lb of bread, £0 0s 14d

170 lb of flour, £2 2s 6d

6 gallons of sherry, £2 2s 6d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 0s 2d

4 lb of pepper, £0 0s 4d

47 gallons of beer, £3 1s 6d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

6 goats, £0 0s 18d

28 kids, £6 15s 0d

5 pigs, £1 10s 0d

126 lb of pork, £3 0s 3d

12 fowls, £0 0s 18d

2 turkeys, £0 0s 10d

14 ducks, £0 0s 14d

31 days' greens, £0 1s 11d

69 bottles of milk, £0 1s 8d

total, expense of the table in January, £40 10s 8d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

17 lb of candles, £1 14s 0d

16 gallons of arrack delivered to the guards and smiths, £4 14s 0d

11 gallons ditto to the coopers and carpenters from New Year's Day, £3 9s 3d

17 gallons delivered to the black slaves the previous day, £5 7s 3d

37 lb of sugar delivered to the guards and slaves, £0 18s 6d

total, £11 16s 4d

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Wednesday 3 February 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day met and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 42 and 44. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 9 February 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

The Governor reported that one of the Honourable Company's slave women at Plantation House, named Mary, had given birth to a boy called Dennis, and another, named Ellen, to a boy called George. The council ordered both children entered on the books.

Mr Goodwin, having measured a parcel of land for Francis Wrangham containing one acre, the council this day executed and delivered the lease.

Interpretations

The table account records the drink and provisions consumed at the fort, with arrack again the largest single line at 45 gallons and the fresh provisions drawn from the island's own stock. The twenty-eight kids and six goats charged to the table in a single month are worth marking, since they were taken from a herd under active destruction, the killing having begun on 1 September, so the establishment continued to eat the very stock the council was labouring to clear. The heavy issue of kids reflects both the summer kidding season, which had thrown so many young the month before, and the council's readiness to consume them as the cull proceeded.

The New Year allowances fix both the season and the reversed calendar. The account issues seventeen gallons of arrack to the black slaves, sixteen to the guards and smiths and eleven to the coopers and carpenters, all on account of New Year's Day, together with sugar for the guards and slaves. This was the customary festive ration that recurs every New Year in the run, and it fell in the depth of the southern summer rather than in cold weather, so the generous drink marked a midsummer holiday. The scale of the arrack to the slaves, far above the ordinary monthly issue, shows the Company keeping the festival across the whole of its people, slave and free alike, the same seasonal indulgence an English household would have kept but timed to the opposite pole of the year.

The two births continue the standing rule that a child born to a Company slave woman became Company property from birth, entered on the books at a valuation and joining the establishment mustered and revalued each year. The report of two healthy boys added two durable entries to the stock, while the Wrangham lease closed another land grant by the usual process of survey before lease, the ground measured before the instrument was drawn so rent and planting duty could be fixed to the true acreage.

432

407

delivered him a Leafe for the Same accordingly

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 16th February 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved & there not being any other business

We Adjourned

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 23 Feby 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of Caleb Davis was presented & read Praying to be become

Tenant for about Six Acres of Land called the Marshes but letting the

Same being highly prejudicial to all the Inhabitants of that Side the

Country We Rejected it

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 2 March 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Saturday last We had an Allarm for Six Sails of Ships passing by to the

Windward & at first We believe were Dutch

The Governmes, Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward each delivered their Monthly

Accots for February last which were Severally Examined & Approved & are as

follow Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered in the Month

of February 1730 Vizt

Arrack

The council delivered a lease to Francis Wrangham for the parcel accordingly. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 February 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. No other business coming before the council, the meeting was adjourned. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 23 February 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Caleb Davis petitioned the council to become a tenant of about six acres of land called the Marshes. Because letting it would be highly harmful to all the inhabitants of that side of the country, the council refused the request. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 2 March 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. On Saturday last an alarm was raised for six sail of ships passing by to the windward, which afterwards were believed to be Dutch. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for February last, each of which was examined and approved, and stood as follows.

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered during February 1731.

Interpretations

The refusal of Caleb Davis's petition for the Marshes echoes the council's earlier rejection of the Whaley water grant, and rests on the same principle of the common good over the private one. The council would not let a parcel whose enclosure would harm the wider neighbourhood, and here it declined outright, holding the land too important to the inhabitants of that side to pass into one man's hands. Land that served the whole community, whether as common grazing or as a shared water source, was kept out of private tenancy where a grant would injure the many for the benefit of the few. This marks a consistent thread in the council's land policy through the period, the readiness to refuse even a paying tenant where the wider settlement would suffer.

The alarm for six sail passing to windward is the first shipping of any kind noted in the record for many months, the road having stood empty since the departure of the June fleet. Even so, no ship came in: the vessels were taken for Dutch and passed by without touching the island. The alarm itself shows the standing watch still kept from the flagstaff and signal station, and the guns ready to warp and heave in, even after the Treaty of Seville had ended the war footing, the precaution now maintained against pirates and unknown sail rather than any declared enemy. That six ships could pass in company and be judged foreign at a distance reflects both the vigilance of the watch and the island's isolation, a lone Company outpost observing the traffic of other nations sweep past on the homeward route.

433

408

20 ½ Galln Arrack

6 10 9

64 lb Sugar

16 5 6

52 lb Bread

16 9

67 lb Flour

16 9

15 P Chilos

10 5

16 Yards Tirvy

1 3

1 Justion

8

2 Copper Rods

2 17 6

1 Pr Candlesticks

12

1 Pr ditto

13 6

1 Pr Musket & Standd

13 6

1 Tea Kettle

1

3 ditto

8 5

1 knap Ladle

4

2 Pr Sisors

4 6

1 Basting Knap

1 6

1 Tortoise Inkhorn

8

1 Case Knives & Forks

1 19 8

1 Larger Capt Standd

10

10 do Plain horn

1 5

2 double Razor Straps

4

2 doz Buckhandle Penknives

4

Totall Sold

51 6 1

Naval Stores Jea Vizt

8 P blew bunting 46 Yd Do

19 10

4 P White do

6

2 P Whited Brown Thread

12

6 Sines

8 8

16 Yards Fine Canvas

18 8

4 P Coloured Thread

8

2 P White Sea

10

1 P Coloured ditto

8

2 P Carnation

4 6

7 Yds Tanned to mend the Do Slag there not being any White Bunting

16 4

To make a new Slag Do

to mend the old Slag

To mend & repair the

old Slag Do & Cannvas

is to make bags to put

the Slags in the Ship then

from the Cratho

38 3 4

Garrison 4 ½ Galln Rape oyle

1 7

Plantation 48 P Rope

1 large Copper Rods

2 10 4

0 14 4

Charges General Vizt

1 Pr Sciffhinge

1 8

2 Tin Sauce Pans

4 6

3 Dripping Pans

3

1 large ditto

11

4 large Tin Rivets

4

1 Colendor

10

2 Dowlging Boxes

6

6 lb Soap

6

2 Basting Ladles

6

1 Broadn Grater

6

2 knap ditto

6

1 Warming Pan

1 10

4 Buttoing Knives

2

2 Large Sines

7

2 Pr Coloured

4 6

8 White Wired

3

1 Galln Tar

7 6

8 do Rosin

6

4 ½ Galln Linfeed oyle

10

2 Print Brushes

11 6

4 P Sowt Iron

8

1 Plough Skin

4 6

340 lb Rice for Slag & Poultry

2 10 7

12 18 11

Blacks Vizt

3 doz Sines

4 1

40 doz Blocks

1 12 6

1 oz Silk

4 6

4 P Rope

16 4 2

2190 lb Rice

16 8 2

20 10 1

Brought over 127 19 9

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered during February 1731.

20.5 gallons of arrack, £6 10s 9d

64 lb of sugar, £16 6s 0d

53 lb of bread, £0 16s 9d

6 lb of flour, £0 0s 6d

15 pair of chelloes, £10 5s 0d

16 yards of Persia, £1 3s 0d

1 fustian, £0 2s 6d

2 copper rods, £2 17s 6d

1 pair of candlesticks, £0 12s 0d

1 pair of ditto, £0 13s 6d

1 pair of muslin and 1 stand, £0 3s 6d

1 tea kettle, £1 0s 0d

3 ditto, £8 5s 0d

1 brass ladle, £0 5s 4d

2 pair of scissors, £0 4s 6d

1 basting brush, £0 1s 6d

1 tortoise shell inkcase, £0 1s 6d

1 case knives and forks, £1 19s 8d

6 rasps and gimblet handled, £0 10s 0d

10 lb of plain horn, £1 5s 0d

2 double razor straps, £0 0s 14d

2 dozen buckhandled penknives, £0 [...]s [...]d

total goods sold, £51 6s 1d

The following goods were charged to the naval stores account, to make a new flag and to mend the old one.

8 pair of blue bunting at 5 yards, £19 10s 0d

4 pair of white ditto, £[...]s [...]d

2 pair of red ditto, £0 6s 0d

2 oz of shod brown thread, £0 12s 0d

6 lines, £0 8s 8d

16 yards of thin canvas, £0 18s 8d

14 pair of coloured thread, £0 8s 0d

1.5 pair of white ditto, £0 10s 6d

1.5 pair of coloured ditto, £0 4s 6d

2 pair of Coromandel, £0 4s 6d

7 dozen tompions to mend the old flag, there not being any white bunting, £0 16s 4d

total naval stores, £38 3s 4d

(Isaac Johnson and Slaughter delivered the new flag to mend the old flag and canvas, in order to make bags to put the flag in to keep them from the moths.)

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

4.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

total garrison, £1 7s 0d

The following goods were charged to the plantation account.

48 rasps, 1 large copper rod, £2 10s 4d

total plantation, £0 14s 4d

The following goods were charged to the general charges account.

1 pair of sad irons, £0 1s 8d

2 tin sauce pans, £0 4s 6d

6 dripping pans, £1 3s 0d

1 large ditto, £0 11s 0d

4 large tin racks, £1 4s 0d

1 gridiron, £0 10s 0d

2 dredging boxes, £0 1s 0d

2 basting ladles, £0 1s 6d

1 fender and grater, £0 6s 0d

2 brass ditto, £0 6s 0d

1 warming pan, £1 1s 10d

4 buckskin knives, £0 1s 2d

2 large tins, £0 7s 6d

2 pair candles, £0 3s 6d

5 lb of shod wood, £0 4s 6d

1 gallon of tar, £1 7s 6d

6 lb of rosin, £0 10s 0d

1.5 gallons of linseed oil, £0 11s 6d

2 street brushes, £0 3s 0d

4.5 lb of sad iron, £0 4s 6d

1 plough share, £2 10s 7d

340 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £12 18s 11d

total general charges, £12 18s 11d

The following goods were delivered to the Company's slaves.

3 dozen lines, £1 4s 1d

40 dozen hooks, £1 12s 6d

1 oz of silk, £0 4s 6d

40 lb of rope, £16 4s 2d

2,190 lb of rice, £20 10s 1d

total, delivered to the slaves, £20 10s 1d

grand total carried over, £127 19s 9d

Interpretations

The account divides February's warehouse issues into retail sales and the standard Company charges. The retail total of £51 6s 1d is carried by the usual staples and by a striking run of household and kitchen ware, tea kettles, candlesticks, scissors, penknives, razor straps and a case of knives and forks. The chelloes at more than ten pounds, the plain blue Coromandel cottons that were cheap and durable, again formed the heaviest cloth line. Persia was a light plain silk, a finer cloth than the everyday cottons around it. The volume of tableware and cutlery marks a settled community furnishing its homes, the small comforts of domestic life bought from the Company store five weeks from any other source.

The naval stores charge for the flags is the most revealing entry. The account bought blue, red and white bunting, the coarse worsted made into flags and signals, expressly to make a new flag and mend the old one, together with canvas to sew into bags to keep the flags from the moths. The signal flags were essential to the island's watch, hoisted at the flagstaff to raise the alarm for approaching sail, and their upkeep was a standing charge on the gunner's stores. The note that tompions were used to patch the old flag for want of any white bunting shows the storekeeper making do with what was to hand, the island's supply so uncertain that even flag cloth could run short between the ships.

The general charges gather an unusually full kitchen and workshop list, dripping pans, a gridiron, dredging boxes, a warming pan, a fender and a plough share, alongside the preservative stores of tar, rosin and linseed oil. A dredging box was a perforated flour or spice duster, and the run of cooking vessels points to the fitting out of the fort kitchen. The slaves' delivery again centres on fishing gear and a very heavy issue of rice, 2,190 pounds in the month, the imported grain that fed the fishermen and carried the establishment through the season, the fishery being the standing substitute for the meat ration abolished in March 1727. This large charge of rice both for the slaves and for the hogs and poultry marks the island's continuing reliance on imported grain, five weeks from supply and unable to raise enough of its own to feed its people and animals.

434

409

Diet Expences Brought over 127 19 9

50 Galln Arrack

15 16 9

138 lb Sugar

3 9

36 lb Bread

9

150 lb Flour

1 17 6

8 Galln Sherry

3 2

1 Galln Vinegar

2 6

4 lb Pepper

4

55 Galln Beer

3 14

18 lb Wax Candles

1 12

2 ½ Brushells Salt

11 3

31 6 5

159 3 2

Gunners Stores Expended in Feby 1730 Vizt

1730

Feby 6 Muster Day

10 Powder

27 Double Allarm for Six Ships passing by

6 6 12

Expence of the Guard 10th March Do

Tried the folly particulars in Order to make a new Slag Do to mend the old one

8 P blue Bunting 46 Yard Lace

4 P White do

2 P Whited Brown Thread

5 Sines

16 Yards Fine Cannvas

4 P Coloured Thread

2 P White Cape

1 P Coloured

3 P Carnation

7 Yards Flannel

Signed Jno French

Expence of the Table in February 1730 Vizt

50 Galln Arrack

15 16 8

138 lb Sugar

3 9

36 lb Bread

9

150 lb Flour

1 17 6

8 Galln Sherry

3 2

1 Ryol Vinegar

2 6

4 lb Pepper

4

53 Galln Beer

3 19 6

2 ½ Brushells Salt

11 3

25 Kids

3 15

2 Sheep

2

4 Pigs

1 4

160 lb Pork

4 6

10 lb Butter

10

28 Days Greens

1 8

56 Bottles Milk

18 8

Expence of the Table in Feby

43 7 7

16 lb Candles

1 12

6 lb Soap

6 6

1 18 6

Accot

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account for February 1731, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £127 19s 9d

50 gallons of arrack, £15 16s 9d

138 lb of sugar, £3 9s 0d

36 lb of bread, £0 9s 0d

150 lb of flour, £1 17s 6d

8 gallons of sherry, £3 2s 6d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

55 gallons of beer, £3 14s 0d

16 lb of wax candles, £1 12s 0d

2.5 bushels of salt, £0 11s 3d

total diet expenses, £31 0s 5d

grand total, £159 3s 2d

The following gunner's stores were expended in February 1731, entered under the columns for guns fired and powder.

6 February: muster day, 0 guns fired, 10 lb of powder

27 February: double alarm for six ships passing by, 6 guns fired, 12 lb of powder

expense of the guard to 10 March, [...] lb of powder

The following naval stores were used to make a new flag and to mend the old one.

8 pair of blue bunting, 45 yards lead

4 pair of white ditto

2 pair of shod brown thread

5 lines

16 yards of thin canvas

14 pair of coloured thread

1.5 pair of white tape

1.5 pair of coloured

2 pair of Coromandel

7 yards of flannel

Signed by John French.

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in February 1731.

50 gallons of arrack, £15 16s 8d

138 lb of sugar, £3 9s 0d

36 lb of bread, £0 0s 9d

150 lb of flour, £1 17s 6d

8 gallons of sherry, £1 2s 6d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

53 gallons of beer, £3 19s 6d

2.5 bushels of salt, £0 11s 3d

25 kids, £3 15s 0d

2 sheep, £0 2s 0d

1 pig, £0 4s 0d

16 lb of pork, £0 4s 6d

10 lb of butter, £0 0s 10d

28 days' greens, £0 1s 8d

56 bottles of milk, £0 18s 8d

total, expense of the table in February, £43 7s 7d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

16 lb of candles, £1 12s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

total, £1 18s 6d

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The diet expenses and the general table account carry the drink and provisions of the fort, and arrack again dominates both at 50 gallons, close to the January figure and consistent with a settled establishment through the summer. The table drew fresh provisions from the island's own stock, kids, sheep, a pig, pork, butter, greens and milk. The twenty-five kids charged to the table in a single month are again drawn from a herd under active destruction, the killing having begun on 1 September, so the establishment continued to consume the young goats the council was labouring to clear, the summer kidding season supplying them in quantity.

The gunner's account records the first firing of guns for many months, and it fell not to any ship but to the alarm. On 27 February a double alarm was raised for the six ships seen passing to the windward, six guns being fired and twelve pounds of powder spent, the vessels afterwards judged Dutch. This is the same alarm noted in the consultation of 2 March, and the powder it cost marks the reality behind the standing watch: even in peace, and even for ships that only passed by, the guns were manned and fired, the precaution kept against pirates and unknown sail after the Treaty of Seville had ended the declared war footing.

The naval stores entry details the making of the new signal flag begun the previous leaf, the blue, red and white bunting cut and sewn with canvas, thread and tape into flags for the flagstaff. The signal station raised the island's alarms for approaching sail, so the flags were essential gear, and their renewal from the storekeeper's stock was a standing charge. The care taken to sew canvas bags to protect the flags from the moths shows the value placed on these signals and the difficulty of replacing them, the island's supply of flag cloth uncertain between the ships.

The seasonal allowance of candles and soap is the only extra issue of the month, the great festive rations of Christmas and New Year now past and the establishment returned to its ordinary consumption. February fell in the late southern summer, and with the holidays over and no ship in the road, the account settles back to the plain feeding of the fort, the quiet routine of an isolated settlement between the visits of the fleets.

435

410

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Pigs, Boars, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 Febry

Bullocks 68, Cowes 111, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 111, Bulls 4, Totall 386, Ewes 46, Withers 24, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 85, Ewes 103, Withers 42, Kids 101, Rams 4, Totall 250, Sowes 18, Shoates 42, Barrows 8, Pigs 28, Boars 4, Totall 100, Turkeys 32, Fowles 83, Ducks 25, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Encreased in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 8, Bulls 0, Totall 8, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 68, Cowes 111, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 119, Bulls 4, Totall 394, Ewes 46, Withers 24, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 85, Ewes 103, Withers 42, Kids 101, Rams 4, Totall 250, Sowes 18, Shoates 42, Barrows 8, Pigs 28, Boars 4, Totall 100, Turkeys 32, Fowles 83, Ducks 25, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Killed in Febry

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 2, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 2, Ewes 13, Withers 0, Kids 25, Rams 0, Totall 38, Sowes 0, Shoates 1, Barrows 1, Pigs 4, Boars 0, Totall 6, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 68, Cowes 111, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 119, Bulls 4, Totall 394, Ewes 45, Withers 22, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 83, Ewes 90, Withers 42, Kids 76, Rams 4, Totall 212, Sowes 18, Shoates 41, Barrows 7, Pigs 24, Boars 4, Totall 94, Turkeys 32, Fowles 83, Ducks 25, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Dead in Febry

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 5, Kids 5, Rams 0, Totall 5, Sowes 0, Shoates 1, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 1, Turkeys 2, Fowles 12, Ducks 2, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 28 Febry

Bullocks 68, Cowes 111, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 119, Bulls 4, Totall 394, Ewes 45, Withers 22, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 83, Ewes 90, Withers 42, Kids 71, Rams 4, Totall 207, Sowes 18, Shoates 40, Barrows 7, Pigs 24, Boars 4, Totall 93, Turkeys 30, Fowles 71, Ducks 23, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plant 14000 tt

Ditto for the Fort Blacks 5000

Ditto for the Great Wood ditto 1800

Totall Yam 20800 tt

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during February 1731, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 February:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 111, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 111, bulls 4, total 386

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 24, lambs 13, rams 3, total 85

goats - ewes 103, wethers 42, kids 101, rams 4, total 250

hogs - sows 18, shoats 42, barrows 8, pigs 28, boars 4, total 100

poultry - turkeys 32, fowls 83, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

Increased in February:

neat cattle - calves 8, total 8

New totals after increase:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 111, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 119, bulls 4, total 394

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 24, lambs 13, rams 3, total 85

goats - ewes 103, wethers 42, kids 101, rams 4, total 250

hogs - sows 18, shoats 42, barrows 8, pigs 28, boars 4, total 100

poultry - turkeys 32, fowls 83, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

Killed in February:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 111, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 119, bulls 4, total 394

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 22, lambs 13, rams 3, total 83

goats - ewes 90, wethers 42, kids 76, rams 4, total 212

hogs - sows 18, shoats 41, barrows 7, pigs 24, boars 4, total 94

poultry - turkeys 32, fowls 83, ducks 25, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

of which killed: sheep - wethers 2; goats - ewes 13, kids 25, total 38; hogs - shoats 1, barrows 1, pigs 4, total 6

Dead in February:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 111, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 119, bulls 4, total 394

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 22, lambs 13, rams 3, total 83

goats - ewes 90, wethers 42, kids 71, rams 4, total 207

hogs - sows 18, shoats 40, barrows 7, pigs 24, boars 4, total 93

poultry - turkeys 30, fowls 71, ducks 23, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

of which dead: goats - kids 5, total 5; hogs - shoats 1; poultry - turkeys 2, fowls 12, ducks 2

Remaining 28 February:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 111, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 119, bulls 4, total 394

sheep - ewes 45, wethers 22, lambs 13, rams 3, total 83

goats - ewes 90, wethers 42, kids 71, rams 4, total 207

hogs - sows 18, shoats 40, barrows 7, pigs 24, boars 4, total 93

poultry - turkeys 30, fowls 71, ducks 23, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 14,000 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 5,000 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 1,800 lb

Total yams, 20,800 lb

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The account carries each class through the month's increase and losses, and the goats again show the sharpest movement. The herd opened at 250 and closed at 207, losing thirty-eight to slaughter and five to death, the killing falling most heavily on the ewes and kids. This is the destruction resolved on 20 January 1730 still working steadily through the late summer, the council cutting the herd month by month. The reduction was relentless, the herd now down to a third of the 646 it had stood at eighteen months before, yet it was far from cleared, and feral goats survived on St Helena long after the Company gave up the effort.

The neat cattle held flat, eight calves bred and no beast killed, sold or dead, closing at 394. With the road empty and no ship to victual, the herd simply grew by its own increase and held its ground, the same standstill that had marked every month since the June fleet sailed. The poultry fell noticeably, twelve fowls and two turkeys and two ducks lost to the table and to death, dropping the fowls from 83 to 71, the ordinary drain of the readiest fresh meat on the island.

The yam issue collapsed to 20,800 lb, the lowest monthly figure in the whole recent run, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood. This sharp fall marks the deepest point of the gap between harvests, the old crop all but exhausted and the new one not yet lifted, the same lean stretch that had emptied the yam account in earlier years. The establishment leaned harder than ever on imported rice through these weeks, the storekeeper's account for the same month charging more than two thousand pounds of rice to the slaves. This narrow dependence on yams eked out with imported grain to feed a garrison and a slave population of over two hundred set the island apart from England, where the root crops carrying the same burden were still a marginal food in 1731.

436

411

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 3 March 1730

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journal 2 folio

47 & 49

The Governmes Reports that a Wench of the Hon ble Compa called Sarah Alley belonging

to Plantation House was delivered of a Boy last Week called Alley

Orderd that the Said Boy be Entred in the Books

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 9th March 1730 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

John Worrall & Richard Yeuling Churchwardens this day attended and

acquainted Us that upon a Rumour that Margaret Sballon a Girle of about

fourteen Years of Age was with Child they sent to her on Saturday last &

Examined her about it & She owned to them that She was with Child & that

one of the Hon ble Compa black Fellows named Davis got her with Child but

Said She could not tell how long She has been big

We therefore Sent Orders to her Grandmother, by the Churchwardens, to take

Care of her till She is delivered at which time We will take this Cassam into

farther Consideration, but before We dysoft her, She being present, We Examined

her upon Oath, whether what the Churchwardens had related to us was true, & the

Confirmed yes it was true, adding that no other Person besides the black fellow Davis

had ever lain with her

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Wednesday 3 March 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day met and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 47 and 49. The Governor reported that one of the Honourable Company's slave women at Plantation House, named Sarah Alley, had given birth to a boy called Alley the previous week. The council ordered the child entered on the books. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 9 March 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

John Worrall and Richard Girling, the churchwardens, attended and told the council that on a report that Margaret Isballen, a girl of about fourteen years of age, was with child, they had gone to her the previous Sunday and examined her about it. She confessed that she was with child, and told them that one of the Honourable Company's slave men, named Davis, had got her with child, but said she could not tell how long she had been pregnant.

The council therefore sent orders by the churchwardens to her grandmother to take care of her until she was delivered, at which point the council would take the matter into further consideration. Before the churchwardens left, the girl being present, the council examined her upon oath whether what the churchwardens had reported was true, and she confirmed it, adding that no other person besides the slave man Davis had lain with her. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The Isballen case brought the churchwardens into their role as guardians of parish morals and finances. The churchwardens were the officers charged with the good order of the parish, and a bastard birth was their concern because an illegitimate child, unless its maintenance could be fixed on a father, threatened to fall on the parish as a charge on the rates. Their examination of the pregnant girl, and the council's further examination of her on oath, were the first steps in establishing paternity, the sworn statement fixing responsibility for the child before it was born.

The naming of a Company slave as the father made the case unusually stark. Ordinarily the parish would pursue the father for the child's maintenance, but here the man was Davis, a slave belonging to the Company itself, who owned no property and could be charged with nothing. The girl's oath that no other man had lain with her closed off any dispute over paternity, but it left the council facing a child whose father could not support it, which is why the immediate order was simply to place the girl with her grandmother until the birth, deferring the harder question of the child's future to a later meeting.

The girl's age and the recorded uncertainty of her term point to the vulnerability that lay behind the case. A girl of fourteen, unable to say how far advanced her pregnancy was, stood at the mercy of the parish machinery, and the council's decision to lodge her with her grandmother rather than leave her unsupported reflects the practical mixture of moral supervision and poor relief that governed such cases. The whole proceeding shows the parish system of England transplanted intact to the island, applied even where the father was a slave and the ordinary remedy of a maintenance order against him was worthless.

437

412

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 16th March 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Isaac Such having made a Demand of his Brother Elin Such of a Parcell of

Leaf Land which he pretended due & left to him upon the Death of their Mother, but

it appearing by the Testimony of their Brother Thomas that their Mother had

given it to the Said Elin many years ago & that in Consideration thereof he had

promised to provide for her during her Lifetime & had accordingly done so & had

likewise discharged Several of the Debts, the Said Isaac Such We therefore give

up the Pretentions to by Said Land to his Brother Elin, Saying, if he had before

heard what his Brother Thomas had now declared he would not have claimed or

Demanded it & We confirm the Same to Elin Such & his heirs

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Sunday 21 March 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Morning the James & Mary arrived from England & having read the

Packet through We delivered the bill of Lading to the Storekeeper & appointed a

proper Person to attend at the Waterside to receive the Cargo when brought

on Shore & to keep an exact Account of the Ships Working & of the Number

of baskets daily Sent on Shoar & also to observe the Weather Sober or other

Accidents that may happen to the End it may appear that no fault or

Delay is to be imputed to Us in endeavouring to unlade the Ship within the

time limited by Charter Party & that Abbeaents thereof be every Evening

Bookd in the Secretaries Office, & in the Afternoon We delivered from the two

folloing Orders Vizt

Sir We desire You will Send an Shoar with all the Expedition You possibly can, the

Sick Goods or Merchandize as are Consigned to Us from the Hon ble Company & if You

want any Assistance to quicken Goods delivery We Shall be glad to Serve You We are

Your &c

21 March 1730

Sir According to the Hon ble Compa Instructions to Us We desire & request Your

upon all Allarms which may happen during Your Stay here, to Send out Your Sloop

Callie with a Small Anchor near the Shoar & keep it by it as near the Watch Cove as

will lie Safe for Your Riding which You will learn by Your Sound Ships by Instruction

that no Pirate or other Ship may form a head of You & cut you off of the Road; We

think the utmost Caution ought to be used for the Security of Our Hon ble Masters

Estate on board Your & if You want any Assistance We Shall be glad to Serve You We

are &c

21 March 1730

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Tuesday 16 March 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Isaac Leech demanded of his brother Eben Leech a parcel of leasehold land that he claimed had descended to him on the death of their mother. It appeared by the testimony of their brother Thomas Leech that their mother had given the land to Eben some years earlier, that in consideration of the gift he had made her a yearly allowance and had provided for her during her lifetime, and that he had also discharged several of her debts. The council therefore confirmed the land to Eben Leech. Isaac Leech gave up his claim to the land in favour of his brother Eben, saying that if he had known beforehand what his brother Thomas had now declared, he would not have made the claim or demanded it. The council confirmed the land to Eben Leech and his heirs. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Sunday 21 March 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

That morning the James and Mary arrived from England, having brought the packet. The council delivered the bill of lading to the storekeeper and appointed a proper person to attend at the waterside to receive the cargo as it was brought ashore, and to keep an account of the boats delivered daily from the ship, so as to observe the weather, the surf and any accident that might happen. So that if any fault or delay in unloading were charged, it might appear whether the discharge fell within the time set by the charter party. The account was to be lodged each evening in the secretary's office. That afternoon the council delivered the captain the two following orders.

1: The captain was to send an officer ashore at the western ports of England on his passage home, to gain what intelligence he could of any Spanish, pirate or other enemy shipping near the Channel, and to guide his own passage accordingly. The council would be glad to give him any assistance to quicken the delivery of his goods.

2: Following the Honourable Company's instructions to the council, the captain was to warp to the crane or landing rock upon every alarm during his stay, and to keep his ship in the best posture of defence, and, when a small anchorage near the shore was ready, to bring his ship in as near the wharf as he safely could with his sails set for his sailing, so that no pirate or other ship might carry off any part of the Company's estate aboard. The council held that the utmost caution ought to be used for the security of the Company's estate on board, and would be glad to give the captain any assistance.

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The Leech land dispute turned on the difference between inheritance and a completed gift. Isaac Leech assumed the land would descend to him on their mother's death, but the testimony of a third brother established that she had already given it to Eben during her lifetime, and that the gift was supported by valuable consideration: Eben had paid her a yearly allowance, maintained her and cleared her debts. A gift of land, once made for such consideration, was not part of the estate to descend, so Isaac had no claim. His graceful withdrawal, admitting he would not have pressed the matter had he known the facts, allowed the council to confirm the land to Eben and his heirs without a contested judgment.

The arrival of the James and Mary broke a silence in the road that had lasted since the June fleet of 1730, some nine months without a ship touching the island. The elaborate machinery the council set in motion, the daily record of boats, surf and accidents lodged each evening in the secretary's office, was designed to protect the Company against a demurrage claim. The charter party fixed the time allowed for unloading, and if the ship overran it the owners might charge the Company for the delay, so the daily account fixed the evidence of the weather and surf that governed how fast the cargo could be landed on an island with no sheltered harbour.

The two orders to the captain show the island still on a guarded footing even in peace. The instruction to warp to the crane on any alarm and to lie close under the castle's guns was the standing form given to every arriving commander, drawn from the Company's own instructions, and rested on the reality that a ship in the open road could not be defended from the shore. The requirement to send an officer ashore in the western ports of England for intelligence of Spanish, pirate or enemy shipping marks the continuing wariness after the war scares, the Treaty of Seville having ended the declared conflict but not the danger from privateers. The whole apparatus reflects the council's helplessness against any real threat: a governor of St Helena had no power to defend a ship by force, and could only advise caution and record his advice, the same limitation that had left him unable to detain the defiant commanders of earlier years.

438

413

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 23d March 1730 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The folloing Advertizement was this day Published

Whereas to give Notice that the Hon ble Company have been pleased to declare

in their last Generall Letter p James & Mary that at the earnest Instance and

Application of the Governour & Councill On behalf of Such of the Inhabitants of

their Island who lately Petitioned for an Abatement of their Rents that have

determined to Reduce the Same in the mannor & for the Term as hereafter follows

Vizt That instead of five Shillings p Acr, Rent now payable by every

Inhabitant or Planter for Leasehold Land they Shall pay no more than

two Shillings & Six pence p Acre from 25th Instant next for the Term of five

Years to come but this Abatement extends only to the Inhabitants & Planters

& not to any Such as belong to the Garrison & are in their Pay & Service & are

also pleased to take off the Payment of Ten Shillings p head for Slaves

belonging the to the Inhabitants & Planters as aforesaid to commence

from the Same time & to continue for the like Term of Years

There as also to give Notice that all the Inhabitants are at full

Liberty & they have always had the Same to Sit & dispose of their Cattle

& Provisions in the best manner they Shall be able, & be used with leave from

the Governour & observing all the allright Rules & Orders relating thereto

all permitted to go on board Ship

This Morning the Lyot & Peiress of Wales arrived here from China & as

Soon as the Captains were come on Shoar We gave them Orders to hoave in

a Copy of which is Entred in the Consultation preceeding, The Supply each

Ship brought for their Place is exactly the Same both in Timber & Quantity

& Value Vizt

Ledr 4 P Sett

China Dishes blew & White 5 Setts

each 6 Dishes & 20 Plates @ 26 p Sett

8

6 P each

Ditto Plates do 50 @ 2 3 p Plate

1 4

1 6 each

ditto Bowles do 60 @ 1 p Bowle

6

16 P each

ditto Sneakers do 60 @ 2 p Sneaker

1 2

16 6 1

Breakage 2 p Cent

16 2 4

3 2

16 5 6

The Chest

of Cattee

Sea Bohea 1 Peicel Packt in 120 Canod

which with all Charges Amounts to

20 4

4 p tt

Sugar Candy 1 Peicel of Cochinchina

which with all Charges Amounts to

4 6 6

43 2 5

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Tuesday 23 March 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The following advertisement was this day published.

Notice was given that the Honourable Company, in its last general letter carried by the James and Mary, had declared that at the earnest request and application of the Governor and council on behalf of the inhabitants of the island, who had lately petitioned for an abatement of their rent, it had determined to reduce it in the manner following. Instead of five shillings an acre, the rent now payable by every inhabitant or planter for leasehold land, they should pay no more than two shillings and sixpence an acre from 25 June next, for the term of five years to come. This abatement extended only to the inhabitants and planters, and not to those belonging to the garrison who held land in their day and service. The Company was also pleased to take off the payment of ten shillings a head for slaves belonging to the inhabitants and planters, to begin from the same time and to continue for the like term of five years.

Notice was also given that all the inhabitants were at full liberty, as they had always been, to sell and dispose of their cattle and provisions in the best manner they were able. They were also, with leave from the Governor and observing all lawful rules and orders relating thereto, permitted to go on board any ship.

That morning the Lyon and Devereux arrived from China. As soon as the captains came ashore the council gave them orders to heave in, a copy of which is entered in the previous consultation. The supply each ship brought for the island was exactly the same, both in kind, quantity and value, and stood as follows.

1 chest of China ware, blue and white, 5 sorts:

each 6 dishes and 20 plates at 4 dishes 6d per sort, 8 dishes, £8 0s 0d

50 plates at 2s 3d per plate, £1 4s 0d

60 bowls at 1s per bowl, £6 0s 0d

60 sneakers at 2d per sneaker, £1 2s 0d

subtotal, £16 6s 1d

breakage at 2 per cent, £0 3s 5d

subtotal with breakage, £16 2s 4d

converted, £16 5s 0d

1 chest of tea:

sea bohea, 1 pecul packed in 120 canisters, which with all charges amounts to, £20 4s 0d

sugar candy, 1 pecul of Cochin China, which with all charges amounts to, £4 6s 6d

total, £43 2s 6d

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The rent abatement is the most consequential entry in the whole run, and it marks the fruit of the Governor's long campaign of economy and advocacy on the island's behalf. The Company halved the leasehold rent from five shillings to two shillings and sixpence an acre for five years, and abolished the ten-shilling head charge on the inhabitants' slaves for the same term. This was direct relief to a hard-pressed planter class that had petitioned repeatedly, complaining year after year at the reckonings that they had nothing to sell and could not pay. The careful exclusion of the garrison, who held land as part of their service rather than as private planters, shows the abatement was aimed precisely at the settled inhabitants whose prosperity the Company had come to see as bound up with the island's own survival.

The restated liberties confirm the free market the inhabitants had long enjoyed. The right to sell their cattle and provisions to the shipping in the best manner they could, and to go aboard the ships with the Governor's leave, was the commercial lifeline of the island, the means by which a planter turned his stock into cash when a fleet lay in the road. The re-publication of these rights alongside the rent relief reads as a deliberate reassurance to a community whose fortunes rested wholly on the passing trade, coming at a moment when nine months of empty road had left them with little to sell.

The China cargoes of the Lyon and Devereux record the goods of the eastern trade valued for sale on the island. The blue and white porcelain, dishes, plates, bowls and sneakers, small handleless cups, came in graded sorts with an allowance struck for breakage in transit, the fragile ware carried half a world by sea. Sea bohea was a black tea of the Wuyi hills packed in canisters by the pecul, a weight of about 133 pounds, and the sugar candy came from Cochin China. That two ships arriving together carried supplies identical in kind, quantity and value points to a coordinated consignment loaded by the Company's Canton agents, the porcelain and tea destined for the island's own tables and for onward sale to the inhabitants who had lately taken up tea-drinking.

439

414

At a Consultation held on Thursday 1 Aprill 1731

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Capt Goodwin Reports that he has received the Cargo p James & Mary &

this Evening We Signd to Capt Watkin for Demoolen & in the Packt We

Sent his Charter Party

The Weather Working & other Accidents that have happened are as follow Vizt

Monday 22 March Surf very high no Goods could be Landed

Tuesday 23 the Surf continued ditto

Wednesday 24 one Long Boat unloaded

Thursday 25 one Long Boat & the Pinnace unladdied

Friday 26 Two Long Boats unladed

Saturday 27 Six Long Boats unladed

Monday 29 Six Long Boat unladed

Tuesday 30 One Long Boat ditto

Wednesday 31 Three Long Boats ditto

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 3d Aprill 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & Paid the Garrison for the Month past as p

Journal 2 folio 57 & 59

Yesterday the Lyot & Peiress of Wales Sailed for England

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Thursday 1 April 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Captain Goodwin reported that he had received the cargo of the James and Mary, and that this evening the council had signed the captain for Bencoolen, and the packet had been sent for the charter party. The weather, surf and any accident affecting the discharge stood as follows.

Monday 22 March: surf very high, no goods could be landed

Tuesday 23 March: the surf continued, ditto

Wednesday 24 March: one long boat unloaded

Thursday 25 March: one long boat and the pinnace unloaded

Friday 26 March: two long boats unloaded

Saturday 27 March: two long boats unloaded

Monday 29 March: one long boat unloaded

Tuesday 30 March: one long boat, ditto

Wednesday 31 March: three long boats, ditto

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Saturday 3 April 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day met and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 57 and 59. The previous day the Lyon and Devereux sailed for England. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The daily record of the James and Mary's discharge is the evidence the council had set out to gather when the ship arrived, and it shows exactly why such an account mattered. The landing was stopped altogether for the first two days by high surf, no goods coming ashore on 22 or 23 March, and then proceeded slowly at one or two boats a day. On an island with no sheltered harbour, all cargo came ashore by open boat to the rocks, and the surf governed the pace entirely. Kept against the charter party, this log fixed the weather as the cause of any delay, so that if the discharge overran the contracted time the Company could show the fault lay with the sea rather than with the ship or the shore, and no demurrage would be owed.

The signing of the captain for Bencoolen shows the ship being cleared onward to the Company's eastern settlements once her homeward cargo for the island was landed. The James and Mary had come from England with the packet, and now carried the council's dispatches and business forward into the Indian trade, the island serving as the mid-ocean stage on the Company's long route between London and the East. The sending of the packet for the charter party completed the paperwork that bound the ship to her contracted terms.

The departure of the Lyon and Devereux for England, only days after their arrival from China, marks the brief flurry of traffic that at last broke the long quiet of the road. After nine months without a ship, three vessels touched the island within a fortnight, landed and took on supplies, and sailed again, the homeward China ships pausing only long enough to refresh before pressing on for the Channel. The rhythm is the island's whole commercial life in miniature: long stretches of empty road broken by short bursts of activity as the fleets passed, the settlement living by the trade of ships that could not linger.

440

415

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 6th April 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Tuesday last the Peiress of Wales & the Lyot Sailed for England, & on

Sunday Capt Kittle Sailed for Buenor Ayres

The Governour Reports that one of the Hon ble Compa Wenches named

Margaret was delivered of a Girle last Week called Sarah, & that about the

Same time one of their Islands called Duey, & a Wench named Sarah Robin

Orderd that they be Entred in the Books

The Governmes, Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Account for March last which were Severally Examined &

Approved & are as follow Vizt

Collection of Goods Sold & delivered in the Month of March 1730 Vizt

16 Galln Arrack

4 11 4

56 lb Sugar

18 10

150 lb Flour & 135 lb Bread

3 3 9

5 P Coating

2 1

1 P Cold Rape

1 10

4 P Holland do

4

2 P White Tishting

6 4

2 P Diaper

5

100 Broad Laces

6 3

26 Genet do

6

2 Silk do

1 8

8 P Sirnsting

3 18

60 oz China Silk

1 10 10

28 Yds Divs

11 5

10 Yards Silkband

6

13 doz Coat Buttons

6 6

8 lb Sirnsts do

2 9

24 Chains Mohair

8 6

9 Thimbles

1 6

1 Ivory Comb

18 6

2 Rope do

2 4

1 Horne do

10

7 ½ hair Powder

7 6

3 lb Starch

2 6

20 oz Brun Thread

1 6 7

17 lb Coloured do

1 10

10 lb Whited brown

4 2 3

6 Sauce Pans Tin

2 6

8 ditto

3 6

2 Coffee Potts

5 3

1 ditto

4 6

1 Kettle

4 6

1 Dripping Pan

7 2

1 Tunnell

3

1 Dowlging Box

0 4

2 lb Nails

5 3

100 do Sorted

0 6

1 P Cotton Yarn

2 6

119 lb Rope

3 6

2 Tea Potts

7 6

3 Bowles

36 Cupps

1

40 Cupps & 20 Sauers

7

12 Sneakers

50 19 1

Garrison 4 ½ Galln Rape oyle

1 7

Blacks Vizt

34 doz Blacks Sorted

1 2 6

15 Sines

16 8

2 oz Silk

4 6

38 lb Lead

9 6

658 lb Rice

4 8 8

7 12 10

59 18 11

At a consultation held on Tuesday 6 April 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The previous Tuesday the Princess of Wales and the Lyell sailed for England, and on Sunday Captain Kettle sailed for Buenos Aires.

The Governor reported that one of the Honourable Company's slave women, named Margaret, had given birth to a girl the previous week called Sarah, and that about the same time one of their slaves, named Bess, to a girl named Sarah Robin. The council ordered both children entered on the books.

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for March last, each of which was examined and approved, and stood as follows.

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered during March 1731.

16 gallons of arrack, £4 11s 4d

54 lb of sugar, £13 10s 0d

150 lb of flour and 138 lb of bread, £3 3s 9d

5 pair of chelloes, £2 1s 0d

1 pair of soap, £1 10s 0d

4.5 yards of Holland, £0 0s 4d

2 pair of white bunting, £0 6s 4d

2 pair of diaper, £0 5s 0d

100 broad laces, £6 0s 0d

2 dozen jones ditto, £0 6s 6d

2 silk ditto, £0 1s 8d

2 pair of garting, £2 18s 0d

6.5 yards of China silk, £1 10s 6d

23 pair of twine, £11 15s 10d

19 yards of Guinea holland, £0 6s 6d

6 dozen coat buttons, £0 2s 8d

8 dozen breast ditto, £3 6s 0d

34 skeins of mohair, £0 1s 6d

9 thimbles, £0 18s 0d

1 ivory comb, £0 2s 4d

2 ash ditto, £0 0s 10d

1 horn ditto, £0 7s 6d

7.5 hair powder, £0 2s 9d

3 oz of thread, £1 6s 7d

20 oz of blue thread, £0 1s 10d

17.5 lb of camlet ditto, £4 2s 3d

10 lb of whited brown, £0 3s 6d

6 sauce pans, £0 3s 6d

2 iron ditto, £0 5s 3d

2 coffee pots, £0 5s 3d

1 kettle, £0 4s 6d

1 tea kettle, £0 3s 6d

1 dripping pan, £0 7s 2d

1 tunnel, £0 0s 4d

1 dredging box, £0 3s 4d

2 lb of nails, £0 5s 12d

100 lb ditto sorted, £0 0s 6d

1 copper yarn, £0 2s 0d

119 lb of rope, £0 3s 6d

2 tea pots, £0 7s 6d

3 bowls, £0 [...]s [...]d

36 cups, £0 1s 0d

40 cups and 20 saucers, £0 7s 0d

12 sneakers, £0 [...]s [...]d

total goods sold, £50 19s 1d

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

4.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

total garrison, £1 7s 0d

The following goods were delivered to the Company's slaves.

33 dozen hooks sorted, £1 2s 6d

15 lines, £0 16s 8d

6 oz of silk, £0 9s 8d

38 lb of lead, £0 8s 8d

658 lb of rice, £7 12s 10d

total, delivered to the slaves, £7 12s 10d

grand total, £59 18s 11d

Interpretations

The departure of the Princess of Wales, the Lyell and Captain Kettle's ship clears the road again after the brief flurry of traffic, the homeward China and India ships pressing on for England and one vessel turning south for Buenos Aires. The mention of Buenos Aires marks a ship of the South Sea Company's Atlantic trade, the same Asiento traffic that had touched the island before, carrying its business into the Spanish American market rather than home to the Channel. The island served all these routes alike, a refreshment station on the crossroads of the eastern and Atlantic trades.

The storekeeper's account records the retail sales of the month, and its character has shifted with the arrival of the ships. The heavy run of haberdashery, broad laces, garting, coat and breast buttons, mohair, thread of several grades and China silk, together with the tea ware and kitchen goods, marks the buying that followed a fleet into the road, when the inhabitants had fresh cargo to choose from and, with the June fleet's goods now supplemented by the March arrivals, more to spend. The camlet, chelloes and Holland cloth were the everyday fabrics of the island, bought by the yard for making up at home, while the ivory, ash and horn combs and the hair powder point to the small refinements of dress that even this remote community maintained.

The slaves' delivery keeps its familiar shape, fishing gear and a heavy issue of rice. The hooks, lines and lead sinkers re-equipped the boats, and the 658 pounds of imported rice fed the fishermen who supplied the establishment, the fishery being the standing substitute for the meat ration abolished in March 1727. This continued reliance on imported grain to feed the slaves, alongside the yams, marks how narrowly the island lived between the harvests and between the ships. The month's grand total of £59 18s 11d reflects a fuller reckoning than the deep-winter accounts, lifted by the return of retail buying as the road filled and the season turned.

441

416

Plantation Brought over 59 18 11

10 Yds do Holland Duck

1 2 6

1 Lino do Iron Pott

10

1 Iron Rimb Lock

6

15 lb Lead

2 9

20 White ditto

1 6

4 ½ Galln Linfeed oyle

7 11 6

1 P Nails

6

6 Axle Blocks

6

30 lb old Lead

15

4 10 3½

Charges General

4 large Sines

14 8

36 lb Rope

18

1 Broad Box Fish

2 2

2 P Matly

4 6

6 Small Sacks

16

7 White Wash & 6 large round do

14 2

1 P Twine

2

1 P Sack thread

2 10½

1 Frying Pan

7 6

1 do

6 6

1 do

6 6

1 Iron Rimbd Lock

2 6

1 Coffee Pott

9 3

1 Horn Lanthorn

6 8

8 Multing do

13 6

2 Glass Lights to hang up

1 16 6

2 hand Bills

1 6

2 broad hand Candlestick

6 6

2 large Cupps

1 9

9 lb Soap

9

400 lb Rice for Slag & Poultry

3 9 9

13 1 11½

Naval Gunners & Garrison Stores

5 Barils Samblack

13

6 ½ Galln Linfeed oyle

10 6

6 lb White Lead

3

2 Small Quart Earthen Pans

1 6

1 ½ 2 P Nails

1 9

4 P Tacks

1 10

1 11 7

Diet Expences Vizt

77 Galln Arrack

24 7 8

168 Sugar

4

20 Bread

5

200 Flour

2 10

10 Galln Sherry

3 17 6

1 ½ Galln Vinegar

3 9

4 lb Pepper

4

9 Galln Strong Beer

13 6

28 P Wax Candles

2 4 6

3 Brushells Salt

13 6

38 18 11

118 2 1

The following goods were charged to the plantation account for March 1731, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £59 18s 11d

20 yards of Holland duck, £1 2s 6d

1 line, £0 0s 10d

1 gallon of iron pot, £0 0s 6d

1 iron rim lock, £0 0s 9d

15 lb of lead, £0 3s 9d

2 lb of white lead, £0 0s 1d

4.5 gallons of linseed oil, £7 11s 6d

1.5 dozen 3d nails, £0 0s 7.5d

6 awl blades, £0 0s 6d

30 lb of red lead, £0 15s 0d

total plantation, £4 10s 8.5d

The following goods were charged to the general charges account.

4 large lines, £0 14s 8d

36 lb of rope, £0 18s 0d

1 yard of bed tick, £0 2s 7d

6 lb of brady, £0 4s 6d

6 small tacks, £0 15s 0d

7 whitewash and 4 large round ditto, £0 14s 0d

1 lb of twine, £0 2s 2d

1.5 lb of pack thread, £0 0s 10.5d

1 frying pan, £0 7s 0d

1 ditto, £0 6s 6d

1 ditto, £0 6s 0d

1 iron rimmed lock, £0 9s 0d

1 coffee pot, £0 2s 3d

1 horn lanthorn, £0 6s 8d

3 middling ditto, £0 13s 6d

2 glass lights to hang up, £1 16s 6d

2 hand ditto, £1 6s 6d

2 brass hand candlesticks, £0 6s 0d

3 large cups, £0 1s 0d

9 lb of soap, £0 9s 9d

400 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £3 0s 0d

total general charges, £13 1s 11.5d

The following goods were charged to the naval, gunners' and garrison stores account.

5 barrels of lampblack, £0 13s 0d

1.5 gallons of linseed oil, £0 10s 6d

6 lb of white lead, £0 0s 3d

2 two-quart earthen pans, £0 1s 6d

1.5 dozen 3d nails, £0 1s 9d

1 lb of tacks, £0 1s 10d

total, £1 11s 7d

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account.

77 gallons of arrack, £24 7s 8d

164 lb of sugar, £4 0s 0d

20 lb of bread, £0 5s 0d

200 lb of flour, £2 10s 0d

10 gallons of sherry, £3 17s 6d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 3s 9d

4 lb of pepper, £0 0s 4d

9 gallons of strong beer, £0 13s 6d

20 lb of candles, £2 4s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

total diet expenses, £38 18s 11d

grand total, £118 2s 1d

Interpretations

The account closes March's storekeeper reckoning by dividing the remaining issues into the standard Company charges. The plantation drew building and maintenance stores, Holland duck for stout linen work, sheet and red lead for roofing and paint, white lead and linseed oil as the base and thinner of the protective coatings, and awl blades and nails for the workshop. Red and white lead were the standing defence against rust and rot on a wet island, and the heavy charge of linseed oil marks the constant painting and preserving that kept timber and ironwork sound.

The general charges gather the household and workshop goods of the fort. A horn lanthorn was a lantern glazed with translucent horn, and the several middling lanterns and glass lights hung up lit the castle and its rooms. Bed tick was the stout striped linen cased over bedding, and the run of frying pans, coffee pots, cups and candlesticks continues the fitting out of the fort kitchen and quarters. The 400 pounds of rice charged here for the hogs and poultry, on top of the heavy issues to the slaves, shows the island's continuing dependence on imported grain to feed both its people and its animals through the season.

The diet expenses stand high, arrack at 77 gallons the heaviest figure for many months, with the sugar, flour, sherry and beer all running full. This swelling of the table's drink bill tracks the ships in the road, the James and Mary, the Lyon, the Devereux and other vessels calling through March after the long empty winter, the fort entertaining more freely while the fleets lay at anchor. The account closes at £118 2s 1d, a full month's reckoning that marks the return of trade and traffic to the island, the establishment consuming and supplying at the pace set by the shipping after nine months of quiet.

442

417

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Pigs, Boars, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Geese

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 March 1730

Bullocks 68, Cowes 111, Heifers 34, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 119, Bulls 4, Totall 394, Ewes 46, Withers 22, Lambs 13, Rams 3, Totall 83, Ewes 90, Withers 42, Kids 71, Rams 4, Totall 207, Sowes 18, Shoates 40, Barrows 7, Pigs 24, Boars 4, Totall 93, Turkeys 30, Fowles 71, Ducks 23, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Encreased in March

Bullocks 18, Cowes 15, Heifers 19, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 11, Bulls 1, Totall 134, Ewes 3, Withers 4, Lambs 5, Rams 0, Totall 12, Ewes 11, Withers 9, Kids 26, Rams 0, Totall 45, Sowes 0, Shoates 7, Barrows 5, Pigs 17, Boars 0, Totall 29, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 86, Cowes 126, Heifers 53, Steers 38, Yearlings 90, Calves 130, Bulls 5, Totall 528, Ewes 48, Withers 26, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 95, Ewes 101, Withers 51, Kids 96, Rams 4, Totall 252, Sowes 18, Shoates 47, Barrows 12, Pigs 41, Boars 4, Totall 122, Turkeys 30, Fowles 71, Ducks 23, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 1, Cowes 0, Heifers 1, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 2, Ewes 0, Withers 1, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 1, Ewes 12, Withers 0, Kids 16, Rams 0, Totall 28, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 1, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 1, Turkeys 2, Fowles 12, Ducks 6, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 85, Cowes 126, Heifers 52, Steers 38, Yearlings 90, Calves 130, Bulls 5, Totall 526, Ewes 48, Withers 25, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 94, Ewes 89, Withers 51, Kids 80, Rams 4, Totall 224, Sowes 18, Shoates 47, Barrows 11, Pigs 41, Boars 4, Totall 121, Turkeys 28, Fowles 59, Ducks 17, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Sold in ditto

Bullocks 8, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 8, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 77, Cowes 126, Heifers 52, Steers 38, Yearlings 90, Calves 130, Bulls 5, Totall 518, Ewes 48, Withers 25, Lambs 18, Rams 3, Totall 94, Ewes 89, Withers 51, Kids 80, Rams 4, Totall 224, Sowes 18, Shoates 47, Barrows 11, Pigs 41, Boars 4, Totall 121, Turkeys 28, Fowles 59, Ducks 17, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Cattle Yea Cutt & Grown in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 15, Steers 18, Yearlings 40, Calves 50, Bulls 0, Totall 123, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 7, Rams 0, Totall 7, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 20, Rams 0, Totall 20, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 5, Pigs 0, Boars 7, Totall 12, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 77, Cowes 126, Heifers 37, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 80, Bulls 5, Totall 395, Ewes 48, Withers 26, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 87, Ewes 89, Withers 51, Kids 60, Rams 4, Totall 204, Sowes 18, Shoates 42, Barrows 11, Pigs 34, Boars 4, Totall 109, Turkeys 28, Fowles 59, Ducks 17, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Dead 1 old Cow

Bullocks 0, Cowes 1, Heifers 1, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 2, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 5, Kids 1, Rams 0, Totall 6, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Geese 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 31 March

Bullocks 77, Cowes 125, Heifers 36, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 80, Bulls 5, Totall 393, Ewes 48, Withers 26, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 87, Ewes 84, Withers 51, Kids 60, Rams 3, Totall 198, Sowes 18, Shoates 42, Barrows 11, Pigs 34, Boars 4, Totall 109, Turkeys 28, Fowles 59, Ducks 17, Geese 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Yams Expended at the Severall Plant 17000 tt

Ditto for the Fort Blacks 7050

Ditto for the Great Wood 2075

Totall 26125 tt

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during March 1731, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 March:

neat cattle - bullocks 68, cows 111, heifers 34, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 119, bulls 4, total 394

sheep - ewes 46, wethers 22, lambs 13, rams 3, total 83

goats - ewes 90, wethers 42, kids 71, rams 4, total 207

hogs - sows 18, shoats 40, barrows 7, pigs 24, boars 4, total 93

poultry - turkeys 30, fowls 71, ducks 23, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

Increased in March:

neat cattle - bullocks 18, cows 15, heifers 19, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 11, bulls 1, total 134

sheep - ewes 3, wethers 4, lambs 5, total 12

goats - ewes 11, wethers 9, kids 26, total 45

hogs - shoats 7, barrows 5, pigs 17, total 29

New totals after increase:

neat cattle - bullocks 86, cows 126, heifers 53, steers 38, yearlings 90, calves 130, bulls 5, total 528

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 26, lambs 18, rams 3, total 95

goats - ewes 101, wethers 51, kids 96, rams 4, total 252

hogs - sows 18, shoats 47, barrows 12, pigs 41, boars 4, total 122

poultry - turkeys 30, fowls 71, ducks 23, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

Killed in March:

neat cattle - bullocks 85, cows 126, heifers 52, steers 38, yearlings 90, calves 130, bulls 5, total 526

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 25, lambs 18, rams 3, total 94

goats - ewes 89, wethers 51, kids 80, rams 4, total 224

hogs - sows 18, shoats 47, barrows 11, pigs 41, boars 4, total 121

poultry - turkeys 28, fowls 59, ducks 17, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

of which killed: neat cattle - bullocks 1, heifers 1, total 2; sheep - wethers 1; goats - ewes 12, kids 16, total 28; hogs - barrows 1; poultry - turkeys 2, fowls 12, ducks 6

Sold in March:

neat cattle - bullocks 77, cows 126, heifers 52, steers 38, yearlings 90, calves 130, bulls 5, total 518

of which sold: neat cattle - bullocks 8, total 8

Cattle cut and grown in March:

neat cattle - bullocks 77, cows 126, heifers 37, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 395

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 25, lambs 11, rams 3, total 87

goats - ewes 89, wethers 51, kids 60, rams 4, total 204

hogs - sows 18, shoats 42, barrows 11, pigs 34, boars 4, total 109

of which cut and grown: neat cattle - heifers 15, steers 18, yearlings 40, calves 50, total 123; sheep - lambs 7, total 7; goats - kids 20, total 20; hogs - shoats 5, pigs 7, total 12

Dead in March (1 old cow):

neat cattle - bullocks 77, cows 125, heifers 37, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 393

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 26, lambs 11, rams 3, total 87

goats - ewes 84, wethers 51, kids 60, rams 3, total 198

hogs - sows 18, shoats 42, barrows 11, pigs 34, boars 4, total 109

poultry - turkeys 28, fowls 59, ducks 17, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

of which dead: neat cattle - cows 1; goats - ewes 5, rams 1, total 6

Remaining 31 March:

neat cattle - bullocks 77, cows 125, heifers 36, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 393

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 26, lambs 11, rams 3, total 87

goats - ewes 84, wethers 51, kids 60, rams 3, total 198

hogs - sows 18, shoats 42, barrows 11, pigs 34, boars 4, total 109

poultry - turkeys 28, fowls 59, ducks 17, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

Yams expended at the several plantations, 17,000 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 7,050 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 2,075 lb

Total yams, 26,125 lb

Interpretations

The account carries a full sequence of movements, increase, killing, sale, reclassification and death, and its most striking feature is the great burst of breeding. The neat cattle threw 134 head in the month, by far the heaviest increase of the run, lifting the herd to 528 before the losses drew it down. This surge of calving, coming in the early southern autumn, together with a large kidding and lambing, marks the peak of the breeding season, the stock renewing itself vigorously across every class.

The sale of eight bullocks is the first sale to shipping in many months, and it fixes the return of trade to the road. Through the long empty winter no beast had left the pasture, but with the ships now calling the fort could once more turn its cattle into cash, the eight bullocks going to victual the vessels that broke the quiet in March. This is the commercial pulse of the island resuming, the herd at last finding an outlet after accumulating unsold since the June fleet of 1730.

The goats continued their decline against the surge of new life. The herd rose briefly on forty-five kids and grown stock but lost twenty-eight to slaughter, twenty regraded and six to death, closing at 198, below the 200 mark for the first time. This is the destruction resolved on 20 January 1730 still at work, the herd now less than a third of the 646 it had stood at eighteen months earlier, though far from cleared, and feral goats survived on St Helena long after the Company abandoned the cull. The reclassification of many young cattle and goats between age classes, the cut and grown line, shows the bookkeeping tracking animals maturing into the mature counts, a shift within the stock rather than any gain or loss.

The yam issue held at 26,125 lb, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood. March fell in the early southern autumn with the new crop lifted and the account steadying after the deep lean of February, when it had fallen to its lowest. The establishment drew a fuller ration as the fresh harvest came in, though the level remained well below the summer peaks. This unbroken dependence on the yam to feed a garrison and a slave population of over two hundred, eked out with the imported rice charged so heavily in the storekeeper's accounts, set the island apart from England, where the root crops carrying the same burden were still a marginal food in 1731.

443

418

Gunners Stores Expended in March 1730/31

Guns: Guns, DC, Sackers, Minion, Falcons, Powder

1730

March 1 Queens Birthday

Guns 27, DC 21, Sackers 0, Minion 0, Falcons 0, Powder 147

6 Muster day

Guns 0, DC 0, Sackers 0, Minion 0, Falcons 0, Powder 16

21 An Allarm

Guns 4, DC 0, Sackers 0, Minion 4, Falcons 0, Powder 8

do Arrived the James & Mary

Guns 9, DC 0, Sackers 0, Minion 1, Falcons 8, Powder 10

do To Salute Mr Linnest

Guns 21, DC 1, Sackers 4, Minion 1, Falcons 15, Powder 41

23 Double Allarm

Guns 6, DC 0, Sackers 0, Minion 6, Falcons 0, Powder 12

do Arrived the Peiress of Wales & Lyot

Guns 18, DC 0, Sackers 2, Minion 16, Falcons 20, Powder 20

do To Salute the Islands Cargoes

Guns 21, DC 5, Sackers 4, Minion 1, Falcons 15, Powder 40

30 An Allarm

Guns 4, DC 0, Sackers 0, Minion 4, Falcons 0, Powder 8

31 Arrived the Ship City of London from Gunea

Guns 11, DC 0, Sackers 0, Minion 1, Falcons 10, Powder 12

Expence of the Guard

Powder 107

Cartridge Paper for Cartridge 12 Quire

Musquet Balls &c

Guns 115, DC 23, Sackers 8, Minion 20, Falcons 64, Powder 323½

Soap 1 ½ Baril

Samblack 5 Baril

Linfeed oyle 1 ½ Galln

White Lead 6

Nails 2

Sheep Shins 24

Rammer Heads 10

Spung Heads 6

Tomboe 1

Match 20

Signed Jno French

Expence of the Table in March 1730/31 Vizt

570 lb Beef

7 2 6

6 Ducks

9

2 Turkeys

10

1 Sheep

1

12 Fowles

18

10 Kids

2 8

119 lb Fish

2 19 6

14 lb Butter

14

31 Days Greens

11

62 Bottles Milk

1

158 Galln Arrack

19 13 8

130 Sugar

3 6

20 lb Bread

5

200 Flour

2 10

10 Galln Sherry

3 17 6

1 ½ Galln Vinegar

3 9

4 lb Pepper

4

9 Galln Strong Beer

13 6

3 Brushells Salt

49 19 7

16 Galln Arrack dld the Guards Smiths Coopers &ca

upon the Queens Birthday

4 15

30 lb Sugar dld do

15

22 lb Candles

2 4

9 lb Soap

9 9

8 3

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

The following gunner's stores were expended in March 1731, entered under the columns for guns fired, demi-culverin, sakers, minion, falcons and powder in pounds.

1 March: Queen's birthday, 21 guns fired, 0 demi-culverin, 0 sakers, 0 minion, 0 falcons, 147 lb of powder

6 March: muster day, 0 guns fired, 16 lb of powder

21 March: an alarm, 4 guns fired, 4 falcons, 8 lb of powder

21 March: arrived the James and Mary, 9 guns fired, 1 saker, 8 falcons, 10 lb of powder

21 March: to salute Mr Levinge, 21 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 4 sakers, 1 minion, 15 falcons, 41 lb of powder

23 March: double alarm, 6 guns fired, 6 falcons, 12 lb of powder

23 March: arrived the Princess of Wales and Lyell, 18 guns fired, 2 sakers, 16 falcons, 20 lb of powder

23 March: to salute the China cargoes, 21 guns fired, 4 sakers, 1 minion, 15 falcons, 40 lb of powder

30 March: an alarm, 4 guns fired, 4 falcons, 8 lb of powder

31 March: arrived the ship City of London from Guinea, 11 guns fired, 1 saker, 10 falcons, 12 lb of powder

expense of the guard, 10.5 lb of powder

cartridge paper for cartridges, 12 quires

musket balls

total, 115 guns fired, 23 demi-culverin, 8 sakers, 20 minion, 64 falcons, 323.5 lb of powder

soap, 1.5 barrels

lampblack, 5 barrels

linseed oil, 1.5 gallons

white lead, 6 lb

nails, 2 dozen

sheep skins, 24

rammer heads, 10

sponge heads, 6

tompions, 1

match, 20 lb

Signed by John French.

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in March 1731.

570 lb of beef, £7 2s 6d

6 ducks, £0 0s 9d

2 turkeys, £0 0s 10d

1 sheep, £0 1s 0d

12 fowls, £0 0s 18d

16 kids, £2 8s 0d

119 lb of pork, £2 19s 6d

14 lb of butter, £0 0s 14d

31 days' greens, £0 1s 11d

69 bottles of milk, £0 1s 8d

58 gallons of arrack, £19 12s 8d

130 lb of sugar, £3 5s 0d

20 lb of bread, £0 5s 0d

200 lb of flour, £2 10s 0d

10 gallons of sherry, £3 17s 6d

1.5 gallons of vinegar, £0 3s 9d

4 lb of pepper, £0 4s 0d

9 gallons of strong beer, £0 13s 6d

3 bushels of salt, £0 0s 13d

total, expense of the table in March, £49 19s 7d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

16 gallons of arrack delivered to the guards, smiths, carpenters and coopers, upon the Queen's birthday, £5 1s 3d

30 lb of sugar to the same, £0 0s 15d

22 lb of candles, £2 4s 0d

9 lb of soap, £0 9s 9d

total, £8 3s 0d

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The gunner's account records the busiest month of firing for a long time, and it marks the sudden return of ceremony and traffic to the road after nine months of silence. The powder expended leapt to some 323 pounds, the guns speaking for a royal anniversary, a string of ship arrivals and a run of alarms all within a few weeks. This single account gathers everything the empty winter had lacked: salutes, arrivals and the manned watch answering strange sail, the anchorage alive again with the passing fleets.

The occasions themselves map the island's month. The Queen's birthday on 1 March drew a full royal salute of twenty-one guns and 147 pounds of powder, the year's fixed anniversaries being kept whatever the state of the road. The arrivals of the James and Mary, the Princess of Wales, the Lyell and the ship City of London from Guinea each drew their salutes, and the personal salute to Mr Levinge, a Company officer of rank passing through, drew a further twenty-one guns. The China cargoes of the Lyon and Devereux were saluted in on the 23rd, and three separate alarms, one of them the double alarm for the six ships thought Dutch, show the watch firing to bring in and identify unknown sail. The mixture of salute and alarm in one month is the whole rhythm of the island's guarded commerce, ceremony and vigilance side by side.

The table account carries the drink and provisions of the fort, and both the arrack and the fresh beef stand high, 58 gallons of spirit and 570 pounds of beef, the mark of a table entertaining freely while the ships lay at anchor. The eight bullocks sold to shipping in the same month came off the same herd that fed this beef, the fort and the fleets drawing on the stock together. The sixteen kids charged to the table were again taken from a herd under active destruction, the establishment continuing to eat the young goats the council was labouring to clear.

The Queen's birthday allowance fixes both the season and the reversed calendar. The account issues sixteen gallons of arrack and thirty pounds of sugar to the guards, smiths, carpenters and coopers on the day, the fixed royal anniversary kept every year with an extra ration. It fell on 1 March, in the southern autumn, one of the several crown birthdays and accession days that punctuated the island's year with drink and gun-fire, the same anniversaries an English garrison would have kept but observed here at the opposite turn of the seasons.

444

419

At a Consultation held on Saturday 10th April 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Thursday last the James & Mary Sailed for India & the Same day two

Isenach Ships the Snare & Talent arrived here from China but before We

Suffered them to come in We examined their Passes or Sisme, Signed by the Duke

of Bourbon (the Count de Toulouse being removed) one dated for the 8th & the

other on the 19th of Octr 1729 & the next day the Devonshire &c 2ne Augustus

also arrived from China & to day the Cargo from Wadrass 8ac Sarh as the

Captains were come on Shoar We gave each of them the usual Orders to hoave

in as p an Allearm a Copy of which is entred in our Consy p 21 of last Month

Invoice of Cargo Vizt

Batavia Arrack 4 ½ Leafs Vizt

No 9

72 Galln

10

75

11

80 Do Mo

12

80 307 P 120 P Leaf D

Sugar 10 bags no 22 wt Factory to 14 P 19 P 12 to p bag

564

107 8

Rice 21 bags 4 8 12 Factory to 3 9 11 P 1 4 8 P Cupps

64

Wax Candles 1 Chest 2 P Factory to 1 9 P 30 P Ma

60

485 8

Charge Merchandize

Cordage do

6 1 9

1 Chest

2 1

Mudres

2 5 3

Peas

6

Sloop freight

20

30 16

516 6

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 13 April 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Cargo p James Augustus & Devonshire from China is exactly the

Same as the Cargo p Peiress of Wales & Lyot for which See Consultation

of the 23 of last Month

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Saturday 10 April 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

The previous Thursday the James and Mary sailed for India. The same day two Danish ships, the Anne and Talent, arrived from China, but before the council allowed them to come in it examined their passes or licences. One was signed by the Duke of Bourbon, the Count of Toulouse being removed, and was dated 8 December, and the other dated 19 October 1729. The next day the Devonshire and Prince Augustus also arrived from China. That day the cargo from Madras of the Sarah came in, and as the captains came ashore the council gave them the usual orders to heave in upon any alarm, a copy of which is entered in the consultation of 21 March last.

The following invoice records the cargo of the Sarah.

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers:

number 9, 72 gallons

number 10, 75 gallons

number 11, 80 gallons

number 12, 80 gallons

307 gallons at 12 pies per gallon, £96 0s 0d

sugar, 10 bags, number 92, weight 22 candy at 14 pies per pound at 12 per bag, £107 8s 0d

rice, 21 bags, number 3 to 18 factory, weight 32 candy 11 at 1s 4d per bag, £64 0s 0d

wax candles, 1 chest, number 92 factory, weight 1 candy at 30 per pound, £60 0s 0d

subtotal, £485 8s 0d

charges merchandise:

cooly hire, £6 1s 9d

1 chest, £2 1s 0d

muttery, £2 6s 3d

peon, £0 6s 0d

sloop freight, £20 0s 0d

subtotal, £30 14s 0d

total, £516 6s 0d

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 13 April 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The cargo of the Prince Augustus and Devonshire from China was exactly the same as the cargo and invoice of the tea and porcelain entered for the consultation of the 23rd of the previous month. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The arrival of two Danish ships shows the island's watch performing its true function, the scrutiny of foreign vessels before they were allowed near the road. The council examined the passes of the Anne and Talent before admitting them, one licence signed by the Duke of Bourbon and the other older, dated 1729. These passes were the safe-conducts that distinguished a lawful trader from a pirate or an enemy, and the careful noting of who had signed them, and of a change in the French crown's authority reflected in the removal of the Count of Toulouse, shows the island keeping abreast of the shifting diplomacy that governed which foreign flags might be trusted in a time of uneasy peace.

The Sarah's invoice records the goods of the Indian trade valued in sterling for the island's use. Batavia arrack, the standard spirit issue, came in half leaguers, large casks of some 226 gallons, here reckoned by the gallon. The sugar and rice were weighed by the candy, the Coromandel and Malabar weight of about 500 pounds, which fixes the lading on the western or southern coast of India rather than Bengal. Wax candles came by the chest. The charges merchandise below the goods, cooly hire for the men who carried the bulk cargo, muttery a small local charge, a peon's fee and the sloop freight, were the costs of getting the goods from the Indian shore to the ship, added to the invoice so the true landed cost could be reckoned against the selling price on the island.

The identical cargoes of the Prince Augustus and Devonshire, matching exactly the tea and porcelain of the Lyon and Devereux three weeks earlier, point to a standardised consignment loaded by the Company's Canton agents for the island. Rather than re-enter the whole invoice, the council simply referred back to the earlier one, a clerk's economy that also reveals how uniform the China supply had become, each ship carrying the same chest of blue and white ware and the same tea and sugar candy. The sudden crowd of shipping, Danish, English and Indian, all within days, marks the full return of the trade that the long winter had denied the island.

445

420

At a Consultation held on Wednesday 14 April 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

To Day the Wardwick arrived from Madrass & as Soon as the Capt was come on

Shoar & We gave him the usual Orders to hoave in of which a Copy is Entred in our

Consultation of the 21 March last

Invoice p Wardwick Vizt

6 P P Galln

Batavia Arrack 4 half Leafs & Vizt

No 1

75 Galln

2

75

3

75

4

75 300 Galln a Mo p Leaf D

564

6 P tt

10 Bags Sugar no 22 Factory to 14 P 19 P 10 19 p bag

107 8

4 P p Cupps

41 Bags Rice no 00 P 800 to 15 P 1 4 8 P Add

88

21 P tt

Wax Candles 1 Chest no 2 P Factory to 1 1 9 P 30 P do

60

563 8

Charge Merchandize

92 Bags do

8 18 9

1 Chest

2 1

Mudrus

2 11

Peas

12

Boathire

8

28 4 9

535 12 9

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 20 April 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

To Day James Augustus, Devonshire, Snare & Wardwick Sailed from here for

England in Company with the three French Ships

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Wednesday 14 April 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. This day the Sarah arrived from Madras, and as the captain came ashore the council gave him the usual orders to heave in upon any alarm, a copy of which is entered in the consultation of 21 March last.

The following invoice records the cargo of the Sarah.

Batavia arrack, 4 half leaguers:

number 1, 75 gallons

number 2, 75 gallons

number 3, 75 gallons

number 4, 75 gallons

300 gallons at 12 pies per gallon, £96 0s 0d

sugar, 10 bags, number 92 factory, weight 22 candy at 10s 19d per bag, £107 8s 0d

rice, 41 bags, number 90 factory, weight 45 candy 1 at 1s 4d per bag, £88 0s 0d

wax candles, 1 chest, number 92 factory, weight 1 candy at 30 per pound, £60 0s 0d

subtotal, £638 0s 0d

charges merchandise:

92 bags, £8 18s 9d

1 chest, £2 1s 0d

muttery, £2 11s 0d

peon, £0 0s 12d

boat hire, £8 0s 0d

subtotal, £22 4s 9d

total, £535 12s 9d

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 20 April 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. This day the Prince Augustus, Devonshire, Craven and Sandwich sailed from here for England, in company with the two Danish ships. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The Sarah's invoice records a second consignment of the Indian trade, closely matching the one entered days earlier, the goods valued in sterling for sale on the island. Batavia arrack came in four half leaguers, the large casks of the eastern spirit trade, reckoned here by the gallon at twelve pies each, the pie being the smallest Indian coin. Sugar and rice were weighed by the candy, the western Indian weight of about 500 pounds, which places the lading on the Coromandel or Malabar coast rather than Bengal. The charges merchandise beneath the goods, the cost of bags, a chest, the small local muttery charge, a peon's fee and boat hire, were added to the invoice so the true landed cost could be set against the selling price, the same reckoning made for every supply ship.

The convoy that sailed together on 20 April marks the island still observing a guarded practice even in peace. The Prince Augustus, Devonshire, Craven and Sandwich left in company with the two Danish ships, several vessels departing as one rather than singly. The standing orders required ships to sail in company of two or three for mutual protection, a precaution that had outlived the declared war and was kept against pirates and unknown enemies. That English and Danish ships sailed together, having refreshed at the same neutral island, shows the practical cooperation of rival trading nations on the long and dangerous homeward passage, whatever the diplomatic frictions between their companies.

The sudden crowd of shipping through April, English, Danish and Indian ships arriving and departing within days, marks the full flood of the season after the long empty winter. The road that had stood silent for nine months now filled and emptied in rapid succession, the homeward fleets pausing only to water and refresh before pressing on for the Channel. This concentrated traffic was the island's whole commercial life, the passing ships buying its cattle and provisions and supplying its wants, the settlement living by a trade that came in brief and crowded bursts between long stretches of quiet.

446

421

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 27th April 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Wednesday last We held an Allarm for a Single Ship passing by whom We

took for the Snare from China, & yesterday the Laton Galley, Capt Upton Comr

in the Service of the South Sea Company arrived here for Guinea bound to Buenor

Ayres desiring a little Water & Refreshment both his Crew & Slaves being ill Vizt

impowering by his Instructions Signed by Sir John Eyler Wid We hoped that he was

abroad upon a fond Accot We gave him leave to do so but warned him to make haste

& be gone

We this day Exchanged a boy of the Compa named Jack about Six Years

old & very Small with John Ponford, for an other boy, more likely & older, being

about ten Years of Age in which Exchange the Company Reformed the Advantage

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Monday 3d May 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p Journal

2 folio 64 & 66

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 4th May 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Yesterday the Mountague arrived from Bencoolen & as Soon as the Captain

was come on Shoar We gave him the usual Instructions for hoaving in

Invoice p Mountague Vizt

Arrack 4 Casks and 6 89 Galln at 24 P P 130 Galln

86 3 73

Sugar 18 Committees fine 3 6 P 6 P 130 P

103 3 45

Charges Merchandize Boathire

4

Dollars 194 3 18

The Governour Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Accot for Aprill last which were Severally Examined & Approved

& are as follow Vizt

Edwd Byfill

At a consultation held on Tuesday 27 April 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

The previous Wednesday an alarm was raised for a single ship passing by, which the council took for an officer from China, but which turned out to be the Eaton galley, Captain Upton commander, in the service of the South Sea Company, and armed by that company, bound for Buenos Aires. Her captain wished for a little water and refreshment, and one of his slaves being ill, he asked to come ashore, for which he had leave by his instructions signed by Sir John Eyles. Mr Hanbury reported that he was to go abroad on paper a fair account. The council gave him leave to do so, but warned him to make haste, and he departed.

The council this day exchanged a Company boy named Jack, about six years old, belonging to Mr John Perkins, for another boy, more likely and delivering, about ten years of age, on Perkins discharging the Company for the difference of value to the Company's advantage. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Monday 3 May 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day met and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 64 and 66. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 4 May 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The previous day the Mountague arrived from Bencoolen. As soon as the captain came ashore, the council gave him the usual instructions for heaving in.

The following invoice records the cargo of the Mountague.

arrack, 4 casks, weight 638 gallons at 24 pies per 130 gallons, £86 3s 3d

sugar, 18 canisters, weight 3 candy 6 at 15 per 130, £103 3s 15d

charges merchandise, boat hire, £4 0s 0d

total, 194 dollars 3 annas 18 pies

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for April last, each of which was examined and approved, and stood as follows.

Interpretations

The Eaton galley records a vessel of the South Sea Company on the Atlantic slave trade, bound for Buenos Aires, the same Asiento traffic that had touched the island before. Armed and licensed, she carried instructions signed by Sir John Eyles, a director of the South Sea Company, which the captain produced as his warrant to land. This examination of a ship's papers before allowing her people ashore was the standing caution of the island's watch, distinguishing a lawful trader from a pirate, and the mention of a sick slave points to the human cargo these ships carried across the Atlantic to the Spanish American market. The island served this Atlantic slaving route as readily as the eastern trade, a refreshment station on the crossroads of both.

The exchange of the slave boy Jack for an older and abler boy is a plain instance of the Company managing its human stock as it did its cattle. The council swapped a six-year-old for a ten-year-old more fit for service, with Mr Perkins paying the difference in value to the Company's advantage. The transaction treats children as fungible property valued by age and usefulness, entered and settled on the books like any exchange of beasts, the same reckoning of book value by age that governed the annual revaluation of the slave children.

The Mountague's invoice, uniquely in the run, is totalled not in sterling but in the money of account of the Indian trade, dollars, annas and pies. The arrack and sugar were reckoned in the rupee currency of the Company's eastern settlements, the whole cargo coming to 194 dollars 3 annas 18 pies, with only the boat hire added as a charge. This reckoning in eastern coin rather than pounds reflects the ship's origin at Bencoolen, the Company's pepper settlement on Sumatra, whose accounts ran in the local money before the goods were priced for sale on the island. The pie was the smallest coin of the system, the anna a sixteenth of a rupee, and the dollar the trade coin that circulated across the eastern seas.

447

422

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Pigs, Boars, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Guse

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 April

Bullocks 77, Cowes 125, Heifers 36, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 80, Bulls 5, Totall 393, Ewes 48, Withers 25, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 87, Ewes 84, Withers 51, Kids 60, Rams 3, Totall 198, Sowes 18, Shoates 42, Barrows 11, Pigs 34, Boars 4, Totall 109, Turkeys 28, Fowles 59, Ducks 17, Guse 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Killed in ditto

Bullocks 1, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 1, Ewes 0, Withers 1, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 1, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 6, Rams 0, Totall 6, Sowes 0, Shoates 2, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 2, Turkeys 4, Fowles 10, Ducks 6, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 76, Cowes 125, Heifers 36, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 80, Bulls 5, Totall 392, Ewes 48, Withers 24, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 84, Withers 51, Kids 54, Rams 3, Totall 192, Sowes 18, Shoates 42, Barrows 9, Pigs 34, Boars 4, Totall 107, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 23, Horses 5, Mares 4, Totall 9

Sold to Ship in do

Bullocks 12, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 12, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 1, Mares 0, Totall 1

Bullocks 64, Cowes 125, Heifers 36, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 80, Bulls 5, Totall 380, Ewes 48, Withers 24, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 84, Withers 51, Kids 54, Rams 3, Totall 192, Sowes 18, Shoates 42, Barrows 9, Pigs 34, Boars 4, Totall 107, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 23, Horses 4, Mares 4, Totall 8

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 3, Withers 1, Kids 8, Rams 0, Totall 12, Sowes 0, Shoates 3, Barrows 0, Pigs 1, Boars 0, Totall 4, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 1, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 30 April

Bullocks 64, Cowes 125, Heifers 36, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 80, Bulls 5, Totall 380, Ewes 48, Withers 24, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 81, Withers 50, Kids 46, Rams 3, Totall 180, Sowes 18, Shoates 39, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 103, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 4, Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Several Plantations 16300 tt

Ditto for the Fort Blacks 7500

Ditto for the Great Wood ditto 2100

Totall Yam 25900 tt

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during April 1731, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 April:

neat cattle - bullocks 77, cows 125, heifers 36, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 393

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 25, lambs 11, rams 3, total 87

goats - ewes 84, wethers 51, kids 60, rams 3, total 198

hogs - sows 18, shoats 42, barrows 11, pigs 34, boars 4, total 109

poultry - turkeys 28, fowls 59, ducks 17, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

Killed in April:

neat cattle - bullocks 76, cows 125, heifers 36, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 392

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 24, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 84, wethers 51, kids 54, rams 3, total 192

hogs - sows 18, shoats 42, barrows 9, pigs 34, boars 4, total 107

poultry - turkeys 24, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 23

horses - horses 5, mares 4, total 9

of which killed: neat cattle - bullocks 1; sheep - wethers 1; goats - kids 6, total 6; hogs - barrows 2; poultry - turkeys 4, fowls 10, ducks 6

Sold to shipping in April:

neat cattle - bullocks 64, cows 125, heifers 36, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 380

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

of which sold: neat cattle - bullocks 12, total 12; horses - horses 1, total 1

Dead in April:

neat cattle - bullocks 64, cows 125, heifers 36, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 380

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 24, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 81, wethers 50, kids 46, rams 3, total 180

hogs - sows 18, shoats 39, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 4, total 103

poultry - turkeys 24, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 22

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

of which dead: goats - ewes 3, wethers 1, kids 8, total 12; hogs - shoats 3, pigs 1, total 4; poultry - geese 1

Remaining 30 April:

neat cattle - bullocks 64, cows 125, heifers 36, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 380

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 24, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 81, wethers 50, kids 46, rams 3, total 180

hogs - sows 18, shoats 39, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 4, total 103

poultry - turkeys 24, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 22

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 16,300 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 7,500 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 2,100 lb

Total yams, 25,900 lb

Interpretations

The account carries each class through the month's losses, and its defining feature is the sale of cattle to shipping. Twelve bullocks were sold to the ships in April, the heaviest such sale in many months, and a horse went with them, dropping the herd from 393 to 380. This is the trade of the road at its fullest, the crowd of English, Danish and Indian ships that filled the anchorage through April victualling from the Company's stock, the fort at last turning its long-accumulated cattle into cash after the empty winter. The pattern confirms the return of the fleets recorded in the consultations, the herd shrinking not by breeding failure but by the healthy demand of shipping in the road.

The goats continued their steady decline, the herd falling from 198 to 180 through slaughter and death, the losses again heaviest on the ewes and kids. This is the destruction resolved on 20 January 1730 still working, the herd now well below 200 and less than a third of its size eighteen months before. The reduction remained relentless but incomplete, and feral goats survived on St Helena long after the Company gave up, so the account marks a policy in patient operation rather than a herd cleared.

The poultry fell noticeably, ten fowls, four turkeys and six ducks lost to the table and to death, the ordinary drain of the readiest fresh meat as the fort entertained the ships' officers ashore. The neat cattle otherwise held their numbers, no calving entered in the month, the great breeding surge of March having passed and the herd now yielding its increase to the shipping rather than to its own growth.

The yam issue held at 25,900 lb, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood. April fell in the southern autumn with the harvest gathered and the account steady, the establishment drawing a fuller ration than in the deep lean of late summer. This continued reliance on the yam to feed a garrison and a slave population of over two hundred, supplemented by the heavy issues of imported rice charged in the storekeeper's accounts, set the island apart from England, where the root crops carrying the same burden were still viewed with suspicion across much of the country in 1731.

448

423

Collection of Goods Sold & delivered in the Month of Aprill 1731

17 Galln Arrack

5 7 8

76 3 lb Sugar

18 11 6

22 lb Candy

1 2

1268 lb Bread

16 14 6

1102 lb Flour

13 15 6

5 Slaves Sorted

19 8

1 Box Iron & Heater

9 6

4 do

2 4 6

4 Helios

4 8

4 Iron Rimd Lock

1

1 Stock Lock

9 4

13 Pr Dovetails

19 1

1 Sarving do

4 8

1 Halved Hatchet

3

1 Smoothing Plain

1 8

2 Gymblet

6

3 Frying Pans

17 6

4 Splinter Locks

6 3

6 Shod Shovels

1 6

2 Trowells

11

4 Saw

1 6

1 Pr Sith Rings

12 10

17 Chest Locks

15

1 Whanle do

10 4

2 P Iron Candlesticks

5 6

1 Gundstone

7 5

8 Bright Shod Fork

11 3

34 Spawn

17

2 Chamber Potts

19 3

3 Basons

13 6

2 Soap Dishes

3 6

18 Slates

1 8

19 Yards Flannels

1 8

28 P Taffety

2 2

1 6 Divs

7 4

4 Bowls Ditch

19 6

6 Silk Toy

2 10

28 Galln Linfeed oyle

Totall Sold

100 10 9

Naval Stores 1 Cask Aprill 1 1731

1 6

8 ½ Galln Rape oyle

Garrison 12 Sea

3 12

6 3

8 6

Plantation 12 lb Nails Sorted

Charges General Vizt

2 6

3 Yds Defanter

2 15 4

10 Slay Rods

4 4 6

9 lb Twine

3 6

3 Yards Cannvas

Setts China Dishes & Plates

6 Dishes & 20 Plates to a Sett

6 8

1 Chest Lock

15 6

1 Pr Chest Hinge

5 6

500 Rice for Slag & Poultry

3 15

15 5 6

Blacks Vizt

28 doz Blocks Sorted

18 6

3 doz Sines do

1 7 10½

4 ½ oz China Silk

1 3

6 Butchers Knives

8 3

4 P Twine

1 4

250 Saylours Nudles

8 3

1 P Shovs

15

300 Rice

17

17 Shoo Knives

20 7 3½

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered during April 1731.

17 gallons of arrack, £5 7s 8d

73 lb of sugar, £18 11s 6d

22 lb of candy, £0 1s 2d

1,268 lb of bread, £16 14s 6d

1,102 lb of flour, £13 15s 6d

5 slates sorted, £0 19s 8d

1 box iron and heater, £0 2s 0d

4 ditto, £0 9s 0d

4 Holland, £0 4s 8d

4 iron rim locks, £0 1s 0d

1 stock lock, £0 9s 4d

13 pair of dovetails, £0 19s 1d

1 frying pan, £0 4s 8d

1 steeled hatchet, £0 0s 3d

1 smoothing plain, £0 1s 8d

2 gimblets, £0 0s 6d

3 frying pans, £0 17s 6d

4 stock locks, £0 6s 3d

6 shod shovels, £1 6s 1d

2 trowels, £0 0s 11d

1 saw, £0 1s 6d

1 pair of sad irons, £0 12s 10d

17 chest locks, £0 15s 0d

1 marble ditto, £0 0s 4d

2 iron candlesticks, £0 5s 6d

1 hone stone, £0 7s 5d

8 yards of broad bed tick, £1 12s 3d

34 spoons, £0 19s 3d

2 chamber pots, £0 13s 6d

3 basons, £0 3s 6d

2 soap dishes, £0 3s 6d

18 plates, £0 1s 8d

19 yards of flannels, £0 1s 8d

28 pair of taffety, £2 2s 0d

16 ditto, £7 19s 6d

4 dozen ditto, £0 2s 0d

6 sad iron, £0 [...]s [...]d

28 gallons of linseed oil, £0 1s 6d

total goods sold, £100 10s 9d

The following goods were charged to the naval stores account.

1 coil of rope, £3 12s 0d

total naval stores, £6 3s 0d

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

12 lb of tea, £6 3s 0d

8.5 gallons of rape oil, £8 6d

total garrison, £[...]s [...]d

The following goods were charged to the plantation account.

12 lb of nails sorted, £0 2s 6d

total plantation, £[...]s [...]d

The following goods were charged to the general charges account.

1 glass decanter, £0 4s 6d

8 clay bricks, £2 15s 4d

9 lb of twine, £0 4s 6d

3 yards of canvas, £0 3s 6d

6 sorts of China dishes and plates: 6 dishes and 20 plates to a set, £6 8s 0d

1 chest lock, £0 15s 6d

1 pulchest hinge, £0 5s 6d

500 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £3 15s 0d

total general charges, £15 5s 5d

The following goods were delivered to the Company's slaves.

28 dozen hooks sorted, £0 18s 9d

3 dozen lines ditto, £1 7s 10.5d

1.5 oz of China silk, £0 1s 3d

6 butcher knives, £1 3s 4d

4 twine, £0 8s 3d

250 taylors' needles, £0 [...]s [...]d

1 pair of shears, £0 15s 0d

300 lb of rice, £0 17s 0d

17 shoe knives, £0 [...]s [...]d

total, delivered to the slaves, £20 7s 3.5d

Interpretations

The account records April's warehouse issues, and the retail side is dominated by a very heavy sale of provisions to the ships in the road. The 1,268 pounds of bread and 1,102 pounds of flour are the largest such figures in the run, baked and issued to victual the crowd of English, Danish and Indian vessels that filled the anchorage through the month. This great swell of provisioning is the exact mark of a busy road, the same pattern that had emptied the storekeeper's counter through the quiet winter now reversed as the fleets returned, the island turning its stores into cash while the ships lay at anchor.

The tools and hardware make up the bulk of the retail list, a run of locks, frying pans, shod shovels, chest locks, box irons and trowels that shows the inhabitants and the ships restocking their workshops and kitchens from the store. A box iron and heater was a hollow smoothing iron warmed by a heated slug, a hone stone a fine sharpening stone, and shod shovels the iron-edged spades for the island's stony ground. The tableware, plates, spoons, chamber pots, soap dishes and the sets of blue and white China dishes, marks the domestic furnishing that a fleet in the road allowed, the inhabitants buying what the passing ships had brought.

The slaves' delivery keeps its familiar shape but adds the tools of the tailor's trade, butcher knives, tailors' needles, shears and shoe knives alongside the fishing hooks and lines and the imported rice. These point to the making up of the slaves' clothing on the island, the needles and shears cutting and sewing the cloth issued in the annual outfittings. The rice, both here for the slaves and among the general charges for the hogs and poultry, marks the standing dependence on imported grain, the fishery and the imported rice together feeding an establishment that the island could not victual from its own ground. The heavy retail total of £100 10s 9d reflects the full return of trade, the busiest month the storekeeper's account had seen for the best part of a year.

449

424

Diet Expences Vizt Brought over 144 3 11½

42 Galln Arrack

13 6

208 Sugar

5 2 6

21 lb Candy

10 1½

12 lb Bread

3

350 lb Flour

4 7 6

20 Galln Sherry

14 6 9

10 lb Port

2

2 lb Pepper

2

3 Brushells Salt

13 6

2 Loaves Salt

4 3

1 Bottle oyle

5 3

40 Galln Strong Beer

3

53 ditto Small

2 13

16 lb Wax Candles

1 12

46 13 3½

144 3 11½

190 19 3

Gunners Stores Expended in April 1731

Guns: Guns, Shot, DC & Cargo, Sackers, Minion, Powder

1731

April 2 To Salute Islands Cargoes from both Ships

Guns 21, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 21, Powder 24

do The Lyot & Peiress of Wales Sailed

Guns 18, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 2, Minion 16, Powder 22

4th The Rte of London Sailed

Guns 9, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 3, Sackers 2, Minion 4, Powder 22

6th To Salute Mr Linnest

Guns 11, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 1, Minion 10, Powder 13

do Double Allarm

Guns 6, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 6, Powder 18

7 Arrived a French Ship

Guns 11, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 1, Minion 10, Powder 10

do An Allarm

Guns 4, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 4, Powder 12

8 James & Mary Sailed

Guns 9, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 2, Minion 4, Powder 22

do Arrived a French Ship

Guns 11, Shot 1, DC & Cargo 1, Sackers 1, Minion 8, Powder 22

do An Allarm

Guns 4, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 4, Powder 12

do Isenach Ship that Stood to Windward come in

Guns 11, Shot 1, DC & Cargo 1, Sackers 2, Minion 7, Powder 24

do Saluted a 2ne time

Guns 6, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 6, Powder 18

9th Double Allarm

Guns 18, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 1, Minion 17, Powder 20

do Arrived the Devonshire & Peiress Augustus

Guns 15, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 2, Sackers 1, Minion 15, Powder 23

10th To Salute Islands Signd Cargoes from both Ships

Guns 4, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 4, Powder 12

do An Allarm

Guns 9, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 1, Minion 8, Powder 11

do Arrived the Cragg

Guns 21, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 21, Powder 21

do To Salute Mr Wardwick

Guns 4, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 4, Powder 12

14 An Allarm

Guns 4, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 4, Powder 19

do Arrived the Wardwick

Guns 24, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 3, Sackers 2, Minion 4, Powder 22

21 An Allarm for a Ship that past by

Guns 4, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 4, Powder 19

do Powder dld for Bankes Fort

Powder 3

26 An Allarm at Grundens & the Ridge

Guns 4, Shot 2, DC & Cargo 2, Sackers 0, Minion 8, Powder 20

do Arrived the Ship Laton Galley

Guns 9, Shot 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 1, Minion 8, Powder 11

Expence of the Guard

Powder 10

Musquet Balls for ditto &c

Cartridge Paper for ditto 2 Quire

Guns 218, Shot 2, DC & Cargo 4, Sackers 19, Minion 45, Powder 439½

Rammer Heads 2

Match 37

Signed Jno French

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account for April 1731, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £144 3s 11.5d

42 gallons of arrack, £0 13s 6d

208 lb of sugar, £5 3s 6d

21.5 lb of candy, £0 16s 10.5d

12 lb of bread, £0 0s 3d

350 lb of flour, £4 7s 6d

20 gallons of sherry, £3 14s 6d

9 gallons of port, £0 0s 9d

2 lb of pepper, £0 0s 2d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 0d

2 loaves of salt, £0 4s 3d

1 bottle of oil, £0 5s 3d

40 gallons of strong beer, £0 3s 0d

53 gallons of small ditto, £2 13s 0d

16 lb of wax candles, £1 12s 0d

total diet expenses, £46 12s 3.5d

grand total, £190 16s 0d

The following gunner's stores were expended in April 1731, entered under the columns for guns fired, shot, demi-culverin, sakers, minion and powder in pounds.

2 April: to salute the Sarah galley from both ships, 21 guns fired, 21 minion, 21 lb of powder

2 April: the Lyell and Princess of Wales sailed, 18 guns fired, 2 sakers, 16 minion, 22 lb of powder

4 April: the City of London sailed, 9 guns fired, 3 sakers, 2 minion, 4 falcons, 22 lb of powder

6 April: to salute Mr Levinge, 11 guns fired, 1 minion, 10 falcons, 13 lb of powder

6 April: double alarm, 6 guns fired, 6 falcons, 18 lb of powder

7 April: arrived a French ship, 11 guns fired, 1 minion, 10 falcons, 16 lb of powder

7 April: an alarm, 4 guns fired, 4 falcons, 12 lb of powder

8 April: the James and Mary sailed, 9 guns fired, 2 sakers, 4 minion, 22 lb of powder

8 April: arrived a French ship, 11 guns fired, 1 saker, 1 minion, 8 falcons, 22 lb of powder

8 April: an alarm, 4 guns fired, 4 falcons, 12 lb of powder

8 April: a Danish ship that stood to windward came in, 11 guns fired, 1 saker, 1 minion, 2 falcons, 7 minion, 24 lb of powder

8 April: saluted a second time, 6 guns fired, 6 falcons, 18 lb of powder

9 April: double alarm, 6 guns fired, 6 falcons, 18 lb of powder

9 April: arrived the Devonshire and Prince Augustus, 18 guns fired, 1 saker, 17 minion, 20 lb of powder

9 April: to salute the China cargoes signed from both ships, 15 guns fired, 2 sakers, 1 minion, 15 falcons, 23 lb of powder

10 April: an alarm, 4 guns fired, 4 falcons, 12 lb of powder

10 April: arrived the Craven, 9 guns fired, 1 saker, 8 falcons, 11 lb of powder

10 April: to salute the Mountague, 21 guns fired, 21 minion, 21 lb of powder

14 April: an alarm, 4 guns fired, 4 falcons, 12 lb of powder

14 April: arrived the Sandwich, 9 guns fired, 3 sakers, 4 minion, 4 falcons, 22 lb of powder

21 April: an alarm for a ship that passed by, 4 guns fired, 4 falcons, 12 lb of powder

21 April: powder delivered for Banks's Fort, 3 lb of powder

26 April: an alarm at Munden's and the ridge, 4 guns fired, 2 sakers, 2 minion, 8 falcons, 20 lb of powder

26 April: arrived the ship Eaton galley, 9 guns fired, 1 saker, 8 falcons, 11 lb of powder

expense of the guard, 10 lb of powder

musket balls for ditto

cartridge paper for ditto, 2 quires

rammer heads, 2

match, 37 lb

total, 218 guns fired, 2 shot, 4 demi-culverin, 19 sakers, 45 minion, 439.5 lb of powder

Signed by John French.

Interpretations

The diet expenses close April's storekeeper reckoning at a grand total of £190 16s 0d, one of the heaviest months of the run, swollen by the drink and provisions consumed while the ships lay in the road. Arrack at 42 gallons and heavy issues of sugar, flour, sherry and beer mark a fort table entertaining freely, the officers of the crowded anchorage being victualled ashore. This high consumption tracks the shipping exactly, the same pattern by which the table's bill rose whenever a fleet called and fell back once the road emptied.

The gunner's account is the fullest of the whole run, recording an extraordinary 439 pounds of powder spent in a single month, the guns scarcely silent through the first fortnight. This single leaf gathers the entire flood of the season: salute after salute for arriving and departing ships, alarm after alarm for strange and foreign sail, and personal salutes for Company officers. The contrast with the empty winter, when a month passed with no salute at all, could not be sharper, the anchorage now alive with the traffic of English, Danish, French and Indian vessels all within days.

The occasions map the crowded road in detail. The English East Indiamen, the Lyell, Princess of Wales, James and Mary, Devonshire, Prince Augustus, Craven, Sandwich and Mountague, drew their salutes on arrival and departure, and the China cargoes were saluted in as they were entered. Two French ships and a Danish ship arriving drew salutes too, and the personal salute to Mr Levinge marked a Company officer of rank. Between the salutes ran a string of alarms, the watch firing to bring in and identify unknown sail, one of them at Munden's and the ridge, the guard posts over the anchorage. The delivery of powder to Banks's Fort shows the outlying battery being kept supplied, the whole apparatus of salute and alarm working at full stretch after the long quiet.

The mixture of ceremony and vigilance in one month is the whole character of the island's guarded commerce. Even in peace, and even for ships that only passed by, the guns were manned and fired, the precaution kept against pirates and unknown sail after the Treaty of Seville had ended the declared war. The 439 pounds of powder measure the traffic of the road more exactly than any other record, and mark April 1731 as the busiest month the island had seen since the fleets of the previous spring. John French signed the account as gunner, as throughout the run.

450

425

Expence of the Table in April 1731 Vizt

42 Galln Arrack

13 6

158 Sugar

13 19

21 lb Sugar Candy

10 1½

12 lb Bread

3 6

350 lb Flour

4 7 6

20 Galln Sherry

14 6 9

17 do Port

2

2 lb Pepper

2

3 Brushells Salt & 2 Loaves Salt

18 9

1 Bottle oyle

5 3

40 Galln Strong Beer

3

53 do Small do

2 13

380 lb Beef

4 15

200 Fish

5

1 Sheep

1

4 Turkeys

15

10 Fowles

9

6 Ducks

18

6 Kids

12

12 lb Butter

1

60 Bottles Milk

1 10

30 Days Greens

16 lb Candles

1 12

50 15 9½

9 lb Soap

9 4

217 lb Sugar dld the Blacks

3 3 6

3 5 3

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 11th May 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of Robert Chapman late chief Mate of the Mountague was

presented & read Praying leave to Stay here till the Arrival of an other

Ship

Granted the Captain having disband he was willing

This day the Mountague Sailed for England & the Laton Galley for Buenor

Ayres

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in April 1731.

42 gallons of arrack, £13 6s 0d

158 lb of sugar, £3 19s 0d

21.5 lb of sugar candy, £0 16s 10.5d

12 lb of bread, £0 0s 3d

350 lb of flour, £4 7s 6d

20 gallons of sherry, £3 14s 6d

17.5 gallons of port, £0 0s 9d

2 lb of pepper, £0 0s 2d

3 bushels of salt and 2 loaves of salt, £0 18s 8d

1 bottle of oil, £0 5s 3d

40 gallons of strong beer, £3 0s 0d

53 gallons of small ditto, £2 13s 0d

380 lb of beef, £4 15s 0d

200 lb of pork, £5 0s 0d

1 sheep, £0 1s 0d

4 turkeys, £0 0s 0d

10 fowls, £0 15s 0d

6 ducks, £0 0s 9d

6 kids, £0 18s 0d

12 lb of butter, £0 0s 12d

60 bottles of milk, £0 1s 0d

30 days' greens, £0 1s 10d

total, expense of the table in April, £50 15s 9.5d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

16 lb of candles, £1 12s 0d

9 lb of soap, £0 9s 4d

17 lb of sugar delivered to the black slaves, £0 0s 15d

total, £3 3s 5d

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 11 May 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Robert Chapman, late chief mate of the Mountague, petitioned the council for leave to stay on the island until the arrival of another ship. The captain being willing to release him, the council granted the request. This day the Mountague sailed for England and the Eaton galley for Buenos Aires. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The table account records the drink and provisions of the fort at the fullest point of the season, arrack at 42 gallons and heavy weights of fresh beef and pork marking a table entertaining the officers of the crowded road. The fresh provisions, beef, pork, mutton, turkeys, fowls, ducks, kids, butter, greens and milk, came off the island's own stock, the 380 pounds of beef drawn from the same herd that sold a dozen bullocks to shipping in the month. The six kids charged to the table were again taken from a herd under active destruction, the establishment continuing to eat the young goats the council was labouring to clear. The whole account is the mark of a busy anchorage, the fort's consumption swelling with the ships in the road.

The Chapman petition shows the fluid movement of ships' officers through the island. A chief mate discharged from one ship could wait ashore for another, and the council readily granted such leave once the captain consented to release the man. This was a common transaction on an island that lay mid-passage between England and the East, its road a place where officers changed ships, waited for berths and took passage onward, the settlement serving the human as well as the material traffic of the Company's routes. The same brief entry records the Mountague sailing for England and the Eaton galley turning south for Buenos Aires, the eastern and Atlantic trades departing together as they had arrived.

The departure of these ships begins the emptying of the road after the crowded April, the homeward fleets pressing on for the Channel and the Atlantic traders for the Spanish American market. The island's brief flood of traffic was passing, and with it the busy provisioning and entertaining that had swollen the accounts through the spring. The rhythm is the settlement's whole commercial life, long quiet broken by short crowded bursts as the fleets came and went, the island living by the trade of ships that could not stay.

451

426

At a Consultation held on Monday 17th May 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Yesterday the Prince William & Sethenuttie arrived from Bombay &

as Soon as the Captains were come on Shoar We delivered each of them

the usual Instructions to hoave in a Copy of which is Entred in Our

Consultation of the 21 of March last

Invoice p Sethenuttie Vizt

Selling Price Vizt

Rice 27 Crago cont 9 P 5 4 P Sarah P 172 each

81

For Compa Use

Batty white 27 bags 2 P 9 Mo P 15 each

37 2

6 P 1 P Galln

Goa Arrack 4 tt & P 20 each

80

1 Butt & a Puncheon

18

198 2

Dutty Bags 27

13 2

Ginney Bags 27

7 4

38 2

Rup 437

Invoice p Prince William Vizt

Rice 27 bags P 5 4 P Sarah P 172 each

81

For Compa Use

Batty white 27 bags 2 P 9 Mo P 15 each

37 2

6 P 1 P Galln

Goa Arrack 4 tt & P 20 each

80

1 Butt & a Puncheon

18

198

Dutty Bags 27 P 2

13 2

Ginney Bags 27

7

38 2

Rup 437

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 18th May 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

This Morning We had an Allarm for two Ships one of which We

hoave away as p Signe We Suppose to be French, the other come in & p Signe

the Mary with a Small Chip for this Place, but We have neither Letter

Invoice or bill of Lading, & the Captain being come on Shoar Wee

delivered him the usual Instructions for hoaving in a Copy of which

is Entred in Our Consultation of the 21 of March last

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a consultation held on Monday 17 May 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The previous day the Prince William and Sethenillier arrived from Bombay, and as soon as the captains came ashore the council delivered to each of them the usual instructions for heaving in upon any alarm, a copy of which is entered in the consultation of the 21st of March last.

The following invoice records the cargo of the Sethenillier, with the selling prices set for the Company's use.

rice, 27 bags, containing 9 candy 5 at 1s 2d each, 81 rupees

Batavia white, 27 bags, weight 2.5 candy at 15 each, 37 rupees 2 annas

Goa arrack, 4 half leaguers at 20 each, 80 rupees

1 butt and a puncheon, 18 rupees

subtotal, 198 rupees 2 annas

duty, 27 bags, 13 rupees 2 annas

gunny bags, 27, 7 rupees 4 annas

total, 237 rupees

The following invoice records the cargo of the Prince William, with the selling prices set for the Company's use.

rice, 27 bags, weight 9 candy 5 at 1s 2d each, 81 rupees

Batavia white, 27 bags, weight 2.5 candy at 15 each, 37 rupees 2 annas

Goa arrack, 4 half leaguers at 20 each, 80 rupees

1 butt and a puncheon, 18 rupees

subtotal, 198 rupees

duty, 27 bags at 2, 13 rupees 2 annas

gunny bags, 27, 7 rupees 4 annas

total, 237 rupees

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 18 May 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. That morning an alarm was raised for two ships, one of which stood away, which the council supposed to be French, and the other came in and proved the Mary with a small cargo for the island. She carried neither letter, invoice nor bill of lading, and as the captain came ashore the council delivered him the usual instructions for heaving in, a copy of which is entered in the consultation of the 21st of March last. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The two Bombay invoices record supplies of the Indian trade valued in the rupee currency of the Company's eastern settlements rather than in sterling. Rice, Batavia white sugar and Goa arrack made up the cargo, weighed by the candy, the western Indian measure of about 500 pounds, which fixes the lading on the Malabar coast around Bombay. Below the goods run the charges that turned a shore price into a landed cost: a duty on the bags, the price of the gunnies, the coarse jute sacks in which the bulk goods travelled, and the casks. That the two ships carried cargoes identical to the rupee points once more to a coordinated consignment loaded together by the Company's Bombay agents, the same uniformity seen in the China ships of the spring.

The Goa arrack marks a particular strand of the eastern spirit trade. Where Batavia arrack came from the Dutch entrepot on Java, Goa arrack was distilled in the Portuguese territory on the western coast of India, and its appearance here alongside the Batavia white sugar reflects the mingled sources of the goods that reached the island, drawn from Dutch, Portuguese and English hands across the eastern seas. The butt and puncheon were large casks, and the whole cargo was priced for onward sale to the island's inhabitants and establishment.

The arrival of the Mary without letter, invoice or bill of lading repeats a difficulty the council had met before with ships coming in bare of their papers. Without documents the council could not check the cargo against any manifest, and had to rely on the captain's own account and on receiving and counting the goods ashore, as Captain Goodwin had done with the Marlborough the previous summer. The accompanying alarm, one ship standing off and thought French while the other came in, shows the watch still firing to identify strange sail, the guarded caution of the road kept up even as the peace held and the trade flowed freely.

452

427

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 25 May 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Sunday the Bridgewater arrived here from Bengale & as Soon as the

Captain came on Shoar We delivered him the usual Instructions to hoave

in a Copy of which is Entred in Our Consultation of the 21 of March last

Invoice p Bridgewater Vizt

Batavia Arrack 4 half Leafs contg 34 Galln

1 do

64

1 ditto

70

1 ditto

61

1 Quarter ditto

40

2 P 1 Leaf contg Galln 299 P Rup 107 5 3 P Leaf D

264

Sugar 10 bags 22 Mo Factory to 14 P 2 19 P 10 12 P 6 P bag

107 8

Rice 30 bags bag no 21 to 6 P 1 1 4 P Mo

68 3

Bacos 20 P Sarah

5 15

Wax Candles 1 Chest 2 Mo to 1 1 9 P 30 Rup P do

61

60

495 8

Charges Merchandize

7 Bags & Spining

8 19 6

1 Chest 2 3 3 Mudres P Rup

8 3 3

Peas 10 Anas Boathire & Pinnace 20 Rup

20 10

37 9 9

Rupees 533 1 9

The Storekeeper Reports that the Cargo by the Mary

Consists of 1504 lb Sugar 6311 lb Rice, 1 box off

Wax Candles & do 16 Galln p Arrack

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 1 June at Union Castle 1731

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

On Sunday last the Bridgewater & Sethenuttie Mary & Prince William

Sailed from here for England

The folloing Petition was presented & read

To the Worshipfull Edwd Byfild Esqr Govr & Councill

The humble Petition of Henry Colerook

Sheweth That the three Years the Term for which Your Petr Contracted to

Serve is now expired being which time Your Petr hath greatly in the

Spring been constantly & violently afflicted with the great dangerous

Sort of the bloody Flux which hath so much Shook & weakned Your Petr

Constitution that Your Petr is Apprehensive he Shall hardly ever be able

whenever he formerly health & vigour, in this Climate Your Petr as Your he

cannot Injury the Symptoms frequently Appearing Your Petr being

daily afraid of Relapsing into Nutfor the Distemper which would certainly

in this State of health Your Petr is now in endanger his Life, & his Sea Council

Your Petr therefore humbly Pray Your Wid his Sea Council

Margin Notes:

Selling Price

6 P 1 P Galln

6 P p Pound

Rup for Cupps

2 P p tt

At a consultation held on Tuesday 25 May 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The previous Sunday the Bridgewater arrived from Bengal, and as soon as the captain came ashore the council delivered him the usual instructions for heaving in, a copy of which is entered in the consultation of the 21st of March last.

The following invoice records the cargo of the Bridgewater, with the selling prices set for the Company's use.

Batavia arrack, 1 half leaguer, containing 64 gallons

1 ditto, 64 gallons

1 ditto, 70 gallons

1 ditto, 61 gallons

1 quarter ditto, 40 gallons

299 gallons at 5 pies per gallon, 261 rupees 8 annas

sugar, 10 bags, number 92 factory, weight 2 candy 19 at 10s 12d per bag, 107 rupees 8 annas

rice, 30 bags, number 3 to 18, weight 11 candy 14 pounds, 68 rupees 3 annas

Batavia white, 10 bags, 5 rupees 15 annas

subtotal, 64 rupees

wax candles, 1 chest, number 92, weight 1 candy 9 at 30 rupees per pound, 60 rupees

subtotal, 495 rupees 8 annas

charges merchandise:

7 bags and gunny, 8 rupees 19 annas 6 pies

1 chest, muttery and peon, 8 rupees 3 annas 3 pies

cooly hire and boat hire and pinnace, 20 rupees 10 annas

subtotal, 37 rupees 9 annas 9 pies

total, 500 rupees 1 anna 9 pies

The storekeeper reported that the cargo brought by the Mary consisted of 1,504 lb of sugar, 6,311 lb of rice, 1 box of wax candles and 76 gallons of arrack. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 1 June 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The previous Sunday the Bridgewater, Sethenillier, Mary and Prince William sailed from here for England.

The following petition of Henry Cottrell, gardener, was presented and read to the council.

Cottrell set out that the three years' term for which he had come to the island was now expired. During his time he had been constantly and grievously afflicted with the spirit of a dangerous kind of the bloody flux, which had much shaken and weakened him. He was apprehensive he should hardly be able to recover his former health and vigour in the climate, since he could not free himself of the symptoms, which appeared frequently, and he went in daily fear of relapsing into the kind of distemper that would certainly, in his state of health, endanger his life. He therefore humbly asked the Governor, council and sea council for leave to return home.

Interpretations

The Bridgewater's invoice records a Bengal supply valued in the rupee currency of the eastern trade. Batavia arrack came in half leaguers and a quarter cask, reckoned by the gallon, with sugar, rice and Batavia white sugar weighed by the candy, and wax candles by the chest. The charges merchandise below the goods, the cost of gunny bags, a chest, the small local muttery charge, a peon's fee and the cooly, boat and pinnace hire, were the costs of getting the cargo from the Bengal shore to the ship and thence ashore, added to the invoice so the true landed cost could be set against the selling price. The reckoning in rupees, annas and pies reflects the ship's Bengal origin, the accounts running in eastern money before the goods were priced for the island.

The Mary's cargo, entered in plain English weights because she came without papers, shows how the council coped with a ship arriving bare of documents. Lacking an invoice or bill of lading, the storekeeper simply received and weighed the goods ashore, the sugar, rice, wax candles and arrack counted and reported as they landed. This was the same expedient used before with ships that came without their manifests, the island's own count standing in for the missing paperwork so the goods could be entered and valued.

The Cottrell petition returns a familiar figure to the record and shows the human cost of service in the island's climate. Cottrell, the gardener pardoned in 1729 for insolence and drink, now sought leave to go home at the end of his three-year term, worn down by repeated attacks of the bloody flux, the dysentery that was the great killer on the island and the disease named in the inhabitants' complaints against the surgeon Gibson. His plea rests on the fear that the climate would not let him recover, a reminder that even in a mild and healthy island the endemic fevers and fluxes broke down those exposed to them over years. The appeal to the sea council alongside the Governor and council shows the ship's officers in the road joining the island's own board in deciding such requests, the two authorities acting together over a man seeking passage home.

453

428

in Consideration of his Sickly Condition will Grant Your

Petr leave to take Passage for England on board the Ship now

in the Road

As Your Petr beg leave to take this opportunity to return Your

Worship his most humble thanks for the many Instances of

kindness & favour with which he hath been treated by Your

Worship & the other Genr during the whole time of his continuance

here & he was Sensible of the great Advantage, it has been to

him that no Consideration but the danger of his Life could

have induced Your Petr to quit an Employ which by Your

Generosity has become extreamly beneficial to Your Petr

Granted

Signed Henry Colerook

This Morning the Duke of York arrived from Bengale & the Captain

being come on Shoar We gave him the usual Order to hoave in a Copy of

which is Entred in Our Consy of the 21 of March last

Invoice p Duke of York Vizt

Batavia Arrack Vizt

1 half Leaf contg 64 Galln

1 do

64

1 do

66

1 do

60

1 Quarter do

40

298 Galln P 117 6 3 P Leaf

264

Sugar 10 bags contg 22 Mo Factory to 14 P 2 19 at Rup 10 12 P bag

107 8

Rice 27 bags 7 P 4 P bag no 21 to 6 P 1 4 3 at 1 1 4 P Mo 71 15

7 2 9

78 14 9

Wax Candles 2 Mo to 1 1 9 at Rup 30 P Maund

90

510 6 9

Charges Merchandize Vizt

8 lb bags & Sorting

8 12 6

1 Chest 2 3 3 Weighman & Cooley 6 4

8 7 6

Peas 12 Boathire & Pinnace 9 P Rup

22 12

39 15 9

550 6 6

The Govr Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Accot for May last which were Severally Examined and are

as follow Vizt

Collection of Store Goods Sold & delivered in May 1731

20 ½ Galln Arrack

6 9 10

14 lb Bread

5 10

1000 lb Sugar

25

171 doz Books

3 5

26 Sines

7 10

150 lb Vig Lead

10 10½

78 Yds P thin Canvas

5 7½

21 lb Shoo Thread

9 6

29 Twine

2 9 10

2 Mens Hatts

8

6 P Copper

6

3 Iron Rims Sorted

1 6

4 Sett China Dishes & Plates

4 5 4

3 China Bowls

3 6

16 Sneakers

8

20 large Cupps

8 8

36 Cupps & 36 Saucers

18

39 Cupps

9

1 Tea Pott

1 9

2 large Quilts

8 3

1 Midling do

4 6

1 Small do

7 6

6 Midling Blankets

2 8 3

2 Small do

11 6

12 Pr P Pitch

6

Loade Tar

5 6

6 2 2 Cordage

13 8½

101 5 10½

The petition continued that in consideration of his sickly condition the council would grant Cottrell leave to take passage for England aboard the ship now in the road. He took the opportunity to thank the Governor and the other gentlemen most humbly for the many kindnesses shown him during the whole time of his stay, and declared himself sensible of the great advantage it had been to him that nothing but the danger of his life could have moved him to quit an employment which the Governor's generosity had made extremely beneficial to him. Signed by Henry Cottrell. Given at the island of St Helena, 1 June 1731. The council granted the request.

That morning the Duke of York arrived from Bengal, and as the captain came ashore the council gave him the usual orders to heave in, a copy of which is entered in the consultation of the 21st of March last.

The following invoice records the cargo of the Duke of York, with the selling prices set for the Company's use.

Batavia arrack:

1 half leaguer, containing 66 gallons

1 ditto, 66 gallons

1 ditto, 66 gallons

1 ditto, 60 gallons

1 quarter ditto, 40 gallons

298 gallons at 5 pies per gallon, 264 rupees

sugar, 10 bags, containing 22 candy factory, weight 2 candy 19 at 10s 12d per bag, 107 rupees 8 annas

rice, 37 bags, weight 15 candy, number 3 to 18 factory, weight 4 candy 12 at 1s 14d per pound, weight 71 candy 15, 78 rupees 14 annas

Batavia white, 10 per candy, 7 rupees 2 annas 9 pies

wax candles, 1 chest, number 92, weight 1 candy 15 at 30 rupees per maund, 60 rupees

subtotal, 510 rupees 6 annas 9 pies

charges merchandise:

8 bags and sewing, 8 rupees 12 annas 6 pies

1 chest, weighman and cooly, 8 rupees 7 annas 0 pies

peon and muttery, 6 rupees 4 annas

boat hire and pinnace, 22 rupees 12 annas

subtotal, 39 rupees 15 annas 9 pies

total, 550 rupees 6 annas 6 pies

The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for May last, each of which was examined and approved, and stood as follows.

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered during May 1731.

20.5 gallons of arrack, £6 9s 10d

14 lb of bread, £5 12s 0d

1,000 lb of sugar, £25 3s 0d

174 lb of flour, £2 5s 0d

26 lines, £0 7s 10d

150 lb of sheet lead, £0 16s 10.5d

78.5 yards of thin canvas, £3 8s 7.5d

2 lb of shoe thread, £2 9s 10d

2 lb of twine, £0 2s 10d

2 more slates, £0 9s 0d

6 lb of pepper, £0 [...]s 6d

3 iron rim locks sorted, £1 6s 0d

4 dozen China dishes and plates, £4 5s 4d

3 China bowls, £0 3s 6d

16 sneakers, £0 8s 3d

20 large cups, £0 8s 3d

36 gingham and 36 saucers, £0 18s 3d

39 gingham, £0 6s 0d

1 tea pot, £0 1s 9d

2 large quilts, £0 6s 4d

1 middling ditto, £0 4s 2d

1 small ditto, £0 [...]s [...]d

6 middling blankets, £2 8s 0d

2 small ditto, £0 11s 6d

19 yards of bed tick, £1 16s 0d

6 barrels of tar, £5 [...]s [...]d

6 lb 2 oz of cordage, £13 0s 8.5d

total goods sold, £101 5s 10.5d

Interpretations

The Cottrell case closes with a striking picture of the terms on which Company servants worked the island. His parting thanks reveal that the gardener's post, for all its dangers to his health, had been made so profitable by the Governor's generosity that only the fear of death drove him to leave it. This glimpse of a well-rewarded servant sits oddly against the poverty recorded throughout the run for the planters and the poorer inhabitants, and shows how differently the island used its people, a skilled gardener kept and enriched while tenants surrendered leases they could not pay. His departure aboard the ship then in the road, at the very end of his three-year term, marks the ordinary turnover of the Company's contracted men, worn out by the endemic flux and taking the first passage home.

The Duke of York's invoice records another Bengal supply valued in rupees, closely matching the Bridgewater's of the week before, arrack in half leaguers, sugar, rice and Batavia white sugar by the candy, and wax candles by the chest. The near-identical cargoes and prices of the successive Bengal ships confirm the coordinated loading of the Company's agents, each vessel carrying the same standard supply for the island. The charges merchandise below the goods, weighman's and cooly's fees, the peon and muttery charges, and the boat and pinnace hire, were the costs of moving the cargo from shore to ship to shore, the pinnace being the ship's own boat used alongside the hired craft.

The storekeeper's account for May is dominated by a very heavy sale of sugar, a full thousand pounds, and by the tableware and cordage that a busy road brought. The blue and white China dishes, bowls, sneakers and gingham-checked ware mark the porcelain and cotton of the eastern trade sold on to the island's households, while the tar and cordage served the ships and boats. This full retail total of £101 5s 10.5d, close to April's, confirms the trade still running strong through May as the Bombay and Bengal ships called in succession, the storekeeper's counter busy while the fleets lay in the road, a sharp contrast with the empty months of the winter just past.

454

429

Plantation Brought over 101 5 10½

3 2 4 oyl

9

3 Galln Train oyle

18

4 Shoo Thread

9

4 Axle Blocks

2 6

1 large horn Lanthorn

6 8

6 Squares Glass

9 8

18 P do

9 6

6 Three Quart Earthen Potts

6

9 11 8

Charges General

6 Center Sifions

2 0

11 8 do Rim Cannvas

12 10

1 Slay Sea Rivels

1 10 8

92 doz Corks

1 9 2

1 P Twine

3 8

6 lb Soap

6 6

450 lb Rice for Slag & Poultry

3 7 6

7 1 11

Blacks

44 Sines Sorted

1 9 10

24 doz Books do

18 8

1 P Twine

2 2

23 lb Lead

6 4

12 P Rosin

4

6 Butchers Knives

4 3

1 Cold Thread

Sundry

7 9

1 Midling Blanket

6 9

1 Small do

17 6

375 lb Rice

6 11 6

10 7 8

Garrison

4 ½ Galln Rape oyle

1 7

8 Bottles Sea

2 8

3 15

Naval Stores Sea

4 Yards blue Bunting

12

4 P Flannel

7

4 Yds Cannvas

1 8

To make a Small Slag at two Gunhill

1 2

Diet Expences

30 Galln Arrack

9 10

26 Sugar

10

22 lb Bread

3 17 6

310 lb Flour

8 16 3

22 Galln Sherry

16 0

16 Galln Port

2 6

1 Galln Vinegar

2 4

4 lb Pepper

4

37 Galln Strong Beer

2 18 6

50 Galln Small do

2 10

3 ½ Brushells Salt

15

3 Loaves do

9 7

38 16 3

271 18 1½

Gunners Stores Expended in May 1731

Guns: Guns, DC & Sackers, Minion, Powder

1731

May 1 Muster Day

Guns 0, DC & Sackers 0, Minion 0, Powder 9

2 An Allarm

Guns 4, DC & Sackers 0, Minion 4, Powder 8

3 arrived the Mountague

Guns 12, DC & Sackers 2, Minion 9, Powder 23

11 Mountague & Laton Galley Sailed

Guns 16, DC & Sackers 0, Minion 6, Powder 18

10 Double Allarm

Guns 18, DC & Sackers 0, Minion 6, Powder 18

do Arrived Sethenuttie & Prince William

Guns 18, DC & Sackers 0, Minion 6, Powder 18

18 Double Allarm

Guns 9, DC & Sackers 0, Minion 9, Powder 9

do Arrived the Mary the other Ship past by

Guns 4, DC & Sackers 0, Minion 4, Powder 9

22 An Allarm

Guns 4, DC & Sackers 1, Minion 1, Powder 6

do arrived the Bridgewater

Guns 21, DC & Sackers 4, Minion 16, Powder 24

30 Bridgewater Sethenuttie & Prince William Mary Sailed

Powder 12

Expence of the Guard

Cartridge Paper for ditto 1 Quire

Musquet Balls for ditto

Guns 102, DC & Sackers 7, Minion 23, Powder 194

Rammer Heads 2

Bunting Red 6 Yards

Flannel 3 lb

Cannvas 4 lb

To make a Small Slag for the Allarm House at two Gun Line

Match 24

Signed Jno French

The following goods were charged to the plantation account for May 1731, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £101 5s 10.5d

2 lb of shoe thread, £0 2s 4d

3 gallons of train oil, £0 18s 0d

1 lb of shoe thread, £0 2s 6d

4 awl blades, £0 0s 3d

1 large horn lanthorn, £0 6s 8d

6 squares of glass, £0 9s 3d

18 lb of nails, £0 8s 0d

6 three-quart earthen pots, £0 0s 6d

total plantation, £9 11s 2d

The following goods were charged to the general charges account.

6 center bungs, £0 2s 0d

11 yards of Guinea hemp canvas, £0 12s 10d

1 large sea kettle, £1 8s 0d

92 dozen corks, £1 10s 8d

1 lb of twine, £0 2s 2d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

450 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £3 7s 6d

total general charges, £7 1s 11d

The following goods were delivered to the Company's slaves.

44 lines sorted, £1 9s 8d

24 dozen hooks ditto, £0 12s 8d

1 lb of twine, £0 2s 2d

23 lb of lead, £0 6s 0d

12 oz of ram, £0 4s 3d

6 butcher knives, £0 [...]s [...]d

1 lb of cold thread, £0 [...]s 9d

1 middling blanket, £0 17s 6d

1 small ditto, £0 6s 9d

875 lb of rice, £6 11s 0d

total, delivered to the slaves, £10 7s 8d

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

4.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 7s 0d

8 lb of tea, £2 8s 0d

total garrison, £3 15s 0d

The following naval stores were used to make a small flag for the gunhill.

4 yards of new bunting, £0 12s 0d

4.5 yards of flannel, £0 7s 0d

4.5 yards of canvas, £0 1s 8d

total naval stores, £1 2s 0d

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account.

30 gallons of arrack, £9 10s 0d

26 lb of sugar, £0 10s 0d

22 lb of bread, £3 17s 6d

310 lb of flour, £8 16s 0d

22 gallons of sherry, £0 2s 6d

16 gallons of port, £0 4s 0d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 4s 0d

4 lb of pepper, £2 4s 6d

37 gallons of strong beer, £2 3s 0d

50 gallons of small ditto, £0 15s 0d

27 lb of candles, £0 [...]s [...]d

2 bushels of salt, £2 7s 0d

2 loaves ditto, £0 [...]s [...]d

total diet expenses, £38 16s 3d

grand total, £271 18s 0.5d

The following gunner's stores were expended in May 1731, entered under the columns for guns fired, shot, demi-culverin, minion and powder in pounds.

1 May: muster day, 0 guns fired, 7 lb of powder

2 May: an alarm, 4 guns fired, 4 falcons, 9 lb of powder

3 May: arrived the Mountague, 16 guns fired, 2 minion, 1 falcon, 10 sakers, 25 lb of powder

11 May: the Mountague and Eaton galley sailed, 18 guns fired, 6 falcons, 18 lb of powder

16 May: double alarm, 18 guns fired, 6 falcons, 18 lb of powder

16 May: arrived the Sethenillier and Prince William, 6 guns fired, 6 falcons, 18 lb of powder

18 May: arrived the Mary, the other ship passing by, 9 guns fired, 9 lb of powder

18 May: an alarm, 4 guns fired, 4 falcons, 12 lb of powder

23 May: arrived the Bridgewater, 21 guns fired, 1 saker, 4 minion, 16 falcons, 24 lb of powder

30 May: the Bridgewater, Sethenillier and Mary sailed, 21 guns fired, 12 lb of powder

expense of the guard, 7 lb of powder

cartridge paper for ditto, 1 quire

musket balls for ditto

rammer heads, 2

bunting, red, 6 yards, to make a small flag for the alarm house at Banks's gun line

flannel, 3 yards

canvas, 3 yards

match, 24 lb

total, 102 guns fired, 1 shot, 7 demi-culverin, 23 minion, 191 lb of powder

Interpretations

The account divides May's remaining issues into the standard Company charges. The plantation drew maintenance stores, train oil, awl blades, a horn lanthorn, window glass and earthen pots for the houses and grounds, while the general charges gathered the cooperage and kitchen goods, center bungs and corks for the casks, a large sea kettle and the heavy issue of rice for the hogs and poultry. The slaves' delivery keeps its familiar shape, fishing gear and blankets alongside a heavy issue of rice, the hooks, lines and lead sinkers re-equipping the boats and the imported grain feeding the fishermen who supplied the establishment.

The naval stores record the making of a small signal flag for the gun line at Banks's, cut from bunting, flannel and canvas. Banks's was an outlying battery covering the anchorage, and its alarm house needed its own flag to raise the warning for approaching sail, the signal system reaching beyond the castle to the dispersed guns around the road. This continuing renewal of flags from the storekeeper's stock, here for an outlying post, shows the standing upkeep of the watch that guarded the island's commerce.

The gunner's account records another busy month of firing, 191 pounds of powder spent on salutes and alarms as the Bombay and Bengal ships called and departed. The arrivals and departures of the Mountague, Sethenillier, Prince William, Mary and Bridgewater each drew their salutes, and a run of alarms brought the guns to answer strange and passing sail. This sustained activity marks the road still full through May, the trade that had returned in the spring running on, though the powder spent was below the extraordinary 439 pounds of April as the crowd of shipping began to thin.

The diet expenses stand high, arrack at 30 gallons and heavy issues of bread, flour and beer, the fort table still entertaining the officers of the ships in the road. The account closes at a grand total of £271 18s 0.5d, the heaviest month of the whole run, swollen by the thousand pounds of sugar sold at retail, the full maintenance stores and the busy provisioning of a crowded anchorage. This great total marks the peak of the season, the island at the fullest pitch of the trade that had been dead through the winter, consuming and supplying at the pace the fleets set. John French signed the gunner's account, as throughout the run.

455

430

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Pigs, Boars, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Guse

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 May 1731

Bullocks 64, Cowes 125, Heifers 36, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 80, Bulls 5, Totall 380, Ewes 48, Withers 24, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 81, Withers 50, Kids 46, Rams 3, Totall 180, Sowes 18, Shoates 39, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 103, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 4, Totall 8

Killed in do

Bullocks 1, Cowes 0, Heifers 1, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 2, Ewes 0, Withers 2, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 2, Ewes 6, Withers 0, Kids 17, Rams 5, Totall 28, Sowes 0, Shoates 1, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 1, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 63, Cowes 125, Heifers 35, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 80, Bulls 5, Totall 378, Ewes 48, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 84, Ewes 75, Withers 33, Kids 41, Rams 3, Totall 152, Sowes 18, Shoates 38, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 102, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 4, Totall 8

Sold to Ships in do

Bullocks 15, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 16, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 48, Cowes 125, Heifers 35, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 80, Bulls 5, Totall 363, Ewes 48, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 84, Ewes 75, Withers 33, Kids 41, Rams 3, Totall 152, Sowes 18, Shoates 38, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 102, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 4, Totall 8

Encreased in do

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 7, Bulls 0, Totall 7, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 1, Totall 1

Bullocks 48, Cowes 125, Heifers 35, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 87, Bulls 5, Totall 370, Ewes 48, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 84, Ewes 75, Withers 33, Kids 41, Rams 3, Totall 152, Sowes 18, Shoates 38, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 102, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 5, Totall 9

Bought in do

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 2, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 2, Ewes 0, Withers 2, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 48, Cowes 125, Heifers 35, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 87, Bulls 5, Totall 370, Ewes 60, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 75, Withers 33, Kids 41, Rams 3, Totall 152, Sowes 18, Shoates 38, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 4, Totall 102, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 6, Totall 9

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 6, Withers 3, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 9, Sowes 1, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 1, Turkeys 2, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 31 May

Bullocks 48, Cowes 125, Heifers 35, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 87, Bulls 5, Totall 370, Ewes 60, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 69, Withers 30, Kids 41, Rams 3, Totall 143, Sowes 17, Shoates 38, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 3, Totall 100, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 5, Totall 9

Potatoes from the Great Wood Plantation for all the Compa Blacks 149 Bushells

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during May 1731, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 May:

neat cattle - bullocks 64, cows 125, heifers 36, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 380

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 24, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 81, wethers 50, kids 46, rams 3, total 180

hogs - sows 18, shoats 39, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 4, total 103

poultry - turkeys 24, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 22

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

Killed in May:

neat cattle - bullocks 63, cows 125, heifers 35, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 378

sheep - ewes 48, wethers 22, lambs 11, rams 3, total 84

goats - ewes 75, wethers 33, kids 41, rams 3, total 152

hogs - sows 18, shoats 38, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 4, total 102

poultry - turkeys 24, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 22

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

of which killed: neat cattle - bullocks 1, heifers 1, total 2; sheep - wethers 2; goats - ewes 6, wethers 17, kids 5, total 28; hogs - shoats 1; poultry - fowls 1

Sold to shipping in May:

neat cattle - bullocks 48, cows 125, heifers 35, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 80, bulls 5, total 363

of which sold: neat cattle - bullocks 15, total 16

Increased in May:

neat cattle - bullocks 48, cows 125, heifers 36, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 87, bulls 5, total 370

of which increased: neat cattle - calves 7, total 7

Bought in May:

horses - horses 1, mares 1, total 1

Dead in May:

neat cattle - bullocks 48, cows 125, heifers 35, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 87, bulls 5, total 370

sheep - ewes 60, wethers 22, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 75, wethers 33, kids 41, rams 3, total 152

hogs - sows 18, shoats 38, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 4, total 102

poultry - turkeys 24, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 22

horses - horses 4, mares 5, total 9

of which dead: goats - ewes 6, wethers 3, total 9; hogs - shoats 1

Remaining 31 May:

neat cattle - bullocks 48, cows 125, heifers 35, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 87, bulls 5, total 370

sheep - ewes 60, wethers 22, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 69, wethers 30, kids 41, rams 3, total 143

hogs - sows 17, shoats 38, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 3, total 100

poultry - turkeys 24, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 22

horses - horses 4, mares 5, total 9

Potatoes from the Great Wood plantation for all the Company's slaves, 149 bushels

Interpretations

The account carries a full sequence of movements, and its defining feature is again the sale of cattle to shipping. Sixteen bullocks were sold to the ships in May, close to April's heavy figure, dropping the herd sharply and confirming the busy road that the salutes and provisioning accounts record. Through the crowded spring the fort turned its long-accumulated cattle into cash at a steady rate, the successive Bombay and Bengal ships victualling from the Company's stock, so the herd fell not by any failure of breeding but by the healthy demand of a full anchorage.

The goats continued their decline, the herd falling from 180 to 143 through slaughter and death, the losses again heaviest on the ewes, wethers and kids. This is the destruction resolved on 20 January 1730 still working steadily, the herd now well under half what it had been a year before and less than a quarter of its size at the start of the cull. The reduction remained patient and incomplete, and feral goats survived on St Helena long after the Company abandoned the effort, so the account marks a policy in continued operation rather than a herd cleared.

The addition of a horse by purchase, restoring the losses of earlier months, and the small increase of cattle by calving show the establishment renewing its working stock even as the herd was drawn down by sales. The neat cattle otherwise held their numbers against the heavy sale, seven calves bred and no great loss to death, the breeding season now past its March peak but the stock still steady.

The month closes with a note of potatoes rather than yams: 149 bushels drawn from the Great Wood plantation for the Company's slaves. This return of the potato to the account marks the point in the harvest cycle where the yams ran low between crops and the Great Wood root filled the gap, the same substitution the ledger had recorded in earlier lean stretches. The reliance on both yams and potatoes to feed a garrison and a slave population of over two hundred set the island apart from England, where the potato in 1731 was still established only in the north and west and regarded with suspicion across most of the south, while St Helena had taken it up early and heavily to carry its people between harvests.

456

431

Expence of the Table in May 1731 Vizt

30 Galln Arrack

9 10

26 lb Sugar

13

24 lb Bread

6

310 lb Flour

3 17 6

22 Galln Sherry

8 10 6

15 Galln Port

6 16 3

1 Galln Vinegar

2 6

4 lb Pepper

4

37 Galln Strong Beer

2 15 6

50 ditto Small do

2 10

2 Brushells Salt

9

3 Loaves do

7

627 lb Beef

7 16 9

2 Sheep

2

170 lb Fish

1 15

23 Goates

6 18

6 Kids

15

14 lb Butter

14

31 Days Greens

1 11

62 Bottles Milk

1 8

57 11 8

37 ½ Candles

3 15

6 lb Soap

6 6

4 1 6

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Thursday 3d June 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

We this day Assembled & Paid the Garrison for the Month past as

p Journal 2 folio 71 & 73

The Governmes Reports that three of the Hon ble Compa Wenches belonging

to Plantation House were each of them delivered of a Girle last Week named

Ellen, Martha, & Hannah

Orderd that the Said three Girles be Entred in the Books

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in May 1731.

30 gallons of arrack, £9 10s 0d

26 lb of sugar, £0 13s 0d

24 lb of bread, £0 0s 6d

310 lb of flour, £3 17s 6d

22 gallons of sherry, £8 10s 6d

15 gallons of port, £6 16s 3d

1 gallon of vinegar, £0 2s 6d

4 lb of pepper, £0 0s 4d

37 gallons of strong beer, £2 15s 6d

53 gallons of small ditto, £2 10s 0d

2 bushels of salt, £0 0s 9d

3 loaves ditto, £0 0s 7d

627 lb of beef, £7 16s 9d

2 sheep, £2 0s 0d

170 lb of pork, £1 15s 0d

23 goats, £6 18s 0d

6 kids, £0 15s 0d

14 lb of butter, £0 0s 14d

31 days' greens, £1 11s 0d

62 bottles of milk, £0 1s 8d

total, expense of the table in May, £57 11s 8d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

37.5 lb of candles, £3 15s 0d

6 lb of soap, £0 6s 6d

total, £4 1s 6d

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Thursday 3 June 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day met and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 71 and 73. The Governor reported that three of the Honourable Company's slave women at Plantation House had each given birth the previous week, named Ellen, Martha and Hannah. The council ordered the three children entered on the books. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The table account records the drink and provisions of the fort at the height of the season, the heaviest table figure of the run at £57 11s 8d, swollen by the ships in the road. Arrack at 30 gallons and heavy weights of fresh beef and pork mark a table entertaining the officers of the crowded anchorage, the 627 pounds of beef drawn from the same herd that sold sixteen bullocks to shipping in the month. The twenty-three goats and six kids charged to the table were again taken from a herd under active destruction, the establishment continuing to eat the goats the council was labouring to clear, and the heavy issue reflects both the season and the readiness to consume the stock as the cull proceeded.

The high consumption of wine, sherry and port together running to some fifteen pounds, marks the entertaining of a busy road, the fort drawing more freely on its stores of Spanish and Portuguese wine while the fleets lay at anchor. The whole account tracks the shipping exactly, the table's bill rising to its peak with the crowd of Bombay and Bengal ships that filled the anchorage through May, a sharp contrast with the lean tables of the empty winter.

The three births reported at the June meeting continue the standing rule that a child born to a Company slave woman became Company property from birth, entered on the books at a valuation and joining the establishment mustered and revalued each year. Three healthy children in a single week added three durable entries to the stock, the human increase of the slave establishment recorded in the same matter-of-fact terms as the calving of the cattle. This steady growth of the slave population by birth, alongside the purchases and exchanges recorded through the run, was how the Company renewed the labour force that its whole economy rested on.

457

432

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 8th June 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of Isaac Whaley junr was presented & read praying to

become Tenant for about an Acre of Land Adjoyning to the other

Land

Granted & Mr Goodwin is Orderd to Measure the Same

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 15th June 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

John Cozett presented Articles of Agreement between James &

Joseph Harding & also a Bill of Sale to him from Jam Harding

for Seventeen Acres of Wast Land Praying the Same might be

Registred

Orderd that the Said Articles & bill of Sale be Registred

accordingly

On Thursday last the Duke of York Sailed for England

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 22 June 1731 at Union Castle

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of John Long was presented & read Praying to

become Tenant for Six or Seven Acres of Wast Land Lying in

different Parcells but all near his house the better to enable him to

provide for his large Family

Orderd that Mr Goodwin do View the Said Land and

Report his Opinion whether Letting the Same will be prejudicial

to

At a consultation held on Tuesday 8 June 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. Joseph Whaley's petition was presented and read, asking to become a tenant of about an acre of land adjoining other land held by him. The council granted the request and ordered Mr Goodwin to measure the ground. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 15 June 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. John Bazett presented articles of agreement between James and Joseph Harding, and also a bill of sale to him from James Harding for seventeen acres of forage land, asking that they be registered. The council ordered the articles and the bill of sale registered accordingly. The previous Thursday the Duke of York sailed for England. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 22 June 1731 at Union Castle. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. John Long's petition was presented and read, asking to become a tenant of about an acre of waste land lying in different parcels but all near his house, the better to enable him to provide for his large family. The council ordered Mr Goodwin to view the land and report his opinion whether letting it would be harmful.

Interpretations

The land grants of these meetings show the routine machinery of leasehold, several small parcels of waste let to sitting tenants once Mr Goodwin had viewed and measured the ground. The standing practice was to grant in principle, survey, and only then draw the lease, so rent and the duty to plant wood could be fixed to the true acreage. The registration of the Harding articles and bill of sale gave a private conveyance public force on an island almost without other legal records, protecting the buyer's title and giving the council a running register of who held what.

The appearance of John Long as a petitioner for land is worth marking, given his long and troubled record before the council. The man so often bound over for abuse and suspected of stealing the Company's goats now came humbly asking for a small parcel to provide for his large family, and the council treated the request on its ordinary merits, sending Mr Goodwin to view whether the grant would harm the neighbourhood. The council's willingness to consider the petition of a notorious offender, judged on the land rather than the man, shows the even application of its land policy, the same test applied to Long as to any other applicant. That the ground lay in scattered parcels near his house, all sought together, reflects the piecemeal way tenants enlarged their holdings, gathering odd corners of waste around the land they already worked.

The departure of the Duke of York for England continues the emptying of the road after the crowded spring, the Bombay and Bengal ships pressing on for the Channel one after another. The season's flood of traffic was passing, and the accounts would soon return to the quieter pattern of a road with fewer ships. The council's routine land business, resumed at these meetings, marks the settling of the island back into its ordinary administration once the pressing work of receiving and speeding the fleets had eased.

458

433

to the Neighbourhood or not

There not being any business, We Adjourned the Sefsions

appointed to be held the 4th of the Month to 25th of September next

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 29 June 1731 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Wee this day Assembled but there not being any business We Adjourned

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Saturday 3d July 1731 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

Wee this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p

Journal 2 folio 77 & 79

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 6th July 1731 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governmes Capt Goodwin, the Gunner & Steward delivered each

their Monthly Accot for June last which were Severally Examined &

Approved & are as follow Vizt

Collection

The council held that letting the land would harm the neighbourhood. There being no other business, the meeting appointed for the month was adjourned to 25 September next. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 29 June 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council met but no business coming before it, the meeting was adjourned. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Saturday 3 July 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The council this day met and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 77 and 79. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 6 July 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for June last, each of which was examined and approved, and stood as follows.

Interpretations

The refusal of John Long's petition, decided on Mr Goodwin's report that the grant would harm the neighbourhood, shows the council applying its land test evenly even to a notorious offender. The petition was judged on the ground rather than the man, and the same principle that had kept the Whaley spring and the Marshes out of private hands now denied Long his scattered parcels of waste. Where a grant would injure the wider settlement, the council refused it whatever the applicant's need or standing, the common good set consistently above the private claim.

The adjournment of the quarter meeting to 25 September for want of business continues the settled quiet of Byfield's later government. The council noted again and again that no considerable dispute arose among the inhabitants, and the quarterly court was put off for lack of matter to try, the same peace the inhabitants had once contrasted in their address of thanks with the disorder of the previous administration. This administrative calm marks a well-ordered island, its business reduced to routine land grants, probate and the monthly accounts.

The return of the meetings to Plantation House, after the run of consultations at Union Castle through the busy spring, marks the seasonal shift in the council's seat. The two names, Union Castle and Plantation House, recur through the run as the council moved between them, the castle used more during the pressing business of the shipping season and the Plantation House in the quieter months. The steady rhythm of these meetings, the garrison paid, the accounts delivered and approved, the routine business dispatched, shows the island settling back after the crowded spring into the ordinary administration of a Company outpost between the fleets.

459

434

Collection of Goods Sold in the Month of June 1731 Vizt

35 oz China Silk

2 12 6

2 Silk Lace

1 8

27 Genet do

6 9

14 Thread do

2 9

64 ½ Yd Genet

13 6 8½

31 Wt Pins

2 6 14

24 Yards Garting

2

6 Pr Diaper Tape

7 6

1 Pr Coloured

1 10

2 Pr Holland do

2

1 doz horn Marbled Buttons

4

6 ½ doz Coat Buttons

6 6

38 Skains Mohair

9

50 Yards Ribband

2 6 6½

4 Splinter Locks

18

1 Chest do

1 2

2 do

4 6

1 Stock Lock

9 4

1 Iron Candlestick

3 6

1 Hoe

3 6

2 Frying Pans

9

1 Chafing Dish

2 7

1 Shod Shovel

3 6

1 pr Joyners Pincers

9

1 Joyners Hatchet

4

2 P lb Slinga

1 6

4 P Dovetails

2 8

14 ½ Whited Brown Thread

5 11 2

24 oz Twine

1 19 3

8 P Coloured

1 5

148 lb White Lead

3 14

60 Red do

1 10

8 lb Yellow Oaker

4

52 Barils Samblack

13

7 oz Indigo

3 6

47 ½ Galln Arrack

14 19 8

158 lb Sugar

3 19

163 ½ lb Nailes Sorted

6 4 1

53 19 9½

Plantation

1 Plate Bolt

1 7

1 Falling Axe

4 4

1 Helive

1 2

2 Splinter Locks

2 8

2 large Wooden Bowles

1 6 8

1 Small do

4 6

3 Sines

6

2 ½ Yd P Fitory

2 11

2 Butchers Knives

1

1 large Scrubbing Brush

3 6

1 Pr Coloured Tape

2 1

1 Chest Lock

9

1 Pr Smooth filed Slinge

5 6

1 Pr Goldem

10

4 11

Charges General

1 Chamber Pott

6

1 P White Tape

3 6

1 Yd Flannell

2 4

1 P Diaper Tape

3

8 lb Rivets

6

2 ½ P do Genet

10

12 Cupps & Saucers

6

1 Pr brass Snuffers

3 6

3 lb Cotton Yarn

10 6

1 Tin Sauce Pan

2 3

3 Flour Grieves

8

6 large hand Files

11 3

4 P do Sorted

16 6

2 lb Barkwood

2

486 lb Rice for Hog & Poultry

3 12 10½

9 lb Soap

9 9½

8 4 3½

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered during June 1731.

35 oz of China silk, £2 12s 6d

2 silk laces, £0 1s 8d

27 tunnel ditto, £0 6s 9d

14 thread ditto, £0 2s 9d

64.5 yards of tunnel, £0 13s 6.5d

34 M pins, £2 6s 14d

24 yards of garting, £0 2s 0d

6 pair of diaper tape, £0 7s 6d

1 pair coloured, £0 1s 10d

2 pair Holland ditto, £0 2s 0d

1 dozen horn moulded buttons, £0 0s 4d

6.5 dozen coat buttons, £0 6s 6d

38 skeins of mohair, £0 9s 9d

50 yards of ribbon, £2 6s 6.5d

4 splinter locks, £0 18s 0d

1 chest ditto, £0 1s 2d

2 ditto, £0 4s 6d

1 stock lock, £0 9s 4d

1 iron candlestick, £0 13s 6d

1 hoe, £0 3s 6d

2 frying pans, £0 9s 0d

1 chafing dish, £0 2s 7d

1 shod shovel, £0 3s 6d

1 pair joiners' pincers, £0 0s 9d

1 joiners' hatchet, £0 4s 0d

2 pair of hinges, £0 1s 6d

4 pair dovetails, £0 2s 8d

14.5 lb whited brown thread, £5 11s 2d

2.5 oz of Nuremberg, £1 19s 3d

6 pair coloured, £1 5s 0d

148 lb of white lead, £3 14s 0d

60 lb of red ditto, £1 10s 0d

8 lb of yellow ochre, £0 0s 4d

52 barrels of lampblack, £0 13s 0d

7 oz of indigo, £0 3s 6d

47.5 gallons of arrack, £14 19s 8d

158 lb of sugar, £3 19s 0d

163.5 lb of nails sorted, £6 4s 1d

total goods sold, £53 19s 9.5d

The following goods were charged to the plantation account.

1 plate bolt, £0 1s 7d

1 felling axe, £0 4s 4d

1 hoe, £0 1s 2d

2 splinter locks, £0 2s 8d

2 large wooden bowls, £1 6s 8d

1 shod ditto, £0 4s 6d

3 lines, £0 0s 6d

2.5 yards of vitry, £0 2s 11d

2 butcher knives, £0 0s 1d

1 large scrubbing brush, £0 3s 6d

1 pair coloured tape, £0 2s 1d

1 chest lock, £0 9s 0d

1 pair smooth filed hinges, £0 5s 6d

1 pair Goldom, £0 10s 0d

total plantation, £4 0s 11d

The following goods were charged to the general charges account.

1 chamber pot, £0 6s 0d

1 pair white tape, £0 3s 6d

2 yards of flannel, £0 2s 4d

1 pair diaper tape, £0 3s 0d

8 lb of ferreting, £0 6s 0d

2.5 pair tunnel, £0 0s 10d

12 cups and saucers, £0 6s 0d

1 pair brass snuffers, £0 3s 6d

3 lb of cotton yarn, £0 10s 6d

1 tin sauce pan, £0 2s 3d

3 flour gimblets, £0 0s 8d

6 large hand files, £0 11s 3d

4 files ditto sorted, £0 16s 6d

2 lb of hornwood, £0 0s 2d

486 lb of rice for the hogs and poultry, £3 12s 10.5d

9 lb of soap, £0 9s 9.5d

total general charges, £8 4s 3.5d

Interpretations

The account records June's warehouse issues, and the retail side is carried chiefly by haberdashery and paint stores rather than the heavy provisioning of the busier months. The run of thread, ribbon, garting, buttons, mohair and China silk shows the inhabitants buying the materials of the needle, cutting and sewing their own clothing at home from cloth and trimmings drawn off the store. This continued the standing pattern of the island, importing the finished fabric and the small wares and doing the tailoring itself, the retail counter serving the domestic economy of a settled community.

The paint and pigment lines are unusually heavy this month, 148 pounds of white lead, 60 of red, yellow ochre, lampblack and indigo. White and red lead were the base and primer that protected timber and ironwork against the salt and damp, lampblack the fine soot that coloured the black paint for the guns, and yellow ochre and indigo the earth and plant pigments for other colours. This large issue of painting materials points to a season of maintenance, the fort and its stores being repainted and preserved as the winter approached, the constant battle against corrosion on a wet island.

The plantation and general charges gather the working stores of the two establishments, tools, locks, bowls and brushes for the plantation and the household and cooperage goods of the fort, with the standing heavy issue of rice for the hogs and poultry. The tools name the trades of the island: joiners' pincers and hatchets, files, gimblets and a felling axe for the woodwork, shod shovels and hoes for the ground. The 486 pounds of rice charged for the animals marks the continuing dependence on imported grain to feed the stock, the same reliance seen every month, the island unable to raise enough of its own to carry its beasts through the season. The retail total of £53 19s 9.5d sits below the great figures of the crowded spring, reflecting the road beginning to empty as the fleets pressed on for England.

460

435

Garrison Brought over 4 0 3

5 Galln oyle

1 10

1 Qt ditto for the Smith

5 3

8 Cattee Tea

2 8

Blacks

34 doz hooks Sorted

1 1 9

2 doz Sines

15

12 doz Rasp Blades

6

2 lb Shoo Thread

5

1 ½ lb Cold Thread

2

1 Pr Taylours Sheets

8 3

2 Yds thin Cannvas

2 4

2 Small Blankets

11 6

2 Cattee Tea

12

2 Oats 18 P

15

8 P 11 P Rice

6

10 12 9

Diet Expences

54 Galln Arrack

17 2 2

84 Sugar

2 2

16 lb Candy

12

12 lb Bread

3

300 Flour

3 15

3 Brushells Salt

13 6

20 Galln Sherry

7 15

18 do Port

6 19 6

3 Galln Vinegar

7 6

1 lb Pepper

1

32 Galln Strong Beer

2 8

48 Galln Small do

2 8

1 P Wax Candles

1

1 Loaf Salt

2 4

46 8 10

126 9 10

Expence of the Table in June 1731 Vizt

300 lb Beef

3 15

18 Goates

5 8

162 lb Pork

4

12 lb Butter

12

30 Days Greens

1 10

60 Bottles Milk

1

4 21 ½ Galln Arrack

13 9 2

63 lb Sugar

1 11 6

16 lb Candy

12

12 lb Bread

3

300 lb Flour

3 15

3 Brushells & 1 Loaf of Salt

15 10

20 Galln Sherry

7 15

18 do Port

6 19 6

3 Galln Vinegar

7 6

1 lb Pepper

5

32 Galln Strong Beer

2 8

48 Galln Small do

2 8

Expence of the Table in June 1731

56 10 6

11 ½ Galln Arrack dld to the Guards Smiths Coopers

Carpr &ca Sea the Anniversary of his Majesties

Accession happening this Month

3 12 10

21 lb Sugar dld ditto

10 6

10 lb Candles

1

9 lb Soap

9 9

5 13 1

The following goods were charged to the garrison account for June 1731, carrying forward the total from the previous leaf.

brought over, £53 19s 9.5d

5 gallons of oil, £1 10s 0d

1 quart ditto for the smith, £0 5s 3d

8 lb of bohea tea, £2 8s 0d

total garrison, £4 0s 3d

The following goods were delivered to the Company's slaves.

34 dozen hooks sorted, £1 1s 9d

2 dozen lines, £0 15s 0d

1.5 dozen awl blades, £0 0s 6d

2 lb of shoe thread, £0 5s 0d

1.5 lb of cold thread, £0 2s 0d

1 pair of tailors' shears, £0 8s 3d

2 yards of thin canvas, £0 2s 4d

2 small blankets, £0 11s 6d

2 catties of tea, £0 12s 0d

2 boxes 18d, £0 15s 0d

8 lb of rice, £6 0s 0d

total, delivered to the slaves, £10 12s 9d

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account.

54 gallons of arrack, £17 2s 0d

84 lb of sugar, £2 2s 0d

16 lb of candy, £0 12s 0d

12 lb of bread, £0 0s 3d

300 lb of flour, £3 15s 0d

3 bushels of salt, £0 13s 6d

20 gallons of sherry, £7 15s 0d

18 gallons of port, £6 19s 6d

3 gallons of vinegar, £0 7s 6d

1 lb of pepper, £0 0s 1d

32 gallons of strong beer, £2 8s 0d

48 gallons of small ditto, £2 8s 0d

1 lb of wax candles, £1 0s 0d

1 loaf of salt, £0 2s 4d

total diet expenses, £46 8s 10d

grand total, £126 9s 10d

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in June 1731.

300 lb of beef, £3 15s 0d

18 goats, £5 8s 0d

162 lb of pork, £4 0s 0d

12 lb of butter, £0 0s 12d

30 days' greens, £1 10s 0d

60 bottles of milk, £0 1s 0d

54.5 gallons of arrack, £13 9s 2d

63 lb of sugar, £1 11s 6d

16 lb of candy, £0 0s 12d

12 lb of bread, £0 0s 3d

300 lb of flour, £3 15s 0d

3 bushels and 1 loaf of salt, £0 15s 10d

20 gallons of sherry, £7 15s 0d

18 gallons of port, £6 19s 6d

3 gallons of vinegar, £0 0s 7d

1 lb of pepper, £0 0s 5d

32 gallons of strong beer, £2 8s 0d

48 gallons of small ditto, £2 8s 0d

total, expense of the table in June, £56 10s 6d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

11.5 gallons of arrack delivered to the guards, smiths, coopers and carpenters, upon the anniversary of His Majesty's accession happening this month, £3 12s 10d

21 lb of sugar delivered ditto, £0 10s 6d

10 lb of candles, £1 0s 0d

9 lb of soap, £0 9s 9d

total, £5 13s 1d

Interpretations

The garrison and slaves' accounts continue the standing supply of the two establishments. The garrison drew lamp oil, a quart for the smith and bohea tea, the black tea now a regular issue to the soldiers. The slaves' delivery keeps its familiar shape, fishing gear and rice dominating, but adds the tailors' shears and thread that point to the making up of the slaves' clothing on the island, the same needlework recorded in the annual outfittings. The heavy issue of imported rice to the slaves, alongside that charged for the hogs and poultry, marks the continuing dependence on grain that the island could not raise for itself.

The diet expenses and the general table account carry the drink and provisions of the fort, still high though the road was thinning. Arrack at 54 gallons and heavy issues of sherry and port mark a table entertaining freely, the wine bill running to some fifteen pounds. The eighteen goats charged to the table were again drawn from a herd under active destruction, the establishment continuing to eat the goats the council was labouring to clear. The fresh beef, pork, butter, greens and milk came off the island's own stock, the 300 pounds of beef from the herd that had sold so many bullocks to the spring shipping.

The accession-day allowance fixes both the anniversary and the reversed calendar. The account issues eleven and a half gallons of arrack and twenty-one pounds of sugar to the guards, smiths, coopers and carpenters on the anniversary of the King's accession, one of the fixed royal days kept every year with an extra ration. It fell in June, the depth of the southern winter, so this crown anniversary was marked in cold weather rather than the warmth an English calendar would suggest. The several royal birthdays and accession days punctuated the island's year with drink and gun-fire at the opposite turn of the seasons from home, the same observances kept but timed to the southern hemisphere.

461

436

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hogs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Pigs, Boars, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Guse

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 June

Bullocks 48, Cowes 125, Heifers 35, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 87, Bulls 5, Totall 370, Ewes 50, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 69, Withers 30, Kids 41, Rams 3, Totall 143, Sowes 17, Shoates 38, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 3, Totall 100, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 5, Totall 9

Killed in do 1 old Cow

Bullocks 0, Cowes 1, Heifers 1, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 2, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 7, Withers 11, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 18, Sowes 0, Shoates 3, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 3, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 48, Cowes 124, Heifers 34, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 87, Bulls 5, Totall 368, Ewes 50, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 62, Withers 19, Kids 41, Rams 3, Totall 126, Sowes 17, Shoates 36, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 3, Totall 97, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 5, Totall 9

Sold in do

Bullocks 3, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 3, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 45, Cowes 124, Heifers 34, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 87, Bulls 5, Totall 365, Ewes 50, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 62, Withers 19, Kids 41, Rams 3, Totall 125, Sowes 17, Shoates 36, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 3, Totall 97, Turkeys 24, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 5, Totall 9

Encreased in do

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 5, Bulls 0, Totall 5, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 14, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 14, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 4, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 45, Cowes 124, Heifers 34, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 92, Bulls 5, Totall 370, Ewes 50, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 62, Withers 19, Kids 55, Rams 3, Totall 139, Sowes 17, Shoates 36, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 3, Totall 97, Turkeys 28, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 22, Horses 4, Mares 5, Totall 9

Dead in ditto

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 4, Withers 0, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 4, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 2, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 1, Horses 0, Mares 1, Totall 1

Remd 30 June

Bullocks 45, Cowes 124, Heifers 34, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 92, Bulls 5, Totall 370, Ewes 50, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 58, Withers 19, Kids 55, Rams 3, Totall 135, Sowes 17, Shoates 36, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 3, Totall 97, Turkeys 26, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 21, Horses 4, Mares 4, Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantations 15400 tt

Ditto dld the Fort Blacks 6900

Ditto dld the Great Wood 2050

Totall Yam 24350 tt

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during June 1731, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 June:

neat cattle - bullocks 48, cows 125, heifers 35, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 87, bulls 5, total 370

sheep - ewes 50, wethers 22, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 69, wethers 30, kids 41, rams 3, total 143

hogs - sows 17, shoats 38, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 3, total 100

poultry - turkeys 24, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 22

horses - horses 4, mares 5, total 9

Killed in June (1 old cow):

neat cattle - bullocks 48, cows 124, heifers 34, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 87, bulls 5, total 368

sheep - ewes 50, wethers 22, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 62, wethers 19, kids 41, rams 3, total 126

hogs - sows 17, shoats 36, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 3, total 97

poultry - turkeys 24, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 22

horses - horses 4, mares 5, total 9

of which killed: neat cattle - cows 1, heifers 1, total 2; goats - ewes 7, wethers 11, total 18; hogs - shoats 3

Sold in June:

neat cattle - bullocks 46, cows 124, heifers 34, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 87, bulls 5, total 365

of which sold: neat cattle - bullocks 3, total 3

Increased in June:

neat cattle - bullocks 46, cows 124, heifers 34, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 92, bulls 5, total 370

goats - ewes 62, wethers 19, kids 55, rams 3, total 139

poultry - turkeys 28

of which increased: neat cattle - calves 5, total 5; goats - kids 14, total 14; poultry - turkeys 4

Dead in June:

neat cattle - bullocks 46, cows 124, heifers 34, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 92, bulls 5, total 370

sheep - ewes 50, wethers 22, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 58, wethers 19, kids 55, rams 3, total 135

hogs - sows 17, shoats 36, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 3, total 97

poultry - turkeys 28, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 21

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

of which dead: goats - ewes 4, total 4; poultry - turkeys 2, geese 1; horses - mares 1

Remaining 30 June:

neat cattle - bullocks 46, cows 124, heifers 34, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 92, bulls 5, total 370

sheep - ewes 50, wethers 22, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 58, wethers 19, kids 55, rams 3, total 135

hogs - sows 17, shoats 36, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 3, total 97

poultry - turkeys 26, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 21

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 15,400 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 6,900 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 2,050 lb

Total yams, 24,350 lb

Interpretations

The account carries each class through the month's losses, and the sale of cattle to shipping has fallen away sharply. Only three bullocks were sold in June, against sixteen the month before, which marks the emptying of the road as the spring fleets pressed on for England. The herd, having yielded so many beasts to the crowded anchorage of April and May, now held its numbers as the shipping thinned, the fort and its own table the chief draw on the stock once the fleets had gone.

The goats continued their decline, the herd falling to 135 through slaughter and death, the losses again on the ewes and wethers. This is the destruction resolved on 20 January 1730 still at work, the herd now under a quarter of the 646 it had stood at when the cull began. The reduction remained patient and incomplete, feral goats surviving on St Helena long after the Company gave up, so the account marks a policy in steady operation rather than a herd cleared. A modest kidding of fourteen shows the herd still breeding even as it was run down.

The neat cattle held their numbers against the small sale and the killing of an old cow, five calves bred to make up the loss. The killing of the old cow continues the routine culling of stock past its usefulness, the bookkeeping clearing worn animals to make room for the young. The horses lost a mare to death, dropping the total to eight, the small working stock always vulnerable to the loss of a single beast.

The yam issue fell to 24,350 lb, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood, a modest figure that reflects the point in the harvest cycle. June fell in the depth of the southern winter, and with the potato from the Great Wood filling part of the gap the yam ration eased down between the main crops. This continued reliance on yams and potatoes to feed a garrison and a slave population of over two hundred, supplemented by the heavy imported rice charged in the storekeeper's accounts, set the island apart from England, where the root crops carrying the same burden were still a marginal food in the south in 1731.

462

437

Gunners Stores Expended in June 1731

Guns: Guns Fired, DC & Cargo, Sackers, Minion, Falcons, Powder

An Allarm

Guns Fired 4, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 4, Falcons 0, Powder 15

Arrived the Duke of York

Guns Fired 11, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 0, Falcons 0, Powder 11

Duke of York Sailed

Guns Fired 11, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 0, Falcons 0, Powder 11

Anniversary of the Kings Accession

Guns Fired 21, DC & Cargo 1, Sackers 4, Minion 1, Falcons 16, Powder 41

At the Funerals of John Whaley

Guns Fired 0, DC & Cargo 0, Sackers 0, Minion 0, Falcons 0, Powder 11½

Expence of the Guard

Cartridge Paper 4 Quire

Powder 11½

Tompions 1

Match 10

Guns Fired 47, DC & Cargo 1, Sackers 4, Minion 5, Falcons 15, Powder 87½

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 13 July 1731 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of John Yeuling was presented & read Praying to be

accepted Tenant for about Eight Acres of Land so Rockey and

barren that its hardly worth the Sowing nevertheless its lying near

other of his Leaf Land he was willing to hazard the loss of his Labour

provided the Said Land be Let to him at the Rate of Eighteen Pence

P Acre in which Case he will Slant part of it with Wood & the rest

Sow in for such Use as your Petr may have occasion for

Granted & Mr Goodwin is Orderd to Measure the Same accordingly

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 20 July 1731 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of Frances Wrangham was presented & read Setting forth that for

want of a private way leading from the Street into his house & the Court he

& his Lodgers are always extreamly incommoded in Passing time occasioned by the

Dirt & Nast that Servants make in Passing be Efsat & Praying leave to hire

one of the Windows of the buildings called the Africas House into a Door for the

conenest Passage of Servants into his house & that he might have Six Feet of

Ground in Width & Twenty three in Length lying behind the Said Sefsions House

& next adjoyning to his own house & that the Said Passage & Ground may be Secured

to him & a Leaf for Twenty one Years

Granted the Said Wrangham praying five Wid Governmen forth Said

Ground & the Liberty to work the Said Window into a Door

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

The following gunner's stores were expended in June 1731, entered under the columns for guns fired, demi-culverin, saker, minion, falcons and powder in pounds.

an alarm, 4 guns fired, 4 falcons, 15 lb of powder

arrived the Duke of York, 11 guns fired, 1 saker, 1 minion, 11 falcons, 11 lb of powder

the Duke of York sailed, 11 guns fired, 11 falcons, 11 lb of powder

anniversary of the King's accession, 21 guns fired, 1 saker, 4 minion, 16 falcons, 41 lb of powder

at the funeral of John Whaley, 0 guns fired, 1 lb of powder

expense of the guard, 11.5 lb of powder

cartridge paper for ditto, 1 quire

tompions, 1

match, 15 lb

total, 47 guns fired, 1 demi-culverin, 4 sakers, 5 minion, 15 falcons, 87.5 lb of powder

Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 13 July 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

John Durling's petition was presented and read, asking to become a tenant of about eight acres of land, so poor and barren that it was hardly worth the fencing. He explained that it lay near other land held under his lease, and that he was willing to hazard the cost of the labour, provided the land were let to him at the rate of eighteen pence an acre, on which he would plant part of it with wood, and the rest reserve for such use as the Governor might have occasion for. The council granted the request and ordered Mr Goodwin to measure the ground. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 20 July 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

Francis Wrangham's petition was presented and read, setting out that for want of a private way leading from the street into his house at the back, the lodgers were always extremely incommoded in passing, the time being taken up by the door of one of the windows of the building. He asked leave to turn the house into a door for the more convenient passage of tenants into his house, and that he might bring three or twenty three feet of ground in length lying behind the house against the main ridge, the passage of tenants into his house being incommoded, the ground adjoining to his own house. He asked that the passage into the house might be secured to him by lease for twenty-one years. The council granted the request, Wrangham paying five shillings to the Governor for the ground, and gave leave to turn the window into a door. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The gunner's account records a quiet month after the great firing of the spring, only 87 pounds of powder spent as the road emptied. The arrival and departure of the Duke of York drew their salutes, and a single alarm brought the guns to answer strange sail, but the crowd of shipping that had filled the anchorage through April and May was gone, and the account falls back toward the levels of the quiet season. This decline in the powder measures the ebb of the trade more exactly than any other record, the road returning to its ordinary calm as the fleets pressed on for England.

The accession-day salute marks the fixed royal anniversary kept every year with gun-fire. The anniversary of the King's accession fell in June, the depth of the southern winter, and drew a full salute of twenty-one guns and forty-one pounds of powder, the crown observance maintained whatever the state of the road. The single pound of powder expended at the funeral of John Whaley records the customary firing at a burial, the guns speaking for a death as well as for the King, the same allowance made at funerals throughout the run.

The Durling petition continues the council's one constructive answer to the island's wood crisis. Where its threats of fines had achieved little, its device of letting poor and barren ground at a nominal rent to men willing to plant wood had drawn a handful of takers, John Thwaites chief among them. Durling now sought eight acres so barren it was hardly worth fencing, at eighteen pence an acre, undertaking to plant part with wood, and the council granted it on the same terms, encouraging the good example. The reservation of part of the land for the Governor's use shows the mingled purposes such grants served, wood-raising and the Company's own convenience together.

The Wrangham petition records the small domestic business that filled the council's quieter meetings, a householder seeking leave to turn a window into a door for the better passage of his lodgers. The grant of a strip of ground behind the house, secured by a twenty-one-year lease for a nominal five shillings, shows the council managing the crowded building of James Valley, where houses stood close together and access had to be negotiated parcel by parcel. This attention to the minor conveniences of an inhabitant marks the settled routine of the island's administration, the pressing business of the shipping season past and the council returned to the ordinary affairs of a small community.

463

438

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 27 July 1731 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Petition of John Thwaites was presented & read Praying leave to

throw up the Eight Acres & half of Land which he lately hired not being

well able to Pay the Rent thereof but the Sam having at his own

desire been Let to him at a very reasonall Rate for the Sole purpose

of raising Wood We Rejected his Petition

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

At a Consultation held on Tuesday 3d Augt 1731 at Plantation House

Present Edward Byfild Esqr Govr

John Alexander

John Goodwin

Duke Crispe

The last Consultation was read & Approved

The Governour Capt Goodwin the Gunner & Steward delivered each their

Monthly Accot for July last which were Severally Examined and

Approved & are as follow

We this day Assembled & paid the Garrison for the Month past as p

Journal 2 folio 81 & 83

Gunners Stores Expended in July 1731 Vizt

1731

July 3 Muster Day

9 lb Powder

Expence of the Guard

8 lb Powder

Cartridge Paper for ditto 1 ½ Quire

17 lb Powder

Match 6

Expence of the Table in July 1731 Vizt

40 Galln Arrack

12 13 4

77 ½ Sugar

1 18 9

39 lb Bread

9 9

264 lb Flour

3 6

16 Galln Sherry

6 4

8 do Port

2 6 6

4 Galln Vinegar

10

1 lb Pepper

1

2 Brushells Salt

9

34 Galln Strong Beer

2 18 6

30 ditto Small do

1 10

120 Pork

3

11 Goates

3 6

336 Beef

4

2 Fowles

3

12 lb Butter

19

31 Days Greens

1 11

62 Bottles Milk

1 8

16 lb Candles

1 12

15 lb Soap

16 3

45 17

2 8 3

Collection

At a consultation held on Tuesday 27 July 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved.

John Thwaites's petition was presented and read, asking leave to throw up the eight acres of land which he had lately hired, not being well able to pay the rent. Because the land had been let to him at his own request, at a very reasonable rate, and for the sole purpose of raising wood, the council refused his petition. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

At a consultation held on Tuesday 3 August 1731 at Plantation House. Present: Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp. The previous consultation was read and approved. The Governor, Captain Goodwin, the gunner and the steward delivered their monthly accounts for July last, each of which was examined and approved. The council this day met and paid the garrison for the past month, as set out in the journal, folios 81 and 83.

The following gunner's stores were expended in July 1731, entered under the column for pounds of powder.

3 July: muster day, 9 lb of powder

expense of the guard, 8 lb of powder

cartridge paper for ditto, 0.5 quire

match, 6 lb

total, 17 lb of powder

The following goods were charged to the expense of the general table in July 1731.

40 gallons of arrack, £12 13s 4d

77.5 lb of sugar, £1 18s 9d

39 lb of bread, £0 9s 9d

264 lb of flour, £3 6s 0d

16 gallons of sherry, £6 4s 0d

5 gallons of port, £2 6s 6d

4 gallons of vinegar, £0 10s 0d

1 lb of pepper, £0 0s 1d

2 bushels of salt, £2 18s 6d

34 gallons of strong beer, £1 10s 0d

30 gallons of small ditto, £3 6s 0d

120 lb of pork, £4 0s 0d

11 goats, £3 6s 0d

336 lb of beef, £0 0s 3d

2 fowls, £0 0s 19d

12 lb of butter, £0 1s 11d

31 days' greens, £0 1s 8d

69 bottles of milk, £0 1s 8d

total, expense of the table in July, £45 17s 0d

The following seasonal allowances were charged separately.

16 lb of candles, £1 12s 0d

15 lb of soap, £0 16s 3d

total, £2 8s 3d

Interpretations

The Thwaites case is a telling reversal that shows the council enforcing its own wood policy against its favourite exemplar. Thwaites, the one inhabitant who had taken the planting of wood seriously and been held up repeatedly as an example, now sought to surrender the eight acres he had lately taken, unable to pay the rent. The council refused, on the ground that the land had been let at his own request, at a low rate, and expressly for raising wood. The refusal marks the limit of the council's indulgence: it had granted such terms to encourage wood-planting, and would not let even Thwaites walk away from the obligation, lest the whole device collapse. The man whose good example the council had wished others to follow was now held to his bargain, the policy binding its own champion.

The gunner's account records the quiet of the empty road, only 17 pounds of powder spent on the monthly muster and the standing charge of the guard, with no ship salute of any kind. This return to the lean figures of the off-season confirms the departure of the spring fleets, the anchorage silent again after the crowded spring, the guns fired only for the routine muster. The account measures the ebb of the trade as exactly as the busy months had measured its flood.

The table account carries the drink and provisions of the fort at the settled level of a quiet road, arrack at 40 gallons and the fresh provisions drawn from the island's own stock. The eleven goats charged to the table were again taken from a herd under active destruction, the establishment continuing to eat the goats the council was labouring to clear. The consumption, though lower than the peak of the crowded spring, remained steady, the fort feeding itself and its guards through the winter month whether or not ships lay in the road.

The candle and soap allowance is the only extra issue, the great festive and royal-day rations now past and the establishment returned to its ordinary consumption. July fell in the depth of the southern winter, the quietest stretch of the year for the road, and the account settles into the plain routine of an isolated settlement between the fleets, the busy provisioning of the spring a memory and the next season's traffic still months off.

464

439

Collection of Store Goods Sold &ca in July 1731 Vizt

31 5 ½ Galln Arrack

10 3½

1000 lb Sugar

25

22 1 64 lb Bread

27 17 3

11 2 5 Flour

14 8 9

1 ½ doz Paint Brushes

9

1 Shoo Brush

6

3 Wooden Bowles

13 6

1 Flour Cieve

2 8

3 Hair Brooms

10 6

1 Straining Dish

6

2 Slates

4

5 Horn Combs

4 10

8 Box ditto

9 4

2 brass Thimbles

4

80 1 5½

Charges General Vizt

6 Mops

8

2 doz Ox Bows

1 4

1 ½ oz China Silk

9

27 ½ Galln Linfeed oyle

17 6

3 ½ Galln Rape & Train

19 6

2 Splinter Locks

5 4

6 Helves

7

22 lb Nailes Sorted

16 2

30 Butchers Knives

15

1 Two Galln Iron Pott

8 6

3 lb Shoo Thread

7 6

4 Earthen Pans

3

36 lb Rope

18

1 Small Wooden Bowle

7

34 lb Pitch

12

4 ½ Rice

3 7 6

15 lb Soap

16 3

6 Yoakes for Oxen

4 19

17 5 7

Garrison

12 Cattee Tea

3 12

6 ½ Galln Rape oyle

1 19

1 Bottle Sweet oyle

5 3

5 16 3

Blacks

59 doz Hooks Sorted

2 1 9

60 Sines Sorted

1 17 6

2 lb Twine

4 4

1 oz Silk

1 6

18 lb Lead

5 2

1 lb Coloured Thread

4

12 lb Rope

6

6 3 21 lb Rice

5 4

2 Blankets Small

11 6

10 15 2

Diet Expences

40 Galln Arrack

12 18 4

77 ½ Sugar

1 18 9

39 lb Bread

9 9

254 lb Flour

3 8 6

16 Galln Sherry

6 4

8 Galln Port

2 6 6

4 Galln Vinegar

10

1 lb Pepper

1

16 lb Candles

1 12

39 Galln Strong Beer

2 18 6

30 Galln Small

1 10

2 ½ Brushells Salt

9

33 16 4

147 14 9½

Account of the Hon ble Compa Stock of Neat Cattle

Sheep, Goates, Hogs, Poultry & Horses, likewise what have been killed

besides the Encrease & Decrease for the Month of July 1731 Vizt

Cattle

The following account records the store goods sold and delivered during July 1731.

31.5 gallons of arrack, £10 0s 3.5d

1,000 lb of sugar, £25 0s 0d

22 candy 1 quarter 64 lb of bread, £27 17s 3d

11 candy 2 quarters 5 lb of flour, £14 8s 9d

1.5 dozen paint brushes, £0 9s 0d

1 shoe brush, £0 0s 6d

3 wooden bowls, £0 13s 6d

1 flour cine, £0 2s 8d

3 hair brooms, £0 10s 6d

1 straining dish, £0 0s 6d

2 slates, £0 4s 0d

5 horn combs, £0 4s 10d

8 box ditto, £0 9s 4d

2 brass thimbles, £0 0s 4d

total goods sold, £80 1s 5.5d

The following goods were charged to the general charges account.

6 mops, £0 8s 0d

2 dozen ox bows, £1 4s 0d

1.5 oz of China silk, £0 0s 9d

27.5 gallons of linseed oil, £0 17s 6d

3.5 gallons of rape and train ditto, £0 19s 6d

2 splinter locks, £0 5s 4d

6 helves, £0 0s 7d

22 lb of nails sorted, £0 16s 2d

30 butcher knives, £0 0s 15d

1 two-gallon iron pot, £0 8s 6d

3 oz of shoe thread, £0 7s 6d

4 earthen pans, £0 0s 3d

36 lb of rope, £0 18s 0d

1 small wooden bowl, £0 12s 7d

34 lb of pitch, £3 7s 6d

4.5 lb of rice, £0 16s 3d

15 lb of soap, £4 19s 0d

6 yokes for oxen, £0 [...]s [...]d

total general charges, £17 5s 7d

The following goods were charged to the garrison account.

12 catties of tea, £3 12s 0d

6.5 gallons of rape oil, £1 19s 0d

1 bottle of sweet oil, £0 5s 3d

total garrison, £5 16s 3d

The following goods were delivered to the Company's slaves.

59 dozen hooks sorted, £2 1s 2d

60 lines sorted, £1 17s 6d

2 lb of twine, £0 4s 4d

1 oz of silk, £0 1s 6d

18 lb of lead, £0 5s 2d

1 lb of coloured thread, £0 4s 0d

12 lb of rope, £0 6s 0d

6 candy 3 quarters 21 lb of rice, £5 4s 0d

2 small blankets, £0 11s 6d

total, delivered to the slaves, £10 15s 2d

The following goods were charged to the diet expenses account.

40 gallons of arrack, £12 18s 4d

77.5 lb of sugar, £1 18s 9d

39 lb of bread, £0 9s 9d

254 lb of flour, £3 8s 6d

16 gallons of sherry, £6 4s 0d

6 gallons of port, £2 6s 6d

4 gallons of vinegar, £0 0s 10d

1 lb of pepper, £0 0s 1d

16 lb of candles, £1 12s 0d

39 gallons of strong beer, £2 18s 6d

30 gallons of small ditto, £1 10s 0d

2 bushels of salt, £0 0s 9d

total diet expenses, £33 16s 4d

grand total, £147 14s 9.5d

Interpretations

The account records July's warehouse issues, and the retail side is carried once more by a very heavy sale of staple provisions, a thousand pounds of sugar and great weights of bread and flour reckoned by the candy. This large sale of foodstuffs points to a ship still victualling from the store, or to the inhabitants laying in provisions, and lifts the retail total to £80 1s 5.5d despite the quiet road. The bread and flour weighed by the candy, the western Indian measure, reflect the imported grain sold on to the island's households and the passing shipping.

The general charges gather the working stores of the settlement, and the ox yokes and bows are the notable entries. Six yokes and two dozen bows fitted out the draught oxen that hauled the island's carts and ploughs, the cattle serving as working beasts as well as meat and breeding stock. The pitch, linseed oil, rape and train oils and paint brushes were the preservative materials for timber, boats and ironwork, and the butcher knives, iron pots and earthen pans the ordinary tools of the fort. The heavy issue of these maintenance stores marks the winter month given over to the upkeep of the establishment while the road lay quiet.

The slaves' delivery keeps its familiar shape, a very heavy issue of fishing gear, fifty-nine dozen hooks and sixty lines, together with rice and blankets. The great quantity of hooks and lines re-equipped the boats for the fishery that fed the establishment, the standing substitute for the meat ration abolished in March 1727, and the rice fed the fishermen. This continued dependence on the fishery and on imported grain to feed the slaves marks the narrow economy of the island, unable to victual its own people from its ground.

The diet expenses carry the drink and provisions of the fort at the settled level of a quiet road, arrack at 40 gallons and the wine, beer and staples running steady. The account closes at a grand total of £147 14s 9.5d, a fuller reckoning than the retail alone would suggest, swollen by the heavy provisions and the winter maintenance stores. The heading of the following stock account, gathering the increase and decrease of the Company's cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses for the month, marks the standing monthly reckoning of the living stock that followed the storekeeper's account in every month's return.

465

440

Neat Cattle: Bullocks, Cowes, Heifers, Steers, Yearlings, Calves, Bulls, Totall

Sheep: Ewes, Withers, Lambs, Rams, Totall

Goates: Ewes, Withers, Kids, Rams, Totall

Hoggs: Sowes, Shoates, Barrows, Pigs, Boars, Totall

Poultry: Turkeys, Fowles, Ducks, Guse

Horses: Horses, Mares, Totall

Remd 1 July

Bullocks 45, Cowes 124, Heifers 34, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 92, Bulls 5, Totall 370, Ewes 50, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 58, Withers 19, Kids 55, Rams 3, Totall 135, Sowes 17, Shoates 35, Barrows 9, Pigs 33, Boars 3, Totall 97, Turkeys 26, Fowles 49, Ducks 11, Guse 21, Horses 4, Mares 4, Totall 8

Killed in July 1 old Cow

Bullocks 0, Cowes 1, Heifers 1, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 2, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 6, Withers 7, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 13, Sowes 0, Shoates 3, Barrows 1, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 4, Turkeys 0, Fowles 2, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 45, Cowes 123, Heifers 33, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 92, Bulls 5, Totall 368, Ewes 50, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 52, Withers 19, Kids 55, Rams 3, Totall 129, Sowes 17, Shoates 32, Barrows 8, Pigs 33, Boars 3, Totall 93, Turkeys 26, Fowles 47, Ducks 11, Guse 21, Horses 4, Mares 4, Totall 8

Encreased in July

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 16, Bulls 0, Totall 16, Ewes 0, Withers 0, Lambs 0, Rams 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 12, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 12, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 0, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Bullocks 45, Cowes 123, Heifers 33, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 108, Bulls 5, Totall 384, Ewes 50, Withers 22, Lambs 11, Rams 3, Totall 86, Ewes 52, Withers 19, Kids 67, Rams 3, Totall 134, Sowes 17, Shoates 32, Barrows 8, Pigs 33, Boars 3, Totall 93, Turkeys 26, Fowles 47, Ducks 11, Guse 21, Horses 4, Mares 4, Totall 8

Dead in July

Bullocks 0, Cowes 0, Heifers 0, Steers 0, Yearlings 0, Calves 0, Bulls 0, Totall 0, Ewes 0, Withers 1, Lambs 2, Rams 0, Totall 3, Ewes 4, Withers 3, Kids 0, Rams 0, Totall 7, Sowes 0, Shoates 0, Barrows 0, Pigs 0, Boars 0, Totall 0, Turkeys 0, Fowles 0, Ducks 0, Guse 4, Horses 0, Mares 0, Totall 0

Remd 31 July

Bullocks 45, Cowes 123, Heifers 33, Steers 20, Yearlings 50, Calves 108, Bulls 5, Totall 384, Ewes 50, Withers 21, Lambs 9, Rams 3, Totall 83, Ewes 48, Withers 9, Kids 67, Rams 3, Totall 127, Sowes 17, Shoates 32, Barrows 8, Pigs 33, Boars 3, Totall 93, Turkeys 26, Fowles 47, Ducks 11, Guse 17, Horses 4, Mares 4, Totall 8

Yams Expended at the Sevll Plantations 19900 tt

Ditto dld the Fort Blacks 9000

Ditto dld the Great Wood ditto 2900

Totall 31800 tt

The Governour Reports that two Girles belonging to the Hon ble Company both named Betty died last Week

Orderd that they be Entred in the Journall

Edwd Byfill

Jno Alexander

Jno Goodwin

Crispe

The following account records the movement of the Company's stock during July 1731, set out by class of animal across neat cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry and horses.

Remaining 1 July:

neat cattle - bullocks 46, cows 124, heifers 34, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 92, bulls 5, total 370

sheep - ewes 50, wethers 22, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 58, wethers 19, kids 55, rams 3, total 135

hogs - sows 17, shoats 35, barrows 9, pigs 33, boars 3, total 97

poultry - turkeys 26, fowls 49, ducks 11, geese 21

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

Killed in July (1 old cow):

neat cattle - bullocks 45, cows 123, heifers 33, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 92, bulls 5, total 368

sheep - ewes 50, wethers 22, lambs 11, rams 3, total 86

goats - ewes 52, wethers 19, kids 55, rams 3, total 129

hogs - sows 17, shoats 32, barrows 8, pigs 33, boars 3, total 93

poultry - turkeys 26, fowls 47, ducks 11, geese 21

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

of which killed: neat cattle - cows 1, heifers 1, total 2; goats - ewes 6, wethers 7, total 13; hogs - shoats 3, barrows 1; poultry - fowls 4, ducks 2

Increased in July:

neat cattle - bullocks 45, cows 123, heifers 33, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 108, bulls 5, total 384

goats - ewes 52, wethers 19, kids 67, rams 3, total 134

of which increased: neat cattle - calves 16, total 16; goats - kids 12, total 12

Dead in July:

neat cattle - bullocks 45, cows 123, heifers 33, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 108, bulls 5, total 384

sheep - ewes 50, wethers 21, lambs 9, rams 3, total 83

goats - ewes 48, wethers 9, kids 67, rams 3, total 127

hogs - sows 17, shoats 32, barrows 8, pigs 33, boars 3, total 93

poultry - turkeys 26, fowls 47, ducks 11, geese 17

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

of which dead: sheep - wethers 1, lambs 2; goats - ewes 3, wethers 4, rams 3; poultry - geese 4

Remaining 31 July:

neat cattle - bullocks 45, cows 123, heifers 33, steers 20, yearlings 50, calves 108, bulls 5, total 384

sheep - ewes 50, wethers 21, lambs 9, rams 3, total 83

goats - ewes 48, wethers 9, kids 67, rams 3, total 127

hogs - sows 17, shoats 32, barrows 8, pigs 33, boars 3, total 93

poultry - turkeys 26, fowls 47, ducks 11, geese 17

horses - horses 4, mares 4, total 8

Yams expended at the several plantations, 19,900 lb

Yams delivered to the fort slaves, 9,000 lb

Yams delivered to the Great Wood, 2,900 lb

Total yams, 31,800 lb

The Governor reported that two girls belonging to the Honourable Company, both named Betty, had died the previous week. The council ordered both deaths entered in the journal. Signed by Governor Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and David Crisp.

Interpretations

The account carries each class through the month's losses and increases, and with the road empty no cattle were sold to shipping at all. The herd grew by sixteen calves and closed at 384, held up only by breeding, since the fleets that had drawn off so many bullocks in the spring were gone. This return to a herd multiplying without any outlet marks the deep quiet of the winter road, the same standstill that had held through the empty months before the spring fleets came, the cattle accumulating for want of buyers.

The goats continued their decline, the herd falling to 127 through slaughter and death, the losses on the ewes, wethers and rams. This is the destruction resolved on 20 January 1730 still at work, the herd now less than a fifth of the 646 it had stood at when the cull began eighteen months before. A modest kidding of twelve shows the herd still breeding as it was run down, but the trend was steadily downward, though feral goats survived on St Helena long after the Company gave up the effort.

The killing of an old cow continues the routine culling of stock past its usefulness, the bookkeeping clearing worn animals to make room for the young. The poultry lost four geese to death and several fowls and ducks to the table, the ordinary drain of the readiest fresh meat, while the neat cattle held steady on their strong calving.

The yam issue rose to 31,800 lb, split between the plantations, the fort slaves and the Great Wood, a fuller figure than the deep lean of the previous months. July fell in the southern winter, but the account had recovered somewhat as the harvest cycle turned, the establishment drawing a better ration than at the tightest stretch between crops. This continued reliance on the yam to feed a garrison and a slave population of over two hundred set the island apart from England, where the root crops carrying the same burden were still a marginal food in 1731.

The two deaths of slave girls, both named Betty, were entered on the books as the loss of Company property, the same matter-of-fact reckoning applied to the death of any beast. The bookkeeping of the slave establishment ran exactly parallel to that of the livestock, births added and deaths struck off at their valuations, the human stock counted and mustered like the cattle. This stark treatment of children as heritable property, their deaths entered in the journal alongside the killing of an old cow, is the plain and constant fact of the island's economy throughout the run.

466

441

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Book cover

470

445

EAP 1364 St Helena

Document Name and Date St. Helena Records 1727-1731

Dimensions

(height x width x depth) (cm) 47cm x 32cm x 6cm

No. written pages 457

No. blank pages 5

Spine and cover FAIR CONDITION

BOOK SLIGHTLY WARPED

Inside pages Foxing throughout volume

Additional comments

Time taken to photograph

(hours) 4 hours