Princess Royal (1783 ship)

Princess Royal was a large, frigate-built ship launched at Liverpool in 1783. She made four voyages as a slave trader before she grounded in 1789 and was condemned.

For other ships with the same name, see Princess Royal (ship).
History
Great Britain
Name: Princess Royal
Owner: Peter Baker & John Dawson (slave trader), Liverpool merchants
Builder: Liverpool
Launched: 15 August 1783
Fate: Condemned 1789 after grounding
General characteristics [1]
Tons burthen: 596,[2] or 600[3] (bm)
Length: 127 ft 0 in (38.7 m)
Beam: 33 ft 6 in (10.2 m) (above the wales)
Depth of hold: 6 ft 0 in (1.8 m)
Sail plan: Full-rigged ship
Complement: 47, or 83[4]
Armament: 10 × 9-pounder guns[3]
Notes: Frigate-built ship of two decks and three masts; coppered in 1783

Career

Princess Royal enters Lloyd's Register in 1783 with J. Forbes, master. However, Captain William Sherwood was Princess Royal's master for the entirety of her career as a slaver.[3] He made four voyages in which he acquired slaves primarily at the Bight of Biafra and Gulf of Guinea islands and took them to Havana.[2]

First slave voyage: Sherwood sailed from Liverpool on 27 March 1785. He acquired his slaves at Bonny Island and delivered them to Havana in October. He had embarked 524 slaves and landed 480, for a loss rate of 8.4%. Princess Royal had started the voyage with 50 crew men, 13 o f whom died on the voyage. She arrived back at Liverpool on 1 December.[2][5]

Second slave voyage: Sherwood sailed from Liverpool on 20 March 1786. He again gathered his slaves at Bonny and delivered them to Havana in October. He had embarked 764 slaves and landed 700, for a loss rate of 8.4%. Nine of Princess Royal's 52 crew members died on the voyage. She left Havana on 28 October and arrived at Liverpool on 9 December.[2]

Third slave voyage: Sherwood sailed from Liverpool on 14 April 1787 and arrived at Bonny on 29 May. Princess Royal embarked 798 slaves and arrived at Havana on 27 September, where she landed 731. The loss rate on this voyage was 8.4%. Of her crew of 54 men, eight died on the voyage. She arrived back at Liverpool on 21 December.[2]

Fourth slave voyage: Sherwood sailed from Liverpool on 10 April 1788 and arrived at Havana in September. He had embarked 771 slaves,[6] and landed 706, for a loss rate of 8.4%. Lloyd's List had reported that on 28 August 1788 she had arrived at Trinidad with about 800 slaves for Havana.[7] Eight of Princess Royal's 67 crew members died on the voyage. She sailed from Havana on 27 November, and arrived at Liverpool on 22 January 1789.[2]

Fate

As Princess Royal returned from Havana a heavy gale on 24 January drove her from her moorings on to the shore, where she filled with water.[8] She was surveyed and condemned.[1]

Citations and references

Citations

  1. Craig & Jarvis (1967), p. 78.
  2. Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database Voyages: Princess Royal (Sherwood).
  3. Lloyd's Register (1783), Seq.№P534.
  4. Schwarz (2008), pp. 20 & 15.
  5. Schwarz (2008), p. 24.
  6. Devine (2015), p. 150.
  7. Lloyd's List №2033.
  8. Lloyd's List №2059.

References

  • Craig, Robert; Jarvis, Rupert (1967). Liverpool Registry of Merchant Ships. Series 3. 15. Manchester University Press for the Chetham Society.
  • Devine, Tom M. (2015). Recovering Scotland's Slavery Past. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780748698097.
  • Schwarz, Suzanne (2008). Slave Captain: The Career of James Irving in the Liverpool Slave Trade. Oxford University. ISBN 9781846310676.
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