Talk:Colpoys (1803 ship)

Latest comment: 9 months ago by Acad Ronin in topic Two Colpoys, or even three?

Two Colpoys, or even three? edit

In addition to the naval hire for the Brest station, there was a Colpoys active in the Caribbean, mostly as a privateer, between March and July 1804, and again in late-1807. I was going to add before the navy history:

==Privateer==
In 1804 the schooner Colpoys was licensed as a privateer in the Caribbean, commanded by John Eagan.[1] On 22 March 1804 Colpoys seized the American brig Harriott, which was on a voyage from Bordeaux to Philadelphia and took her to Tortola, and then to the Vice Admiralty Court in Antigua for adjudication as prize.[2] On 29 April 1804 she took the American brig Samuel, sailing from Martinique to Philadelphia.[1] Further captures included other American vessels, Exchange, also sailing from Bordeaux to Philadelphia,[3] and Fame,[4] as well as the Swedish-flag La Diligente, sailing from St. Batholomews for St. Thomas (this seizure was later overturned in the Prize Appeal Court, sitting in the Cockpit, Whitehall, with the ship and cargo being restored to the owners),[5] and, on 17 July, the Venetian Bella Guidetta, also on a voyage to St Thomas, but from Leghorn.[6][7]

and, after the naval service:
The Danish ships Amalia, Esevido and the American Hannah were taken in late 1807 under embargo by the privateers Alexander, and Colpoys. Hannah was restored as American.[8]
And then I found this:
"London, March 16, 1810. Notice is hereby given, that an Account of the Proceeds of the Schooner Boat Nostra Senora Montserrata, Planchart, Master, captured on the 5th November 1807, by His Majesty's Hired Schooner of War Colpoys the 2d, G. A. Spearing, Lieutenant commanding, Tender to His Majesty's Ship Belleisle, is lodged in the Registry of the High Court of Admiralty. John Dougan, Agent."[9] and similar ("Hired Armed Schooner of War Colpoys (2d))". [10]
  • The main problem is that the dates of the 1804 Caribbean seizures overlap with the known dates of Colpoys' first deployment in the English Channel in April.
  • Also we have the end-of-hire as 28 August 1807. What is the source of that date (all I have to hand has "4/1804-1807")?
Citations edit
  1. ^ a b "Manuscript prize appeal No 1051, from the Vice-Admiralty Court of Antigua". London: The National Archives. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Manuscript prize appeal No 511, from the Vice-Admiralty Court of Antigua (referred to as "HMS Colpoys armed schooner")". London: The National Archives. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Manuscript prize appeal No 331, from the Vice-Admiralty Court of Antigua". London: The National Archives. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Manuscript prize appeal No 397, from the Vice-Admiralty Court of Tortola". London: The National Archives. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Cockpit, Whitehall". Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser. No. 14098, Vol.XLVI. London. 28 March 1806. p. 2. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archives.
  6. ^ "Manuscript prize appeal No 102, from the Vice-Admiralty Court of Antigua". London: The National Archives. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Cockpit, Whitehall". Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser. No. 14418, Vol.XLVII. London. 20 April 1807. p. 3. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archives.
  8. ^ "Captured ships: the Danish ships Amalia; Esevido; and Hannah, taken in late 1807". London: The National Archives. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  9. ^ "No. 16351". The London Gazette. 13 March 1810. p. 353.
  10. ^ "No. 16355". The London Gazette. 27 March 1810. p. 467.

Davidships (talk) 22:06, 26 July 2023 (UTC)Reply

Hi Davidships: We almost surely have at least two vessels, and three is definitely possible. The hire dates 28 April 1804 to 1807 for Colpoys come from Winfield (2008), p.393. I now longer know where the 28 August 1807 date comes from. The source is possibly the website ThreeDecks. Tenders hired on overseas stations frequently did not make it to Admiralty records, and so don't show up in Winfield. There is also no Colpoys in Colledge. It is possible that your privateer Colpoys was a vessel the RN captured in the Caribbean and took on as a tender.
There was a brig Admiral Colpoys that was a slaver. She made several slave trading voyages, but between 22 December 1802 and 2 October 1804, she was between slaving voyages. However, she was definitely a brig and not a schooner. Acad Ronin (talk) 23:54, 26 July 2023 (UTC)Reply