Pirates of the Caribbean

[Bear]

Hello,

12 January 1705/6

British Naval Commission, appointing Capt. Humphrey Pudner to be Capt. of HMS Reserve, signed by Sir William Whetstone, as Commander-in-Chief of all Her Majesty's Ships and Vessels in the West Indies.

This shall be your warrant given under my hand on board her Majs. Ship Suffolk at the Keys before Port Royal in Jamaica, January 12th 1705/6.

Port Royal was a major hangout for pirates during the 17th century until an earthquake destroyed it on June 7, 1692.

I haven't found any info on either ship, but I did find a Capt. Humphry Pudner of the ship Experiment during 1703.

thanks,

barry

[Bear]

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[Bear]

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[Bear]

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Edited April 20, 2007 by Bear

[Bear]

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[Bear]

lastpic...

[Guest Rick Research]

Oh ho. That is a gem from the Golden Age of Piracy down there.

I am, by repute of a shrewish great-grandmother who destroyed the evidence but used this to belabour my sainted great-grandfather, a descendant of the crew of the late lamented Captain William Kidd, Esquire. Another maritime kinsman, as far as we can tell, left numerous progeny grievin' and orphaned on Cape Cod after being himself swallowed up in that great Port Royal earthquake and tidal wave. (I am sure he was just there selling Bibles door to door. )

From what I have read, this was a "pre-professional" stage of the Royal Navy, and Captains were as likely to be political hacks, nephews on the take, and semi-reformed (honest!) privateers themselves as those they were supposedly hunting.

Will go see what I can find on the two oddly named Officers and Gentlemen.

Perhaps somebody can help with a hoped for database of HM Ships?

[Chris Boonzaier]

What a superb piece of history... if I had bought it I would have been torn between watching both J. Depp movies or "Master and commander" this weekend....

[Guest Rick Research]

This could be a red herring-- both Sir William and Humphrey could have been 4th generation Londoners--

but their FAMILIES derive from single origins not 5 miles apart either side of Bude on Cornwall's west coast--

the Pudners from Poughill, and the Whetstones from Whitstone.

There are a variety--multiples-- of BOTH Humphrey Pudners and William Whetstones, born in the 1660s and 1670s who would be potentially these fellows, but without enough that I can identify either as any one of the half dozen suspects.

Sir William Whetstone, Knight, Rear Admiral of the White ought to turn up in SOMETHING.

[Chris Boonzaier]

A note t othe ship...

"Welcome to the website of HMS Sutherland. The Present HMS Sutherland is the third to bear the name. The first, a 54 Gun 4th Rate, originally named HMS Reserve, was launched at Deptford in March 1704. The current HMS Sutherland has seen service all over the world, from the frozen seas of both the Arctic and the South Atlantic to the tropical heat of the Caribbean and the Far East."

A tad more...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Sutherland

[Chris Boonzaier]

HMS Sutherland ist die zweite Tr?gerin ihres Namens in der Geschichte der Royal Navy. Das erste Schiff war 1704 als HMS Reserve gebaut worden und wurde 1716 in Sutherland umgetauft. Das mit 54 Kanonen bewaffnete Linienschiff 4. Klasse schied 1741 aus dem aktiven Dienst aus und wurde als schwimmendes Lazarett der Mittelmeerflotte in Port Mahon (Menorca) verwendet, bevor es 1754 abgewrackt wurde.

Nach der Au?erdienststellung

[Chris Boonzaier]

The first of the three HMS Sutherlands was actually launched as HMS Reserve at Deptford on the Thames in March 1704.

The 4th rate 54-gun vessel was renamed HMS Sutherland in 1716, but after a low-key career she ended up as a hospital ship on the Mediterranean Station, and by the time she was condemned in 1754 her successor was in service.

The new Sutherland, launched at Rotherhithe in 1741, was also a 4th rate, carrying 50 guns.

[Chris Boonzaier]

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/bios/s/pischuyler61.html

Googling this... he sailed with the four kings in 1710 on the HMS reserve.

[Guest Rick Research]

Interesting-- the oddly named "Reserve" was a brand new ship then, a BIG ship-- and so Pudner must have had some "pull" to win such a posting.

[Bear]

Rear-Admiral Sir William Whetstone (16?? - 1711)

[Luftwaffe Rules]

Just a quick question where was this Port Royal located?? Because we have one here in South Carolina, is this one the same as portrayed in the movies and this piece of history?? Its about 15 minutes from my house and is a little town right beside Beaufort. TIA and all the best, Jon

[Bear]

Hello Jon,

Port Royal, Jamaica

[Luftwaffe Rules]

Ah ok thank you much Bear!! You have a great piece of history here, its amazing it has survived this long! Do you have any special way of preserving items from such a long time ago?? And the fact their paper items also? TIA and all the best, Jon

[Bear]

Woodes Rogers (1679 - 1732)

He was an English Privateer who married Admiral Whetstone's daughter Sarah. He made and lost his fortune in the Caribbean. He also ousted Edward Teach(Blackbeard) who was Magistrate of the "Privateers Republic".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodes_Rogers

[Chris Boonzaier]

Fluncking amazing bit of paper.... it would encourage me to run off and buy another copy of "treasure island", lay in my hammock and sip my rum (and coke) and have the neighbours kids sing "sixteen men on a dead mans chest... yo ho ho and a bottle of rum...." till they drop....

[Bear]

Hello Chris,

Treasure Island = Admiral Whetstone

I think if I visited a Bristol pub back then my drunk rear would be headed to the Caribbean.

http://pages.prodigy.net/rodney.broome/piratewalk13spy.htm

Hello Jon,

Check out this thread.

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16405

thanks,

barry

[Luftwaffe Rules]

Thank you much Bear! All the best, Jon

[Great Dane]

Awesome document!

I have also followed your postings of Napoleonic documents which are also very impressive.

You do realize that you are making it harder for yourself by tempting us all to ditch our ODM collections and start collecting these beauties?

/Mike

[Bear]

Hello Mike,

There's always room for one more document collector.

thanks,

barry

[Bear]

HMS Suffolk

3rd Rate

70 Gun

Launched 1680

Builder Johnson, Blackwell

barry