Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

Whereas it hath been represented to His Majesty by the Right Honorable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that on Monday the 30th ultimo, the Blenheim, Greenland ship, belonging to the Port of Kingston-upon-Hull, William Mitchenson, master, on her arrival in Whitebooth Roads, refused to bring to on the signal of His Majesty’s ship Nonsuch, and persisted in. such refusal notwithstanding several shot were fired for the purpose of enforcing obedience; that being afterwards surrounded, on her arrival at the entrance of the haven of the said port, by several boats from his Majesty’s ships Nonsuch, Nautilus, and Redoubt, (sent for the purpose of boarding her), the crew of the said Greenland ship, on one of the boats coming alongside, fired several shot into her, and violently threw several spears, capstan bars, handspikes, and other offensive weapons, and also, several large iron shot, at and among the crew of the said boat; in consequence whereof Richard Bell, master’s mate, and William Burnock and John Sykes, seamen, belonging to His Majesty’s said ship Nonsuch, were dangerously wounded, and others much bruised; and the boats being by this outrageous conduct repulsed, the crew of the said Greenland ship got on shore and absconded; since which the said William Burnock and John Sykes have died of the wounds they received, and the coroners’ inquests have returned verdicts of wilful murder against persons unknown.

Comment

Comment

I don’t know if the “murderers” were caught, but

For this the captain of the whaler was brought to trial at York. But he was acquitted on the charge of murder laid against him; and when the York coach brought him safely home to Hull, ‘the crowd took out the horses, dragged it to the Market Place, and ran it three times round the statue of King William’ by way of showing their joy (Browne 1912).

Impressment of departing whaler crews seems generally to have been prohibited or taboo, while returning ones were considered fair game. Browne again:

A ship of war was stationed in the Humber to board incoming whalers and impress men for service in the navy. To escape, numbers of the men were landed at Easington or at lonely spots farther north, and these would make their way home as best they could by land.

Another very ingenious trick was worked successfully by the captain of a whaler which was boarded by a revenue cutter off Flamborough Head. This is how Captain Barron in his Old Whaling Days tells the story:

A revenue cutter hove in sight off Flambro’ Head when Captain Scoresby was returning home with a full ship. When he saw it in the distance, he let four or five feet of water into the hold through a large brass tap which some whalers had in their counters on purpose to fill their casks for ballast. This was kept running, so that the pumps could not gain upon it, and when the officer boarded the ship he was told she made so much water that the crew would not be able to keep her afloat if he took any away. The officer sounded the pumps, and was satisfied in finding when they stopped pumping the water rose in the hold. He took his departure. The tap was at once turned off, and the water pumped out. This clever trick saved his men from being forced on board His Majesty’s ships.

(Browne 1912)

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Original

Whitehall, August 18, 1798.
Whereas it hath been represented to His Majesty by the Right Honorable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that on Monday the 30th ultimo, the Blenheim, Greenland ship, belonging to the Port of Kingston-upon-Hull, William Mitchenson, master, on her arrival in Whitebooth Roads, refused to bring to on the signal of His Majesty’s ship Nonsuch, and persisted in. such refusal notwithstanding several shot were fired for the purpose of enforcing obedience; that being afterwards surrounded, on her arrival at the entrance of the haven of the said port, by several boats from his Majesty’s ships Nonsuch, Nautilus, and Redoubt, (sent for the purpose of boarding her), the crew of the said Greenland ship, on one of the boats coming alongside, fired several shot into her, and violently threw several spears, capstan bars, handspikes, and other offensive weapons, and also, several large iron shot, at and among the crew of the said boat; in consequence whereof Richard Bell, master’s mate, and William Burnock and John Sykes, seamen, belonging to His Majesty’s said ship Nonsuch, were dangerously wounded, and others much bruised; and the boats being by this outrageous conduct repulsed, the crew of the said Greenland ship got on shore and absconded; since which the said William Burnock and John Sykes have died of the wounds they received, and the coroners’ inquests have returned verdicts of wilful murder against persons unknown.

His Majesty, for the better apprehending and bringing to justice the perpetrators of the atrocious murders above-mentioned, is hereby pleased to promise his most gracious pardon to any one or more of the offenders (except such as actually gave the mortal strokes to the said Burnock and Sykes) who shall discover his or their accomplices therein, so that they or any of them may be apprehended and convicted thereof.
PORTLAND.

And the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty do hereby offer a reward of ONE HUNDRED POUNDS to any person or persons (except such as were actually concerned in the said murders) who shall apprehend or cause to be apprehended any of the said offenders, to be paid on the conviction of any one or more of them by the Treasurer of His Majesty’s Navy.
EVAN NEPEAN.

N.B. John Brocklesby, mate, and Richard Pratt and Walter Sommison, seamen, belonging to the Blenheim, are strongly suspected of being three of the persons who were active in the above-mentioned outrage and murders. Brocklesby is 35 years of age, was born at Hull, is 5 feet 4½ inches high, has brown hair, and a scar on his chin. Pratt is 46 years of age, was born at Sunderland, is 5 feet 7½ inches high, has black hair, and a scar on his nose. Sommison is 23 years of age, was born at Shetland, is 5 feet 5 inches high, and has brown hair.

479 words.

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• Admiralty (5), government department responsible for the Royal Navy until 1964 ·
• Assizes (24) ·
• Atlantic Ocean (5) ·
• Blenheim (1783 ship) (1) ·
• Cutter (boat) (1) ·
• Easington, North Yorkshire (1) ·
• East Riding of Yorkshire (66) ·
• 📌Flamborough Head (4) ·
• France (31) ·
• French Revolutionary Wars (8) ·
• George III (1738-1820) (17), ruled 1760-1820 ·
• Greenland (6) ·
• HM Excise (3) ·
• HMS Nonsuch (1774) (1) ·
• HMS Redoubt (1793) (1) ·
• Humber (20) ·
• Impressment (2) ·
• 📌Kingston upon Hull (65) ·
• Murder (38) ·
• North Sea (18) ·
• 📌Port of Hull (17) ·
• Royal Navy (10) ·
• Shetland (5) ·
• Sunderland (2) ·
• Whaler (4) ·
• Whaling in the United Kingdom (11) ·
• 📌York (164) ·

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