Ponsonby (1796 ship)

  Ponsonby was launched in 1796 at Liverpool. She initially traded between Liverpool and Dublin, and then between 1801 and 1804 disappeared from Lloyd's Register. She returned to the register in 1805 as she sailed as a privateer for two or so months, capturing two vessels. She then became a slave ship in the triangular trade on enslaved people. The French Navy captured her in late 1804 or early 1805 before she could embark any slaves.

History
Great Britain
NamePonsonby
NamesakePonsonby, Cumbria
Launched1796, Liverpool[1]
CapturedLate 1805 or early 1806
General characteristics
Tons burthen101[2] (bm)
Complement40[2]
Armament14 × 6-pounder guns[2]

Career

Ponsonby first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR), in 1797.[3]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1797 Pemberton G.Brown Liverpool–Dublin LR

Between 1801 and 1804, Ponsonby disappeared from Lloyd's Register. She reappeared in 1805 with new masters, owners, and trades.

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1805 M.Trott
J.Brown		 Sake & Co.
Ratcliffe		 Liverpool cruizer
Liverpool–Africa		 LR

Captain Matthew Fiott acquired a letter of marque on 29 June 1805. He sailed Ponsonby as a privateer.[2]

In May 1805 Lloyd's List reported that the privateer Ponsonby, of Liverpool, had detained and sent into Liverpool Fabius, Atkins, master, which had been sailing from Bordeaux to America.[4]

In June Lloyd's List reported that the privateer Ponsonby had detained and sent into Liverpool Young Josias, Jurgens, master. Yong Josias had been on he way from Amsterdam to St Lucars.[5]

After this relatively brief foray into privateering, Ponsonby became a slave ship. Captain John Brown sailed from Liverpool on 7 November 1805, bound for Africa.[1]

Fate

Lloyd's List reported in April 1806 that a French squadron consisting of an 84-gun ship-of-the-line and three frigates had captured Lord Nelson, Trio, and the sloop-of-war HMS Favourite off the coast of Africa.[6]

Lloyd's List reported that prior to 26 January L'Hermite's squadron of the French Navy captured off the coast of Africa Lord Nelson, Darnault, master, Laurel, Hume, master, Ponsonby, Brown, master, Juverna, Brassey, master, Wells, Hughes, master, and Active, of London, Wiley, master. The French put all the captured crews on Active and sent her back to England.[7] The squadron burnt the other vessels that they had captured. The captains arrived at Waterford on 12 May on the cartel Active.[8]

The same squadron also captured Sarah, Otway, Mary, Adams, master, and Nelson, Meath, master.[9]

In 1805, 30 British slave ships were lost. In 1806, 33 British slave ships were lost. In 1805, 13 were lost off the coast. In 1806, two [10] War, not maritime hazards nor slave resistance, was the greatest cause of vessel losses among British slave vessels.[11]

Citations
  1. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Ponsonby voyage #83150.
  2. "Letter of Marque, p.82 – Retrieved 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. LR (1797), Seq.no.P435.
  4. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4219. 24 May 1805. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735022.
  5. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4222. 4 June 1805. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735022.
  6. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4042. 8 April 1806. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735022.
  7. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4052. 13 May 1806. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735022.
  8. "LONDON-MAY 12.", 15 May 1806, Caledonian Mercury (Edinburgh, Scotland) Issue: 13161.
  9. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4060. 10 June 1806. hdl:2027/mdp.39015005721496.
  10. Inikori (1996), p. 62.
  11. Inikori (1996), p. 58.

References

Inikori, Joseph (1996). "Measuring the unmeasured hazards of the Atlantic slave trade: Documents relating to the British trade". Revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer. 83 (312): 53–92.

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