Examination of Martin Lermet, by John Greenway, Portsmouth

Examination of Martin Lermet, by John Greenway, Portsmouth

Greenway, John

Carette, Camille (transcription)

CNRS IKER (UMR 5478)

23/04/1757

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2 fichiers (fac-similé 2.9 Mo, transcription 425 Ko) ; le texte contient 711 mots.

papier

anglais

Documents reconstitués à partir de photographies au format 'jpeg' prises dans le fonds HCA.

guerre de sept ans

prise de guerre

interrogatoire

dossier judiciaire

Il était courant de poser à trois membres de l'équipage du navire capturé des questions standard pour découvrir la vérité sur la nationalité, la propriété et la destination prévue du navire, de sa cargaison et de son équipage.

Martin Lermet, originaire de Ciboure près de Saint-Jean-de-Luz, témoigne sous serment à Portsmouth le 23 avril 1757 sur la capture du navire Le Dauphin, dont il était le capitaine, fournissant des détails sur sa présence lors de la saisie, les caractéristiques du navire, son chargement, ainsi que l'identité présumée de son propriétaire, Monsieur Laborde. Il est interrogé par John Greenway. Le commissaire James Bucknall traduit en anglais les propos de Lermet.

Portsmouth

18e siècle

Domaine public

Nous tenons à exprimer notre sincère gratitude aux Archives nationales du Royaume-Uni, Kew à Londres (TNA) pour l'utilisation des copies numériques du fonds Prize Papers.

Paternité - Pas d'utilisation commerciale - Partage selon les Conditions Initiales [CC] [BY] [NC] [SA]

Standing Interrogatories (CP 3)

Documentation conservée à Archives de la High Court of Admiralty and colonial Vice-Admiralty courts (Londres)

TNA HCA 32/180/7 CP4

Depositions of witnesses had and taken at the home of William Orts bearing the sign of the fountain in Portsmouth in the County of Southampton the twenty third day of April one thousand seven hundred and fifty seven and in the thirtieth year of the reign of our sovereign Lord George the second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith and so forth upon the several Interrogatories here unto annexed By Virtue of His Majesty's Commission Issuing out and under seal of His High Court of Admiralty of England bearing date the eighth day of July one thousand seven hundred and fifty six To the Mayor of Portsmouth for the time being James Bucknall, John Eames, John Greenway, and Richard Varlo, jointly and severally directed, before me John Greenway one of the said Commissioners upon the oaths of the witnesses in the presence of George Augustus Prosser Notary Publick by the interpretation of the said James Bucknall being first sworn for that purpose.
Martin Lermet of Sibour near Bayonne in the Kingdom of France, aged near twenty eight years being sworn and examined Deposeth as followeth.
1 To the first Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he was born and hath always lived when at home at Sibour aforesaid, is a subject of the French King and a burgess of Sibour aforesaid by birth.
2 To the second Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he was present at the time of seizing and taking the ship and her lading concerning which he is now examined and that she had a Commission of War from the French King.
3 To the third Interrogatory this Deponent saith that the said ship and her lading concerning which he is now examined were taken and seized in the latitude of about forty-six and a half on the ninth day of april instant as prize of war, that she was brought into the port of Portsmouth, sailed under French colours, made no resistance when she was taken, and was taken by the Rochester, a British ship of war commanded by Captain Duff in company with two other British ships of war whose names or whose Captains names this Deponent cannot set forth.
4 To the fourth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he was appointed to the Command of her by Monsieur Lannes who delivered the possession of her to this Deponent at Bayonne aforesaid, where the said Monsieur Lannes lives and that he this Deponent is not married.
5 To the fifth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that the said ship in question is of the burthen of about eighty tons, that the number of mariners (officers included) was thirty one who were all Frenchmen except one Englishman, which mariners were all hired and shipt by the said Monsieur Lannes and this Deponent at Sibour, Sempe and Rouille in the month of February last.
6 To the sixth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that neither he or any of the officers or mariners belonging to the said ship in question had any part share or interest in her or in any of her lading (except private adventures) that he was as aforesaid Captain of her when she was taken, that he has known her since the month of January last, that he saw her first at Bayonne aforesaid and knows not where she was built.
7 To the seventh Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he never knew the said ship in question called by any other name than Le Dauphin, that she had a passport on board from the admiral of France, that she was bound in her voyage from Bayonne to Louisbourg and from Louisbourg to Bayonne again, that she accordingly set sail from Bayonne and was taken in her passage to Louisbourg, that her voyage began and was to have ended at Bayonne if she had not been taken, and that her cargo from the date of her passport to the time of her capture consisted of wine, brandy, shoes and eight wood cases the contents of which this Deponent was not made acquainted with.
8 To the eighth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that the cargo the said ship in question carried at the time of her first setting sail in her last voyage and also when she was taken consisted of one hundred and twenty eight hogsheads of wine, one hundred and two anchors and fourteen tierces of brandy and ten hogsheads of shoes and the aforesaid eight cases which was all put on board in the month of March last.
9 To the ninth Interrogatory this Deponent said that he believes that Monsieur Laborde was owner of the ship in question when she was taken because he acted as such, that the said Monsieur Laborde is a Frenchman by birth, lives with his wife and family at Louisbourg and is a subject of the French King.
10 To the tenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he cannot depose.
11 To the eleventh Interrogatory this Deponent saith that the said cargo was all put on board at Bayonne aforesaid on several days in the said month of March last.
12 To the twelth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that the aforesaid Monsieur Lannes was lader for the French King proprietor of the said cargo of the said ship in question, that the said goods were to have been delivered at Louisbourg and that he this Deponent does believe that at the time of the lading the said cargo and at the present time and also if the said goods shall be restored and unladen at the destined port the goods did do and will belong to the said French King and to none other.
13 To the thirteenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that there were three bills of lading signed for the goods seized on board the said ship in question, that none of them were colourable and that none others were signed which were of a different tenor from those which were on board the said ship when she was taken.
14 To the fourteenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that the papers relative to the ship or goods in question are now in Great Britain as he believes because he delivered them to the Captors when he was taken.
15 To the fifteenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that there was no charter party signed for the voyage in which the said ship in question was taken.
16 To the sixteenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he cannot set forth what particular papers relative to the ship or goods in question were on board her when she took her departure from Bayonne but that none of them were burnt, torn, thrown over board, destroyed or concealed.
17 To the seventeenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that the said ship in question was never seized or condemned as prize before.
18 To the eighteenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that he hath lost by the capture and detention of the said ship in question his private adventure of hams, brandy and his cloaths to the value of three hundred and fifty livres for which loss he hath neither received or been promised any indemnity or satisfaction whatsoever.
19 To the nineteenth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that his said private adventure was not insured and that he does not know whether the said ship in question and her cargo were insured or not.
20 To the twentieth Interrogatory this Deponent saith that in case the said ship in question had arrived at her destined port he believes the cargo on being unladen would have continued the property of the French King.
Sworn before me [signé] John Greenway
[signé] Martin Lermet
In presence of Georges Augustus Prosser, Notary Public
By interpretation of James Bucknall