Alexander (1794 ship)

Alexander, was built in France in 1791, possibly under a different name. She was taken as a prize and her new owners renamed her Alexander. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC), and then became a slave ship, making four voyages between 1798 and 1807. After 1807 she sailed between Liverpool and Demerara. She is last listed in 1811.

For other ships with the same name, see Alexander (ship).

History
France
Name:	Unknown
Launched:	1791
Captured:	Captured 1793
Great Britain
Name:	Alexander
Owner:	Connick & Co. Smith & Co.[Note 1]
Acquired:	By purchase of a prize
Fate:	Last listed in 1811
General characteristics
Tons burthen:	357,[2] or 377-383,[3] or 383[1] (bm)
Complement:	40-50[3]
Armament:	1795:12 × 4-pounder guns 1798:24 × 6&9-pounder guns[3] 1805:20 × 9-pounder guns[3] 1806:18 × 9-pounder guns[3] 1809:20 × 6-pounder guns[4]

Career

It is currently not possible to identify Alexander's name before she became an English prize.[2]

Alexander appeared in Lloyd's Register for 1794 with Js. Boulton, master, Thompson, owner, and trade London-Ostend. Her burthen is given as 257 tons (bm),[5] but that was corrected to 357 tons the next year.[6]

In 1796, Lloyd's Register showed a change in ownership to Connick & Co. Modifications to the entry showed the master as changing to W. Wallace, and her trade to London-Botany Bay.[7]

However, Alexander's next voyage was for the EIC as an "extra ship", i.e., under contract. Captain William Wallace left Portsmouth 12 August 1796, bound for Bengal. Alexander reached Saugor on 23 January 1797, and Calcutta six days later. She left Culpee on 27 March 1797. She reached the Cape on 12 July, St Helena on 17 September, and Long Reach on 18 December.[Note 2]

Alexander then was sold into the Africa and West Indies slave trade.[2] Lloyd's Register (LR) for 1798 shows Alexander, French-built in 1791, of 357 tons, with master Wallace and owner Connick, as being on the London-East Indies trade. A later amendment to the entry shows a new master, W. Cockerill, a new owner, B. Smith, and a new trade, Liverpool-Africa.[9]

Lloyd's Register for 1799 gave the names of her master and her owner as William Cockerel, and Smith & Co.[10] Cockerel had received a letter of marque for Alexander on 6 September 1798.[3]

A database of slave voyages shows Alexander, under the command of William Cockerell, sailing to West Central Africa and St Helena. She left Liverpool on 23 October 1798 and arrived at Kingston, Jamaica, on 12 September 1799. She landed 516 slaves. She left Kingston on 30 October and arrived back at Liverpool on 16 January 1800. She had left Liverpool with 49 crew members and had four deaths en route.[1]

A later amendment to the entry for Alexander in the 1800 issue of Lloyd's Register shows a change of master to G. Farquhar.[11] George Farquhar received a letter of marque on 22 April 1800.[3] He also became a partner in Smith & Co.[1]

Farquhar sailed Alexander to West Central Africa and St Helena, leaving Liverpool on 21 May 1800. He gathered slaves at Anomabu and the Rio Dande. Alexander arrived at Kingston on 29 April 1801. She arrived with 347 slaves. She left Kingston on 22 July and arrived back at Liverpool on 26 September. She had left with 54 crew members and had 40 when she arrived at Kingston. She had 11 crew men die on the voyage.[12]

It is not clear what Alexander did between 1801 and 1805. Both Lloyd's Register and the Register of Shipping carry stale information.

An amendment to the entry for Alexander in the 1805 issue of Lloyd's Register showed a change of master to V. May, and a change of owner to "Ti[undeceipherable]".[13] Vincent May received a letter of marque on 19 October 1805.[3] The database of slave voyages shows the master as Vincent May and the owner as John Titherington. Alexander sailed from Liverpool on 9 October 1805, but returned without having gathered any slaves. It is not clear why May aborted the voyage.[14]>

Lloyd's Register for 1807 showed the owner as Titherton; an amendment to the entry gave a new master by the name of Smith.[15] John Smith received a letter of marque on 13 December 1806.[3] The database of slave voyages has the master's name as John Smith, and the voyage as being from the Bight of Biafra and Gulf of Guinea islands to Jamaica. Captain Smith departed Liverpool on 1 January 1807 and arrived at Kingston on 12 June. Alexander landed 296. she left Kingston on 29 September and arrived back at Liverpool on 1 January 1808. She had sailed from Liverpool with 45 men and she lost ten to death during the voyage.[16]

The entries in Lloyd's Register did not change until 1809, even though the Slave Trade Act 1807 had abolished the trade for British vessels. An amendment to the entry in the 1809 Lloyd's Register showed a change of master to J. Towers.[17] However, this appears to be an error. Alexander, French prize, launched 1791 and of 383 tons (bm), appears in the Register of Shipping in 1809 with J. Bailey, master, Fotheringham, owner, and trade Liverpool—Demerara.[4]

Fate

The entries in the Register of Shipping continued unchanged through 1811. Alexander is no longer listed in 1812.

Notes, citations, and references

Notes

1. Smith & Co. consisted of Bryan Smith, John Titherington, William Cocherall, John Parry, and Edward Bennett.[1]
2. The British Library database conflates two voyages by vessels. This voyage by this vessel, and a later voyage by Alexander[8]

Citations

1. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Alexander voyage #80170.
2. Hackman (2001), p. 221.
3. "Letter of Marque, p.49 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
4. Register of Shipping (1809), Seq. №397.
5. Lloyd's Register (1794).
6. Lloyd's Register (1795).
7. Lloyd's Register (1796).
8. British Library: Alexander (2).
9. Lloyd's Register (1798).
10. Lloyd's Register 1799.
11. Lloyd's Register (1800) - accessed 27 October 2015.
12. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Alexander voyage #80171.
13. Lloyd's Register (1805).
14. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Alexander voyage #80172.
15. Lloyd's Register (1807).
16. Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Alexander voyage #80173.
17. Lloyd's Register (1809).

References

• Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.