Bayliffe.me.uk - HEICS Huddart

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BRYANT G BAYLIFFE

This is the Journal of the Honourable East India Company Ship, the Huddart on her voyage to Bombay 1806-1807. Commander: Captain Thomas Gabriel Bayliff.

EXTRACTS

THE JOURNAL AND SHIP'S LOG

OF THE HON. COMPANY'S SHIP

HUDDART

(EAST INDIA DOCKS, BLACKWALL, LONDON, ENGLAND)

Written by the Commander, Captain Thomas Gabriel Bayliff,

Voyage to Bombay,

10 March 1806 - 6 October 1807

British Library Ref: L/MAR/B/217C

Extracted by
Bryant G. Bayliffe & Julian A. Rawes
1 September 2008 - 31 January 2015

CONTENTS

HEICS: The Honourable East India Company.
Journals & Log Books: BL archive of journals and ship's logs.
Huddart: The HEICS ship Huddart and its voyage to Bombay in 1806.
The Convoy: Relating to the annual voyages to the far east.
Approaching India: Landmarks on the west and east coasts of India.
List of Ships: Ships encountered on the voyage of 1806/7.
Contents of Ships Log: Allowing one to go to specific section.
Journal and Log: The Journal & Log of the Huddart, 1806/7.
Ledger & Pay Book: Has not been transcribed.

Appendix 1: Notes and Glossary.
Appendix 2: Glossary of abbreviations and terms.
Appendix 3: Bibliography.
Appendix 4: Details of Thomas Gabriel Bayliff.
Appendix 5: Court case background.
Appendix 6: Court case - Boyce v Douglas.
Appendix 7: Court case - Boyce verses Bayliff(e).

The HEICS

East India House, Leadenhall Street, London, 1796-1861
from Trade in the Eastern Seas 1793-1813.

The Library of the Honourable East India Company Service is housed in the British Library in Euston, London. The HEICS library contains many thousands of records including hundreds of ships’ journals, logs, ledgers & pay books. They are contained in large ledgers, the journals & logs in one tome with the ledgers and pay books in separate books. A catalogue of these records was published in 1999 by the British Library, titled ‘Catalogue of East India Company Ships’ Journals and Logs 1600-1834’ and edited by Anthony Farrington. Most of these records have not been microfilmed. If a copy is required then a microfilm copy is made at the expense of the purchaser to whom a photostat or CD is given. A useful site for the explanation on the HEICS library is: www.barnettmaritime.co.uk/mainheic.htm.

HEICS ships would leave from and return to London using a number of stopping points both in the Thames estuary and the south coast. Passengers would more than likely embark and disembark at these stopping points. The first and major point was at Gravesend or more exactly Longreach. This was a priority for the larger vessels which would on occasion have their guns removed to lighten the ship before proceeding to Deptford or the East India docks.

Map of the Thames estuary indicating some of the navigational points mentioned in the journals.

Until the opening of the East India Docks at Blackwall in 1806, Company ships moored on the tidal river alongside the Royal shipyards at Deptford. Deptford was the anchorage at the start of the Port of London. The ships moored alongside lines of moorings called tiers and all goods were offloaded on to lighters, hoys or barges and carried by them to wharves on shore or further up river.


Deptford from the South London Guide

1806 - the new East India docks at Blackwall
from Trade in the Eastern Seas 1793-1813.

Circa 1830 - East India docks at Blackwall
from WWW.British-History.ac.uk.

A major embarkation point for passengers and soldiers in particular was at Motherbank close to Culver Cliff and Spithead near Portsmouth. This was also where, in times of war, a Royal Navy escort would join the annual fleet. The Isle of Wight, with its healthy climate, assumed some importance to the Company, Newport, Cowes, Ryde, St Helens and Carisbrooke attracted Company officials and the Isle itself acted as a granary with production of malt, salt, flour, poultry and biscuit. A number of HEIC ships officers both came from and retired to the Isle. The naval docks at Portsmouth was close to hand for exchange of ships, crew information etc. For the Isle of Wight's connection with the Company see: http://www.hantsfieldclub.org.uk/publications/hampshirestudies/digital/2010s/Vol_68/Thomas.pdf

Most Company ships were used as troop carriers for soldiers needed in India and the Far East. These were mostly regiments created for and employed by the Company to serve in India. One of the Company's training depots was opened at Newport in the Isle of Wight in 1801. This was superceeded by the Brompton Barracks at Chatham in 1815. Recuitment lists are held in the British Library under Ref: IOR/L/MIL/9/1-106, L/MIL/9/1-28, 1817-1860, L/MIL/9/29-84 for military depots, 1801-1861. and L/MIL/9/85-106 for embarkation lists, 1753-1861. References from: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=742726.0.

Every attempt has been made to produce a faithful 'abridged' copy of the Journal and Log Book. A glossary along with explanatory notes has been added to help the reader to understand the transcript along with information of other ships and people noted in the Journal. It is realised that errors are possible owing to the difficulty of transcription. The Editor's notes can be found throughout set within square brackets.

Journals and Log Books.
A journal & log is a fascinating record of day-to-day events on board ship such as location, weather, repairs, washing decks, including the gun deck where the crew slept, discipline, loading and unloading, embarking and disembarking and external events. The book records everyone on board, their positions and status whether or not they left ship or perished, including passengers. There is also a distinction between the 'Harbour Journal' and the 'Sea Log'. It starts as a large blank ledger given to the Commander at the commencement of each voyage the ship undertakes. The Captain dutifully creates a journal and log of the journey and the ledger is handed in at the end of the voyage. It was the duty of the ship's Purser to deposit the ship's journals etc. at East India House.

Example of a page from this Journal.
Monday August 25th 1806.

Huddart

Built by Wells, launched 1802, 2 decks, 4in bottom, length 124ft 10in, keel 99ft 9½in, breadth 32ft 1½in, hold 16ft 2in, wing transom 23ft, port cell 27ft 6in, waist 1ft 6in, between decks 6ft 6in, roundhouse 6ft 3in, ports 11 upper, 547 tons. Principal Managing owners: 1-2 John Woolmore, 3-8 Robert Burrowes. She made 8 voyages to India, the last being in 1817/8. (as described by Farrington).

Farrington extract for this voyage:-
The extract from Catalogue of East India Company Ships’ Journals and Logs 1600-1834, edited by Anthony Farrington:-

3 1806/07 Bombay

L/MAR/B/217C Journal 10 Mar 1806-6 Oct 1807

L/MAR/B/217L(1) Ledger

L/MAR/B/217L(2) Pay Book

Capt Thomas Gabriel Bayliff

Portsmouth 10 Jun 1806 - 27 Jun Madeira - 3

Oct Cape - 11 Jan 1807 Bombay - 14 Mar Point

de Galle - 14 May St Helena - 6 Sep Downs

Map of the course of the Huddart.

The three images concerning the Huddart are taken from newspaper articles:-

The Morning Chronicle (London, England), Tuesday, June 3, 1806; Issue 11558. (33)
EAST INDIA DOCKS, BLACKWALL . The Morning Chronicle (London, England), Thursday, July 31, 1806; Issue 11608. (34)
The Morning Post (London, England), Monday, June 09, 1806; Issue 12016. 19th Century British Library Newspapers: Part II. (37)
Caledonian Mercury (Edinburgh, Scotland), Saturday, August 22, 1807; Issue 13361. (38)
Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle etc (Portsmouth, England), Monday, September 7, 1807; Issue 413. (39)
Trewman's Exeter Flying Post or Plymouth and Cornish Advertiser (Exeter, England), Thursday, September 10, 1807; Issue 2292. (40)

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The Convoy