Dissecting the GAoP Seaman

[Fox]

To start the ball rolling let's begin with an inventory of goods belonging to Patrick Evans, master of a small trading vessel, 1679. Evans fell overboard and drowned (hence the inventory of his goods). This one is, I think, quite interesting because of all the recent discussions about pirates taking clothes and whatnot from their victims - well, here's a list of the things they might have taken from the captain of one of their prizes.

Inventory of the estate of Patrick Evans, taken Nov. 19, 1679, by George Hewes and Stephen Greenleafe, and sworn to at Rowley, Nov. 20, 1679, before Daniell Denison and Nath. Saltonstall, assistant; one paire of rough sleeves, 18d; halfe a yard of dowles, 3s; six neckcloths as 12d a peece, 6s; 2 paire of drawers, 5s; 4 shirts, 14s; thre old silke neckcloths, 4s; a white Jackett, 2s; two blew shirts & one pr drawers, 6s; a carpet; 6s; a coat & briches, 10s; cloth sute, 30s; 4 paire stockings, 7s; one paire old silke drawers, 3s; one old sea gowne, 14s; old silke wastcot, 2s; 6 old handchercher, 3s; one silver spoone & paper of buttons, 7s; stuff and gunter scale compass, 11s; one calbush tipt with silver, 40s; sea booke, 5s; one hatt, 4s; 18 glas bottles, 6s; barrel of Rum, 30 gallons, 3li; one barrell of suger 2C½, 50s; one sea chest, 8s; total 16li 7s 6d.

[greenighs]

We can only assume that either he was wearing his bucket boots and velvet justaucorps when he drowned, or that someone in his crew appropriated them before the vessel returned to port.

[JoshuaRed]

Nice, Green.

I'm surprised at the amount of neckcloths...9 in all.

What's a Sea Gowne? Foul weather gear?

And a calbush? Can't find a definition anywhere.

Funny that they make the distinction between just "4 shirts" followed by the two blue shirts and pair of drawers...

And a "coat & briches" vs. the "cloth sute".

Thanks Foxe, this is good stuff.

[Fox]

We can only assume that either he was wearing his bucket boots and velvet justaucorps when he drowned, or that someone in his crew appropriated them before the vessel returned to port.

Precisely!

I think that his sea gowne is probably the same thing as the "frocks" which turn up quite often in seamen's inventories. They are probably what I would describe as a smock - about the same length as a short jacket, but with no opening at the front except for a small one at the neck. They were popular right through from the 16th century, and are still worn by some fishermen.

Could a "calbush" be a calabash? A kind of gourd, but the term has transposed itself to mean a gourd-like vessel too. One also comes across calabash pipes, but I think this reference is too early for that.

[JoshuaRed]

That was my thought - calabash. Dampier mentioned them frequently so I'd guess that what it is.

[Daniel]

Well, I see that there isn't any footgear in the inventory whatsoever, so be it sandals, buckle shoes, or bucket-topped boots, it went over the side with him. I doubt a master would have been barefoot...

What about the sea book? Would that have been a log/rutter? Or a manual?

[JoshuaRed]

Yes, you're probably right - his footwear went into the deep with him. Which means they could not have been very valuable, or there was someone on board who would have ratted to his family had someone tried to bury him barefoot.

[Coastie04]

Well, the nine neckcloths could easily have been turned into the bandanas we commonly see pirates wearing on their heads. I take it the six non-silk cloths were probably cotton or some common material?

One question I have is what is the 'rough sleeves'? Was it some sort of working shirt or foul weather gear? I just haven't heard that term before.

Nice list, though. Thanks Foxe.

Coastie

[JoshuaRed]

I'd think that the "6 old handchercher" would be more likely to be worn around the head than a neckcloth...those neckcloths seem a little thin and spare to do much good on the head. But I suppose that they would make decent "Rambo" style headbands....

[Daniel]

Wait a sec; was Evans' body recovered? I was proceeding from the assumption that his body had been lost when he drowned.

[Fox]

The records don't actually say, which I think probably means that the body was not recovered. They say that he fell overboard and was lost, with no mention of recovery.

The sea booke I would imagine is most likely a rutter, but it might have been a log or, as you suggest, a manual of some kind.

I'm having difficulty with the "rough sleeves" too, but odd sets of sleeves do turn up occasionally on other inventories.

[kass]

This is me just postulating, but there are separate sleeves used in other periods of history (up until the mid-20th century I believe) for dirty work. One particular 17th century use I remember is for work with cattle. Rough sleeves were pulled on over the top of your other clothing to protect it (or possiby your arms) from dirt or harmful things.

[Gentleman of Fortune]

And it is from 1679.... which is kind of Early GAoP. Wierd sleeve thing though...

GoF

[Slopmaker Cripps]

The frocks were just oversized shirts. Usually they are made of heavier materials such as linen osnaburg, fustian, and lightweight sailcloth (light enough to blow in the wind based on a later period painting...though it is clearly sailcloth even that late).

Just taking a break....have to get back to my paper on *gasp* the 1680s pirate raids and the downfall of the Spanish mission system....

Cheers,

Adam C., Slopman

[Pirate Petee]

Foul weather gear?

Did a little bit of research, Foul Weather Gear, consisted of oilskins and sea boots? Then I did some search sea boots, just no bloody pictures.

Smashs forehead into key board.

"Dsjvjsvj pfj diopasf’ ;adfj;sadf asdjfljasd"

[kass]

Petee, I hearily welcome you do my world! Have a beer, mate!

[Pirate Petee]

Thanks Kass,

[Patrick Hand]

I was looking for something else, so of course I didn't bookmark the page....

But I found a reference to knitted sleeve covers (can't remember what they were called) ... basicaly they were like legwarmers that were worn over sleeves in bad weather..... maybe that's what the 'rough sleeves' were....

[hitman]

A quick question that may show just how dumb I am here but.....

I didn't notice any type of personal items and few navigational tools. I quess what I am looking for would be jewelry or some form of personalised effects. It could be I have trouble imagining someone gone for so long a time without haveing mementos of home. Is it common that these things would not be listed or did they just not have them?

[dasNdanger]

Okay - I'm getting confused. Can we break this down a bit...

Let's see what we have, with some of my own questions added (my questions/observatios in italics):

1. one paire of rough sleeves, 18d; (perhaps work sleeves worn over arms to protect clothing/skin, or an odd set of sleeves. Could they have been removed from a garment to make it sleeveless, and held onto if needed again?)

2. halfe a yard of dowles, 3s; (?? is this a wooden dowel, or dowle, as in down feathers? Or is it dowlas, a coarse linen cloth made in the north of England and in Scotland? My vote is on the latter.)

3. six neckcloths as 12d a peece, 6s; (self-explanitory - but what material?)

4. 2 paire of drawers, 5s; (Wow - silk...I don't even wear silk drawers!! Must be nice... )

5. 4 shirts, 14s; (self-explanitory)

6. thre old silke neckcloths, 4s; (self-explanitory)

7. a white Jackett, 2s; (What style, do you think?)

8. two blew shirts & one pr drawers, 6s; (Separate from the other shirt and drawers - why? Poorer quality material, perhaps?)

9. a carpet; 6s; (Carpet? Was this a rug, or something else? Carpet was an old term for a table cover, or could this refer to some sort of blanket?)

10. a coat & briches, 10s; (A justaucorps, perhaps, or some other style coat? Britches are self-explanitory.)

11. cloth sute, 30s; (What would this have been? A matched set of clothes, perhaps finery for town?)

12. 4 paire stockings, 7s; (self-explanitory)

13. one paire old silke drawers, 3s; (self-explanitory - but why separate from the rest?)

14. one old sea gowne, 14s; (probably the same thing as the "frocks" which turn up quite often in seamen's inventories. They are probably what I would describe as a smock - about the same length as a short jacket, but with no opening at the front except for a small one at the neck.)

15. old silke wastcot, 2s; (Self-explanitory)

16. 6 old handchercher, 3s; (self-explanitory - Perhaps for nose-blowing as opposed to sweat-mopping??)

17. one silver spoone & paper of buttons, 7s; (A silver spoon, but no knife/fork?? Buttons sewn onto paper...like they still are, basically. What sort of paper? Must update me kit...)

18. stuff and gunter scale compass, 11s; (Stuff?? Any ideas? Gunter's Scale is a large plane scale, usually 2 feet long, used for navigation. Was the compass separate, or just part of the Gunter's scale description?)

19. one calbush tipt with silver, 40s; (calabash - A kind of gourd, perhaps a gourd-like vessel, or perhaps a pipe. One source says 'A water dipper, bottle, basket, or other utensil made from the dry shell of a calabash or gourd.' I wonder if it was a personal drinking cup?)

20. sea booke, 5s; (a log book, or manual - Foxe, what is a 'rutter'?)

21. one hatt, 4s; (self-explanitory - anyone venture to guess what kind?)

22. 18 glas bottles, 6s; (What sort of bottles? Medicine? Empty? Other?)

23. barrel of Rum, 30 gallons, 3li; (Whoa. No spyglass. No compass. No boots. But he had 30 gallons of RUM and silk drawers!! A real party boy! WOO-HOO!!)

24. one barrell of suger 2C½, 50s; (Quite a bit of sugar, too. Was it common for a man to bring his own stores along?)

25. one sea chest, 8s; (self-explanitory)

Whew...that was rough. Interesting to see what was NOT in the inventory. No other books or Bible. No writing instruments, unless that is grouped in with 'stuff'. No sewing kit, no belts or buckles, no knives, no personal games (dice, cards), no shaving/toilet kit...no comb. Why are these things (and the like) missing - could others have helped themselves to the more valuable items before inventory was made, or were they not commonly owned by everyone, and shared amongst a group instead?

das

[Fox]

"Frocks" either side of the GAoP were also knitted. Not yet found a GAoP example of a knitted one, but it is a possibility. They usually differ from shirts by having tapered sleeves rather than fastened cuffs - though they occasionally turn up with fastend cuffs (see Hogarth's Idle Apprentice in the boat for example)

Petee, what period foul weather gear did you look up?

IIRC the reason this inventory was drawn up was because of accusations that the owner and supercargo of Evans' vessel had privately disposed (given away and sold) some of Evans' effects. This might account for some of the stuff which is missing and really should be there, but the whole point of the inventory was to show what Evans owned before his death, so it's unlikely anything significant (like bucket boots, earrings, crushed velvet justacorps etc) is missing from it. Bear in mind that this is a typical small trading vessel, space was at an absolute premium, and everyone had to take minimal stuff.

Ok, on to Das's post (why are these always so extensive? - I love it really)

2. halfe a yard of dowles, 3s: I would say this is almost certainly the fabric dowlas

7. a white Jackett, 2s: Where the terms "jacket" and "coat" are used in the same document to describe different items it tends to imply that a jacket is a shorter garment. In this case the jacket is probably a typical short seaman's jacket.

8. two blew shirts & one pr drawers, 6s: the difference in value would certainly imply different quality from the earlier drawers.

9. a carpet; 6s; Could be any damn thing. Since no bedding is mentioned it could even be a heavy bed-rug.

11. cloth sute, 30s; Judging by the value I wouldn't be surprised if this were a 3 piece, possibly in good fabric. The coat in the previous article is interesting. I'm gonna make myself unpopular here by claiming that not all "coats" in the 16th and 17th centuries were justacorps. I've come across references to coats and "jasto corps" in the same document, implying a difference, and period art certainly shows a difference between the well fitted and shaped justacorps that some people wear and the slightly shapeless long coats that others wear. Given the value of this "sute" it may well have included a justacorps, but the "coat" above may not have been one.

17. one silver spoone & paper of buttons, 7s: The lack of fork is not at all surprising, forks were not commonplace until some time later (the were banned in the RN until 1897). The lack of knife is odd, but see my explanation above. It may be though that the spoon is carried for wealth (or as a gift to someone), since it is silver and is lumped in with the buttons - buttons, unlike earrings apparently, were a very popular form of portable wealth.

18. stuff and gunter scale compass, 11s: "Stuff" could be anything (it could be all those little things non-valuable things which are apparently missing; comb, razors, spare shoe laces etc). The word also sometimes referred to fabric. Originally Gunter Scales were the ruler like device you describe, but by the mid 17thC Gunter scales were quite often engraved onto other instruments, commonly quadrants. I would imagine that the "gunter scale compass" may well be that kind of combination instrument

20. sea booke, 5s: A rutter is a book detailing routes and coasts. It contains detailed instructions on how to enter and leave harbours, pictures of what different islands look like from different directions, locations of good and bad anchorages, that kind of thing.

24. one barrell of suger 2C½, 50s: It was very common for the crew of merchantmen (particularly the officers) to be a llowed a small amount of hold space for their own private trade goods, so they could supplement their wages. I imagine that was what the sugar was. The rum may have been the same.

[dasNdanger]

Thanks, Foxe. Very interesting inventory, indeed - actually had a lot more clothes than I expected someone to have at sea, considering the space available. What do you make of the bottles, though? Seems like a lot of bottles to have hanging around, even if they were small. Could they have been empty bottles? Again - seems odd to hoard a bunch of empty bottles, but if they were filled, it's strange for their contents not to be noted. What do you make of it...anything?

das

[JoshuaRed]

Barrel of rum? Empty bottles? Tap that sucker!!! Betcha that's what they were for.

[hitman]

Agian I am amazed at the lack of a memento from home or some religious article. as a truck driver I spend most of my time in a space much smaller than a captians cabin (less they made em smaller than 70"x102") and I have a monstrous amount of stuff crammed in there for the size. Before I started teaming with my brother I had two prints in the truck (One of Christ with some children and one of dogs playing poker ) a full size callender about 4 paper backs a Bible clothes three knives tools and alot more. It must be a moderen thing but I would have sworn that there would be more aboard even with space a premium (weight being a premium with me) Oh well

[dasNdanger]

I suppose, like Foxe suggested, that some of his effects had been privately disposed of...but I would still think that a shaving/toilet kit would have been a rather significant thing to have go missing. (In comparison, the old silk drawers might not have been missed.)

The idea that the bottles were for the rum - well, that might be...but in a small trading vessel, would they have tolerated that much space taken up by empty bottles? Any more thoughts on these bottles?

das