Difference between revisions of "Week Three Team Exercise"

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Week Three Team Exercise

Editorial history

Created 15/06/14 by CSG

Purpose of page

This page sets our a team exercise which Team Three will we working on in Week Three of the MarineLives 2014 Summer Programme

Suggested links

Virginia tobacco trade in the 1650s

Goals

• To develop our research skills to explore places and material goods, using Virginia and Tobacco as a case example

Search hints

General search hints

Search the three major wikis (in terms of numbers of pages transcribed and searchable)

AnnotateHCA1371 Front_Page
AnnotateHCA1372 Front_Page
AnnotateHCA1373 Front_Page

You may also wish to search

AnnotateHCA1364 Front_Page

Researching Virginia in the Admiralty Court Records

Think about geographical search terms and their spelling variants, e.g.

• Virginia
• Yorke River/York River
• James River
• Jamestowne/Jamestown/James Towne/James Town
• Nausemum
• Rapahannuck
• Potomack

Researching Tobacco in the Admiralty Court Records

Think about orthographical variation of the basic search term for tobacco

• Tobacco
• Tobaccoe
• Tobaccoes
• Other variants?

Questions to explore

What were the ports of origin of ships visiting Virginia, and what routes did they take?

• Direct voyages from London and Bristol to Virginia?
• Indirect voyages from London (and elsewhere) via Guinea Coast and Angolan Coast of Africa?

Can you identify trading links between Virginia and Barbados, between Virginia and New England, and Virginia and the Bermudas?

• What goods were traded between these places?

When did the London and Bristol ships arrive each year at Virginia? How long did they stay? When did they depart with tobacco for London?

Can you identify ships and merchants from Amsterdam trading with Virginia?

What was the cost of passage for a passenger from London to Virginia, and how did it compare with the cost of passage for a passage for a passenger from Bristol to Virginia?

Can you identify the names of correspondents or agents of London merchants in Virginia?

• Were these correspondents or agents family members? If not, how were they related to the London merchants?

Did tobacco come just from Virginia?

• Spanish West Indies? Bermudas? Barbados?

How was tobacco transported and stored?

• Hogsheads, barrells?

What was the carrying capacity of ships gfrom Virginia to England?

• Hogsheads per ship?
• Hogsheads per tunn of ship's burthen?

What was the role of the cooper in the transportation and storage of tobacco?

- Can you find witness statements by coopers describing what they did with tobacco?

What was the price or value of tobacco in Virginia vs. London?

• Price in sterling?
• Price in sugar equivalent?
• Price in non-sterling currencies?

Did tobacco price changes vary seasonally and/or between years?

How was tobacco distributed and sold once it arrived in London?

• Role of grocers? Role of tobacconists?

Can you find evidence of tobacco sale and use in English ports and towns outside London?

Interesting cases

HCA 13/71

• Ewer against Watts

HCA 13/72

• John Jeffreyes and Robert Lewellin against Jacob Moulson
• Warren against Watson and How

HCA 13/73

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Interesting individuals

William Claybourne the Secretary of State in Virginia
John Jefferies of London Merchant aged forty yeares

Interesting ships

Alexander of London (1654)
Anne
Anne Claere of London
Beare of Bristol
James
Golden Lyon
John and Katherine
Peter and jane of London
Providence of London
Sea horse
William of London (1654 & 1655)

Synthesis: Virginia

[INSERT DATA]

Synthesis: Tobacco

[INSERT DATA]