Giles Nicholls

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Giles Nicholls
Person Giles Nicholls
Title
First name Giles
Middle name(s)
Last name Nicholls
Suffix
Spouse of
Widow of
Occupation Mariner
Secondary shorebased occupation
Mariner occupation Master's mate
Associated with ship(s) Desire (Master: John Jackson)
Training Not apprentice
Is apprentice of
Was apprentice of
Had apprentice(s)
Citizen Unknown
Literacy Marke
Has opening text Giles Nicholls
Has signoff text +
Signoff image (Invalid transcription image)
Language skills English language
Has interpreter
Birth street
Birth parish
Birth town
Birth county
Birth province
Birth country
Res street
Res parish
Res town Sheilds
Res county Bishoprick of Durham
Res province
Res country England
Birth year 1605
Marriage year
Death year
Probate date
First deposition age 50
Primary sources
Act book start page(s)
Personal answer start page(s)
Allegation start page(s)
Interrogatories page(s)
Deposition start page(s) HCA 13/70 f.479v Annotate
Chancery start page(s)
Letter start page(s)
Miscellaneous start page(s)
Act book date(s)
Personal answer date(s)
Allegation date(s)
Interrogatories date(s)
Deposition date(s) Sep 21 1655
How complete is this biography?
Has infobox completed Yes
Has synthesis completed No
Has HCA evidence completed No
Has source comment completed No
Ship classification
Type of ship Coal ship
Silver Ship litigation in 1650s
Role in Silver Ship litigation None


Biographical synthesis

Giles Nicholls (b. ca. 1605; d. ?). Mariner.

Master's mate of the ship the Desire in February 1655.

"Hath belonged to the arlate shipp the Desire for theise two yeares last past".[1]

Resident in 1655 at Sheilds in the Bishopricke of Durham.

Evidence from High Court of Admiralty

Fifty year old Giles Nicholls deposed on September 21st 1655 in the High Court of Admiralty. He was examined on an allegation on behalf of John Jackson and company in the case of "Cary and Company owners of the Sisters against the shipp the Desire and against John Jackson and company".[2]

Giles Nicholls stated that he had been on board the ship the Desire on February 4th 1655 bound in for Tinmouth Haven to take in her lading of coals. The ship "being come about halfe way within the barr, the winds were soe strong and crosse that the sayd shipp could be gott noe further into the sayd haven". The master and company were forced to cast anchor and "did there ride by her anchors and cables for two tides being about the space of 24 hourers".[3]

Giles Nicholls was very knowledgeable about conditions at Tinmouth, and spoke "of his certaine knowledge living at Sheilds many yeares, and having made many voyages into Tinmouth havern arlate, the place where the sayd shipp the Desire did ride at anchor, is an usuall place for shipps to cast anchor and there to ride when crosse winds lett them from comming in further to the said haven". In his clear opinion there was room for the second ship, the Successe to have passed by without coming near or hazarding her. Moreover, Giles Nicholls claimed that he saw at least twenty ships pass the Desire by safely on the very same tide before the Sisters came and foell foul of the Desire.[4]

Comment on sources

  1. HCA 13/70 f.480r
  2. HCA 13/70 f.479v
  3. HCA 13/70 f.479v
  4. HCA 13/70 f.479v