The Council and General Court of Virginia were called upon
occasionally to settle controversies over vessels of various kinds and
to hear reports concerning others. The following reports are from the
records of the Court for 1622 to 1632.
At an early date, Robert Poole reported a trading voyage with the
Indians for Mr. "Treasurer," in the pinnace _Elizabeth_, during
which he gave ten arms length of blue beads for one tub of corn and
over, and thirteen arms length for another tub. Anne Cooper complained
that her late husband, Thomas Harrison, loaned a shallop to Lieutenant
George Harrison, late deceased. It was ordered by the Court that she
should receive one hundred pounds of merchantable tobacco from George
Harrison's estate.
An argument between John Utie and Bryan Caught resulted in the order
that the latter should build Utie a shallop eighteen feet, six inches
keel; six feet, six inches breadth; with masts, oars, yard and rudder,
and to find the 1100 nails and six score "ruff and clench" desired.
Utie was to pay Bryan for building the shallop six score pound weight
of tobacco, and to furnish the help of a boy and the boy's diet. Also,
he was to pay Bryan six score pounds of tobacco for a boat previously
built for him.
Captain Francis West, a member of the Council, desired that he be
given the use of the Spanish frigate with all her tackle, apparel,
munitions, masts, sails, yards, etc., that had been captured by John
Powell, with a shallop built for that purpose, on an expedition to the
West Indies in the man-of-war, _Black Bess_. He was required to pay
1200 pounds of tobacco to the captain and men.
In trading for corn for Southampton Hundred, John Powntis was allowed
a barrel of the corn for the use of his pinnace.
Mr. Proctor had to pay Mr. Perry fifty pounds of tobacco for splitting
Perry's shallop. Later, a shallop, which Edmund Barker sold to Mr.
Rastall's men, was ordered returned to Mr. Perry, and Edmund Barker to
be paid fifty pounds of tobacco for mending the shallop. To settle a
charge against Thomas Westone by several men, he was ordered to appear
before the Governor with his pinnace. At a later meeting, Thomas
Ramshee swore that Westone was owner of the ship _Sparrow_ and "did
set her out of his own charge, from London to Virginia." This was an
early seagoing vessel of a colonist, but whether built in Virginia, or
purchased, is not stated.
Nicholas Weasell received the most severe penalty, in cases concerning
boats, when he was ordered to serve Henry Geny the rest of the year
from February, for taking away Geny's boat without leave, "whereupon
it was bilged and spoiled."
Captain Claiborne purchased a shallop with appurtenances from Captain
John Wilcox who had been "at the plantation called Accomack" since
1621. He paid Wilcox 400 pounds of tobacco for the shallop, and sold
it to Thomas Harwood. Captain Wilcox failed to make delivery, and the
court ordered the attorney of Captain Wilcox to make satisfaction to
Thomas Harwood.
The court was called upon to settle a controversy between Captain
William Tucker and Mr. Roland Graine about a boat. A Mrs. Hurte was
named as the owner of another ship in the colony, the _Truelove_,
formerly owned by John Cross, deceased in England. A much discussed
case was that of William Bentley, on trial for the killing of Thomas
Godby, which resulted when Mr. Conge's boat ran ashore at Merry Point,
near William Parker's house. While there, Bentley, who had arrived in
the boat, got into a quarrel and fight with Godby, and was accused of
killing him.
These Court records show that most of the cases concerned vessels
built in the colony: boats, pinnaces, and shallops. The ships
mentioned were evidently of English make. The shallop was the most
popular boat for use in the colony. It was a small boat from sixteen
to twenty feet in length, fitted with one or two masts and oars, and
suitable for exploring the creeks and rivers, collecting corn from the
Indians, and transporting tobacco to waiting ships.