Excavating the Histories of Slave-Trade and Pirate Ships: Property, Plunder and Loss

Description

This edited volume brings new perspectives on the topic maritime archaeology of the slave trade in the Caribbean. The book focuses on shipwrecks of the slave trade in the 18th century and suggests that there is a more complex and challenging social narrative than has previously been discussed. The authors examine biographies of ships, crew members, voyage logs, cargo inventories, trader correspondence and contextual analysis of the artifact assemblages to bring new insights into the microeconomics and maritime traditions of these floating prisons. The illustrious biography of Captain Edward Thache (aka Blackbeard) reveals past identities as a naval officer, slave trader, and pirate. Categories of artifacts in archaeological collections represent cultural connections and traditions of enslaved Africans. The volume includes several case studies that inform these narratives and examines slave ships such as la Concorde, Henrietta Marie, Whydah, La Marie Seraphique and Marquis de Bouillé. Within the larger context of slave trade during the 18th century, authors explore legal and illegal trade in the British West Indies. These studies also address the plethora of social, political, and environmental impacts on these island communities that played an integral and strategic role in slave trade economics. This volume presents up-to-date research of professional maritime historians, artifact curators, and marine archaeologists drawing upon primary source documents, artwork, and material culture. The research collaborators reconstruct the international spheres of colonial North America, Europe, Africa, and West Indies. It is an interwoven narrative, both unique and typical, to the social and economic dynamics of 18th century Atlantic World. Acknowledgments Contents Chapter 1: Introduction References Chapter 2: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Opportunities for (Il)legal Trade in the British West Indies Jamaica Before the Coming of the English: 1500–1655 Early English Buccaneering and Planting in Jamaica: 1655–1700 Sugar-Based Economies in the British West Indies: 1700–1763 The Dependencies of Sugar Monoculture Exposed: 1763–1783 (Non)compliance with the Navigation Acts 1783–1790s Conclusion References Chapter 3: Blackbeard: A Rebel’s Intent References Chapter 4: Maritime Miscommunication: La Concorde’s Final Voyage La Concorde’s Final Voyage Nantes and the French Slave-Trade in the Early Eighteenth Century Statements of Captain Dosset and Lieutenant Ernaud Concerning the Loss of La Concorde French Officials’ Correspondence Following Loss of La Concordes Discussion and Conclusion References Chapter 5: Artifacts of Restraint and Enslaved African Women of the Eighteenth Century Transatlantic Slave Trade Manacles and the Slave Trade Middle Passage Procedures Artifacts of Restraint on Plantations The Maritime Archaeological Record: Shipwreck Case Studies Henrietta Marie Brookes and Vigilante Slave Ships Demographics of the Transatlantic Slave Trade References Chapter 6: Gold and Glass: Seeking West African Expressions of Industry and Creativity Slave Ship Identity and Voyages Gold Trade in Africa Shipwreck Assemblage Gold Glass Artifacts Beads Pirates and Enslaved Africans: Extended Use of Slave Ship Artifacts Conclusion References Chapter 7: Pewter Discovered on Shipwrecks of Early Eighteenth Century Slave-Trade and Pirate Vessels Pewter in the Archaeological Record from Three Shipwrecks Henrietta Marie (1700) Whydah (1717) NC Shipwreck 31CR314: La Concorde/Queen Anne’s Revenge (1718) English Pewterers in the Eighteenth Century John Emes John Stile(s) William Eddon (also Eden, Edden, Eaton) Thomas Winchcombe William Smith (e) Stephen Bridges Joseph Hodges George Hammond Henry Sewdley Timothy Fly John Robyns English Pewter Trade in the Eighteenth Century Discussion References Chapter 8: Foodways, Global Markets, and Inclusivity Reflected Through the Ceramics Aboard a Ship with Two Names Why Study Ceramics Introducing the Ceramic Assemblage from La Concorde/Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck A Closer Look by the Numbers Provisioning for a Slave Ship and Pirate Crew Exploring Inclusivity in the La Concorde/QAR Ceramic Assemblage: Inferred and Tangible References Chapter 9: Marine Art as a Research Tool for Investigating Casks as a Form of Material Culture Found on Historic Shipwrecks Identified as Slave-Trade and Pirate Ships Historic Record Evidence for Casks in the Seventeenth-Eighteenth Century Atlantic World Regulation of Cask Materials, Construction, and Capacities Casks on Ships Casks Aboard Slave-Trade Vessels Casks Aboard Pirate Ships Casks in the Archaeological Record: Shipwrecks Henrietta Marie (1700) Whydah (1717) NC Shipwreck 31CR314: La Concorde/Queen Anne’s Revenge (1718) Casks in Marine Art in the Seventeenth–Eighteenth Century Atlantic World Discussion References Chapter 10: Discussion and Conclusion References