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Petition of Mary Nowell, widow of Dartmouth

© Crown Copyright

Devon Heritage Centre QS/128/42/33 (1688)

Transcribed by Bev Edmonds


To the Rt. Hon'able & Rt. Worp'lls His Maj'ties: Justices of Peace at ye Court of Sessions held in ye County of
Devon:


The humble Petition of Mary NOWELL, widdow of Harnes In Dartmo:

Humbly Sheweth:

That yo'r petitioners son Michael Sanuders was an apprentice unto Thomas Blackler of Dartmo: who in a
Ship of that place called ye Eagle The said Blackler Com'and' [Commander] went hence in her intended
voiage for Newfoundland & from thence goeing with her Loading of fish toward ye Straights about ffifty
Leagues off of ye Souther Cape meet wth a Sally man of warr wch. had 4 guns 12 Petereerers and see men
[seaman] wch. came up & boarded them fireing on my awhole broadside & entring abord 20 of ye Turkes,
the Said Blackler as valiently defended himselfe ( Killing 4 of ye Turkes and wounding 8 ye rest leapt over
bord) altho the sd: m' was by ye first broadside wounded in ye Knee. The Turkes man of Warr boarded ym ?
[them] a Second time upon wch. ye master as he was letting fire to ashes of powder ye was place by ye
mast to have blowne up ye midle deck a Sparke of fire as tis Suppose fell from theire Match & fired a bar..?
[Barrel?] powder wch was in ye hold at ye hatch way & blew abrod ye Ship wch Imediably Sunke ye m'
[me?] & men all perishing wth' her except ye mate & this Michal Saunders efors'd [aforesaid] who were
Miraculously preserved on a Spare Top mast but how the came out from underdeck they doe not
remember, but were taken up by ye Turkes and are now miserable Captives And yo' Petitoner being a mean
Condition & her Sonn a Carpenter whose ransom will therefor be ye greater desire this Hon'ble" Bench to
consider ye deplorable Condition of her Son & to afford him the Benevolence of ye County And yr' Petition'r
shall Ever pray.

We have Seen ye Ltr: [Letter] rec'd from Michal SAUNDERS aboves'd And doe assert the conts [contents] of
this petition to be w'? in therin written & believed to be true.

Signed

Benjamin Rooke .... Major

Arthur Holdsworth

Ambrose Roope

Ambrose Roope, junr:

Thomas Baddiford

Joseph Bulley

Andrewe Langdon

William Spenceley?

William Spurwary

Geo' Kennycott?

Robert Clapp

Will: Voysey