Ceres (1802 ship)

For other ships with the same name, see Ceres (ship).

History
United Kingdom
Name| Ceres
Namesake| Ceres \- the Roman goddess of agriculture
Owner| 1806: Samuel Newton, Thomas Hayes, & Thomas Graham[1]
Launched| 1800 or 1802
Fate| Capsized late 1806 or early 1807
General characteristics
Tons burthen| 128[2][1] (bm)
Propulsion| Sail
Sail plan| Brig
Notes| Built of Bermuda cedar (Juniperus bermudiana)

Ceres was launched at Bermuda in 1800,[2] or 1802.[1] She came to Liverpool in 1806 and commenced a voyage as a slave ship. She was wrecked in late 1806 or early 1807 as she was leaving Africa for the West Indies, with a full cargo of slaves, all of whom apparently were lost.

## Career

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Ceres was first listed in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1806 with Mortimore, master, S. Newton & Co., owners, and trade Liverpool–Africa.[2]

Between 1 January 1806 and 1 May 1807, 185 vessels cleared Liverpool outward bound in the slave trade. Thirty of these vessels made two voyages during this period. Of the 155 vessels, 114 were regular slave ships, having made two voyages during the period, or voyages before 1806.[3] Ceres was one of the 30 vessels that twice cleared outbound.

Captain John Mortimer sailed from Liverpool on 7 January 1806, bound for the area between Rio Nuñez and the Assini River. She had a crew of 26 men.[1]

Lloyd's List reported on 14 January 1806 that Ceres, Mortimer, master, "from Africa", was on shore near Liverpool and was reportedly a total loss.[4] Some two weeks later Lloyd's List reported that Ceres, Mortimer, master, which had gotten on shore while sailing from Liverpool to Africa, had been gotten off and had returned to Liverpool.[5]

Ceres, Mortimer, master, set out again, but on 10 March she was among the vessels that a violent gale drove ashore as they were outward bound from Liverpool.[6] Several of these vessels, Ceres among them, were got off and brought back to dock in Liverpool as they had been damaged.[7]

At some point John Williams became Ceres's captain.[1] On 6 August Ceres, of Liverpool, Williams, master, arrived off the Windward Coast of Africa.[8]

## Loss

[edit]

Lloyd's List reported on 20 March 1807 that Ceres, of Liverpool, Williams, master, had capsized off Cape Mesurado. She was bound for the West Indies with a full cargo of captives. Thirteen of her crew were saved.[9][10] Captain John Williams was reported to have been among the people drowned. This was his first voyage as master of an enslaving ship.[11]

In 1807, 12 British enslaving vessels were lost. Six were lost in the middle passage between Africa and the West Indies.[12]

During the period 1793 to 1807, war, rather than maritime hazards or resistance by the captives, was the greatest cause of vessel losses among British enslaving vessels.[13]

## Citations

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1. ^ a b c d e Trans Atlantic Slave Trade database – Voyages: Ceres, voyage #80770.
2. ^ a b c LR (1806), "C" supple. pages, Seq.№C7.
3. ^ Williams (1973), p. 4.
4. ^ Lloyd's List №4288.
5. ^ Lloyd's List №4294.
6. ^ Lloyd's list №4305.
7. ^ Lloyd's List №4038.
8. ^ Lloyd's List №4104, Ship arrival and departure (SAD) data.
9. ^ Lloyd's List №4136.
10. ^ Inikori (1996), p. 74.
11. ^ Behrendt (1990), p. 139.
12. ^ Inikori (1996), p. 62.
13. ^ Inikori (1996), p. 58.

## References

[edit]

* Behrendt, Stephen D. (1990). "The Captains in the British slave trade from 1785 to 1807" (PDF). Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire. 140.
* Inikori, Joseph (1996). "Measuring the unmeasured hazards of the Atlantic slave trade: Documents relating to the British trade". Revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer. 83 (312): 53–92\. doi:10.3406/outre.1996.3457.
* Williams, David M. (1973). "Abolition and the re-deployment of the slave fleet, 1807-1811". Journal of Transport History. 2 (2). Sage: 103–113\. doi:10.1177/002252667300200203. S2CID 158922535.

* v
* t
* e

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1806

Shipwrecks|

* 10 Jan: Atalante, Bato
* 11 Jan: HMS Hibernia
* 15 Jan: HMS Anson
* January (unknown date): British Tar, Ceres
* 6 Feb: Diomède, Impérial
* 11 Feb: Britannia
* 17 Feb: HMS Jupiter
* February (unknown date): Agincourt
* 10 Mar: Ceres
* March (unknown date): Earl Fauconberg, Hired armed lugger Venus
* 4 Apr: Lancaster
* 12 Apr: Brave
* 20 Apr: Lady Burges
* 22 Apr: Governor King
* 10 May: Swan
* 20 May: Sydney
* 24 May: HMS Berbice
* 13 Jul: Tellicherry
* 18 Jul: Bee
* July (unknown date): Will
* 2 Aug: Holderness
* 21 Aug: Exeter, Nutwell
* 23 Aug: Herculean
* 24 Aug: Coverdale
* 25 Aug: Britannia
* 3 Sep: Backhouse
* 14 Sep: Impétueux
* September (unknown date): HMS Flight
* 20 Oct: HMS Athenienne
* 30 Oct: HMS Zenobia
* 4 Nov: HMS Redbridge
* 29 Nov: Port au Prince
* 17 Dec: Loyal Sam
* 21 Dec: Skelton Castle
* 25 Dec: Stotfield fishing disaster
* Unknown date: George, Jane, John and James, Minerva, Rosina

Other incidents|

* Jan HMS Manly
* 23 Jan: Broderick
* 21 May: HMS Dominica
* 13 Jun: Henriette
* 11 Dec: HMS Surinam

1805 1807

* v
* t
* e

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1807

Shipwrecks|

* 23 Jan: HMS Orpheus
* 12 Feb: HMS Atalante
* 13 Feb: HMS Wagtail, HMS Woodcock
* 14 Feb: HMS Ajax
* 18 Feb: HMS Snipe
* 28 Feb: Contest
* February (unknown date): Thought
* 4 Mar: HMS Blanche
* 5 Mar: HMS Pigmy
* 8 Mar: Crescent
* March (unknown date): HMS Cesar
* 20 Apr: HSwMS Ulla Fersen
* 29 May: HMS Jackal
* 30 May: Ganges
* 17 Jul: Pretty Lass
* 27 Jul: Fame
* 13 Aug: HMS Cassandra
* 14 Oct: HMS Pert
* 16 Oct: HMS Maria
* 25 Oct: HMS Subtle
* 10 Nov: Salisbury
* 28 Nov: HMS Boreas, Lady Warren
* 10 Dec: Otter
* 29 Dec: HMS Anson
* December (unknown date): Adolphe, Albion
* Unknown date: Ceres, Eliza Ann, HMS Moucheron

Other incidents|

* 13 May HMS Dauntless

1806 1808
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