Name of Vessel:

Patty

Master of Vessel:

John Green

Rig of Vessel:

Brig

Date of Capture:

21 July 1777

Place of Capture:

55°22'N, 3°20'E, 150 miles northeast by east from Spurn Head

Captor:

Continental Navy Cutter Revenge

Home Port:

King’s Lynn, England

From What Port:

King’s Lynn, England

To What Port:

Wyburgh [Baltic Sea]

Cargo:

Ballast

Tonnage:

Battery:

Crew:

Owners:

[Elsden of King’s Lynn, England]

Prize master:

Prize crew:

Ordered Into:

Into What Port:

Date Arrived:

Date Tried:

Ransomed, 21 July 1777

Date Sold:

Action:

No

Recaptured:

No

Comments: On 21 July 1777, at about 1600 Continental Navy Cutter Revenge(Captain Gustavus Conyngham) chased two  brigs to windward and came up with them in the evening, at that time being at 55°22'N, 3°20'E, 150 miles northeast by east from Spurn Head. They both struck. Both were in ballast. One, the Maria (John Warns) was burned (Bailey reported seeing her on fire at 2200), and Conyngham “made a Merit of Necessity by ransoming the other for Six Hundred Guineas.” This was the Patty (John Green), bound from King’s Lynn, England to Wyburgh, a Baltic Sea port, in ballast. The prisoners from the previous prizes were put on the ransomed brig. The crews of the first two prizes wanted to go in the ransomed vessel, but were not allowed to. Two of these men were later in the prize crew of the Venus. The ransom bills were drawn by John Green of the brig Patty on Muillman and Sons of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, at thirty days sight. Three copies were forwarded to Deane. A ransomer, James (or William) Grace (or Grice), was taken aboard until the bills were paid.

The British heard of these captures on 25 July. The owner of the Patty, which must have arrived about this time, one Edmund Elsden of King’s Lynn, England, informed Sir Stanier Porten on that day.  He said the sloop or cutter mounted sixteen guns, with swivels and had about 100 men in her crew. The sloop was called the Pegasus (Captain Richard Allen) out of North Carolina. One of the privateer’s crew told Green privately that she had been fitted out at Havre de Gras and had been out only four days. Her rigging appeared brand new. Sir Stanier Porten, reporting this letter to Lord Weymouth, concluded she was the cutter Greyhound from Dunkerque “for one Richard Allen, who called himself the Proprietor, was the Person who cleared out that Vessel from that Port.”

By 10 September Revenge was at El Ferrol, from where Grice was allowed to write his wife. This letter found its way to Elsden, who informed Lord Weymouth of the contents on 11 October 1777. As payment had been stopped on the bills Elsden hoped Lord Weymouth would use his influence to get the ransomer released.

On 27 December 1777, Silas Deane, at Paris, wrote to Vieus and Morrell. Deane had forwarded a letter to Grand from Conyngham and one from his hostage, which were to be forwarded to Vieus and Morrell. Deane hoped these had arrived and that no further disputes would arise about the ransom money. The hostage admitted he was well treated. He would have his liberty when the ransom money was paid. This was following the rules and customs of nations at war, and by these rules the Americans would conduct themselves. The “whole Affair is exceeding simple, the Hostage is held for a certain Sum that sum paid, he shall be at Liberty. . .but to give other Security is out of all Rule & the Demand to say no more of it is extravagant.”

[NDAR, IX, 517-519 and 519 note, 537 and note, 599-601; X, 197-199 and 200 notes, 901-902, 1153]

Revised 20 January 2009