1798 Voyage on the Barbara, James Lucas as one of the Harpooners.

The first direct mention I’ve found of James Lucas is 14 September 1798, when his name is listed on an Admiralty Protection List as a Harpooner on the ship Barbara, master Jethro Gardner. He would be 18 years old and would have had to have had previous whaling experience in order to be listed as a Harpooner.

Six days later on 20 September 1798 the Barbara appears in Lloyd’s List as departing from Deal to the South Seas. Travelling with the Barbara was the Resolution, master Irosh [Irish?], owner Mellish. In these times of war and uncertainty ships would often travel together. In this case the ships had different owners, but were travelling together.

They were next mentioned in Lloyd’s List as passing Maderia, 26 October 1798. By November 26th 1798, on Lloyd’s List, the Barbara and the Resolution “parted from E.I. Fleet 45.45 x 13.10”. Not sure what this means! I think E.I. might be a misspelling for F.I. which would be Falklands Islands, and 45.45 x 13.10 would be the lat/long. But could they get that far in a month?

And that is the end of the information for that voyage of the Barbara. No date of the return or any other information on the outcome of the voyage.

1800 Voyage of the Barbara–Captured at Rio de las Plata

The next mention of the Barbara in Lloyd’s List is 3 November 1801 at Wallwich Bay (South Africa), but this time the master is William Clarke. The Barbara is listed with a number of other ships including the Resolution. In the Admiralty Protection List for Clarke’s voyage on the Barbara departing London in 1800 James Lucas is not mentioned, but this doesn’t mean he wasn’t on the voyage, just that he wasn’t specifically named in the protection list for that voyage.

The last mention of the Barbara is 16 March 1802, where the Barbara, master Clark, is captured (by whom? the Spanish, presumably) and taken into Rio de las Plata. So… what was the story of the changing masters? Were there two voyages and did the Barbara complete a voyage with Gardner, and then go on a second voyage with Clark as the Master?

Press Gangs, The Whaling Trade and Protections

Impressment is the right of the Crown to compel seamen to join the Royal Navy in the time of war. During almost the whole time that Joseph Lucas and James Lucas were involved in the whaling trade Great Britain was at war, first during the American War of Independence, and then the Napoleonic Wars.

To quote from A.G.E. Jones, p.264. “The Greenland and Davis Straits trade, and the South Seas trade, which provided oil for lighting and many commercial uses, were essential trades, in peace and war. To help keep them going, the owners were given Admiralty protections for masters, harpooners, boat-steerers and line-coilers. The other officers and crew could be pressed”.