Ship Muster Rolls

[Mowsehowse]

Not sure if this qualifies as the Zen approach but  I made a search on google thus:

("Charming Sally" + arctic)

and there are several leads possibly worth following to gain information.

[Westoe]

Here's a possible book to look for. There is an illustration here and the author and title of the book are given.

http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/illustration/racehorse-and-carcass-ships-among-arctic-ice-stock-graphic/700721381

Cheers,
Westoe

[Westoe]

Hello again Colleen,

Have you also considered the Master's Log for that period? It will not give *all* the names that would appear on the muster roll, but it will include some crew names.

Rosie99 quoted files in "C", but the logs are ADM files.

Reference:   ADM 52/1416
Description:   
Racehorse
Date:   1773 Apr 19 - 1773 Oct 13
Held by:   The National Archives, Kew
Legal status:   Public Record(s)
Closure status:   Open Document, Open Description
Access conditions:   Normal Closure before FOI Act:

EDIT: Oooops! Rosie and I ARE quoting the same file.

Any roads, by posting a look-up request for that specific file, you *may* get some success from someone who is visiting TNA anyway. Logbooks do tend to be terse so it's not going to be the hours and hours of searching that I thought it would when I first read your initial post.

Cheers,
Westoe

[Westoe]

More:

Basic Google search for "RACEHORSE" + "arctic" + 1773 certainly starts your list of names.
 - 92 officers and men aboard
 - Master = Constantine John Phipps (the voyage frequently referred to as "the Phipps expedition")
 - Surgeon = Irving
 - one of the Lieut's = Cumming

and that's just from looking at one hit. You dig through them all and you'll get more.

Cheers,
Westoe

[adicol]

Thank you all so much for your help and the links.

I will look through them all and hopefully will be able to gather the info I require, without the need for a huge search fee!

You are all wonderful x

[Westoe]

You are welcome, Colleen,

But ... erm ... if there is a specific name you are hunting, you should tell it us. Some of us have access to resources a beginner doesn't.

Also ... I should have mentioned earlier .... most names mentioned in the Master's Log will be those of officers, but even common seamen could be named there by reason of death, injury or disciplinary action.

And ... in trawling through the Google hits, you'll see a discrepancy in the numbers. Page 58 of this hit:
The Arctic Navy List 1773-1873 - Page 13 - Google Books Result
https://books.google.ca/books?isbn=1781514275
Clements R. Markham - 2012 - ‎History
In the company of the “Royal Arctic Theatre,” and acted Sir Lucius O'Trigger in “The Rivals. ... Cumming, Mr.—Lieutenant in the Racehorse, (Phipps,) 1773.
says 92 officers and men .....

... wheras ...

... Page 7 of 27 pages of this PDF says 90 total.
[PDF]“A very interesting point in geography”: The 1773 Phipps Expedition ...
pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic37-4-402.pdf
The 1773 Phipps Expedition towards the North Pole. ANN SAVOURS (MRS. ...... rison's principles) taken to the Arctic in the Racehorse on trial, 1773. Later in.

I believe the discrepancy comes from the addition of two Greenland pilots to the company. As these were not members of the Royal Navy they would not have been included in the British figures of:
The complement to consist of
1 Commander
3 Lieutenants
1 Master
1 Boatswain
1 Gunner
1 Carpenter
1 Purser
1 Surgeon
1 Surgeons Mate
1 Cook
3 Masters Mates
6 Midshipmen
1 Captains Clerk
2 Quarter Masters
1 Quarter Masters Mate
2 Boatswains Mates
1 coxwain
1 Master sail maker
1 Sailmakers crew
1 Gunners Mate
1 Yeoman of the Powder Room
1 Quarter Gunner
1 dourer
2 Carpenters Mates
2 Carpenters Crew
1 Steward
1 Corporal -
 No. of officers: 40
 No. of seamen: 50
 Total complement: 90


Cheers,
Westoe

[adicol]

Hi Westoe,

I am researching the slave Olaudah Equiano for my University dissertation. He was given the name Gustavus Vassa and he claimed, and it is believed, that he was on board the Racehorse during its Arctic expedition, serving as an associate of Dr Charles Irving.
I am aware that there was a Gustavus Weston on board, who, like Vassa, was purported to have been born in South Carolina, and many academics believe this is Vassa, however despite searching Captain Phipps, and a boatswain's log, I can find nothing to suggest that this is the same man, other than a 'soundex' name. Moreover, there is no mention of Gustavus Weston being an associate - he is a ship's mate, and Charles Irvings associate is listed in Phipps log as an Alexander Gain.

I have also compared the accounts of all three men and there are many inconsistencies in Vassa's account, while the similarities are so similar it is evident that he has quoted Phipps verbatim.

I was hoping to provide evidence of the muster roll, but also to ascertain more info on Gustavus Weston, and to check if Vassa provided any other inconsistent, or plagiarised information on the Narum and the Charming Sally, which he also sailed on.

Thank you very much for the information you have provided so far, it has been a huge help. This is the first time in 14 years of Genealogy I have ever had to search for muster rolls and I am lost! x

[Mowsehowse]

ADICOL: The name Olaudah Equiano came up several times in the search I offered you previously...... if you have not already found those references it might be worth looking?

[adicol]

Hi MowseHowse,

Thanks for the reply. I did check your links so thanks for you help with that.

His name crops up a lot on the search because he has been studied quite extensively, however he never used his traditional African name on his expeditions; he used it later on and only to prove his 'African identity' when he was campaigning for abolition and to promote his book.
As such, any records for the ships he sailed on would have been in his 'slave name' of Gustavus Vassa, which he was given by his second master, Pascal.

Many thanks again for your help,

Colleen