Wage book for the slave trading ship True Blue captained by Richard Griffiths
- On View
- Slavery and Freedom Gallery
- Museum Maps
- Objects in this Location
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Written by
- Griffiths, Richard, English
- Subject of
- Davenport, William, English, 1725 - 1797
- Date
- 1770-1772
- Medium
- ink on paper (fiber product)
- Dimensions
- H x W: 7 7/8 x 6 5/16 in. (20 x 16 cm)
- Description
- This bound volume contains information regarding Captain Richard Griffiths and his crew aboard the slave trading ship True Blue, sailing from Liverpool, England to Benin and on to Kingston, Jamaica. The covers are made from a red marbled paper and the text [Ship / True Blue / Wages Book / Sail’d 6 april 1770] is written on the front cover in ink. The eighty-three (83) total interior pages have text pertaining to the 41 members of the crew, debits (including brandy, cloth, other goods, cash advances, and hospital money) and credits (including, to the Captain, "3 Privilige Slaves"). Most of the accounts concluding with an acknowledgement of receipt of the final sum due signed by either the crewmember or their beneficiary. It also recorded the 24 deaths and 1 desertion among the crew. The volume makes little note of the cargo of enslaved persons, of whom 365 embarked in Benin and only 206 disembarked in Kingston.
- Place depicted
- Liverpool, England, Europe
- Benin, West Africa, Africa
- Kingston, Jamaica, Caribbean, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Documents and Manuscripts
- Type
- account books
- Topic
- Business
- Commerce
- Finance
- Middle Passage
- Trans Atlantic slave trade
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2012.5.3
- Restrictions & Rights
- No known copyright restrictions
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.