LADY CATHERINE. Frigate 14 guns built circa 1775 for American Colonists, Virg. With Schooner CHARLESOWN AND SAVANNAH PACQUET of South Carolina carried out raid on gunpowder store at St Georges, Bermuda on night of 14 Aug 1775. 100 kegs of powder were removed from munitions shed in the grounds of Governor Brueres estate and smuggled aboard LADY CATHERINE. Outsailing local Customs boat she proceeded to Philadelphia where powder was sold to Pennsylvania Comm. of Safety -
Ship Stamp Encyclopaedia. Courtesy of T. Broadley.
Bermuda 1975. 20c. SG337
Lady Catherine
-
aukepalmhof
- Posts: 7791
- Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am
Re: Lady Catherine
1775. August 14. To the great outrage of Bermuda Governor George James Bruere, himself a former British Army Lieutenant Colonel, a party of armed Bermudians led by Colonel Henry Tucker, having previously plotted to do so illegally, furtively approached under cover of darkness, overpowered a single militia guard and scaled the high walls of the Powder Magazine in St. George's. The air vent that capped the magazine was quietly pried away and a man lowered by rope into the magazine where he was able to unseat the door from its hinges being careful not to cause a spark and set off the dry gunpowder stored within.
They then proceeded to steal nearly all the island's British Army entire supply of 100 barrels of gunpowder from Powder Magazine. They rolled the gunpowder down the hill to the shores of Tobacco Bay where a pre-arranged group of locally-made cedar dinghies were present to carry the precious cargo out beyond the reef to the waiting American sloops. The Charleston, SC committee of safety had sent the schooners LADY CATHERINE, CHARLESTOWN and SAVANNAH PACKET They had arrived secretly by night and had stayed clear of the reefs, also out of reach of British boats based in Bermuda then in Castle Harbour. The American ships, led by the LADY CATHERINE with 40 crew and Captain George Ord as its master, reached Charleston safely and deposited the powder with Captain John Cowper of North Carolina, Colonel Henry Tucker's agent in Charleston. The powder was later used to good effect at Fort Moultrie. The daring robbery later became known as Bermuda's 1775 Gunpowder Plot. As a result, the Continental Gongress embargo was then (briefly) lifted.
1775. August 14. After the Pennsylvania committee of safety engaged the sloop LADY CATHERINE Capt George Ord master, with 40 men as delegation to Bermuda to trade powder of St George's for exemption from the embargo, they made away with Henry Tucker's (of Somerset) 8 (1/2) barrells of powder. He credited the powder to Capt John Cowper, of North Carolina, Henry's Tucker's agent in America.
1775. August 15. By dawn an alarm was raised that the magazine had been raided and a Bermuda Pilot boat was dispatched to chase down the American sloop, the ships of the British Navy being too slow on the water to catch her. The Pilot boat eventually caught up to the sloop but being vastly outgunned by the American it turned around and headed back to Bermuda. However, the pilot boat skipper and crew identified the sloop as the LADY CATHERINE of Virginia. On shore, the British militia scoured the island looking for the gunpowder thieves. The Governor posted a reward of 100 pounds sterling for anyone who would testify against the gunpowder thieves. Despite the size then of this reward, there is no record of anyone willing to give evidence against Colonel Henry Tucker, who had arranged the theft of the gunpowder with his men. It was probably due to the huge influence of that family at that time, both in Bermuda and America. (Two of the Colonel's forefathers had been Governors of Bermuda). The Governor was furious and reported his anger to the King back in England. Later that day, a British Army Captain of militia found and burnt a Bermuda sloop being fitted out for an overseas journey by one of the US sympathizers. It transpired that Colonel Tucker was in the process of having built at a shipyard at Mangrove Bay in Somerset for that purpose. Tempers flared among other local residents also sympathetic to the cause. A Royal Navy sloop boarding party also sent to investigate was armed with fixed bayonets. The increasing number of rebellious Bermudians initially kept the militia and naval party at bay. The next day, this infamous "Gunpowder Plot" created a sensation in Bermuda where those loyal to the Crown were outraged at the treason of certain Bermudians. However, the friendliness shown by the USA towards Bermudians did not last forever. British Regular Army troops were brought in to prevent another such plot.
The gun power was discharged in Philadelphia. The LADY CATHERINE disappears then from my sources and her fate is not known.
http://www.bermuda-online.org/history1700-1799.htm
Bermuda 1975. 5c/25c. SG 335/338, scott 329/332.
They then proceeded to steal nearly all the island's British Army entire supply of 100 barrels of gunpowder from Powder Magazine. They rolled the gunpowder down the hill to the shores of Tobacco Bay where a pre-arranged group of locally-made cedar dinghies were present to carry the precious cargo out beyond the reef to the waiting American sloops. The Charleston, SC committee of safety had sent the schooners LADY CATHERINE, CHARLESTOWN and SAVANNAH PACKET They had arrived secretly by night and had stayed clear of the reefs, also out of reach of British boats based in Bermuda then in Castle Harbour. The American ships, led by the LADY CATHERINE with 40 crew and Captain George Ord as its master, reached Charleston safely and deposited the powder with Captain John Cowper of North Carolina, Colonel Henry Tucker's agent in Charleston. The powder was later used to good effect at Fort Moultrie. The daring robbery later became known as Bermuda's 1775 Gunpowder Plot. As a result, the Continental Gongress embargo was then (briefly) lifted.
1775. August 14. After the Pennsylvania committee of safety engaged the sloop LADY CATHERINE Capt George Ord master, with 40 men as delegation to Bermuda to trade powder of St George's for exemption from the embargo, they made away with Henry Tucker's (of Somerset) 8 (1/2) barrells of powder. He credited the powder to Capt John Cowper, of North Carolina, Henry's Tucker's agent in America.
1775. August 15. By dawn an alarm was raised that the magazine had been raided and a Bermuda Pilot boat was dispatched to chase down the American sloop, the ships of the British Navy being too slow on the water to catch her. The Pilot boat eventually caught up to the sloop but being vastly outgunned by the American it turned around and headed back to Bermuda. However, the pilot boat skipper and crew identified the sloop as the LADY CATHERINE of Virginia. On shore, the British militia scoured the island looking for the gunpowder thieves. The Governor posted a reward of 100 pounds sterling for anyone who would testify against the gunpowder thieves. Despite the size then of this reward, there is no record of anyone willing to give evidence against Colonel Henry Tucker, who had arranged the theft of the gunpowder with his men. It was probably due to the huge influence of that family at that time, both in Bermuda and America. (Two of the Colonel's forefathers had been Governors of Bermuda). The Governor was furious and reported his anger to the King back in England. Later that day, a British Army Captain of militia found and burnt a Bermuda sloop being fitted out for an overseas journey by one of the US sympathizers. It transpired that Colonel Tucker was in the process of having built at a shipyard at Mangrove Bay in Somerset for that purpose. Tempers flared among other local residents also sympathetic to the cause. A Royal Navy sloop boarding party also sent to investigate was armed with fixed bayonets. The increasing number of rebellious Bermudians initially kept the militia and naval party at bay. The next day, this infamous "Gunpowder Plot" created a sensation in Bermuda where those loyal to the Crown were outraged at the treason of certain Bermudians. However, the friendliness shown by the USA towards Bermudians did not last forever. British Regular Army troops were brought in to prevent another such plot.
The gun power was discharged in Philadelphia. The LADY CATHERINE disappears then from my sources and her fate is not known.
http://www.bermuda-online.org/history1700-1799.htm
Bermuda 1975. 5c/25c. SG 335/338, scott 329/332.
- Attachments
-
-
-
-