Pigot

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shipstamps
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Pigot

Post by shipstamps » Sun Jul 06, 2008 3:54 pm


.). Christmas Island was visited by the Pigot in 1771. After spending three days unsuccessfully trying to find an anchorage, Capt. George Richardson finally sent a cutter ashore, where the men collected land crabs and birds. The stamp designer seems to have given the ship of 1771 an ensign in use in the Royal Navy from 1625 to 1707, an all-red flag with the Cross of St. George in the fly, but there was no ship of the Royal Navy named Pigot until 1778. SG40

aukepalmhof
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Re: Pigot

Post by aukepalmhof » Sun Jun 13, 2021 9:11 pm

The East Indiaman "PIGOT" (sometimes "Piggot" or "Pigott") is featured on the 4-cent value of the Christmas Islands set, issued in two parts in 1972 and 1973.

In 1771 the "PIGOT" an Indiaman visited Christmas Island, she attempted to find an anchorage, but was not successful, the crew reported seeing wild pigs and coconut palms, however, neither of these have since been found on the island, so the "PIGOT" may have seen a different island.

The book Ships of the East India Company by Rowan Hackman has three vessels with the name "PIGOT", the last two were built after 1771, that only the first one is the right vessel.

1757 Laid down on the yard of Wells at Deptford, near London for John Durand.
03 Feb. 1763 launched under the name "PIGOT".
Tonnage 766.86/94 ton (bm), dim. 110.5 x 36.0ft.
Ship rigged.
08 April 1763 chartered by the East India Company for a voyage to the Coromandel Coast and Bengal, her maiden voyage was under command of Capt. George Richardson, out of charter after completing of the round voyage on 16 Oct. 1764.
21 Feb. 1766 again chartered by the EIC for a round voyage to Coromandel Coast and Bengal, out of charter on 26 Oct. 1767.
02 Jan. 1769 chartered by the ECI for a round voyage to Coromandel Coast and China, out of charter on 05 June 1770.
Her last voyage for the ECI was when she was chartered on 05 June 1771 for a round voyage to St Helena and Bencoolen, and during this voyage she must have seen Christmas Island. When returned at the U.K. the charter was terminated on 26 July 1773.
From 1776 until 1779 hired out as an armed escort ship and transport.
1779 Sold to Calvert & Co., London, renamed "YORK".
1779 resold to the Admiralty as a storeship.
1781 Sold to local buyers in India. Thereafter she disappears in the history.

E.J. Hogan wrote the following article in Log Book 1996.

The "PIGOT" commanded by Capt. G. Richardson is stated to have been at Christmas Is. in December 1771 on her outward passage to India, and that Capt. Richardson spent three days in an unsuccessful search for a suitable anchorage off the island, he sent a boat ashore where the seamen collected some crabs and birds.
Was it for want of provision that the captain lingered for 3 or 4 days off the island, or to repair the damage, or was it for want of a suitable wind.
Having rounded the Cape of Good Hope the direct course for the Bay of Bengal is roughly northeast, and when "PIGOT" entered the Indian Ocean it was the season of the NE monsoon which is widespread over the northern half of the Indian Ocean and lasting for a few months.
From about the latitude of the equator "PIGOT" could only reach her destination by beating to windward. The nearest the ship could sail towards the northeast was more or less NNW on her starboard tack or ESE on her port tack.
On this voyage "PIGOT" sailed from Plymouth on 7 June 1771, previously sailing from Gravesend on 20 May, and from the Downs on 23 May, encountering some rough weather in the Channel, and putting into Plymouth with the loss of the head of her foremast.
If "PIGOT" reached Christmas Is., early December it means she took approximately five months to reach there from England and roughly five and a half months to reach Madras.
The report of "PIGOT"s arrival at Madras is printed in Lloyds List of 10 April 1772. The news must have reached England in about three and a half months.
Evidently "PIGOT" went to China from Madras, calling at St Helena on her homeward voyage, and she arrived at Plymouth from China on 9 July 1773.
The duration of the voyage was approx. two years and 1 month - more or less the average length of time for such a voyage, this was the fourth and last voyage that the "PIGOT" made for the East India Company.
According to a book about the East India Co., 'Lords of the East, was the "PIGOT" give of 499 ts and she made four voyages between 1762 - 1770. Actually the first of the voyages began in 1763, the fourth ended in 1773. The author of the book says the years 1762 and 1770 and two other years in between refer to the seasons and not the voyages.
1762 Was the year when the "PIGOT" was signed up for the voyage. I suppose that once the agreement was made the ship was ready for receiving cargo for her first trip for the East India Co.
During the period when "PIGOT" was in the service of the East India Co. they did not charter any vessel for more than four voyages. What means an overall period for at least 10 years.
The stated tonnage of 499 ts was a false tonnage given by the Company for most of the ships.
The book 'Ships under Sail' by E.K Chatterton states that between 1748 and 1772 all East India Co's ships except for a few were listed as being 499 ts, the reason being a government regulation that vessels of 500 ts and over were to carry a Chaplain, and in order to cheat this rule to save expense, vessels were rated at 499 ts.

'Merchant Sailing Ships' by D.R. MacGregor, Says that the above regulation was eased in 1773 and afterward the tonnages of ships began to increase markedly.

"PIGOT" was built at London, perhaps at the Blackwall shipyard where many East India ships were built from the early 17th to well into the 19th century. P.Banbury gives a list of known ships built at Blackwall from 1612 in the book 'Shipbuilders of the Thames and Medway'. But the "PIGOT" is not included and also the second "PIGOT", which was built in London in 1779, also the name "PIGOT" is not included in the index in the book.

The author of the book state that East Indiamen were built at the yard of John & Robert Batson, which was in or near Limehouse. This yard was building ships from at least 1739 to 1787. Thomas Pitcher, at Northfleet on the river Thames, also built many East Indiamen, but this yard only dated from 1788.

I cannot say for certain when "PIGOT" was built but it could have been 1757 or 1763. "PIGOT" was in East India Co's service from sometime in 1762 until, it seems July 1773, it is obvious that throughout this period it was one and the same ship, and later re-named "YORK".
But when the "PIGOT" was built in 1757 what was she doing between that year and 1762 when she was taken up by the East India Co. She could have had a different name before 1762. I note that an East Indiaman named "AJAX" of 499 ts made only one voyage for the company in the 1758 season. There is no vessel named "PIGOT" in the Lloyds Register of 1764.
It was reported in Lloyds List of 12 April 1763, that "PIGOT" master Richardson, sailed from the Downs for East India.
Evidently, she sailed from the Downs on the 10th or 11th and most probably left Gravesend on the 8th or 9th.
The arrival of "PIGOTT" at Fort St George (the old name for Madras) is reported in Lloyds List of 7 Feb. 1764.
"PIGOT" arrived back at Plymouth on 5 Oct. 1764 from Bengal, and she arrived at Gravesend on 25 Oct. The voyage was only about 18 months, that it looks like she did this voyage not made a call in China.
Lloyds Register of 1768 gives: "PIGOT", ship, three decks, 499 ts, G.Richardson, master, built River (means River Thames) in 1763.
The owner was a Capt. Durant and she was on a voyage from London to Coast & Bay. Capt. G. Richardson was master of the "PIGOT" when she made her first voyage for the East India Company.
Lloyds Register of 1768 gives the name spelled as "PIGOTT"
Lloyds Register 0f 1776 gives in the supplement section; "PIGOT", ship, three decks, 700 ts, built River in 1757.
Master was A.Hutton, and Jn Durand together with Cork Transport was the owner. J. Durand was the registered owner of a few East Indiamen in the 1770s.
In Lloyds register of 1778 the name "PIGOT" is struck out and beneath is the amendment 'now the "York".
Master R. Brewer. He was also the master of the "PIGOT". It seems he continued as master after the name had been changed. It states also the ship was 700 ts, built River in 1757, three decks owner Calvert & Co.
Draft 21 feet, armament 6 - 6pdrs. She was listed as a transport.
The same details are given in the Lloyds Register of 1779 (perhaps she was renamed "YORK" on account of the new "PIGOT", which was completed in 1779.
In the Supplement of the 1779 register, it has "YORK" ex "PIGOT", R. Brewer master, armament 20 - 29pdrs., 6 - 6pdrs. guns, and London Transport, the remaining details areas in the 1778 register.

Some reports from the Lloyds List.
26 Dec. 1775 PIGGOT, Hutton master, a transport remains in the Downs (she sailed a few days later as part of a small fleet under escort of HMS "MILFORD").
9 Feb. 1776, "PIGOTT" under Capt. Hutton, arrived at Crookhaven from London.
Lloyds List, "PIGOT" hospital ship arrived in Cork 13 Feb. 1776 from Crookhaven.
Lloyds List "PIGOT" under Capt. Hutton sailed from Cork on 19 April 1777 for Quebec.
8 July 1777 "PIGOT" old east Indiaman, with ten sail of transports and victuallers, that sailed from Cork 18 April 1777, are all arrived at Quebec. Evidently "PIGOT" was that voyage the escort vessel.
The "PIGOT" under command of Hutton arrived in Cork on 23 Aug. 1777 from Quebec. Sailed Cork 14 Oct. 1777 for London. "PIGOT" under command of Capt. Hutton arrived Gravesend 3 Nov. 1777 from Quebec via Cork.
It appears the "PIGOT" was renamed "YORK" in the latter part of 1778. From Lloyds List: Cowes 25 Feb. 1779 'ships and vessels for Ireland and western ports' under convoy of the "YORK", armed ship are preparing to sail with a fine breeze at South East.
Lloyds List of 19 March 1779 arrived Cork the "YORK" under command of Capt Brewer, from London. The "York" under command of Brewer with about a dozen merchantmen under her convoy, sailed from Cork 10 April 1779 for Quebec. The "YORK" under command of Brewer, arrived at Portsmouth on 5 Nov. 1779 from Quebec and Cork. This is the last notice I could find for certain "YORK" or "PIGOT".
It is coincidental that the naval storeship "YORK" under command of Capt. Beechinoe sailed in company with the East Indiaman "DUKE OF KINGSTON" from St Helens (the anchorage off St Helens, Isle of Wight) on 16 Nov. 1779 for the East Indies, and was joined at Plymouth by the frigate IRIS under command of Capt. Hunter.
Could HM Storeship "YORK" be the "YORK" ex "PIGOT". There is a good chance that it was.
Admitted the former East Indiaman only arrived at Portsmouth 11 days before, but she may have been a fair length of time in Cork and may have been partly fitted out there in preparation for the voyage to the East Indies.
"YORK" ex "PIGOT" is included in Lloyds Register of 1782 but I think this is a carryover from the entry of 1779 as the information given is exactly the same as the Supplement Sect. of the 1779 Register.
"YORK" ex "PIGOT" is not included in Lloyd's register of 1783, nor is HM Storeship "York" in the list of Royal naval vessels printed at the back of the Register. In the Register of 1782, the list of Royal Naval ships in service includes the storeship "York" of 20 guns, the commander is named as Capt. Bechinoe (probably by the time the list was compiled the ship had been sold out East).

In 'Ships of the Royal Navy' by Colledge, it states that "YORK", storeship was purchased in March 1779, that she was 664 ts (BM) armed with 14 guns, and that she was sold in the East Indies in 1781.
The given tonnage is obviously that assessed by the Admiralty, and it could be significantly different from the Lloyds Register tonnage. It is obvious that the armed ship "YORK" was under the control of the Admiralty when she served as escort to merchant's vessels in 1777 - 1779. Evidently hired by the Admiralty for this purpose.
At the time "YORK" storeship was in service there was also an East Indiaman named "YORK" of 758 ts, built at Bombay in 1772, this "York" and the "PIGOT" of 1779 and several other East Indiamen were at Cape Verde Islands on 7 April 1783.
If "PIGOT" was built in 1757 it is possible that on completion she was hired by the Admiralty for service as a transport, and if this was the case it is unlikely that the ship would have been registered at Lloyds as she would have been the responsibility of the Admiralty.
The "PIGOT" was most probably named after George Pigot (1719 - 1777) who entered the service of the East India Co. in 1763. He became the Governor and C in C of Madras in January 1755. Later Baron Pigot. He was the brother of Admiral Hugh Pigot.
The names are spelled differently as they appear in the reports etc. I do not know which spelling of the surname Beechinoe or Bechino is correct.

Christmas Island 1972 4 c SG 40 Scott 42
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