Autobiography of James Richardson, merchant and naval seaman

  • Life at Sea
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Title
Autobiography of James Richardson, merchant and naval seaman
Reference
BGR/45
Collection
  • National Maritime Museum, UK: Biographies (BGR)
Document Type
  • Memoirs and Narratives
Date
1784-1843
Description
Notebook containing an autobiography entitled 'Recollections of By Gone Days' by James Richardson, dated 21 June 1843. Richardson first went to sea as an apprentice on the ATTY of Whitby in 1797. During the Napoleonic Wars he was employed on a number of naval transports, including a period as chief mate on the DUCHESS OF RICHMOND. Despite efforts to avoid impressment, he was also a seaman in the Royal Navy, serving on HMS ROYAL GEORGE (1788) during the unsuccessful Dardanelles operation commanded by Vice-Admiral Duckworth and then on HMS UNDAUNTED (1807) off Madeira. Richardson later worked as a collecting clerk at Lime Wharf in Wapping. The autobiography also mentions family events, including deaths that occurred while he was away at sea, and his three marriages in London.
Theme
  • Warfare