Backhouse was launched in 1798, at Dartmouth. In all, she made four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Between the second and the third, and again after the fourth, she was a West Indiaman. A French privateer captured her early in 1810, as she was returning to Britain from Brazil.
1st voyage transporting enslaved people (1799–1800): Captain John Harvey sailed from Liverpool on 10 May 1799, bound for West Africa.[4] In 1799, 156 British vessels sailed on enslaving voyages. Of these, 134 sailed from Liverpool.[5]
Backhouse acquired captives at Anomabu and arrived at Saint Croix on 20 November, with 257 captives. At some point Captain Crocker replaced Harvey. Backhouse, Crocke, master, arrived back at Liverpool on 8 March 1800. She had left Liverpool with 32 crew members and she had suffered two crew deaths on the voyage.[4]
At the time Saint Croix was a Danish colony. In 1792, the Danish government passed a law that would outlaw Danish participation in the trans-Atlantic enslaving trade, from early 1803 on. This led the government in the Danish West Indies to encourage the importation of captives prior to the ban taking effect. One measure that it took was to open the trade to foreign vessels. Records for the period 1796 to 1799, show that 24 British ships, most of them from Liverpool, arrived at St Croix with 6,781 captives.[6]
2nd voyage transporting enslaved people (1800–1802): Captain Henry Tyrer sailed from Liverpool on 22 October 1800.[2] In 1800, 133 British vessels sailed on enslaving voyages. Of these, 120 sailed from Liverpool.[5]
Backhouse acquired captives at the Cameroons, and then Rio Dande (Northern Angola). She arrived at Grenada on 16 September 1801, and left on 7 November. She arrived back at Liverpool on 22 January 1802.[2]
Without original research it is currently impossible to determine Backhouse's employment between her return from her second voyage transporting enslaved people, and 1805. The registers were only as accurate as owners chose to keep them. In 1805 Backhouse, Keen, master, sailed between Liverpool and Berbice.
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source
1805
J.Harvey T.Keen
Tarleton D.Backhouse
Liverpool–Africa
1806
T.Keene Roberts
Backhouse Livingston & Co.
Liverpool–Berbice
LR
3rd voyage transporting enslaved people (1806–1807): Captain Thomas Roberts acquired a letter of marque on 26 March 1806.[3] He sailed from Liverpool on 26 April 1806. Backhouse acquired captives at Bonny.[7] On 2 October 1806, Captain Roberts died.[8] Captain William Foster replaced Roberts.
Backhouse arrived at Kingston, Jamaica on 31 October, with 312 captives. She sailed from Kingston on 28 January 1807, and arrived back at Liverpool on 6 April. She had left Liverpool with 37 crew members and had suffered seven crew deaths on the voyage.[7]
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source
1807
Roberts M'Key
Livingston
Liverpool–Africa
LR
4th voyage transporting enslaved people (1807–1808): Captain James Mackie sailed from Liverpool on 18 May 1807. The Slave Trade Act 1807 had abolished British participation in the transatlantic slave trade, effective 1 May 1807. However, vessels such as Backhouse, which had received a clearance to sail before the deadline, could still depart.[a]
Backhouse acquired captives in New Calabar. She arrived at Kingston, Jamaica, on 28 November, with 268 captives. She sailed from Kingston on 27 April 1808, and arrived in Liverpool on 30 June. She had left Liverpool with 33 crew members and had suffered five crew deaths on the voyage.[10]
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source
1808
M'Key Keenan
Livingston
Liverpool–Africa
LR
Captain Archibald Keenan acquired a letter of marque on 10 October 1808.[3]
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source
1809
A.Keenan Scotland
M'Vickers
Liverpool–New Orleans
LR
Captain Alexander Scotland acquired a letter of marque on 25 September 1809.[3]LR for 1810 showed Backhouse's trade as Liverpool to the Braziles.
Fate
The French privateer brig Grand Napoleon captured Backhouse, Scotland, master, on 24 March 1810, in 51°30′N18°00′W / 51.500°N 18.000°W / 51.500; -18.000 as Backhouse was returning to Liverpool from the Braziles. Grand Napoleon, of 16 guns and 120 men, was out thirteen days from Brest, France.[11][b]Backhouse arrived at Morlaix.[14]LR for 1811 carried the annotation "captured" beneath Backhouse's name.[15]
Grand Napoléon put Captain Scotland, his passengers, and his crew on a brig that had been sailing from New Brunswick to Cork when the brig was captured. The privateer gave up the brig to the prisoners.[16]
Notes
^Kitty's Amelia had received clearance to sail on 27 April, before the deadline. Thus, when she sailed on 27 July, she did so legally. This was the last legal slave voyage for a British vessel.[9]
^Grand Napoléon was almost certainly the Grand Napoleon of Nantes that HMS Helena captured on 19 April 1810. Grand Napoleon, of about 240 tons (bm), was armed with twelve 18-pounder carronades and four long guns. She had a crew of 124 men. She was three months old.[12] She had been commissioned at Nantes in 1810.[13]
Demerliac, Alain (2003). La Marine du Consulat et du Premier Empire: Nomenclature des Navires Français de 1800 à 1815 (in French). Éditions Ancre. ISBN9782903179304. OCLC492784876.
Gøbel, Erik (2016). The Danish Slave Trade and Its Abolition. BRILL.
Williams, Gomer (1897). History of the Liverpool Privateers and Letters of Marque: With an Account of the Liverpool Slave Trade. W. Heinemann.
