Main

 
About the Mayflower Web Page

HCA 3/30, folio 227


Crown copyright: Public Record Office, London. This document may be copied and downloaded for personal and research use only. You must apply to the Public Record Office for permission for any other use.  Contact copyright@pro.gov.uk for additional information.



This High Court of Admiralty (HCA) record is from the Public Records Office in London.  This entry in the records is from May 1624, and is a request by three of the Mayflower owners (Robert Childe, John Moore, and the "relictam" of Christopher Jones) to have the ship appraised.  The document is in Latin, but I have highlighted several words which are recognizable to English speakers.  On the left side, the words "Mayflower", "London", and "Christopher Jones" are highlighted, and on the right hand side of the document the word "Mayflower" is highlighted.  

Also highlighted on the right-hand side are the most historically significant words in this document, "in ruinis".  The fact the ship was in ruins, combined with the extremely low value for which the Mayflower was later appraised, point clearly to the fact the Mayflower was in May 1624 no longer in sailable condition.  The reason for the appraisal was therefore to find out how much the ship was worth if it were sold for scrap.  There are no records to indicate where the scraps were sold.  

This document is the precursor to the actual inventory which was taken of the Mayflower.  The entire inventory, which was written in English, is transcribed on the Mayflower Inventory page.


Mayflower Web Pages.  Caleb Johnson © 1997