Appendix 1 - Prize Cases Appearing before the Vice-Admiralty Court of Halifax from June 1812 to May 1815

Summary

The prizes listed here include vessels, cargoes, sundry articles, and HM Customs seizures, each of which is identified by a monition number [in square brackets]. These numbers appear on all relevant court documents and refer to the monition document that “admonished” all parties interested in the prize to prepare their arguments and submit their affidavits, petitions, or appeals to the vice-admiralty court within twenty-one days. A copy of the monition was usually affixed to the main mast of the prize. In cases where a vessel was lost or released, cargoes were stored in the customs house, and the monition was posted on the door.

Prizes recaptured by either the Royal Navy or privateers are identified with (Recap), and if known, the original captor from whom the prize was retaken is indicated. Prizes owned by allies or neutral flags like Sweden were usually restored upon the payment of salvage. Salvage awards to naval vessels and crews were one-eighth of the appraised value of the vessel and/or cargo while privateers were allowed one-sixth of the appraised value.

Known privateer or letter of marque vessels are identified by an asterisk *. British naval vessels have HMS before their names while USS denotes American naval vessels. The various types of prize vessels are identified as sip (sloop), brg (brig or brigantine), schnr (schooner), shp (ship), or bque (barque or barquentine). Tonnage is inserted where known. For several vessels, the tonnage is available only in Swedish lasts (Sw. last) or Spanish tons (Sp. t.).

The data for this Appendix were drawn from a variety of sources in Archives in Ottawa, Halifax, and London. In Ottawa, the National Archives of Canada preserves the records of the Vice-Admiralty Court of Halifax for the War of 1812 in RG8, IV, Vols. 73 -160. Since the British High Court of Admiralty heard all appeals from prize judgements, the Public Records Office in London supplied information on some vessels through HCA 46, Vols. 10 and 11 and HCA 46, Vol. 9. Finally, documentary evidence found in the RG1 series in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia was used to support or modify information gathered elsewhere.