Milford

Milford was an eighteenth-century country ship built at Bombay in 1786 for Pestonjee Bomanjee and John Tasker. In the commercial and maritime terminology of the period, a country ship was a vessel operating primarily within Asian waters, especially on routes linking India and China, rather than a ship making regular voyages from Britain under the direct control of the British East India Company. Milford nevertheless maintained connections with British trade and made one documented voyage under an East India Company engagement. The vessel was reported at Canton in 1789, placing it within the active maritime network connecting the Indian subcontinent, southern China, and regional ports. By 1796, Captain William Henderson had obtained a letter of marque for Milford, giving the vessel authority to act against enemy shipping during wartime. Lloyd's Register listed her in the late 1790s and early 1800s with Henderson as master, R. Bruce as owner, and a London–East Indies or London–India trade designation. Henderson appears to have taken Milford to China during this period. The British government later hired Milford as a transport connected with General Sir David Baird's expedition to the Red Sea. That expedition was intended to support British operations associated with General Sir Ralph Abercrombie and the campaign culminating in the Battle of Alexandria. After this service, the vessel appears in registers with Douglas as master, Bruce & Co. as owners, and a Bombay–Cork trading route. Milford's East India Company voyage took place from 1805 to 1806 under Captain George Douglas. She departed Bombay on 21 October 1805, reached Saint Helena on 22 January 1806, arrived at Cork on 6 April, and reached the Downs on 27 April. The ship subsequently carried commodities associated with the India and China trades. In 1810 she transported cotton and hemp to England, while in 1811 she carried 7,978 piculs of cotton to China. The vessel remained active through the 1810s and 1820s, although its masters, registered owners, and routes changed. In December 1815, while returning from Bombay toward London under Captain Bowles, Milford ran ashore near Deal, losing her rudder and suffering damage before being refloated by local boatmen. Her owners obtained an East India Company licence in March 1816 for trade between the United Kingdom and India. A proposed 1820 expedition to the Persian Gulf did not ultimately include the ship. Later records place Milford at Bombay, with R. Horwood and subsequently T. J. Jackson as masters and Dadabhoy & Co. as owner. Milford's career ended on 3 August 1829. Sailing from Bombay to Calcutta under Captain Jellico, she went ashore on the Long Sand near Kedgeree and was totally wrecked. The vessel was carrying 100 horses, all of which drowned. The wreck also became notable because several hundred letters washed ashore; some had damaged or unreadable addresses and were opened by finders. The exposed correspondence reportedly included confidential government communications and private letters, some of which were later published. Although the ship had been lost, shipping registers continued to list Milford for several years afterward. Milford was therefore a commercially significant but ultimately defunct historical vessel, not a contemporary consumer brand or operating company.

Milford was constructed at Bombay in 1786 for Pestonjee Bomanjee and John Tasker. The ship entered the network of country ships that linked Indian ports with China and other Asian destinations. This trade operated alongside, but was distinct from, the British East India Company's chartered activities. Milford was recorded at Canton in 1789, demonstrating her participation in the India–China maritime system soon after construction. In July 1796 Captain William Henderson obtained a letter of marque for Milford. The authorization allowed the vessel to undertake privateering-related activity during wartime, although the available record primarily documents her commercial and transport career. Lloyd's Register listed Milford from 1797 through 1803 with Henderson as master, R. Bruce as owner, and London–East Indies, later London–India, as the trade route. Henderson remained associated with the command in 1799 and 1800, during which time Milford apparently sailed to China. The British government subsequently engaged Milford as a transport for General Sir David Baird's expedition to the Red Sea. The expedition was connected with British efforts to support General Sir Ralph Abercrombie's operations in Egypt and the Battle of Alexandria. After this period, register entries identify Douglas as master and Bruce & Co. as owners, with the vessel trading between Bombay and Cork. Milford undertook a documented East India Company voyage in 1805–1806 under Captain George Douglas. She left Bombay on 21 October 1805, reached Saint Helena on 22 January 1806, arrived at Cork on 6 April, and proceeded to the Downs, arriving on 27 April. Her later commercial work included carrying cotton and hemp to England in 1810 and transporting 7,978 piculs of cotton to China in 1811. These voyages illustrate the ship's role in moving bulk commodities across the connected Indian Ocean, China, and British markets. The Register of Shipping listed Milford in 1815 with J. Douglas as master, Bruce & Co. as owners, and a Cork–India route. On 20 December that year, while returning from Bombay toward London under Captain Bowles, she went ashore at the southern end of Deal. The ship lost her rudder and was damaged, but Deal boatmen refloated her and brought her into the Downs. In March 1816 the owners applied for, and received, an East India Company licence to trade between the United Kingdom and India. The owners later tendered Milford for a Persian Gulf expedition in 1820, but she did not take part. By 1823 the ship was registered at Bombay with R. Horwood as master. In 1828 Lieutenant Grant, assistant to the Master Attendant at Surat, was credited with saving Milford from wrecking. Registry information from 1828 and 1829 listed T. J. Jackson as master and Dadabhoy & Co. as owner. Milford's final voyage began at Bombay and was bound for Calcutta. On 3 August 1829, under Captain Jellico, she ran onto the Long Sand near Kedgeree and was completely wrecked. All 100 horses aboard drowned. The wreck generated an unusual secondary controversy involving correspondence. Several hundred letters washed ashore, many with addresses damaged or erased. Finders opened a number of them, and the contents of confidential government correspondence and private letters came to be published. Shipping registers continued to carry Milford after her loss: the Register of Shipping listed her through 1832 and Lloyd's Register through 1833. These later listings reflected the persistence of registry records rather than continued operation.

• 1829

  Wrecked near Kedgeree

  [1]Milford (1786 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Milford was totally wrecked on the Long Sand near Kedgeree while sailing from Bombay to Calcutta.

• 1816

  Licensed for United Kingdom–India trade

  [1]Milford (1786 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  The owners secured an East India Company licence for trade between the United Kingdom and India.

• 1815

  Grounded at Deal

  [1]Milford (1786 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Milford ran ashore near Deal, lost her rudder, and was later refloated and taken into the Downs.

• 1806

  Arrived in Britain

  [1]Milford (1786 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  After calling at Saint Helena and Cork, Milford reached the Downs on 27 April.

• 1805

  East India Company voyage began

  [1]Milford (1786 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Milford departed Bombay under Captain George Douglas on the vessel's documented East India Company voyage to England.

• 1796

  Letter of marque issued

  [1]Milford (1786 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Captain William Henderson obtained a letter of marque for Milford.

• 1789

  Recorded at Canton

  [1]Milford (1786 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  The ship was reported among the country ships at Canton, confirming her participation in regional India–China trade.

• 1786

  Built at Bombay

  [1]Milford (1786 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Milford was built at Bombay for Pestonjee Bomanjee and John Tasker.

A long-distance Indian Ocean and China-trade vessel operating as a country ship, with additional service as a government transport and licensed India–United Kingdom trader.

• Country ship · 1786

  Milford

  A Bombay-built sailing vessel used for commercial navigation between India, China, and Britain. Milford carried bulk commodities including cotton and hemp, undertook a government transport role, and completed one recorded East India Company voyage. The vessel was lost in 1829 while carrying horses from Bombay to Calcutta.

• 1816

  Secured a United Kingdom–India trading licenceStrategy

  Background

  Milford's owners sought authorization from the British East India Company to operate between the United Kingdom and India.

  Action taken

  The owners applied on 5 March 1816 and received the licence on 6 March.

  Aftermath

  The licence formally supported the vessel's continued participation in the United Kingdom–India trade.

  Source

1. 1Milford (1786 ship)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Bombay Country Ships, 1790–1833routledge.com
3. 3Ships of the East India Companyen.wikipedia.org