A Trinity House Petition of 1632

A Trinity House petition of June 1632 signed, amongst others, by some Stepney vestrymen, detailed other hazards awaiting mariners on their voyages. 'At the request of the bearer, Mary Croft, they (the undersigned) certify the knowledge of some of them that her husband John, mariner of Ratcliffe, is honest and maintained his wife and family by his industry. He was master of the 'Flying Drake' of Lyme in Devon (Lyme Regis) on a voyage to ... Portugal. On the voyage homewards, the ship was surprised by Turkish pirates off Algiers. He and his crew lost all that they had on the voyage and were sold as slaves at Algiers. They have been cruelly misused to make them forsake Christ and serve Mahomet. They cannot be released without the payment of ransoms which they and their poor wives cannot procure.

(Signed by) Robert Bell, John Bennett, Gervais Hockett, John Totton, Thomas Best, Ro. Salmon (the same Captain Robert Salmon of 1588), William Bushell, William Case, Anthony Tutchin, William Rainborrowe, William Stephens.'

Those taken with John Croft were John Robins, Thomas Batten, George Craford, Francis Webb, Henry Browne, Nicholas Darby, Thomas Archer, Richard Hayward, Edward Holloway.

The names of many of those who signed the petition appear on the Index of Vestrymen.