Malcolm Smith's Family History Archive
Samuel FOLKER
on board H.M.S.Assurance
[Ref. M.15]
H.M.S.Assurance was a Assurance was a fifth rate ship with a compliment of 300 men
and armed with somewhere between 32 and 44 guns. Samuel joined the ship at sea directly from
H.M.S.Aurora on 13 May 1780. The Captain was James Cummings and the Purser John
Richie. The compliment at that time was only 42 and fluctuated over the following weeks. Quite
a few men absconded from the ship, eight from Deptford and eleven from Longreach, three of whom
had taken the longboat during the night.
When the ship set off for New York in May 1781, the compliment had reached 250, of which 50
were marines and 4 were superneumries for victualling. John Pike had also joined the ship as
Master and Charles Pollexsen as Boatswain. An entry in the ship's
muster book for July and August 1780 shows Samuel's rank as Midshipman. On arrival at New
York, the ship was stationed offshore where Samuel was transferred on 12 May 1781 onto H.M.S.
Confederate.
Below is information which relates to the time that Samuel was on board, extracted from the
ship's muster books which are kept at the Public Record Office at Kew.
ASSURANCE. Compliment 200 men. Began wages & Sea Victualling May 8th 1781 & at whole
allowance of all species.
1780 | May | 13 | Samuel joined ship |
| | | |
| | 17 | Deptford |
| | | |
| | 24 | Deptford |
| | | |
| Jun | 1 | Deptford |
| | | |
| | 8 | Deptford |
| | | |
| | 15 | Deptford |
| | | |
| | 22 | Deptford |
| | | |
| | 29 | Deptford |
| | | |
| Jul | 6 | Deptford |
1781 | Jan | 8 | Cork Harbour |
| | 12 | Deptford |
| | 16 | Cork Harbour |
| | 24 | Longreach |
| | 23 | Cork Harbour |
| | 31 | Longreach |
| | 31 | Cork Harbour |
| Aug | 7 | Longreach |
| Feb | 7 | Cork Harbour |
| | 12 | Longreach |
| | 14 | Cork Harbour |
| | 21 | Nore |
| | 21 | Cork Harbour |
| | 31 | At sea |
| | 28 | Cork Harbour |
| Sep | 7 | At sea |
| Mar | 7 | At sea |
| | 15 | Downes |
| | 14 | At sea |
| | 25 | Spithead |
| | 21 | At sea |
| | 30 | Spithead |
| | 31 | At sea |
| Oct | 3 | Spithead |
| Apr | 7 | At sea |
| | 11 | Spithead |
| | 14 | At sea |
| | 20 | St.Helens |
| | 21 | At sea |
| | 31 | At sea |
| | 30 | At sea |
| Nov | 10 | Cork Harbour |
| May | 12 | Samuel left ship |
| | 17 | Cork |
| | 15 | At sea |
| | 24 | Cork |
| | | |
| | 30 | Cork |
| | | |
| Dec | 7 | At sea |
| | | |
| | 15 | At sea |
| | | |
| | 21 | At sea |
| | | |
| | 31 | At sea |
| | | |