THE REVOLUTIONARY SHORE – May 4, 1775: The Case for Liberty

By Kellee Blake

Yesterday, 250 years ago . . .

John Bowdoin’s stomach was turning. Not only was the forty-something Shore merchant/planter alarmed by events in Williamsburg and Lexington/Concord, but the increased British presence already menaced his finances. Bowdoin was a widely liked natural leader who had served in the House of Burgesses, was elected Northampton representative to the recent convention at Richmond, and currently chaired the county’s Committee of Safety.  He disdained the “tyrannical sway” sweeping across the sea.   

Bowdoin and his younger brother Preeson, as well as Isaac and Thorowgood Smith, were seasoned business partners with trade interests in the British colonies and beyond. The 1775 arrival of British naval vessels meant that many longstanding Tidewater “arrangements” with British customs officers were jeopardized or upended.  Plenty of the new officers were zealous to (1) seize vessels and cargo for the slightest customs violations, (2) submit the confiscations to admiralty court, then (3) personally benefit from their share of the spoils. 

The sloop of war HMS Magdalen proved a game changer for the Shore. She arrived in Norfolk in January 1775 and her commander, Henry Collins, Esq., issued a public CAUTION in the Virginia Gazette to vessel owners and masters who dared consider violating British law. In short, there was a new gun on the waters and he would be obeyed. 

In March, Magdalen targeted two of the Bowdoin/Smith sloops: Liberty and The Betsey.  Collins alleged The Betsey imported some sixteen hogsheads of rum, 100 pounds of chocolate, and 200 pounds of coffee from St. Eustacia and then transferred those goods and 1,000 bushels of oats to Liberty without proper procedure. Collins anchored HMS Magdalen off Hungars Creek and sent a boat to investigate Liberty. John Bowdoin reportedly messaged Collins to come ashore and dine with him.  Instead, the HMS Magdalen crew seized Liberty and sailed her toward Williamsburg.  Collins also seized The Betsey. The Bowdoins and Smiths secured renowned Williamsburg attorney and Thomas Jefferson’s law professor, George Wythe, to argue for return of their vessels and cargo. 

In an extremely complex web of claims and counterclaims in what appears to be the last case heard by the Crown’s Vice Admiralty Court in Williamsburg, Captain Henry Collins prevailed.  George Wythe could not convince Judge John Randolph to restore the Bowdoin/Smith vessels.  Just some of the cargo was returned.  Collins advertised sale of the vessels and prepared to enjoy his legitimate percentage of the profits.  

These seizures angered Tidewater residents. Norfolk patriots denounced Collins’ efforts in the Virginia Gazette and urged citizens not to buy Bowdoin’s vessels or any other “plunder of our countrymen.” Those who did could expect to be ostracized and their businesses boycotted by neighbors. This public defiance and community adherence did not go unnoticed by Virginia’s Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore. 

The Shore merchants tried to appeal their case. By the time a new admiralty court convened in 1776, however, it was under Virginia law and John Bowdoin’s Shore leadership had unexpectedly ended. The story of the enslaved on The Betsey and Liberty, however, left much more to tell. Learn more next month in Part II of Collins v. Liberty.

Join WESR on the 4^th of each month to learn more about Virginia and the Shore’s role in the War for Independence.  Welcome to the Revolutionary Shore!