Bligh Court-Martial Testimony Home Court Martials Purcell Court-Martial Letter
Revised Jun 5 2021
Minutes taken at a Court Martial assebmled on board His Majesty's Ship Royal William at Spithead on the twenty second day of October 1790.
Present.
The Honble Samuel Barrington Admiral of the Blue and second Officer in the Command of His Majesty's Ships and Vessels at Portsmouth and Spithead, President
Rear Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton Bart.
Rear Admiral Sir John Jervis K.B.
Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Hood K.B.
Rear Admiral The Honble John Levison Gower
Sir Roger Curtis K.B. first Captain to the Commander in Chief
The Prisoner M'r William Purcell Carpenter of His Majesty's armed Vessel the Bounty being called and Audience admitted.
The Order from the Right Honorable Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty dated the 15th Day of October Instant and directed to the President for assembling a Court Martial for the Trial of the said William Purcell for Disrespect Insolence and Disobedience of Orders, in the several Instances mentioned in a Letter dated the 7th Instant and directed to Philip Stephens Esquire Secretary of the Admiralty from Lieutenant William Bligh Commander of the said armed Vessel the Bounty, both anteedent and subsequent to the Seizure of the said Vessel on the 28 of April 1789 by Fletcher Christian, who was Mate of the Watch assisted by others of the inferior Officers and Men on her Return from Otaheite, was read.
The Members of the Court and the Judge Advocate then in open Court and before they proceeded to Trial respectively took the several Oaths injoined and directed in and by an Act of Parliament made and passed in the 22 Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the second intitled "An Act for amending explaining and reducing into one Act of Parliament the Laws relating to the Government of His Majesty's Ships Vessels and Forces by Sea."
Then the said Letter from Lieutenant Bligh to the Secretary of the Admiralty containing the Charges was read a Copy of which here follows.
Bligh Court-Martial Testimony Home Court Martials Purcell Court-Martial Letter