Liverpool Packet – a famous privateering ship from Liverpool, Nova ScotiaPainting of the Liverpool Packet by Thomas Hayhurst
Today, all roads lead to the Port of the Privateers, just as they did in colonial times.
Liverpool, Nova Scotia is where you will find the most comprehensive permanent exhibit and stories of the Privateering Era in the province.
The Privateers were private citizens who, after receiving a Letter of Marque from the crown, armed their vessels and attacked enemy ships on the high seas. Liverpool was home to many privateering vessels, such as the “Liverpool Packet.”
The Queens County Museum houses an extraordinary collection of Privateering artifacts, such as an original Letter of Marque, a sea service pistol and a cutlus. But best of all, we have a scaled replica of the first 34 feet of the Privateering Ship, the “Liverpool Packet.”
While exploring the deck of this ship, you will learn Liverpool’s Privateering role between 1775 and 1815.
We invite you to board our ship. Have our staff officially make you a Privateersman. Listen to the cannon as it fires a warning shot to an approaching enemy. Or engage in the several computer screens to fill your curiosity on Privateering and how they were different from Pirates.
Privateer: On the wrong side of the law?
What is the Difference between a Pirate and a Privateer?
During Colonial Days many ships plied the waters around Nova Scotia, and beyond. Many were merchant ships exchanging goods in the New England states, as well as Europe. Some privately owned merchant ships were ‘privateers’, capturing enemy ships and taking some of the booty for themselves, just like pirates did.
But there was one key difference between these two types of making a ‘living on the sea’ by capturing other ships, and taking their goods.
What was the difference? Click the Answer tab to find out!
Letter of Marque
The difference between a Pirate and a Privateer is the “magical” document called the Letter of Marque. (pronounced: Letter of Mark).
The letter of marque was permission from a Monarch or nation to local ship owners to attack enemy shipping at a time of war. It has been used since the 1400’s in Europe by all ocean going countries. In a time when large national Navies were not the norm, a country at war could encourage private ship owners to engage enemy shipping with the promise of economic gain. The private ship owner would engage a crew who would sail to enemy waters, attack a ship and bring it back the nearest port with a legal administration to monitor such actions.
The ship known as the “prize” would be first, properly identified. Was it a ship of an enemy country? If not, the ship was set free and sometimes it was compensated by the local ship-owner for inconvenience. If, however, it was an enemy ship it would be fully inventoried and sold. The profit would be dispersed at the rate; one third to the Monarch or nation, one third to pay for court costs, accounting, sale costs & other fees and one third back to the owner. From this third the owner would pay Captain and crew and re-arm and re-provision the ship for the next voyage.
A point that is often overlooked in this apparent profitable act is that both sides of any conflict would be sending out these ships to hunt for vessels of the enemy, so if a British/Nova Scotia ship captured an American prize there was, somewhere off our shores, an American ship hunting for his British/ Nova Scotia prize. Thus it would be possible to make lots of money… ask Enos Collins or to just break even …ask Simeon Perkins.
Did some Privateers cross the line and engage in Piracy. Yes, of course they did. Just ask Captain William Kidd of Oak Island fame. His jaunt into piracy cost him 3 years hanging in a gibbit at the end of a London dock. Good news, he was dead when placed in the gibbet. Bad news, when his original hanging took place the first rope broke and he was hung a second time.
Queens County Museum ⇻
