Henry BUDD moved toGuernseyin circa 1755 about the same time as his father John moved to Wanborough
He was Receiver of the Revenues of the Crown in 1766 until 1768 when he fell into financial difficulties. Further financial difficulties arose in 1782.
Guernsey Museum & Galleries Art Collections holds the Joshua Gosselin watercolour of Les Terres. It is not the house itself but part of the Terres farmland estate showing the duck pond, outbuildings, evidence of a watermill & view behind the house. However, dated 1772, it gives the feel of the estate & an insight into how rural the island was then, even so very close to the town. The inscription reads ‘View behind Mr Budd’s House at the Terre’. Possibly the Gentleman shown walking in the picture is Henry BUDD.
Henry BUDD had a contract to supply goods to Troops and stores in the event of siege.
Whereas the Commissioners of Our Treasury did on our behalf enter into a contract with Henry BUDD Gentleman for laying up in store in the castles of our islands of Jersey and Guernsey certain quantities of dry provisions and for maintaining and keeping the same quantities constantly in store. And where it appears by the certificate hereunto annexed that the said contractor has lodged several quantities of provisions in proper store houses in the said Island of Guernsey for which the following sums are due him according to the terms of the said contract that is to say.
Six Hundred Hundred weight of Biscuit at 12s per hundred £360 0 0
33,600 lbs Wt of cheese at 3d per pound £420 0 0
800 bushels of salt at 20d per bushel £ 66 13 4
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Source: National Archives AO15/48 September 1756 £846 13 4
Henry dies in 1782 – When the Contract passes to his brother William BUDD who in turn dies two years later in 1784. Elizabeth BUDD (Henry’s Sister) married to Joseph PICKSTONE ofGuildfordheld the contract in 1803 when she died.
The crown defined a privateer as a ship owned by a private individual which with royal permission expressed as a letter of Marque made war upon shipping of a hostile power. The letter was issued in the name of the ships commanding officer giving him powers to sell and dispose of any enemy ship sized after it had been legally adjudged and finally condemned.
Privateering was only outlawed by the Hague Convention as recently as 1907.
The most sought after prizes were inward bound West Indian ships making forBordeaux, Nantes, Rochelle laden with sugar, molasses, indigo and cotton. Outward ships lost their cargoes of brandies and wine.
Henry was the owner or co-owner of several Privateers in the 1750’s including the “Wandbarow” which is spelt the same way as William BUDD is known to have spelt “Wanborough”. This boat had a crew of 24 and armament of 2 carriage and 8 swivel guns[1].
Henry BUDD got involved on behalf of the Governor of Guernsey as can be seen from the below account.
the said Speedwell Privateer Captain BUSHELL together with the said prize Neptune arrived in the Road of this island on the 21st day of July last, that agents of the Speedwell Privateer after having asked him sundry questions relative to the destination of his voyage proposed to release his said ship and cargo if he would previously give them up the seventeen hogsheads, three casks and nine quarters of tobacco which made part of his cargo and which they made no doubt was of the produce of North America to which he readily complied but instead of full filling the conditions of said agreement they the said agents with consent of the said Captain gave him up by a second agreement on the twenty fifth of the month of July the full possession of the said ship and cargo with all his papers and so forth without receiving any part of the said tobacco on the deponent giving them a discharge for consequences of having seized him and brought him into the Island. That following day being the twenty sixth about nine in the morning being then at Anchor in Guernsey Road within three hundred yards of Castle Cornet and only waiting for their pilot to proceed immediately to Bayone the said Captain BUSHELL Came on board with his boat and men and released the second time of the said snow Neptune pretending declared that about three minutes after three boats belonging to three Letters of Marque namely Surprise (Thomas ?) Duchess ofKingston, Nicholas LAUGA and the Chancing Nancy Samuel JAMES came also on board the said Neptune and claimed also possession of the said snowNeptune claiming as joiners a share of the prize. That some time after and while the Captains of the Privateers were disputing who had best right to this prize, a boat with twelve soldiers came also board by order of Paulus Emil IRVING Esquire Lieutenant Governor of this island that Henry BUDD acting by order of the said Lieutenant Governor insisted that the papers belonging to the said ship and cargo be delivered to him which this deponent complied with. And this deponent further declares that on his representations to the Lieutenant Governor that his vessel was so old that it would greatly endanger the cargo requesting him to unload her the said Lieutenant Governor complied therewith to avoid the damages that would inevitably happened to the said ship and cargo.
Pierre CATAIN
Source: National Archives HCA32/408
Henry BUDD was an unofficial advisor, spin doctor, friend of the Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Guernsey and to a lesser extentJersey.
When it came to the question of Prize ships Henry BUDD was in his element and frequently wrote to the Governor on the issues. It is interesting to compare Henry’s letters with governor’s lawyer Joshua Sharp’s letters, which are long and hard to read, whereas Henry’s are concise and easy to read.
Generally the letters are addressed fromGuernsey, but at least one is written from the Salopian coffee-house. The Salopian was located nearCharing Crossand renown for its chess club which was formed in 1770. Thomas Telford bridge and road builder lived there 21 years
“The first London coffee house opened in 1652 in St Michael’s Alley, Cornhill. Lloyds of London was originally a Coffee Shop called “Edward Lloyds Coffee House”. London coffee houses were nicknamed “Penny Universities” because for the price of a cup of coffee you could sit and join in the stimulating conversation with the great thinkers of the day. Jonathon’s Coffee House in Change Alley was frequented by entrepreneurs and merchant venturers, and was the beginning of the London Stock Exchange. By 1675 there were nearly 3,000 coffee houses in England. King Charles II tried to denounce them as seditious meeting places and issued a proclamation rescinding their licences – it created such opposition it was hurriedly withdrawn.”[2]