Lord Ligonier (slave ship) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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|---|---|
 Kingdom of Great Britain |
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| Name | Lord Ligonier |
| Namesake | John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier |
| Owner | 1765, James Debatt, Daniel Vialars |
| Operator | Thomas Davies |
| Port of registry | London, England |
| Route | Annapolis, Maryland to London, England to The Gambia |
| Builder | Built in New England |
| Laid down | 1763 |
| Launched | 1765 |
| Completed | July 1765 |
| Acquired | c. 1765 |
| Fate | Unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Slave ship |
| Tons burthen | 130 (bm |
| Decks | 6 |
| Propulsion | Wind |
| Sail plan | Ship rig |
| Capacity | 210 people |
| Crew | 40 |
| Armament | 6 guns |
The Lord Ligonier was a British ship from the 1700s. It was built in New England and became known as a slave ship. In 1767, it brought enslaved Africans to Annapolis, Maryland.
This ship became very famous because of Alex Haley's book, Roots: The Saga of an American Family. In the story, the Lord Ligonier carried his ancestor, Kunta Kinte, from The Gambia in Africa to the colonial United States.
Building the Ship
The Lord Ligonier was started in 1763. It was built to carry different goods like tobacco, spices, and wood. Sadly, it was also designed to carry people who had been enslaved.
In June 1765, the ship's owner, Horace Andrews, hired a crew of 40 sailors. A captain named Davies was put in charge. The ship had six decks. Four of these decks were used to hold enslaved Africans. The other two decks were for other cargo. The Lord Ligonier was a sailing ship. It was built strong enough to handle big storms in the Atlantic Ocean. It could carry about 170 enslaved people. It also carried 40 crew members and other goods.
The Famous 1766 Voyage
The Lord Ligonier made at least one trip to The Gambia before its most famous voyage. In April 1766, it returned from there. It carried messages from Governor Debatt of Fort James. These messages reported that the French were building armed trading posts on the coast. This was against their agreements.
Captain Thomas Davis began a new journey from London on July 17, 1766. The ship reached Africa on September 13. The Lord Ligonier took on enslaved people in The Gambia. It then sailed from Africa on July 5, 1767. The ship arrived in Annapolis on September 29. It had started with 140 enslaved people but arrived with 96. It also left London with 26 crew members and arrived with 18. The ship returned to London on January 25, 1768.
An old advertisement still exists that announced the ship's arrival in Annapolis in 1767. It listed the enslaved people as "cargo." This ship was the basis for Alex Haley's book, Roots: The Saga of an American Family. He wrote that his ancestor, Kunta Kinte, was brought on this very trip. The TV show Roots, based on the book, added a fictional slave uprising during the voyage.
This journey is the only one of the Lord Ligonier that is recorded in the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database.
What Happened to the Ship?
We don't know what happened to the Lord Ligonier after this famous voyage. There is some evidence it made another trip carrying enslaved people. However, no details are known about it. The ship was not listed in the Lloyd's Register in 1776.
