John Masterton (1616 - aft 1661)

John Masterton (1616 - aft 1661)

Sailor, Kirkcaldy

John Masterton was involved in one of the most notable incidents of Scots history, as mate on the Elizabeth of Burntisland. This ship was carrying 85 hogsheads of Scottish records from England to Scotland, being returned to Scotland after the Restoration, but the Elizabeth sank off England's north east coast taking with it many of Scotland's archives and records.

Genealogy

John Masterton was the son of Andrew (Andro) Masterton and Margaret French of Kirkcaldy, and a member of a family of, mainly, mariners who operated out of the Fife ports. For a fuller genealogy of the Mastertons from Kirkcaldy, click here.

Depositions of witnesses in the trial of John Wemyss for his carriage in bringing home the registers

Depositions of witnesses cited for trying the carriage of John Wemyss, skipper in Burntisland, in bringing home of some hogsheads with the registers etc. from Yarmouth roadstead, examined by my lords [William Crichton, earl of] Dumfries and [Sir James Lockhart of] Lee and the provost of Edinburgh, commissioners appointed by parliament for trying the verity of the said business.

Edinburgh, 29 January 1661

John Masterton in Kirkcaldy of the age of 43 years or thereby, married, master mate of the ship called The Elizabeth of Burntisland whereof the said John Wemyss was skipper, sworn upon oath, testifies that he came along with the said ship from London to Yarmouth roadstead, where the captain of The Eagle frigate was lying; after whose coming to the said roadstead the master of the said frigate going ashore to Yarmouth did come along to the said Elizabeth and desired the skipper thereof to receive in to his said ship from the frigate some of the hogsheads with the registers that were aboard the said frigate, which the said skipper altogether refused to receive; whereupon the said master did threaten the skipper and his company and pressed them to receive in the same, upon which the said John Wemyss, skipper, went ashore displeased. Item, testifies that within a short space thereafter some of the company of the said frigate came aboard with two boats, one after the other at several times, and by themselves did hoist and put in the said hogsheads, being 85 in number, within the said ship called The Elizabeth, the company of the said Elizabeth withdrawing their assistance therefrom. Being interrogated how long the said Elizabeth lay in the said roadstead, testifies that she weighed on Friday morning after she had received a sign from the frigate by firing of a gun and loosening of her four top sail, and plied to and again in the roadstead until 4 o'clock at night; and bearing along the frigate's stern, asked if they were minded to sea seeing the wind was fair, who answered, no, because the pilot and boat was ashore. Whereupon the said John Wemyss came to an anchor at the frigate's stern until the next morning, being Saturday, and then hearing the warning shot again and seeing the sign of the four top sail loose did weigh about 8 o'clock in the morning with the rest of the fleet that remained. Being likewise interrogated if the said ship called The Elizabeth struck upon any bank and thereby got her leak, testifies that the said ship struck upon no bank, but that she had three fathoms of water at least at Wintertonness whereas the ship drew but nine foot. Being interrogated whether or not they met any ships at sea who offered to have taken in the hogsheads from the said Elizabeth, testifies that he saw none to offer the same, nor was it possible to any ship to offer the same in respect of the greatness of the storm; but testifies that upon the Monday in the morning having forgathered with a ship going to Newcastle, the witness and the company called to them and showed that their ship was leaky, and desired to have the company of the Newcastle ship to save their lives if it were possible, who promised so to do, but the storm increasing they were forced to separate one from the other in the night so that no boat was able to go aboard from the one ship to the other. But by God's providence the witness and the company pumped their ship from Sunday at 8 o'clock in the morning to Tuesday at 3 o'clock in the morning, at which time they were forced to take boat, being 18 miles off land. And this is the truth as he shall answer to God, given by reason of knowledge because the witness was master mate of the said ship and in company therein all the time and so knows as he has testified.

John Masterton

James Adamson, sailer in Burntisland, of the age of 47 years, married, sworn upon oath, testifies according to the deposition of the said John Masterton in every respect, given by reason of knowledge because he was one of the company of the said ship as a sailer and was therein the whole time and so knows as he has testified.

James Adamson

John Kent, sailer in Burntisland, of the age of 48 years, married, sworn upon oath, testifies likewise according to the deposition of the said John Masterton in all things. Adding that when the master of the frigate pressed the skipper of The Elizabeth to take in the aforesaid hogsheads with the registers, the skipper showed him that it was more than the skipper could be answerable for to receive, seeing he knew it was his majesty's direction to send the registers to Scotland in his own ships and not to credit any merchant ships therewith. And this is the truth as he shall answer to God, given by reason of knowledge because he was owner of the said ship and in the company all the time, and so heard and saw as he has testified.

John Kent

Walter Young, son to Walter Young, merchant in Edinburgh, of the age of 21 years or thereby, unmarried, sworn upon oath, testifies according to the deposition of the said John Masterton, except in this: that the witness being sick in the said Elizabeth he knew not whether the said frigate loosened her top sail or not when the said Elizabeth weighed anchor. Item, testifies that when such of the company of the frigate as were in her boat did press the skipper to take in the said hogsheads, the skipper refused, and showed to them that he knew certainly their were several skippers that would have taken in these hogsheads at London, but as he was informed by the skippers they were refused to be given to them and were only to be entrusted to his majesty's ships, and that notwithstanding thereof, they pressed them aboard in the said Elizabeth. And this is the truth as he shall answer to God, given by reason of knowledge because he was the whole time in the said ship as one passenger therein and so knows as he has testified.

Walter Young, younger

The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707
K.M. Brown et al eds
St Andrews, 2007
A1661/1/49.
www.rps.ac.uk
Date accessed: 5 August 2008.