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Local Records
1777
February 24. — Lieutenant Oakes, on the impress service at Shields, having had information that the seamen on board the colliers had left their ships, and taken boats to hinder the vessels from sailing that were then ready, ordered his boats to be manned, and to prevent any ill consequences from resistance, took two blunderbusses loaded with bird shot. On seeing a boat containing about twenty men, he rowed towards it, but before he could reach it, they had got close to the ships, and got on board the Present Succession, John Reed, master, where they mustered on the forecastle, joined by a great number of seamen from different ships and whilst Mr. Oakes was employed in securing those for his majesty’s service who had not got out of the boat, those on board threw large coals and billets of wood at him, threatening his life in the most opprobrious manner, and paying no regard to the remonstrances and expostulations which he made use of, they continued their unwarrantable proceedings so obstinately, that he presented a gun three times, and at last elevated it to throw the shot over the men’s heads, but it hung fire ; and upon his taking it from his shoulder to see what was the matter, it went off and wounded one of the men assembled on board the Present Succession so much, that he afterwards died. It was thought scarcely possible for Mr. Oakes and his people to have escaped with their lives. [LRS]
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- LRS — Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by John Sykes, Published in 1833 in two volumes
Contains public sector information licensed under the 
