The tragic story of the Nancy, the ship that sailed from the Dornoch Firth 250 years ago, as told by Professor David Bell
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It had been forgotten in the mists of time but now the tragic story of the Nancy and her brutal voyage from the Dornoch Firth to New York in September 1773 has been brought to life by Professor David Bell. Read his fascinating account here.
On September 17th 1773, the sailing brig, the Nancy, set sail from Dornoch with around 280 passengers, hoping to make a new life for themselves in the Americas. Many of them did not survive the journey. Around 80 died, including all but one of the seven pregnant women and their babies.
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The voyage of the Nancy was one of the greatest tragedies in the history of Dornoch and of Sutherland. It preceded the Sutherland Clearances, where crofters were driven off their land to make way for sheep, which were to take place half a century later. But the massive social and economic changes that followed the failed Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 were the main drivers of an upsurge in emigration from the Highlands in the second half of the 18th century.
On September 17th, 1773, the sailing brig, the Nancy, set sail from Dornoch with around 280 passengers, hoping to make a new life for themselves in the Americas. Many of them did not survive the journey. Around 80 died, including all but one of the seven pregnant women and their babies.
The voyage of the Nancy was one of the greatest tragedies in the history of Dornoch and of Sutherland. It preceded the Sutherland Clearances, where crofters were driven off their land to make way for sheep, which were to take place half a century later. But the massive social and economic changes that followed the failed Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 were the main drivers of an upsurge in emigration from the Highlands in the second half of the 18th century.
In response the tacksmen sought other ways to make money. Gray was described as the “arch-organiser of emigration”. In 1774 he organised a visit to Dornoch by some Glasgow merchants who were interested in taking a cargo of “servants” to America. This would likely be to enter indentured servitude, where individuals work for nothing until they have repaid a loan.
Gray was one of the “freighters” of the voyage of the Nancy. Mr William Parker of Leith was the owner. Together they arranged for the ship to carry passengers from Dornoch to New York.
However, the situation of those living on the East Coast of Sutherland was difficult. Harvest failure in 1771-72 along with debt arrears cause by rent increases had reduced the population to near starvation. Emigration offered an escape route, but unlike more affluent communities, those wishing to leave from Dornoch struggled to meet the costs of the voyage.
The ship arrived, perhaps anchoring in the “Merchant’s Pool”, just off the Gizzen Briggs, the notorious sandbanks at the mouth of the Dornoch Firth. It was captained by Mr George Smith. The price for chartering the ship was 650 guineas. Half was to be paid on July 27th 1773 with the remainder on embarkation. But payment was inadequate causing the voyage to be delayed. It was decided to set sail on September 17th even though less than half of the sum had been paid. There was not enough food on the ship for a normal passage, far less for one that was extended by misadventure.
The ship was extremely cramped for 280 people. The bunks were inadequate. The Nancy ran into bad weather almost immediately. Shelter had to be taken in Stromness and off the coast of Ireland. The captain refused to take the passengers ashore, even though they were often close to the coast. There was no cook and the food was inadequate. Smith and his crew fed well and refused to share with the emigrants. Nevertheless, realising that they could not sail the ship themselves, the passengers decided against mutiny. Gradually passengers succumbed to starvation, disease and some to injury caused by the crew. Unbelievably, Smith charged 6d for each of the passengers the crew committed to a watery grave. Of the 50 children aged four or less, all died but one. Of the seven women who were delivered on board, all died but one, as did all of their children.
The Nancy arrived in New York sometime in December 1773. Little was known of their troubles for some days, by which time Smith had fled to the Carolinas, fearing retribution. The people of New York took pity on the Highlanders and sought to alleviate their dire situation. By chance, the Rev Dr John Witherspoon was in New York at that time. He was later to achieve fame as one of the two Scots to sign the Declaration of Independence and as an influential president of Princeton University. But on this occasion, he preached a special sermon in the Presbyterian Church which raised £80 for the relief of the emigrants from Dornoch.
And there the story largely ends. There is no trace of what happened to the survivors after they arrived in New York. There was no retribution for Robert Gray. The captain and owner of the Nancy both sought to exonerate themselves from blame. Smith wrote to the New York Journal from Wilmington, North Carolina in February 1774 acknowledging that he left Dornoch with insufficient food for the journey, but argued that there had not been any cruelty to any of the passengers. William Parker argued that the payment for the voyage had not been what had been agreed and that more passengers than expected had gathered in Dornoch. Having made them aware of the challenge they faced, he argued that all the passengers had been given a chance to opt out of the journey. Parker also resented any suggestion by Smith that he was in some way responsible for the tragedy.
Many of these events were reported in the Scots Magazine, the only publication that followed the tragedy that had unfolded on the Nancy during its ill-fated voyage from Dornoch to New York in the autumn of 1773. There was no further investigation and the start of the American War of Independence in 1776 brought this wave of emigration from the Highlands to America to an abrupt halt.
The deaths aboard the Nancy were not only the unfortunate consequences of the unpredictable North Atlantic weather, but also of a social system in disarray: the ties that bound the clan system together replaced by market relations. The later Sutherland Clearances have attracted much of the historical attention, but the neglected tragedy of the Nancy was a sad precursor to these events, and with the same root cause.
