Ford, William. Travel diary, 1837-1841 | Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Title: Ford, William. Travel diary, 1837-1841

ID: 01/02/02/POST-1650 MS 0050

Primary Creator: Ford, W. (1816-)

Extent: 1.0 Volumes

Date Acquired: 11/26/1958

Subjects: Canada - Description and travel, Caribbean Area - Description and travel, New York (N.Y.) - Description and travel, Racehorse (Ship : 19th century), Seville (Spain) - Description and travel, Sintra (Portugal) - Description and travel

Languages: English

This collection consists of a diary (104 pages) by William Ford (fl. 1809-1862), an English mariner who recounted travels to the Caribbean Sea, Canada, and the Iberian Peninsula between December 21, 1837, and September 10, 1841. Ford was a crewman on the HMS Racehorse and often wrote in detail about the ports and cities he visited, as well as other aspects of his life at sea.

The diary includes pencil drawings of Tenerife and Porto Santo Island, both in profile (p. 227), and an unattributed, untitled poem (p. 228). The poem, previously published elsewhere, begins with the line "Let not false mercy aid sedition's cause" and includes an anti-Catholic acrostic message. The volume's inscriptions indicate ownership by W. Ford and Arabella Taylor, High Cross House, Sampford Peverell, Devon.

See Administrative/Biographical History for more information.

After joining the crew of the HMS Racehorse in 1837, William Ford traveled to the Caribbean, where the ship called on ports in Bermuda, Jamaica, and other locales. In his diary, Ford often noted the names of ships the Racehorse encountered at sea and in port; on one occasion, he wrote that a sailor had drowned after going overboard. The Racehorse embarked for Canada in the spring of 1838 and sailed primarily around Quebec throughout the spring and summer, returning to Bermuda in October by way of New York City. During the ship's time in New York, Ford described the local geography and customs.

The Racehorse intended to sail for Veracruz, Mexico, in the fall of 1838 but, as Ford mentioned, altered its course after the city's capture by French forces that November. The ship sailed along the Mexican coast and around the Caribbean until the spring of 1839. In March 1839, Ford maintained daily records of the prevailing winds, the Racehorse's position and course, and weather conditions throughout the transatlantic crossing back to Plymouth.

The Racehorse departed for the Iberian Peninsula in mid-1839, calling at Lisbon, Portugal, and Cadiz, Spain. During this time, Ford wrote detailed descriptions of his extended visits to Seville, Spain, and Sintra, Portugal. Thereafter, Ford wrote less frequently, mentioning his return to England in December 1840 and expressing his frustration with the lack of promotional opportunities within the British Admiralty in 1841. The diary ends with the Racehorse approaching Tenerife in September 1841.

Canada - Description and travel
Caribbean Area - Description and travel
New York (N.Y.) - Description and travel
Racehorse (Ship : 19th century)
Seville (Spain) - Description and travel
Sintra (Portugal) - Description and travel

Repository: Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Access Restrictions: The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions:

This item is the physical property of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, may reside with the materials' creator(s) or their heirs.

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Acquisition Source: A. L. Rowse

Finding Aid Revision History: Revised by Meg Hixon (December 2016) and Dana Miller (December 2023).

Other Note: Formerly cataloged as Manuscript diary of early 19th-century sea captain who sailed in the 1830s for the West Indies...

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