Name

Captain George Dowe

Biography

Captain of the Whitehaven customs sloop Sincerity. In August 1750, lured Captain Matthias Christian aboard his vessel and presented pistols to his breast, threatening to blow his brains out and batter his house to the ground. Extracted a five-hundred-pound bond after three hours. His crew had earlier boarded a Manx wherry with firearms and cutlasses. The clash demonstrated the violent reality of jurisdictional conflict between the Lord's authority and the King's customs service.

Active Period

fl. 1750s

Place

Whitehaven

Ramsey

Period

Atholl Lordship

Related To

Captain Matthias Christian

Role / Office

Customs Captain

Book Chapter

Chapter 6