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Battle of Ronas Voe

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Coordinates: 60°30′25″N 1°26′48″W / 60.50694°N 1.44667°W / 60.50694; -1.44667
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Battle of Ronas Voe
Part of the Third Anglo-Dutch War

Modern-day view of Ronas Voe
Date14 March [O.S. 4 March] 1674
Location
Ronas Voe, Shetland
60°30′25″N 1°26′48″W / 60.50694°N 1.44667°W / 60.50694; -1.44667
Result English victory
Belligerents
 Dutch East India Company  Kingdom of England
Commanders and leaders
Strength
1 East Indiaman
Casualties and losses
  • Up to 300 dead
  • Unknown casualties
  • 1 ship captured
  • Unknown
  • 0 ships
Ronas Voe is located in North Sea
Ronas Voe
Ronas Voe
class=notpageimage|
Ronas Voe in relation to the Netherlands and England
Ronas Voe is located in Shetland
Ronas Voe
Ronas Voe
Ronas Voe (Shetland)

The Battle of Ronas Voe was a naval engagement between the English Royal Navy and the Dutch East India ship Wapen van Rotterdam on 14 March 1674 in Ronas Voe, Shetland as part of the Third Anglo-Dutch War. Having occurred 23 days after the signing of the Treaty of Westminster, it is likely to have been the final battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War.

Shortly after embarking on a journey towards the Dutch East Indies with trade goods and a company of soldiers, extreme weather conditions caused Wapen van Rotterdam to lose its masts and rudder and it was forced to take shelter in Ronas Voe for a number of months. A whistleblower in Shetland informed the English authorities of the ship's presence, and in response three Royal Navy men-of-war and a dogger were dispatched to capture the ship. After a short battle, the ship was captured and taken back to England as a prize of war.

An unknown number of up to 300 of the ship's crew were killed in the battle and were buried nearby in Heylor. A modern memorial to the Dutch crew is erected where they are believed to be buried, bearing the inscription "The Hollanders' Graves".

Background

[edit]
An English language letter dated 24 November 1673, taken from aboard Wapen van Rotterdam, the first part of which explains the situation of the war which the ship may have been unfamiliar with upon their return from Batavia. It gives permission to the ship's crew to "use all hoſtilitie and dammage to French and Engliſh."

Wapen van Rotterdam[i] was an East Indiaman with a capacity of 1,124 tons[1] and between 60[2] and 70[3] guns. On 16 December 1673, it departed the Texel bound for the Dutch East Indies[1] with both trade goods and a company of soldiers from the Dutch East India Company's private army, along with an army captain.[4] The ship itself was captained by Jacob Martens Cloet.

To avoid conflict with the English (with whom, due to the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch were at war), rather than passing through the English Channel, the ship was directed northwards where the plan would be to sail around the north of the British Isles (known as "going north about", which was commonly practised by Dutch East India ships at that time),[5] before heading southwards again.[6] Due to the extreme weather conditions in its journey northwards, the ship lost its masts and rudder,[7][8] and southerly winds prevented the ship from being able to pass through either the Pentland Firth or the Fair Isle Channel, so the ship was (probably with considerable difficulty)[6] taken into Ronas Voe in the north-west of Northmavine, Mainland, Shetland to shelter until the weather improved,[2] and to allow the ship to be repaired.[6] The voe (Shetland dialect for an inlet, firth or fjord)[9] forms a crescent shape around Ronas Hill, which would have allowed the ship to lie sheltered regardless of the direction of the wind.[10] A combination of prevailing southerly winds,[6] and, presumably, a scarcity of suitable wood available in Shetland at that time to replace its masts[11][12][ii] prevented the ship from continuing its journey, and as such it remained in Ronas Voe until March 1674.[14]

During their stay, the crew of the ship would have most likely traded Dutch goods such as Hollands gin and tobacco (and perhaps also goods on the ship originally destined for the Dutch East Indies) with the Shetlanders, in exchange for local foodstuffs available at that time, such as kale,[15] meal and mutton – either fresh or reestit.[6] The Shetlanders probably would have had quite a lot in common with the Dutch.[16] The native language of the local Shetlanders at that time would have been Norn, though English would have been understood and used fluently by most.[17] Many Shetlanders (of both the affluent and Commoners) were also fluent in Dutch, despite never having never left Shetland, due to the amount of trade done by Dutch ships in Shetland's ports.[18]

From 1603, the Kingdoms of England, Ireland and Scotland had all shared the same monarch with the Union of the Crowns, who by 1674 was Charles II. As such, Scotland was actively involved in the Third Anglo-Dutch War, despite not being included in the conflict's name.[19] Shetland, being a part of the Kingdom of Scotland, was therefore at war with the Dutch, however the local Shetland residents of Heylor and adjacent areas in direct contact with the Dutch may not have been aware of the conflict, and would not have considered the visitors as "enemies".[6] A letter must have been sent by someone with an understanding of the political situation (most likely a laird, minister, merchant, or some other member of the gentry in Shetland) to inform the authorities of the Dutch ship's presence,[6] and that it could not proceed due to it losing its masts and rudder.[8] As a result, a total of four Royal Navy ships – HMS Cambridge,[20] captained by Arthur Herbert (later the Earl of Torrington);[21] HMS Newcastle,[22] captained by John Wetwang (later Sir John Wetwang);[23] HMS Crown,[24] captained by Richard Carter;[25] and Dove,[26] captained by Abraham Hyatt[27] – were ordered to set sail for Shetland and to capture the ship.

Call to arms

[edit]
Rendition of HMS Newcastle by Willem van de Velde, 1676
HMS Newcastle, one of the English men-of-war sent to capture Wapen van Rotterdam. Drawing by Willem van de Velde, 1676.

Captain Herbert (Cambridge) was the first to receive his orders in a letter sent 21 February [O.S. 11 February] 1674 by the Royal Navy's Chief Secretary to the Admiralty Samuel Pepys.[28] He stated the orders were "at the desire of the Royal Highness", and stressed that the orders were to be carried out swiftly, as the Treaty of Westminster concluding the war was expected to be published within eight days, and any subsequent hostilities were to last no longer than twelve days.[28] The Treaty of Westminster had in fact been signed two days prior to this letter being sent, and was ratified in England the day before the letter was sent.[29]

The following day letters were sent to both Captains Wetwang (Newcastle) and Carter (Crown) enclosing the same orders.[30] Pepys also wrote again to Captain Herbert (Cambridge) to convey he had arranged for a pilot knowledgeable of Shetland's coast to be sent to him, as well as to inform him that Crown and Dove would accompany his ship.[31]

On 25 February [O.S. 15 February] Captain Herbert (Cambridge) wrote to Pepys to inform him that neither the pilot nor Dove had yet arrived. Pepys replied on 28 February [O.S. 18 February] to say he had sent instruction to hasten the pilot, and had enquired into Dove's delay.[32]

On 3 March [O.S. 21 February] Captain Taylor stationed at Harwich wrote to Pepys to inform him that Cambridge and Crown had passed by on their way to Shetland.[33] The same day, Pepys replied to a letter from Carter (Crown) to inform him that his five weeks' supply of victuals were enough to support his crew until their return from Shetland.[34]

On 6 March [O.S. 24 February], Dove was wrecked on the coast of Northumberland on the journey northwards, leaving the three remaining ships to continue towards Shetland.[26]

Battle

[edit]
Bar shot fired during the Battle of Ronas Voe, discovered by Jack Edwardson in Heylor. Held by Shetland Museum & Archives.[35]

The battle is commonly reported to have occurred in February 1674,[1][2][3][6] however the only known extant contemporary report of the battle indicates that it occurred on 14 March [O.S. 4 March] 1674.[14] This was one day after Pepys' original twenty day deadline for the completion of his orders sent to Captain Herbert,[28] and 23 days after the signing of the Treaty of Westminster.[29]

Upon their arrival, Cambridge, Newcastle and Crown entered Ronas Voe, where a short, one-sided battle ensued.[6] While a single East Indiaman might have stood a chance, however small, against three much more manoeuvrable men-of-war on open seas, in the confined space of Ronas Voe and most likely still without replacement masts (evidenced by the fact the ship had not left Ronas Voe), Wapen van Rotterdam was completely outmatched.[6]

It is recorded that Newcastle captured Wapen van Rotterdam, and it was taken back to England as a prize of war.[10][4] A contemporary Dutch newspaper reported that while 400 crew were originally on board Wapen van Rotterdam, later only 100 prisoners were being transported by Crown,[14] suggesting up to 300 crew may have been killed, although additional prisoners might have been transported on the other English ships. Those killed in the battle were buried nearby in Heylor.[16] Both Cloet and the army captain survived the battle and were taken back to England with the rest of the surviving crew.[4]

Aftermath

[edit]

Crown took aboard one hundred Dutch prisoners. When the ship returned to England, it experienced extremely bad weather (in which it was reported that 10 valuable ships between Great Yarmouth and Winterton-on-Sea had to be stranded, some of which were destroyed) and was unable to land before it reached Dover on 29 March [O.S. 19 March] 1674.[14] Samuel Pepys wrote to Captain Carter (Crown) on 31 March [O.S. 21 March], telling him "His Majesty and his Royal Highness are well pleased with his account of the good success of the Cambridge and Newcastle."[36] The ships returned to the Downs by 3 April [O.S. 24 March].[10] Pepys wrote to Captain Herbert (Cambridge) on 4 April [O.S. 25 March] and passed on that the Lords had commented, "Long may the civility which you mention of the Dutch to his Majesty's ships continue."[37]

Captain Wetwang directed the Dutch ship to Harwich on 7 April [O.S. 28 March] en route to the River Thames.[4] The remaining Dutch crew were put ashore in Harwich, after which Cloet and the army captain set sail back to the Dutch Republic in a packet boat.[4] Before departing, the Dutch captains valued Wapen van Rotterdam (and presumably also the trade goods on board) at approximately £50,000[4] – equivalent to £9,100,000 in 2023. In June the same year, the Lord Privy Seal Arthur Annesley asked the Principal Commissioners of Prizes and the Lord High Treasurer to award Captain Wetwang £500 – equivalent to £91,000 in 2023 – for his capture of the ship and its safe return to the Thames. This prize was to be funded from the sale of the goods aboard the ship, or if the value raised was insufficient to fund this prize, the Privy Seal instructed the Lord High Treasurer "to find out some other proper way for payment thereof, as a free gift."[38]

Letters carried by Wapen van Rotterdam were captured, and still survive in the English admiralty archives. They were partly published in 2014.[39]

Goods put up for sale

[edit]

On 24 May [O.S. 14 May] 1674, many of the goods aboard the ship were put up for sale at the East India House, City of London:

Item Quantity Notes Maximum total sale value[iii] Source
English Metric equivalent

(approx)

1674 value Equivalent value

(2023)

£ s d
Scarlet 229 yards 209 Metres 148 17 0 £27,086 [40]
Crimson cloth 234 yards 214 metres 140 8 0 £25,548
Crimson cloth 209 yards 191 metres 83 12 0 £15,212
Red cloth 223 yards 204 metres 78 1 0 £14,202
Scarlet and crimson cloth 41 yards 37 metres 3 remnants 20 10 0 £3,730
Amber 2 small cases
Mum brown Hollands beer 180 barrels 28,281 Litres Sale programme states "or what it is" 120 0 0 £21,836
Spanish wine 10 leadgers and 1 puncheon Sale programme states "or what it is"
Rhenish wine 8 leadgers
Vinegar 21 puncheons 6,636 – 6,720 litres 84 0 0 £15,285
Rack 5 rundlets 340 litres 6 0 0 £1,092
Butter 4 firkins 100 Kilograms In barrels of pickle 4 12 0 £837
Oil 15 rundlets 1,020 litres 27 0 0 £4,913
Malay language New Testaments 220 11 0 0 £2,002
Small Books 6 bundles 6 13 8 £1,216
Prayer books 283
Rushes 150 bundles 1 17 6 £342
Prunes 10 drum hogsheads and 1 butt
Glue 2 tierces 316–320 litres
Spruce beer 40 gallons 185 litres Among 3 rundlets 5 0 0 £910
Isinglass 2 cases
Round shaves 47 1 11 4 £286 [41]
Howells 42 1 1 0 £191
Percers 192 2 8 0 £437
Gilt leaf 5 boxes 1 0 0 £182
Iron plates 100
Tew irons cast for bellows 20
Beak irons for smiths 5
Pairs of wooden screws 1 1 0 0 £182
Copper Kettles 23
Copper plates or bottoms 21
Pairs of pinchers 75 0 18 9 £171
Drills 2 0 5 0 £45
Small Brushes 100 0 12 6 £115
Carpenters' brass compasses 156 With iron points 6 10 0 £1,183
Iron collars or turners 3 0 9 0 £82
Handvices 36 1 16 0 £328
Brass cocks 30 1 10 0 £273
Small cabin Bells 30
Sea compasses 49 6 2 6 £1,115
Square Glasses for compasses 34 0 4 3 £38
Cards for compasses 72 1 4 0 £218
Round glasses for compasses 18 0 1 6 £15
Half-hour glasses 46 0 15 4 £140
Cardis 1 chest 1 11 0 £282
Wormwood 1 chest 1 11 0 £282
Roots 1 cask In sand 1 11 0 £282
Empty cases lined with sheet lead 4 1 11 0 £282

Remaining goods

[edit]

Those goods still remaining on the ship following the sale, along with the sails and cables not offered for sale were catalogued and stored at his Majesties stores in Woolwich Dockyard by 2 July [O.S. 22 June] 1674:

Goods
Item Quantity Notes Total estimated weight Source
English Metric

kg

cwt qr lbs
Nails 98 Barrels 601 0 14 30,539 [42]
Holland's duck canvas 82 bales 17,712 Yards (16.2 kilometres)
Fine canvas 5 bales 1,292 yards (1,181 metres)
Beef 1 puncheon Damaged
Butter 9 casks 31 1 10 1,592
Butter 4 small casks 0 0 280 127
Pork 32 casks 105 1 20 5,356
Rosin 40 barrels 153 0 16 7,780
Pitch 25 barrels 90 2 21 4,607
Tar 77 barrels 281 0 4 14,277
Tallow 8 casks 47 2 13 2,419
Grout 25 Hogsheads
Grout & pea gravel mix 13 hogsheads
Grout 13 butts, pipes and puncheons
Rusk 53 casks
Pea gravel Twelve hogsheads
Oil 4 Rundlets
Twine 10 3 12 552
Sail needles 2400
Herbs 3 chests Damaged
Hogs' Bristles 2 casks 10 1 13 527
Swines 2 casks
Leather 100 backs
Grindstones 39
Blacking 255 barrels
Housing and marlings Damaged, 1,345 small lines 13 1 7 676
Ram block with 4 brass Sheaves 1 Containing 4 Fathoms 11 Inches (7.59 metres)
Ram block with lignum vities 11 Containing 21 fathoms 10 inches (38.66 metres)
Block with ash sheaves 63 Containing 67 fathoms (122.5 metres)
Anchors 2 55 1 2 2,808
Anchor 1 6 0 24 316
Grapnels 2 1 1 10 68
Flour 2 casks 3 0 23 163
Small cordage 197 coils 152 1 16 7,742 [43]
Sails
Sail Size Material Condition Source
English Metric
Width

(cloths)

Depth

(yards)

Width

(metres)[iv]

Depth

(metres)[v]

Bonnet 29 1 ¾ 53 1.5 Duck canvas ½ worn [42]
Topsail 21 14 38 12.75 Duck canvas
Mizzen sail 12 14 22 12.75 Duck canvas
Spritsail 22 5 ½ 40 5 ½ worn
Foresail 29 8 ¼ 53 7.5 20 yards damaged
Main canvas 33 10 ¼ 60 9.25
Studding sail 7 16 ¾ 13 15.25 Small canvas
Mainsail (piece) 15 9 27 8.25 ⅓ worn
Mizzen topsail 13 7 ¾ 24 7 Small canvas
Boat sail 5 ½ 9 ½ 10 8.75 Duck canvas
Boat sail 5 8 9 7.25 Small canvas
Mizzen sail 11 ½ 17 21 15.5 Duck canvas ½ worn [44]
Topsail 15 8 27 7.25
Topsail 12 7 ¾ 22 7 Small canvas
Bonnet 29 1 ¾ 53 1.5 Duck canvas
Boat sail 2 ½ 7 5 6.5 Duck canvas
Course sail 24 8 ½ 44 7.75 Duck canvas ½ worn
Staysail 9 ½ 10 17 9.25 Duck canvas New
Bonnet 29 2 53 1.75 Duck canvas New
Topsail 15 9 27 8.25 Small cloth ¾ worn
Course sail (piece) 5 8 9 7.25 Duck canvas
Topsail 13 7 ½ 24 6.75 ½ small canvas
Awning (piece) 5 11 9 10 Duck canvas ½ worn
Cables
Item Size Notes Source
English Metric
Circumference

(Inches)

Length

(Fathoms)

Diameter

(mm)

Length

(m)

Shroud hawser 8 92 65 168 [44]
8 66 65 121
8 93 65 170
7 ½ 93 61 170
8 91 65 166
Cable 9 ¾ 88 79 161
9 ½ 87 77 159
11 87 89 159
11 89 89 163
10 ½ 90 85 165
11 ½ 86 93 157
8 ¾ 87 71 159
8 ¾ 90 71 165
8 ½ 90 69 165
8 ½ 93 69 170
8 ½ 89 69 163
9 94 73 172
9 89 73 163
10 ½ 9 85 16
7 ½ 174 61 318
9 27 73 49
7 ½ 86 61 157
8 87 65 159
12 86 97 157
11 94 89 172
13 90 105 165
13 90 105 165
15 87 121 159
17 86 137 157
15 ½ 90 125 165
16 47 129 86
16 ½ 88 133 161
20 89 162 163
20 89 162 163 [43]
Rope with 4 strands 5 ½ 53 44 97
Tacks Two pieces
Warp 5 69 40 126
Shot 21 265 170 485 ⅓ worn
Tack
Tack ½ worn

Fate of Wapen van Rotterdam

[edit]

Wapen van Rotterdam was renamed HMS Arms of Rotterdam and was refitted as an unarmed hulk. In 1703 Arms of Rotterdam was broken down in Chatham.[45]

The Hollanders' Graves

[edit]
The Hollanders' Graves

The site where the bodies of those killed in the battle were buried is known as the Hollanders' Knowe, and the site is marked by a small granite cairn with a plaque that reads "The Hollanders' Graves". These are likely to be the first War graves recorded in Shetland.[16]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "Wapen van Rotterdam" is Dutch for "Coat of arms of Rotterdam".
  2. ^ Shetland supports only a small number of trees as of June 2014, although since the 1950s the number of trees has gradually increased[13]
  3. ^ The value of the goods listed is the item's maximum sale value, not including advances that were offered to those buying all the goods in a single lot.
  4. ^ Width given to the nearest metre
  5. ^ Depth given to the nearest 25cm

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c VOCsite 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Bruce 1914, p. 101.
  3. ^ a b Three Decks – Wapen van Rotterdam 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f London Gazette 27 March 1674, p. 2.
  5. ^ Bruce 1914, p. 103.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Edwardson.
  7. ^ Pepys 1923, p. 30.
  8. ^ a b London Gazette 2 March 1674, p. 2.
  9. ^ DSL 2004.
  10. ^ a b c Bruce 1914, p. 102.
  11. ^ Jack 1999, p. 349.
  12. ^ BBC Guernsey 2008.
  13. ^ Shetland.org 2014.
  14. ^ a b c d Amsterdamsche Courant 10 April 1674.
  15. ^ SASA.
  16. ^ a b c HEARD 2006.
  17. ^ Graham 1979.
  18. ^ Brand 1809, p. 767.
  19. ^ Murdoch, Little & Forte 2005, p. 37.
  20. ^ Three Decks – Cambridge 2019.
  21. ^ Three Decks – Arthur Herbert 2019.
  22. ^ Three Decks – Newcastle 2019.
  23. ^ Three Decks – John Wetwang 2019.
  24. ^ Three Decks – Taunton 2019.
  25. ^ Three Decks – Richard Carter 2019.
  26. ^ a b Three Decks – Dove 2019.
  27. ^ Three Decks – Abraham Hyatt 2019.
  28. ^ a b c Pepys 1904, p. 247.
  29. ^ a b Davenport 1929, p. 229.
  30. ^ Pepys 1904, pp. 249–250.
  31. ^ Pepys 1904, p. 249.
  32. ^ Pepys 1904, p. 256.
  33. ^ Pepys 1904, p. 261.
  34. ^ Pepys 1904, p. 258.
  35. ^ Shetland Museum SEA 7691.
  36. ^ Pepys 1904, p. 280.
  37. ^ Pepys 1904, p. 281.
  38. ^ Daniell 1904, pp. 291–292.
  39. ^ Brouwer 2014, p. 49.
  40. ^ A Sale of His Majesties Prize Goods by the Arms of Rotterdam, etc. 1674, p. 1.
  41. ^ A Sale of His Majesties Prize Goods by the Arms of Rotterdam, etc. 1674, p. 2.
  42. ^ a b Burgess 1674, p. 1.
  43. ^ a b Burgess 1674, p. 3.
  44. ^ a b Burgess 1674, p. 2.
  45. ^ Three Decks – Arms of Rotterdam 2019.

Sources

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