John Cabot House - Beverly Privateer Trail

This house was constructed by merchant ship owner John Cabot in 1781 as the first brick residence to be built in Beverly. During the Revolution, John Cabot and his brothers Andrew and George and brother-in-law Joseph Lee were part owners of 40 privateer vessels sailing from the Cabot Wharf. His family lived here until 1802 when they relocated both business and residence to Boston. Then the building became the headquarters of the newly formed Beverly Bank. This is now the home of the Beverly Historical Society and their collection. The points on the Beverly Privateer trail were organized by them.

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The Boston Brahmin Cabot family descended from John Cabot who emigrated to Salem (‘Bass River Side’ which became Beverly), Massachusetts in 1700. John Cabot and his son, Joseph Cabot, became highly successful merchants, operating a fleet of ships carrying opium, rum, and slaves. Shipping during the eighteenth century was the lifeblood of most of Boston's first families. Joseph's sons, Joseph Cabot Jr, George Cabot, and Samuel Cabot, left Harvard to work their way through shipping, furthering the family fortune and becoming extraordinarily wealthy.

The importing house J & A Cabot had gradually built up a large business centering around Spanish trade and funneling it through their home port of Beverly, enriching the entire township and its residents with jobs and many stores.

This firm consisted of George Cabot, Joseph Lee, John and Andrew Cabot, and their agents and correspondents in Spain were the firm of Joseph Gardoqui & Sons. As early as 1770 their merchant vessels, under command of George Cabot, Stephen Cleveland, and Benjamin Lovett, were shipping the catch of the Beverly fishermen to Bilbao and bringing back salt, iron, cordage, silks, linen, and liquors to the home port. Occasionally they sent vessels to Charleston for rice and to Virginia for tobacco and shipped these to their correspondents in Bilbao.

Bilbao was the mecca at which, sooner or later, all American privateers cruising in European waters finally arrived. Captain Lee of the Hawk, on his arrival at Salem in the autumn of 1776, reported 18 American privateers in that port when he left. Business relations between the merchants of Massachusetts and Bilbao had been close before the war, and now it was the most convenient port in which to sell their prizes and refit.

The Spaniards did not look with approval on the wild privateersmen as they marched singing through the narrow streets or caroused in the wine shops, but if they did not love the Americans, they liked their money and contented themselves with silent cursing.

One of the most successful privateers sailing from Beverly under J & A Cabot during the war was the Oliver Cromwell. When first commissioned, she was a brigantine of 162 tons, carrying 16 guns and 120 men. On her first cruise she was commanded by Captain William Cole and was very successful, sending in eleven prizes. The following extracts from her log show how some of them were taken:

July 30th 1777, Fair, raw, cold, wind rough and sea. Sent our boat aboard the prize. Took out Mr. Dyer and one of the band and sent Mr. French to take command and carry her into Bilbao

July 31st Fair, pleasant weather. At ½ past 3, A.M. saw the sail again and gave chase. At 4 gave her a gun and brought her to. She was a small sloop called the Three Sisters, about 60 tons loaded with butter and sheep guts. Sent her into Bilboa.

Aug. 2nd, Fair, light breeze and smooth sea. Early A.M. saw a sail and judged her to be Capt. Lee of Marblehead, privateer brig, fired two guns to leeward in token of friendship. At 10 sent a small boat on board to bring him on board to dinner. He came on board us accordingly and informs us he has taken nine prizes, some of which were retaken, and some in ballast which he gave up to his prisoners and four he had sent home, laden with bale goods and provisions. Agreed to keep us company and cruise in concert several days.

Aug. 6th at 3 P.M. saw two brigs. Everything being prepared for battle we advanced. One of them began to fire but we took no notice until near when we gave her two broadsides. Finally she struck. We then bore up for the other brig and kept up an incessant fire for three glasses. She returned our fire for some time and then wore off. The other during engagement kept up a fire on us with her bow chasers. Now we began to think of the man of war which had been in chase of us all day, then we judged it best to give up the assault for the night. The engagement lasted three glasses in which Capt. Cole and all the officers behaved with great courage. The first Lieutenant was wounded in both thighs, one or two other men slightly wounded, none killed. Our brig received several shots in the hull and rigging.

The private armed vessels in 1776-1777 were merchant craft, by no means fitted for the business in which they were engaged, but as these were either taken or discarded, a larger and faster type took their place. Many ships were retrofitted and enlarged. Commissioned in 1778 was the Terrible Creature, who was not a new vessel and probably sailed under another name. Owned by Cabots, she was a heavily armed vessel of unknown tonnage, carrying 16 six-pound cannons and a crew of 100 men. A few months later a still more formidable vessel was put in commission by Beverly owners. This was the brigantine Franklin of 200 tons, carrying 18 six-pounders, and a crew of 100 men. She was owned by J. & A. Cabot of Beverly and Bartholomew Putnam of Salem.

While many in Boston and surrounding areas struggled with provisions through 1777 Beverly found new life in privateering and grew immense wealth.

-Source-

https://www.colonialsociety.org/node/370 Book - Beverly Privateers in the American Revolution

https://historicbeverly.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Privateer_Trail_webversion.pdf also Cummings Center has historic information posted on some office entry walls

https://historicbeverly.net/visit/our-locations/cabot-house/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabot_family

https://historicbeverly.net/about/beverly-history/