Capt Timothy STEWARD [12423]

  General Notes:

Timothy was a successful privateer. His prizes included the captured Swedish vessel, the Sophia. acquired in 1781. His marriage was advantageous, gaining property through his
wife, heir to the Palmer family estate.

The Palmer family were very prominent in Great Yarmouth. Mentioned often in the Perlustration (ref 2), as landowners.

Yarmouth prospered as a naval base during the French Wars.

Extracts from Norfolk Chronicle
Yarmouth, Feb 1 1781
On Thursday, about twelve o'clock, the Dreadnought, Privateer, Captain Timothy STEWARD, Commander, of 14 carriage guns, and 50 men, went to sea, and after being at sea about an hour, she saw a large brigantine from Shields, laden with coals, bound to London, who mounted four carriage guns, which was taken this morning about six o'clock, after an engagement of two hours, off Cromer, and ransomed for four hundred guineas; the master was wounded, the mate killed, and all the remainder of the crew wounded, except two little boys. Within half an hour after another large vessel, laden with coals, passed our roads, which was also taken this morning, soon after the above, and ransomed for five hundred guineas. The Captains of the above vessels say, they were taken by that notorious villain FALL (http://www.gtyarmouth.co.uk/Bygones/Aussie_Arthur/html/fall_the_pirate.htm), who had on board his ship at that time thirteen Ransomers; they supposed that FALL has taken near thirty sail of ships from the North. It is surprizing [sic] that this villain had not one Frenchman on board. Captain STEWARD, his Officers and friends, who were on board, directly sailed down to a Scotch privateer in the Roads, and would have had the Captain gone in quest with him directly after this audacious pirate, but the Captain refused; he then directly sailed down to the RANGER privateer, but the crew refused, as their Captain was not on board, and the ship not in proper order for action. Captain STEWARD had 20 Gentlemen on board, friends, who sailed out of the port with him, and who offered as volunteers to go in pursuit of FALL immediately, if any of the ships in view would join the chase; but all refused. The FLY sloop of war was in the roads, but had fifteen ships under her convoy for Portsmouth.
This week sailed the following privateers on a cruize [sic]: -- Ranger, Magnus BRIGHTMAN, late the Lady Washington; Dreadnought, Timothy STEWARD; and Spy [commanded by ] SMITH.

17 March 1781. Page 3, column 3
The Dreadnought privateer, Capt. STEWARD, of Yarmouth, has taken, and carried in there, the Sophia, [commanded by] HOLSTROM, from Stockholm, laden with pitch and tar.
Ref: 1781 Norfolk Chronicle; http://family.kiwicelts.com/16_Steward/FT_Steward_06.html#

A privateer was effectively a private member of the Navy, licenced by the government.

Timothy married Mary PALMER [12424] [MRIN: 4164], daughter of Ambrose PALMER of Yarmouth [12427] and Unknown, in 1758. (Mary PALMER [12424] was born in 1740 and died in 1829.)