Bills of Lading, 1728-1788

Scope and Content

Nine printed bills of lading, completed in manuscript, for ships bound for Marseilles, including those for Le Décidé bound from Salonika, 1728; St Jean l'Évangéliste , from Istanbul, 1733; Le Benjamin , from Smyrna, 1763; Sainte Marie , from Port Maurice, 1765; La Fortune , from St Pierre, Martinique, 1765; La Napolitaine , from Naples, 1778; L'Aimable Marguerite , from Smyrna, 1779; S. Giovanni Battista , from Genoa, 1787 and 1788. Also includes a similar bill of lading for La Vièrge de Grace , bound from Marseilles to St Malo, 1729. Merchandise carried included raw cotton, yellow wax, fish, oil, vinegar, soap, coffee and silk.

Administrative / Biographical History

A bill of lading is a document which is issued by the transportation carrier to the shipper acknowledging that they have received the shipment of goods and that they have been placed on board a particular vessel which is bound for a particular destination and states the terms in which these goods received are to be carried.

Access Information

Access to the items in the collection is unrestricted for the purpose of private study and personal research within the controlled environment and restrictions of the Library's Palaeography Room. Access to archive collections may be restricted under the Freedom of Information Act. Please contact the University Archivist for details.

Acquisition Information

Bought from Henri Bernard in 1957.

Other Finding Aids

Collection level description.

Archivist's Note

Compiled by Sarah Aitchison as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project.

Conditions Governing Use

Copies may be made, subject to the condition of the original. Copying must be undertaken by the Palaeography Room staff, who will need a minimum of 24 hours to process requests.

Related Material

The University of London holds other bills of lading at MSS 466 and 651.