Liberty

Liberty was an eighteenth-century British merchant vessel, rather than a consumer or corporate brand. She was built at Broadstairs in 1784 and entered Lloyd’s Register in the same year. The register identified her as British-built, with Richard Carey as master, Blackman as owner, and a regular trading route between London and Barbados. This route placed Liberty within the wider Atlantic merchant shipping system that connected Britain with the Caribbean and supported the movement of commercial goods, supplies, and other cargoes. The ship’s documented career was relatively short and survives in fragmentary form. In 1795 Liberty undertook a voyage to the West Indies on behalf of the British East India Company. The purpose of this employment is not explained in the available reference material, but the voyage demonstrates that the vessel was used for commercial service beyond her ordinary London–Barbados designation. Under Captain Richard Carey, she departed Dunnose on the Isle of Wight on 25 May 1795, reached Barbados on 25 July, called at St Eustatius on 2 August, and returned to Portsmouth on 3 October. Liberty remained in merchant service into the early nineteenth century. Her final recorded episode occurred on 9 March 1805 at Montserrat, where a French squadron operating from Rochefort attacked and burned her. The account identifies the vessel as Liberty of London and names Heppinstal as master; another register-related reference also associates Hamilton of Derbyshire with the incident. The same action reportedly destroyed the vessels Sarah of Liverpool and another Liberty of London. Liberty did not survive the attack and is therefore classified as defunct. Because the subject is an individual historical ship, there is no evidence that it represented a paper, packaging, forestry, or other materials brand. The supplied France attribution and the prior description of Liberty as a French paper or forestry brand conflict with the authoritative Wikipedia subject and have been corrected here. The available sources do not establish a modern owner, corporate parent, headquarters, product portfolio, advertising activity, financial record, or continuing commercial identity.

Liberty was a British-built merchant ship constructed at Broadstairs in 1784. Her early registry entry in Lloyd’s Register recorded Richard Carey as master, Blackman as owner, and London–Barbados as her principal trade. The designation of the vessel as a West Indiaman places her within the commercial shipping network linking British ports with Caribbean destinations. The ship’s documented movements indicate that she operated as a trading vessel rather than a naval craft. In 1795 she sailed under Captain Richard Carey on a voyage for the British East India Company. She left Dunnose on the Isle of Wight on 25 May, arrived at Barbados on 25 July, visited St Eustatius on 2 August, and returned to Portsmouth on 3 October. The available account does not explain why the East India Company employed Liberty for this West Indies voyage. Liberty continued in service after the 1795 voyage. Her final recorded master was Heppinstal, and the vessel was identified as Liberty of London. On 9 March 1805, a French squadron from Rochefort attacked shipping at Montserrat and burned Liberty. The same account records the destruction of other merchant vessels in the action. The loss brought Liberty’s known career to an end. The subject should not be confused with modern businesses, fashion retailers, paper companies, or other entities named Liberty. In this dossier, the name refers specifically to the ship covered by the Wikipedia article “Liberty (1784 ship).”

1. 1805Destruction at Montserrat

   A French squadron from Rochefort burned Liberty of London at Montserrat on 9 March, ending the ship’s recorded service.

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2. 1795East India Company West Indies voyage

   Under Captain Richard Carey, Liberty sailed from Dunnose to Barbados, visited St Eustatius, and returned to Portsmouth on a voyage undertaken for the British East India Company.

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3. 1784Construction and first registry

   Liberty was built at Broadstairs and appeared in Lloyd’s Register as a British-built vessel with Richard Carey as master, Blackman as owner, and London–Barbados as her trade.

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Historical British merchant vessel serving Atlantic and West Indies trade routes.

• LibertyMerchant ship1784

  A sailing merchant vessel built at Broadstairs in 1784. Liberty was registered for London–Barbados trade and later completed a West Indies voyage for the British East India Company. Her commercial role involved maritime transport rather than the manufacture or sale of branded consumer goods.

• 2019Gray Media acquires Raycom Media

  Gray Media acquired Raycom Media, bringing the former Liberty station portfolio into Gray’s broadcast ownership group.

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• 2008Raycom launches WMBF-TV using former Liberty construction permit

  Raycom used a construction permit originally obtained by Liberty for the Myrtle Beach–Florence market to launch WMBF-TV on August 7, 2008.

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• 2006Raycom completes Liberty acquisition

  The Raycom Media acquisition closed on January 31, 2006, ending Liberty Corporation’s independent corporate existence.

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• 2005Liberty agrees to acquisition by Raycom Media

  Raycom Media agreed to acquire Liberty Corporation for approximately $987 million in equity value and to assume about $110 million in debt. The transaction was completed in January 2006.

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• 2000Liberty sells insurance subsidiaries to Royal Bank of Canada

  Liberty Corporation sold Liberty Life and Pierce National Life to Royal Bank of Canada, marking the company’s exit from its historic insurance business and concentrating the group more directly on broadcasting and related media activities.

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• 1805Liberty destroyed by a French squadron at Montserrat

  A French squadron from Rochefort burned Liberty of London at Montserrat on 9 March 1805, ending the vessel’s recorded career.

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1. Liberty (1784 ship)
2. Gray Media收购Raycom Media